Traveling Ancient Roads in New Mexico (or Our Urination Vacation) Part 2: All Roads Lead to Chaco Canyon

Besides finding the perfect book on rock art at Chaco Culture National Historic Site, M and I were blessed with the most random animal sightings on this trip. While walking to the breakfasty-awesomeness that is the Happy Belly Deli, we heard the craziest squawking in the air.

just barely visible from upper left diagonally down to
lower right.... hundreds of geese flying south for winter

The drive from TorC to Chaco was long, but interesting. Lots of music was listened to, lots of places found on the map, a quick detour into Albuquerque for Indian food, and discussion of the new spaceport in New Mexico.


My view for the whole ride... looking good, M!

As we entered the park (after a long and washboarded road off the highway), we saw a sign for elk. I made some smart-ass comment about always seeing Watch for Animal signs but never seeing the animals. Just as the words left my mouth, I spotted not 1, not 2, but 7 elk about 60 yards away! Big tall antlered males and cow-looking females. I'm pretty sure M got to hear me say in my most baby-talk voice how I loved the cute little elk (and to his credit, he still loves me). Ok, so I did get a photo of the 7 cute little big-antlered elk but it looks like every other tourists' animal photos; the kind where you show people and have to back it up with "see? right there? I swear that brown bump is an elk butt!"

After hitting the visitor center for our park passport stamps, we found the perfect campsite and set up shop. I'm typically a low-key car camper or backpacker.... tiny stove, tiny tent, no pillow. M is a bit more luxurious. We packed my feather bed, two big sleeping pads, several pillows, Coleman two-burner stove, and awesome food. We were set to hit the loop road that takes visitors by 8+ great houses that are about 1,000 years old.

Our sweet-ass campsite set-up - M's photo



Exuding excitement! Seriously, I was in nerdy archaeology
and photography heaven! (M's photo)

I quickly discovered that I was traveling with Ansel Adams....

M's photo - the clouds rock!

M's photo - but the blue sky rocks hard too!

M's photo - Checking out 1,000 year-old
masonry work as the sun goes down

We made it to two Great Houses, walking all around and photo-documenting every inch, before we lost the sun and had to head back to camp. Once the sun went down, my southern-ass began to freeze. I had 3 layers, gloves and a hat, and STILL was cold! We had forgotten firewood so there was no fire to keep warm by. We ate a quick meal and hit the tent, snuggling down in our sleeping bags.

In the middle of the night, I was pulled from sleep by an odd sound that I hadn't heard in years.... Coyotes! Click here for random video of coyote sounds. (Lennox was very interested in my computer as it suddenly began speaking coyote to him). Coyotes are such a wonderful part of any desert camping experience. I can't believe that in Texas people hunt them for sport and the state kills them as nuisance wildlife.

Another amazing thing about camping at Chaco? The un-freaking-believable night sky! I got up to pee in the middle of the night. Stepping outside the tent, I looked up and stopped dead in my tracks. I swear I reached up to try and touch the stars, they were so bright and so close!

[Totally dorky side note: most of Chaco's Great Houses were built in relation to the stars and the movements of the sun. If my night sky were this gorgeous, I would do the same!]

A not-so-amazing thing about camping at Chaco? At some point in the night, M heard something walking through our campsite. He says it sounded like human footsteps and there was a trail connecting several tent sites together. That's normal and a totally cool camping thing... but me finding a large puddle of urine not 10 yards from our tent and M realizing that it was the guy he heard walking in the middle of the night? not cool. I'm hoping that the dude was simply walking down the trail away from his tent and found a great bush to relieve himself by, not realizing that he was actually in our tent site.



Anyone who has ever camped knows how horribly cold it is in the morning when your need for coffee (or a toilet) overrides your need to stay in your warm bag. Anyone who's camped with me knows that I will bargain almost anything for YOU to make the coffee and let me stay in my bag.

making my own coffee... M's photo

The good thing about the desert is it'll warm up quickly once the sun rises. We had breakfast and hit the trail - Pueblo Alto Trail leading up out of the canyon onto the plateau and offering great views!

M's photo - me climbing up a crack in the rock wall to get up
out of the canyon and onto the plateau

Fantastic snacktime view of Pueblo Bonito, the most visited site at Chaco

M getting his own shots of Pueblo Bonito - love the brilliant yellow
cottonwoods lining the creek down below!

Continuing the trail along the edge of the canyon, we passed over one of the many ancient roads leading out of the canyon to the north.

Chaco Road steps carved into the cliff edge carried
millions of humans and tons of trade-goods to
present-day Colorado and Utah - M's photo

Our trail was a bit smaller, and the steps were
a bit rougher. The upside is that I love
my ass in this photo... it looks pretty good!

ok, stop looking at my ass

Goofing around on the trail - definitely a great part
of hiking! Learning to use the continuous shutter
on my camera makes it even better!



black-on-white pottery sherd... holding a 1,000 year
old lithic leftover in my hand

Somewhere along the trail, my spidey-senses began tingling and I spotted this! After examining it, we hid it under a rock right where we found it. [Never take artifacts back to the rangers. Leave it where you found it, in situ, for nature to reclaim or another hiker to 'discover'.]



A ways on down the trail, still along the cliff edge, we came across another Great House down below. As I stood there focusing my lens to get a birds-eye shot, I realized that one of the NPS masonry workers was PEEING. He had his back to the wall, which meant he was facing me, and after furtive glances to the left and the right, let loose. Even with my awesome zoom lens, I couldn't spot his little manhood (thankyoubabyjesus). The best part of it was after he zipped up, he happened to look up my way. So I waved....

After 6 miles up on the plateau, we made our way down the rock crack back to our car.


Sorry mom but I have to post all afraid-of-heights
photos. Down below is another Great House, and just up
the road is our car. - M's photo

We headed to the visitor center to watch the park's video, play with some antelope ground squirrels, and then back to camp to make dinner. We had an amazing dinner - brown rice with bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli. Definitely better than my pbj that I usually eat while camping.

The chef and his work space

Oh! and while we were making dinner, I spotted our other neighbor (not Midnight Pee Man) with his back to the parking lot and the rest of the tent sites, PEEING onto a bush behind his tent. Men have no shame! (For those of you counting, this makes the 3rd man in two days to whip it out in the wild and urinate in my vicinity)

See you in Part 3 when we'll conclude our Chaco adventure and take a look back at things we learned... besides the fact that men will pee whenever, wherever. Whatever....