Wagons Ho to Yellowstone!!

I'll relate to you how we put this trip together. We had planned on taking a 7 day Caravan Bus Tour from Mt Rushmore - The Little Bighorn, Yellowstone, Tetons ending in Salt Lake City with our two daughters, Robin Harder and Renee Hall along with Robin's husband, Kyle.

We had made our deposits for the tour to begin late in September this year, but because of the Wuhan Virus Caravan Tours canceled all of their 2021 tours and refunded our deposits.

Dottie and I had been to these locations previously but only with grandchildren and not with our children.  Our trips had always been in the summer when it was hot, and the Parks strained to capacity. After Caravan canceled their tours our daughters came up with the idea of making the trip on our own, and doing so in the spring.

On May 22nd Robin, Renee, Dottie and I began this driving venture. I had planned the itinerary. Renee had the hard part, as she took it from there making all the hotel, motel, and Air BNB reservations. Kyle and Garrett Harder flew into Bozeman, joining us to tour Yellowstone NP. We had a 4 bedroom Airbnb, at Gardiner, MT to use as a Home Base for Yellowstone.

You can see from the map our route over this three week trip. Fantastic!

 

We were loaded to the gills but still very comfortable. 

And we’re off!

The Continental Divide

Robin, Renee and Dottie

We'll cross the Continental Divide several times on this trip.

Continental Divide? 

Let’s go back to High School Geography, and recall that this is the line down the Rockies where the division of water goes either to the Pacific or to the Atlantic. One rain drop heads to the east to the Atlantic, and its neighboring drop is off west to the Pacific.

Chaco Culture National Park

Chaco Canyon, or by its formal name Chaco Culture NP. There are 23 World Heritage Sites in the United States, and three of them are in New Mexico, Chaco Culture, Taos Pueblo, and the Carlsbad Caverns.

We are visiting hallowed  ground where our Ancient Ancestors walked at Chaco Canyon 1200 years ago.

Dottie and I visited here in 2016, when we were RVing through the Western National Parks.

https://www.ncribble.com/2016WNP/chacoCanyon.html

We are looking at structures built between 850 and 1250 AD. The ruins are snuggled just beneath the red sandstone rim rock, and there are 5 ruins located relatively close together on the valley floor. Pueblo Bonita, (in Spanish Beautiful Town) is considered to be the center of Chaco Canyon. Archaeologist, estimate that 100 people lived in Pueblo Bonita year round, and that extra rooms were allowed for guests and traders. Chaco Canyon was the center of trade for thousands of miles, and Pueblo Bonita was the religious or ceremonial center, and trade center. Chaco Canyon in the trading season had a population of over 2,000 people.

The difference between 2016 and 2021 is Covid. In 2016 we had a guide, At least we are just blessed that the national park is open, so we and our guidebook are off to wing it.

I love these two photographs as they amplify the masonry skills of the Chacovians. Just look at the detail and use of different sized sandstone to keep straight and level walls

The following photos give us a good perspective of the size of this early community. This is only one site but the largest of the other four in the culture center.

Renee catching me in action photographing these two professional models.

Take notice of the exactness of their masonry. Then remember that you are probably looking at

a wall constructed a thousands year ago. Let's give our ancients due credit for their construction skills.

Little Eyes are watching you through every window.

The Hogan.

We have departed the Chaco Canyon and are driving toward Aztec, NM, and along the way I photographed this Hogan. This itself is now ancient history. In the early 1960's I traveled across the Navajo Nation to various construction jobs, when they were just beginning to improve and pave the reservation's roads. The 'Hogan' was where the Navajos lived, whether it be built of sandstone, cedars or stone. It was the standard home of the Navajo for 700 years following the Chaco Culture.

They are rare today, as they have been replaced with framed and manufactured housing. For my book the Hogan was unique, but then I didn't live in one with its dirt floor and a pit fire.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

We drove from Chao Canyon to the Aztec Ruins National Monument. The people of the Aztec Ruins followed the time period of Chaco Canyon. Today we might think of this as our neighboring town.

The Visitors Center. Here again the Center was open, but due to the Wuhan Virus there were no guided tours.

Aztec Ruins have received an extensive restoration to give us a clearer understanding of the life style of our Ancients.

This Kiva is huge, roughly 60' in diameter and a ceiling height of 15'. It is very airy with good natural lightning. There is a beautiful use of "vigas and laties" in the ceiling. The top or outside of this roof system was covered with soil, and served as the community garden..

Notice the different rock wall construction. Aztec is located on the Animas River, and the available stone is different from the sandstone of Chaco.

I call your attention to the doorway, and the thickness of the wall just behind Renee. There are two additional circles of rooms around the main Kiva all connected with these doors. Too, remember these were little people and also very agile.

We almost had a disaster here, as I decided to go through two of these doorways,just to see the other side.

Bad decision!

Picture me with a camera hanging from my neck and bent over and squatting as much as possible and then creeping through the door.

Bad decision! 

I almost had to drop to my hands and crawl out.

Bad Decision!

I guess it is the ' Man' thing,but dumb and on the first day of our trip.

Again the use of laties in building the ceilings.

I included this photo to show the outer hallway around the kiva. Thinking back, we had the Great Room of 60' in diameter, then two more rows of circular rooms for living purposes and last a hallway that goes around the perimeter. Oh yes, these doors are higher.

Thank You Lord.

 

I'm not sure what story I was sharing, but you can bet you gum drops it was a good one!

We'll end our trip of New Mexico and tomorrow will head out to the Navajo Four Corners Monument and then on to Moab, Utah for more magnificent wonders of Canyonlands NP.

Stay with us guys, we're just beginning.

Till tomorrow.

Come on Willie sing us another verse and we'll head on down the road.