Friday, October 21, 2011

Chaco Canyon: Day 3 in Albuquerque

It was a long drive, including 16 miles of unpaved, washboard road, the the result was well worth it as we walked in the footsteps of the Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited Chaco Canyon.

There were more petroglyphs and rock trails to climb. 



But mostly there were ancient ruins of intricate stone work, towering cliffs, and a turquoise sky.


 And even a few blooming things.

 Pueblo Bonito was all it was reputed to be.


 We saw all we hoped to see, added a fresh layer of sun tan to our fading Northwest skin, and made it back to town to have dinner at the ultimate New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Albuquerque.
The Church Street Cafe is located in an early 18th century adobe hacienda just behind the church in Old Town.  The food was great and reasonable, and the setting was wonderful.  And after dinner we found a few more shops to stroll through before heading back to the hotel.

It was a perfect day!
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 21, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    What happened to the inhabitants? Did they migrate elsewhere or did they die off there?

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  2. DJanOctober 22, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    All that sunshine must have felt pretty good to you. Right now it's raining, and will continue for quite a few days, it seems. That sun warmed ME all the way over here in Bellingham. :-)

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  3. Linda ReederOctober 22, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Gigi, the best quess is climate change. As the weather became dryer and dryer, the river in the canyon that allowed the inhabitants to farm dried up. They dispersed and are the ancestors of the poeples of the Rio Grande Pueblos.

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  4. OlgaOctober 22, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Thanks for sharing your travels. I live vicariously.

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  5. DianneOctober 22, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    I enjoyed the entire series of posts
    I had to laugh when I say you with the walking stick, I'd need an ambulance to take a hike like that ;)

    wonderful photos!!

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  6. JeanOctober 22, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    OK. This does it. We have GOT to see this area of our country!

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  7. Great Grandma LinOctober 22, 2011 at 6:58 PM

    we've been to chaco canyon-it's fascinating and the road is terrible.

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  8. Sally WesselyOctober 22, 2011 at 7:38 PM

    I remember that road to Chaco Canyon. It is terrible. Isn't it just amazing down there?

    Sounds like a great day with a perfect ending.

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  9. Martha ZOctober 22, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    What a wonderful trip you're having. We've never visited Chaco Canyon and have only driven through Albuquerque. I' enjoying your posts, perhaps I'll have to put this area on my list.

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  10. KayOctober 27, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    Linda, you're getting thinner and thinner!

    ReplyDelete

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