Chimney Rock National Monument, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2013



The kiva at the pueblo.

Chimney Rock National Monument. Chimney Rock in southwest Colorado, between Durango and Pagosa Springs, is one of the most fascinating and most northern of the Great Houses connected with the Chaco Culture. It was occupied about 1000 years ago and is a significant astronomical site.

Pit house walls.

We get to the ranger station just in time take a guided group tour of the Chimney Rock Great House. The pueblo below it can be seen as a self-guided tour but the great house itself can only be seen on a guided tour. The tour is $12 per person and worth price for the beauty and uniqueness of the site and the excellent program given by the docents.

The first view of the great house.

When the group is assembled we caravan to the parking area at the crest of the ridge.  Our guide gives us a tour of the pueblo, pointing out some of its unique features consisting of a large kiva and numerous large pit houses.


From the pueblo we ascend the narrow neck of a steep-sided ridge where the great house presides over a grand view of sky, mountains and surrounding valleys. The ridge terminates in two prominent rock towers that align with the great house in an easterly direction.



The stonework of the great house.

At the narrow neck of the ridge there was a building that served as a guard house allowing only important people access. It would have obscured the great house from view until the person passed through for a first look that enhanced the importance and power of this place.

The great house kiva.

The great house was 2-stories made of exquisite stone work in the Chaco style. It was believed to have been plastered and painted white creating a powerful vision as people climbed the path to the sky across the neck of the ridge. The people who were allowed to enter would have come to make astronomical observations.

The kiva with the chimneys in the background.

Great house rooms, another kiva and view to the west.

The great house had solar alignments but the lunar alignment is the most significant and magnificent. During the major lunar standstill the moon will rise in the narrow gap between the two chimneys as seen from the great house. The lunar standstill happens about every 18 years and last occurred in 2004. When the alignment occurred it must have been a major event for the early people even as it would be for us today. I wonder what kind of buzz it created in that distant past. There are lots of people waiting to see it happen again because it’s a rare and beautiful thing.

Great house rooms and a view to the north.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chimneys.

 

Posing with the chimneys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing the San Juan carving.

Pagosa Springs. We head on down the road to Pagosa Springs for a late lunch at a public park along the San Juan River in the middle of town. Next to the river we see a beautiful sculpture carved from an old tree trunk of an eagle catching a fish. It’s called, “Fishing the San Juan”. Now you know what you can do with your old tree trunks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise at Echo Amphitheater.

Cliffs on the trail to the Amphitheater.

Echo Amphitheater. Our next to last night of our travels is spent at Echo Amphitheater in northern New Mexico. This little national forest campground has nine small primitive sites and a picnic area at the base of colorful sandstone cliffs. We were the only ones there and spent a wonderful, peaceful night. Since we don’t wear watches anymore the sun becomes our time piece as we sip coffee and tea and watch the light move down the rocks. We haven’t watched TV in seven weeks and never missed it. It’s more rewarding and memorable to watch the morning light appearing on the rocks and finding beauty and inspiration.

Echo Amphitheater.

A trail at the parking area leads to the amphitheater. The great dome arcs above us, filling with morning light. We speak to the rocks and with satisfying results, they answer back.

VLA.

Heading home. We head back to the Sprinter in the light of the morning and point the Mercury for home. We’ll be there in another day, our 7-week journey at its end.

VLA. On our way home we pass by the VLA (Very Large Array), a radio telescope in central New Mexico and not far from our home.

Already we’re talking about our travels for next year. Thanks for reading. Hope to see you down the road.

Jackie

Cedar Mesa, Sept. 24-29, 2013

A ruin on the rim of Bullet Canyon

2 of the shields above Jailhouse Ruin.

Cedar Mesa. If not for deep canyons scoured into it, Cedar Mesa would be a pretty bland place. The mesa top, covered in pinion and the ubiquitous juniper, seems to connect with the blue dome of sky, isolating it from all else. But we can’t wander very far before our way is terminated by a drop into a canyon almost unseen until we arrive at the edge. The void beckons us to descend, eyes searching for a way through colorful cliffs and rubble slopes. The canyons hold the promise of cliff dwellings, rock art and magnificent scenery.



Inside the 1st level of Jailhouse Ruin.

This is our 3^rd time at Cedar Mesa so I guess it’s not finished with us. Its mysteries and surprises keep calling us back. Hiking these scenic canyons is wonderful in its self but seeing the ruins is the reward.

More rooms on the 1st level.

