chaco Canyon AGAIN

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Here again I found myself surrounding by the ancient Indian Chacoan ruins. After roughly 3 hour drive from Albu I arrived at Chaco Canyon around noon and I claimed my campsite right away, the tentsite at Gallo Campground has a wonderful satting, with huge rocks hanging above the site and the wild flowers and wild sage plants as my front garden, from time to time I saw some cute desert bunnies jumping around. I sat up the tent and had some snack then I headed for the ruins again. First I stopped by Una Vida, an early pueblo built around 850 AD and it is an unescavated site stood on the hill overlooking the canyona and Fajada Butt from a distance. Later I stopped by Hungo Pavi, a relatively smaller great house but has wonderful wall structures overlooking Fajada Butt. Then it is time to see the wonderful Chetl Ketl and Pueblo Bonito, they are rather close to each other by distance and by size although Bonito had 600 rooms and over 40 Kivas while Chetl Ketl had 400 rooms but it has a huge Kiva bigger than those of Bonitos'. what interestinfg is Chetl Ketl has an artificial Plaza 11 ft above the canyon floor which makes it stands out like a hangging plaza. Since I have been to Chaco 2 years ago,but I missed the chance of going up the Pueblo Alto trail to see Pueblo Bonito from above, so I decided to hike up there before sunset. After passing by Kin Kestl another great house if 3-4 stories high built in the later period around 1200 AD, there is a rocky trail lead me up to the canyon rim. Before getting on the canyon rim I had to squeezed myself into a very narrow passage then suddently I was on a flat surface, I would say from the canyon floor to the overlook it is about 400 ft. Soon I found the spot there I could stand into the pothole to secure myself while I am so close to the cliff. What a view of Bonito from here, I could see the D shape complex and Chetl Ketl and Pueblo Del Arroyo. I spent sometime soaking up the sun and enjoying the ruin and imaging what it looked like 800 years ago with 2000 people living here, it must be a thriving and living comminity. There was no one on the rim and what I heard was the whistle of the wind and the lonely cries of the ravens. About 30 mins later I made it down to the parking lot and ready for the Ranger lead Moonrise walking tour among the rooms of Bonito.The nearly full moon shined on the Pueblo Bonito made it awonderful picture I would remember for a long time.

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