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The image looks fine when you click on it. Photos uploaded through the post editor are automatically reduced in size; If you want your image displayed at full-width, you have to upload it to a web-based photo sharing site, like Flickr or equivalent, and then embed a link to it in your post. (If Mark sees this, he might have other, or more specific suggestions/instructions.)Originally Posted by landmariner
What route did you take from Santa Fe to Farmington? I'm beginning to detect a theme to the Southwestern portion of your last year's excursion: Bandelier, Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde? Landmariner, you're a road tripper after my own heart!
Rick
[QUOTE=Rick Quinn;195353]<snip>
What route did you take from Santa Fe to Farmington? I'm beginning to detect a theme to the Southwestern portion of your last year's excursion: Bandelier, Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde? Landmariner, you're a road tripper after my own heart!
From Sante Fe to Farmington, the leg was rather pedestrian as I wanted to arrive to Mesa Verde in plenty of time to find a decent campsite as well as replenish for some van camping supplies in Durango and lunch at Ska Brewing there.
Bandelier NM was my original target for two nights camping but I had to divert to Santa Fe for "mysterious" reasons and nothing else was available in the vicinity, camping or hotels. I ended up adding a night to Santa Fe and moving up my stay by two nights and also adding a night at Mesa Verde.
So, La Junta, CO US 350 -> Trinidad, CO -> US 64 Taos, NM -> various state roads to Bandelier NM -> via Los Alamos Center (think old Fed stuff got me on-base) to Santa Fe, NM. I had originally planned to do some more scenic driving and touristing up in the mountains visiting some of the old missions. In Santa Fe, I enjoyed the O'Keefe Museum and the Chili Line Brewery a couple of times. Northern NM was fairly new for me so I got a sniff and decided Four Corners would be a "destination RT" in the future although I have had several general sniffs over the past 20 years and always make Mesa Verde NP a stop over refreshing site during cross-country drives to SoCal/CentCal.
Santa Fe, NM to Mesa Verde NP, CO, via Aztec Ruins NM and Durango, CO. Santa Fe, NM -> I-25 South to US 550 West to Aztec Ruins Nat'l Monument -> US 550 West to Durango, CO (gas, beer late lunch, supplies) -> US 160 West to Mesa Verde NP.
Bisti in the Morning, Aztec in the Evening, Chaco at Supper-time!
Dang, that's too bad. I realize that time is never unlimited on any road trip, so we can never see everything, but when you drove to Farmington on US 550, you passed within 23 miles (maybe 40 minutes) of what is easily the most amazing prehistoric ruin in the United States!
Aztec Ruins was an Anasazi town. Chaco Canyon was the big city, with extensive ruins that spread out for miles. The Great Houses were massive structures, four stories tall with as many as 600 rooms. Few people were aware of it at the time, but the Great Houses at Chaco were the largest buildings in North America until well into the 19th century!
The place was a religious center and a hub of commerce for the Anasazi. There were dozens, if not hundreds of Kivas, some quite large, with intricate masonry that has stood the test of time:
These builders loved their windows, even in the thickest of walls:
With most of the building falling into ruin, the interior structure of this wall is exposed: layer upon interlocking layer of bricks laid by hand, fitted so tightly together that the wall is still standing after almost a thousand years
There's a stark beauty to the landscape, but it's not what you'd call hospitable. The climate was undoubtedly much different during the heyday of this place, from the mid-800's until it was abandoned in the early 14th century--most probably due to prolonged drought.
Chaco is worth a couple of days, easily, but the only accommodation anywhere nearby is the Gallo campground, inside the park. (Reservations recommended). If you ever get back that way, you absolutely need to check it out! Just be aware that the road in isn't the best, and neither is the road out:
During periods of heavy rain, stay away. Just as I mentioned in reference to Bisti: add water, the roads and trails turn into sticky goo. Everything I've been describing: the Bisti Badlands, Aztec Ruins, and Chaco Canyon are all part of Scenic Side Trip #17, which is a heck of a nice detour off I-40 between Gallup and Grants.
Rick
Good grief...did we all do the same trip last fall?
South Rim Grand Canyon which was added when temps in Petrified Forest were predicted to be in the high 90's and to hot to do a couple of days hiking, we did do 1/2 day in at Petrified Forest in route to Santa Fe where we visited Bandelier and other sites I might want to use as a "where am i". Then moved to Farmington to do Chaco and Bitis Badlands but as I've mentioned Bitis was rained out so we ended up going to Salmon Ruins and Aztec National Monument! We then moved to Mesa Verde where we did the Durango Train ride, the Millon Dollar Highway circle to see the fall colors, Hoovenweep and from there we spent time in Moab and Capitol Reef before heading home.