Bullet Canyon. We did a 3-day backpack down Bullet Canyon which has several nice ruins. We set a base camp near a spring at the confluence of Bullet and Jailhouse Canyons and did a day hike into Grand Gulch. The most significant ruins in Bullet are Perfect Kiva and Jailhouse. We visited Perfect Kiva two years before and didn’t go to it on this trip.

The barred window at Jailhouse Ruin.

Jailhouse Ruin. Jailhouse Ruin is on 2 levels with the top level being inaccessible. We easily located it on the cliff by 3 white shields painted above the top wall. The left shield has 2 rows of turquoise dots which makes me think the shields were once more colorful and detailed but are sun-faded from centuries of exposure. The ruin was named for a window barred with juniper branches. Below the doorway on level two is a kiva. There may have been a ladder to the 2^nd level from there. As we walked around the 1^st level we found a nicely arranged petroglyph on the point of rock just below a defensive wall on the 2^nd level. Maybe the glyph was for protection and to discourage enemies or of an important leader connected with the ruin.

A grainery in Bullet Canyon.

We spent a day hiking into Grand Gulch and visited other sites along the way.

More ruins in Bullet Canyon.

A close up view of the above ruin.

Fall color in Bullet Canyon, Jailhouse in background.

A well preserved ruin in upper Road Canyon.

Reverse hand prints on the ceiling above the ruin.

Road Canyon. After our backpack we spent a night at the Normal Trailhead at upper Road Canyon and did a day hike down canyon to 7 Kivas. Upper Road Canyon has a very well preserved ruin. The only difficulty in Road is a half-mile, unmarked traverse on a slope above a cliff to bypass a pour off. The trail is little used and you don’t know if you’re doing the right thing until you see a small slide through the cliff that takes you back down to the bottom. You just have to know that this is the route and you will get back down eventually. Other than that Road is easy hiking and beautiful for its cliffs, pour offs and pools. It was an adventure.

Reading the information at 7 Kivas.

Hiking down canyon we missed the small cairn that marked the Bypass Trail that climbs back to the top and the 2^nd trailhead into Road. We were surprised to come around a bend and look up to see 7 Kivas on a ledge ahead of us. This is a remarkable site that contains a fully intact kiva. It’s a mystery as to why so many kivas were built in this place.

Kiva interior.



Kiva interior.



Intact Kiva.



Intact Kiva.

Looking down canyon from the kivas is a clear view to the east where the 2 slopes of the canyon form a V. Maybe this feature was important to the Kiva builders.

The view down canyon for 7 Kivas.



Hiking in beautiful Road Canyon.

Hiking back up canyon we find the cairn making the Short Cut Trail and ascend to the parking lot. From here it was only a 2.5 mile hike along the road back to our Sprinter but not near as interesting.

Hiking out of Road Canyon on the Short Cut Trail.

We have enough of the day left to go to Muley Point and camp our last night on Cedar Mesa before heading for Durango.





Muley Point looking into the San Juan.

Muley Point. Muley Point offers boon docking with a grand view. The Goose Necks of the San Juan meander 1,600 ft. below. To the south the buttes of Monument Valley are veiled by distance and the round shoulders of Navajo Mountain anchor the southwest horizon.  The bronze afternoon sun sweetens the honey colored cliffs and the land is aglow until the stars come out.

Muley Point at sunrise from our camp.

Our camp at Muley Point.

Catch us on our next post from Chimney Rock. See you down the road.

Jackie

Back to Moab, Sept. 22-23, 2013

Waterfall Spotting in Moab. We returned to Moab during a heavy rain and hooked up with Kim and Lisa to go waterfall spotting. In a good rain storm water runs off the slickrock creating amazing temporary waterfalls hundreds of feet high along the canyon walls. The trick is to know where the rain is falling and the right road to take to get there in time. We headed up the Colorado River from Moab and were rewarded with numerous waterfalls all along the highway. Some falls make their appearance down drainages; dropping over pour offs, churning, foaming and roaring as they come. Others have a straight, high drop and form long, eloquent ribbons. Part of the excitement is being in the right place when they happen.  The silent cliffs roar if only for a short time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie at the top of the 2nd rappel into Teardrop.

Rappelling down Teardrop in Arches. The next day Kim and Lisa take us rappelling again in Arches. We follow the same boulder filled crack to the top and this time we’ll descend down Teardrop. There are 2 nice rappels before the last 140 ft. cliff. This cliff face immediately slopes inward and just a few feet after backing over the edge I’m free of the rock and hanging in space. Then it’s just a matter of controlling the decent. This was the first time for us on a long rappel and it was really exciting. We’re thinking of coming back to Moab next year and doing more.



