02/06: Chimney Rock National Monument
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we are driving to a campground just outside of Mesa Verde National Park. We opted to stay at a private park instead of in the NP because of electricity. We’re planning on staying in the area for at least four nights and I don’t think I’d last that long at the “dry” campsite in the NP (no water and no electricity). Electricity is the important component as it allows us to run our electric cooler and use our computers to back up all the photos Ed takes and to keep in touch via our blog and e-mail.
We started the day with a drive through the scenic San Luis Valley and continued through the beautiful San Juan Mountains.
The highway took us through Wolf Creek Pass at 10,857 feet. Even though this area didn't have a lot of snow last year, you can see a bit of snow in the trees. Wolf Creek Pass is also on the Continental Divide. All water to the west runs to the Pacific Ocean, where all water to the east runs to the Atlantic Ocean (includes the Gulf of Mexico).
I always love the signs for truckers. In true mountain pass form there were runaway truck ramps.
West of the mountains is a little greener.
We stopped at Chimney Rock National Monument outside of Pagosa Springs. Chimney Rock is the name of a rock formation but more importantly it is the name associated with an Ancestral Puebloan village. It is not understood why the village was built high in the mountains but it is assumed that it had to do with astronomical alignments of the rock towers with the sun and more importantly the moon. Archaeologists also do not understand why the village was abruptly abandoned. Chimney Rock NM is managed by the USDA Forest Service and was proclaimed a national monument in September 21, 2012.
Standing at the edge of the village looking to the northeast we can see the smoke of the fire in Durango. We spent some time talking to a ranger and he told us that the southwest is in an extreme drought. In fact one jurisdiction of the national forest declared itself at level 3, which means the forests are closed to the public. The ranger said this wasn't due to worsening conditions but to the fact that more than 20 campfires were found unattended, any of which could have caused a forest fire.
An old tree stump and a lizard.
This is the outside wall of the great pueblo. Much of the wall has been maintained over the years, but the section protected by the short walls and roof is original.
Chimney Rock represents one of the largest Pueblo II (900-1150 AD) communities in southwestern Colorado and is considered a Chacoan cultural “outlier.” The Chaco phenomenon was a complex system of dispersed communities bound by economic, political and religious interdependence centered in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. (borrowed from the national forest website).
When the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned the village was burned leaving only the rock foundations.
Chimney Rock from the great pueblo.
Chimney Rock from below.
The view from our campsite.
We started the day with a drive through the scenic San Luis Valley and continued through the beautiful San Juan Mountains.
The highway took us through Wolf Creek Pass at 10,857 feet. Even though this area didn't have a lot of snow last year, you can see a bit of snow in the trees. Wolf Creek Pass is also on the Continental Divide. All water to the west runs to the Pacific Ocean, where all water to the east runs to the Atlantic Ocean (includes the Gulf of Mexico).
I always love the signs for truckers. In true mountain pass form there were runaway truck ramps.
West of the mountains is a little greener.
We stopped at Chimney Rock National Monument outside of Pagosa Springs. Chimney Rock is the name of a rock formation but more importantly it is the name associated with an Ancestral Puebloan village. It is not understood why the village was built high in the mountains but it is assumed that it had to do with astronomical alignments of the rock towers with the sun and more importantly the moon. Archaeologists also do not understand why the village was abruptly abandoned. Chimney Rock NM is managed by the USDA Forest Service and was proclaimed a national monument in September 21, 2012.
Standing at the edge of the village looking to the northeast we can see the smoke of the fire in Durango. We spent some time talking to a ranger and he told us that the southwest is in an extreme drought. In fact one jurisdiction of the national forest declared itself at level 3, which means the forests are closed to the public. The ranger said this wasn't due to worsening conditions but to the fact that more than 20 campfires were found unattended, any of which could have caused a forest fire.
An old tree stump and a lizard.
This is the outside wall of the great pueblo. Much of the wall has been maintained over the years, but the section protected by the short walls and roof is original.
Chimney Rock represents one of the largest Pueblo II (900-1150 AD) communities in southwestern Colorado and is considered a Chacoan cultural “outlier.” The Chaco phenomenon was a complex system of dispersed communities bound by economic, political and religious interdependence centered in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. (borrowed from the national forest website).
When the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned the village was burned leaving only the rock foundations.
Chimney Rock from the great pueblo.
Chimney Rock from below.
The view from our campsite.