Off-Roading: Chaco Culture Nat'l Historical Park 11/7/09

It's the dilemma for the ages - How does the NPS ensure safety and convenience for its visitors, yet simultaneously preserve the authenticity of the experience? We all want to see that "one great spot" or capture the picture of a lifetime, yet just as often, we're asked to endure the unendurable to achieve the very same.  And after all, if it were easy, why would anyone bother? Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a case study in this very issue, as it succeeds wildly in its desire to take pilgrims back into the past, yet it offers no quarter for those seeking refuge from difficulty. This is a place no one comes to by accident or after taking the wrong turn; you want to be here, and once you embark, there's no going back. Before you even get to the money shot of ruins and beautiful isolation, you must hit the road - by road, I mean a 20-mile dirt path that would be all-too-familiar to Neil Armstrong. We were equipped with a bloated Dodge Ram, and we still damn near flew off the road. It's a bump-filled, slippery, rollercoaster ride of utter madness, and every thirty seconds we questioned our sanity. Would it be worth it? Would our tires survive? Will we have to enlist the aid of a tow truck? That last chance gas station near the turnoff never seemed so far away.

Once you reach the above sign, you're home at last. The unpassable rock quarry that passes for a road behind us, we saw only pavement ahead, and those glorious, mysterious ruins. At that moment (and after one last curse for the dirt path, as if we didn't have to go back the same way), you realize that yes, it has to be this way. Instead of a sign keeping out the rabble, the NPS has erected the next best thing. Casual travelers are kept to a minimum, and throughout your stay, you can nod, smile knowingly, and share the same sense of accomplishment with the remaining veterans. As a true destination spot, this is the exact opposite of the roadside attraction, lending the area a dignity that would remain impossible with larger crowds and easier access. And dignity is only the beginning. Sure, a cloudless, mild day is always the best way to travel, but this is as close as one can get to spending a few hours in the bosom of history. There's a quiet, almost eerie presence at work, and it's no stretch to believe you are the very first to discover these ancient monuments to a now-vanished people. Their age (inhabited around 850 to 1250) lends them power, but they're in such remarkably good condition that they become truly timeless.

The official story, that Chaco was "a hub of ceremony, trade, and administration for the prehistoric Four Corners area", is apt, as all other ancestral ruins come back to the canyon's stark beauty. This was, as another source once described, the Las Vegas of the ancient world, where people from miles around came to interact in a manner altogether different from daily life. It was a massive, multi-faceted shopping mall of sorts, where the specifics of the culture reached their pinnacle of expression. To know what these people held dear, we look to Chaco. Additionally, the genius of ancient architecture has rarely been so effortlessly expressed, as these structures are no mere lean-tos or hastily produced barriers from the elements. The planning, engineering, labor, and administration (shipment of materials to this site alone boggles the mind, as these people had only their feet to carry them) are truly world class, and further study has proven numerous astrological connections as well. In other words, structures required celestial knowledge that spanned the generations, all in an age before blueprints and recording equipment. Any way you slice it, these were remarkable people indeed.

The main event, of course, is Pueblo Bonito, the largest of Chaco's Great Houses. From any angle, it's a massive complex of rooms, kivas, windows, and trails, not the least bit compromised by the January 1941 collapse of a section of the canyon wall that destroyed numerous rooms and a rear wall. The walk on, in, and among Bonito's beauty is as giddy as you're likely to feel in a collapsed building. There's no such thing as a bad picture here, and it's best to come when we did (as the sun is close to setting), providing great shadows and playful movements of light. Interestingly, though there are a decent number of tourists, it's all very respectful, lacking the usual screeching and wailing other sites feature in spades.

The other great house is Pueblo del Arroyo, which is 5 1/2 miles from the visitor center (the whole Canyon Loop Drive is around 9 miles). Again, this spot recognized our need to examine every last element of the walls, doors, and living space, allowing for contemplation as to its differences from the bigger Bonito. Were different classes assigned here? Were the rituals less vital to the community as a whole? All are questions that will remain only partially answered, but Chaco is the sort of place where debates take hold. What, for example, took place at Hungo Pavi, the first stop on the tour, and what mysteries remain (as it is unexcavated)?

Less striking, of course, is the visitor center. The NPS apparently agrees, as it has torn it down in favor of new construction. We spent little time there (we got the stamp and got moving, as the day was fading away), and on April 1st of 2010, a temporary site was put up until the new facility is completed. The park's website says that until then, no film or exhibits will be available, which (we can assume) is not entirely a bad thing. Most of the films we have seen that deal with the Ancestral Pueblo people are trippy, spiritual nonsense, focusing on romance and allure, and not at all on hard history. We can only hope that the ribbon cutting in the years ahead will be accompanied by a more enlightened exhibition of the past. Perhaps it doesn't matter, though, as what on earth is going to compete with the ruins themselves?

As we left (Brooke drove out of the park and for some reason, the ruts didn't seem so deep this time), we left satisfied, almost as if we had been special guests, not dopey tourists. And as the sun set, and the drive back to Albuquerque stretched on and on (did we mention Chaco's isolation?), we rested in the satisfaction that we had seen an American landmark - worth preserving, worth visiting, and yes, worth a return trip.

FINAL RATING

9.9/10 *(forgive us, but our tire went kaput not too long after the visit, and yes, I blame the dirt road)