Jackie on rappel.

 

Jackie on rappel, Kim at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie on he last rappel of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie, Jim and Lisa after a fine day on the rocks.

 





Here's winking at you.

Our last night at Moab was spent at Kings Bottom, a primitive BLM campground along the Colorado River south of Moab. The sites are perfect for small rigs and tents. We camped right next to the river where we could watch it sliding along between magnificent canyon walls. Across the river from our camp a pair of eyes in the cliff face winked back at us.

 

 

 

Wilson's Arch.

 We leave Moab and head to Cedar Mesa to do some backpacking and hiking into canyons filled with cliff dwellings and pictographs. We pass this beautiful arch as we head south on Hwy 191.

‘Till next time.

Jackie

Canyon Lands, Island in the Sky, Sept. 18-21, 2013

Island in the Sky.

Canyon Lands, Island in the Sky

We leave Moab to camp for four nights in Canyon Lands Island in the Sky. Our first night is spent at Horse Thief Campground, a BLM campground just outside the Park entrance. It’s a nice campground on top of the mesa with lots of sites but bring your own water. It's a good place for large rigs since the only campground within the park has length limitations and few sites.

The next day we entered Canyon Lands and got a site at their only campground, Willow Flat. No services are available. We got water in Moab at Gear Heads, a big outdoor recreation gear and clothing store. The owner and employees are very cordial and informative. Since the water is free I highly recommend you buy something as well. You can’t help but find something you need. We did.

Moon over Willow Flat campground.

Willow Flat CG. We spent three nights at Willow Flat. There are no willows and it’s not flat, just sand and Pinion/Juniper. The sites have great picnic shades, nice views and very peacefull.

Neck Spring hike. The 1^st day we hiked the Neck Springs Trail that took us just below the rim of the mesa on an easy 6 mile loop. It’s a nice introduction to Island in the Sky.

Our camp site at Willow Flat.

Whale Rock hike. That night there was a full moon and it was recommended in the trail guide to hike Whale Rock by moon light. The trail was a little hard to follow at times as it wasn’t always well carined. After a few missed turns in the shadows we got to the rock and walked up the back of the “whale” in the creamy moon light. We sat on top for a while watching moon light fill up the canyon below us. It was so quiet and we were the only people there. A light up-draft carries the warmth from the rock, cricket song and sweet smell of juniper. This is one of those magic times when nothing’s happening but you don’t want it to end.

Bike riding on Island in the Sky. The 2^nd day we rode our bikes on all the roads on Island in the Sky and stopped at every view point. It’s all on the mesa top so the riding is easy and traffic is considerate. The Park encourages bicycling. We get to see a lot more scenery from a bike than motorists have a chance to see.

That night we attended a ranger talk at our campground. She told us about animal and plant survival techniques. Did you know Desert Big Horn can lose about 20% of their body weight in water between drinks without being adversely affected by dehydration? Nice trick.

On the Syncline Loop Trail around Upheaval Dome.



Along the Syncline Loop.

Upheaval Dome, Syncline Loop Trail. On our last day we took an 8-mile hike on the Syncline Loop Trail around Upheaval Dome. This is a difficult hike with a lot of decent, climbing and route finding. The Park performs the most hiker rescues on this trail and a lot of night rescues because people start out too late in the day and aren’t prepared. The hike takes 6 to 7 hours and we made it in 6 with a little time spent route finding. We started at 8:15 am when no one else was in the parking lot. More than half way around we met some people going the opposite direction who hadn’t started hiking until 11. See how it is? Get your bottoms out of bed a little earlier.



The route around the pour-off.

On the south leg of the loop is a stone stairway up a steep, south facing, rubble slope. It goes up hundreds of feet and gets hot in the afternoon. It’s either a stairway to heaven or decent to hell depending on which way you’re going. If you like hiking and are good at route finding you'll love this trail. It has some beautiful, unexpected scenery and an up-close experience of Canyon Lands.





The long decent into Upheaval Canyon.



At Upheaval Canyon and half way around the Loop.



The stairway to heaven.

A last warning for the unprepared.

This year we didn’t have time to go to the Needles or the Maze sections of Canyon Lands but are planning it for next year.

There’s more to come as we head back for Moab and rejoin Kim and Lisa for another day of rappelling in Arches. Until next time.

Jackie