rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

From posts on the Discussion Section, people are already thinking in terms of vacation destinations. One of the most interesting places I've been is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Chaco Canyon was the heart of the culture that built pueblos such as Mesa Verde, and today it is on the same international cultural list that includes sights such as the pyramids. Because I've lived in the Midwest most of my life, I've been there only twice - in 1971 when I had an internship in New Mexico and in 2002 when I took my family - so all I have is film pictures, but here are a few from my 1971 visit. When preparing to post these, I realized they were scanned with my old scanner; I suppose I should track down the ancient Agfa slides and see if I could do a better job, but everything there really is sun-bleached . I should warn you that a primitive 25 mile road leads there - most believe the NPS does that to keep the visitor load low at this national treasure - but in 2002 we drove it in our minivan, so the only issue is that this last 25 miles may take an hour

reconstructed structure


remains of kiva


I actually went up this stairway to the rim in 1971 - I guess NPS would be less tolerant today


Pueblo Bonita seen from the rim; untl 1890, this was the largest human dwelling on North America

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I was there in the early 1990's with my Canon A1. It is a very interesting place to visit indeed. I plan on going again after I retire. Gonna do some traveling...

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

That's a HUGE kiva! And the prehistoric stairs. I'm sure a government lawyer's hair went white when they saw this was open for public use ... Thanks for sharing.

DragonsLady Loc: Los Alamos, NM

We were there sometime in the 80's in the late summer (August.) It was VERY hot and the tumbleweeds (Russian Thistle) were in bloom all around the campground. That's when my husband discovered he is allergic to tumbleweeds. He's still allergic and I try to point out the weeds before they bloom (and their stickers harden into very sharp little spikes) so he can pull them up out of our yard BEFORE they bloom. I actually think the blossoms (very close to the stem and about 1/4 inch across) are very pretty - they're a pinkish-purple.

roder10 Loc: Colorado Springs

One of my favorite places in New Mexico and because it is a bit remote (that last 25 miles), we have found it is rarely crowded. Just don't ever want to go in the rain.