My picture of Aztec is from 9-15-19 and the cottonwoods were still green!
Utahtea
I was there during late-September 2019, a great stop-off on a scenic routing from Santa Fe to Mesa Verde NP. The leaves were still green!
P.S. Photos added as mini versions. How do I load regular size?I love Chaco! We were able to have one good weather day during our 4 night/ 3 day stay in Bloomfield. I like to plan rainy days into our schedule and I had planned one in the area but we got two! We were traveling with another couple who hadn't been to any of the places we were going and we had been to all of them so they relied on our recommendation and we chose Chaco over Bisti.Dang, that's too bad. I realize that time is never unlimited on any road trip, so we can never see everything, but when you drove to Farmington on US 550, you passed within 23 miles (maybe 40 minutes) of what is easily the most amazing prehistoric ruin in the United States!
Aztec Ruins was an Anasazi town. Chaco Canyon was the big city, with extensive ruins that spread out for miles. The Great Houses were massive structures, four stories tall with as many as 600 rooms. Few people were aware of it at the time, but the Great Houses at Chaco were the largest buildings in North America until well into the 19th century!
The place was a religious center and a hub of commerce for the Anasazi. There were dozens, if not hundreds of Kivas, some quite large, with intricate masonry that has stood the test of time:
These builders loved their windows, even in the thickest of walls:
With most of the building falling into ruin, the interior structure of this wall is exposed: layer upon interlocking layer of bricks laid by hand, fitted so tightly together that the wall is still standing after almost a thousand years
There's a stark beauty to the landscape, but it's not what you'd call hospitable. The climate was undoubtedly much different during the heyday of this place, from the mid-800's until it was abandoned in the early 14th century--most probably due to prolonged drought.
Chaco is worth a couple of days, easily, but the only accommodation anywhere nearby is the Gallo campground, inside the park. (Reservations recommended). If you ever get back that way, you absolutely need to check it out! Just be aware that the road in isn't the best, and neither is the road out:
During periods of heavy rain, stay away. Just as I mentioned in reference to Bisti: add water, the roads and trails turn into sticky goo. Everything I've been describing: the Bisti Badlands, Aztec Ruins, and Chaco Canyon are all part of Scenic Side Trip #17, which is a heck of a nice detour off I-40 between Gallup and Grants.
Rick
Utahtea
We also spent a night and half-day van camping at Capitol Reef on the return trip Eastward. We also spent a night or two in Salt Lake City, including a visit to Red Rock Brewing there to pick up some special batch rauchbier. And then on to Dinosaur National Monument.
Headed to Fort Collins from there by way of the Flaming Gorge in the early morning hours. Temps were nippy up in those high elevations! Impressive. Fort Collins was a brewing pub triptych with Prost!
Fort Collins the highlight of the three we visited, although New Belgium was good to visit (just not enough time for everything!).
As I mentioned on the forum before, the Indian Nations AAA map will be pulled out for the Four Corners destination road trip. Not sure I want to risk Chaco in my Odyssey MiniVan especially not in monsoon weather.
(I have sent you an email about how to use the RTA Contributing Writers Photo App -- Mark)
Last edited by Mark Sedenquist; 05-12-2020 at 10:40 AM. Reason: added image to show how
A couple more.
Sampler plus hefeweissen
Our lucky day as the roving German food truck/caterer were set-up
Where, oh where can I be?
Landmariner, you're reminding me of just how much I miss having a good, cold beer in a proper pub! When the time comes (and not a minute sooner), that first swig is going to taste really, really fabulous!
As for driving to Chaco in the monsoon season, I wouldn't even risk it in La Reina Sucia, my beloved Jeep Cherokee. (Okay, maybe I would risk it, but only because the 'Queen' loves a good mud bath). In dry weather, especially spring and fall, the northern entrance (off US 550) isn't all that bad. It's paved part of the way, and the unpaved portion can be negotiated by most vehicles as long as you take it slow (though I wouldn't try it in a Corvette ;-).
Everybody ready for another round? Here we go:
Where am I?
This is not a major destination, though it's (almost) within sight of an Interstate Highway. It won't be all that hard to guess if you've been there, or if you like this sort of thing, but these are not the usual angles for photos of this place, so that makes it less of a gimme.
Who can tell me the name and location? And for bonus points: who built it?
Rick
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
My turn!
Where is this?
Last edited by glc; 05-12-2020 at 06:10 PM.
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