Chaco Camping, March 2019

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After driving down to Chaco in the morning, and setting up our tent, we met up with the rest of our group. Most of us decided to do an afternoon tour of Pueblo Bonito.

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:Looking over some of the many kivas and rooms of Pueblo Bonito.

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Pueblo Bonito walls showing the characteristic "Chaco style" masonary.

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Betsy and Roz in part of Pueblo Bonito

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Corner window at Pueblo Bonito

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On our second day, we began by visiting Chetro Ketl.

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Checking out a kiva at Chetro Ketl.

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Walls of Chetro Ketl, with the Chaco Canyon cliffs behind it.

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After Chetro Ketl, we hiked the South Mesa Trail. This includes a small climb through a narrow crack in the sandstone cliffs, which Cary is negotiating.

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The South Mesa Trail leads to the ruins of Tsin Kletsin. A couple of folks noticed that some of the stones in the ruin had some "grafiti" on them. Note the date, 1915.

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After lunch and a break at Tsin Kletsin.

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Our third day began with a hike to Peñasco Blanco. Near the start of the trail, one passes Kin Kletso, seen here.

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The cliffs along our hike. For Sue and I, this is the last trail at Chaco that we had not previously hiked.

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Sue looking at Casa Chiquita, another small ruin along our route.

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There are a few interesting rock art panels on the hike. Here, a spiral petroglyph.

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Part of the group looking at rock art.

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Abstract rock art along the Peñasco Blanco trail.

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Petroglyphs

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Cliff swallow nests

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One of the larger panels of petroglyphs.

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You can see rock art all along this wall.

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Supernova pictograph at Chaco Canyon. This is along the Peñasco Blanco trail. The 10-pointed "star" is thought to repesent the Crab Nebula supernova of 1054 AD. Calculations suggest that early on the morning of Juily 5, 1054, the supernova and crescent moon would have been positioned in the sky as depicted in the pictograph.