Chaco Canyon Roads

[LYNNE ROBERTS]

The most horrendous experience behind the wheel of a car was on the
road into Chaco after a rainstorm. That dirt turns to oily slime - no
traction at all. It was a nightmare. Avoid wet roads unless they are
paved or gravel - or let it dry first. I think I was on the "northern"
road.

[M'Daid]

Yes, all the roads in the part of NM are horrible after rain. As are the
dirt road over by Taos and Rio Grande Gorge.

"...una misma realidad se quiebra en muchas realidades divergentes
cuando es mirada desde puntos de vista distintos."

"...cuando el horizonte se fija es que se ha anquilosado y que
nosotros ingresamos en la vejez."

Ortega y Gasset

"

[Evan Cantor]

lnro...@ix.netcom.com(LYNNE ROBERTS ) writes:

>The most horrendous experience behind the wheel of a car was on the
>road into Chaco after a rainstorm. That dirt turns to oily slime - no
>traction at all. It was a nightmare. Avoid wet roads unless they are
>paved or gravel - or let it dry first. I think I was on the "northern"

>road.a

Just visited Chaco last week; the "old" road which was about 30 miles of
potential "slick" in the rain is no longer being used. The northwest
entrance into the national Park has been closed and is now a hiking trail to
Casa Chiquita and Penasco Blanco. The "new" road is somewhat south of Nageezi,
and is paved for a few miles until you come to a turn off that announces both
16 miles (of dirt or potential "slick") to the park as well as "No camping for
the next 20 miles." Luckily, if the Chaco campground is full, they have
some contingent facilities to use. The dirt section of the road is not bad,
but does have some nasty washboards on the north-bound side. It's strange
thinking about Chaco as the "backcountry", though. You need a permit to hike
to "backcountry" ruins, are prohibited from leaving the trail, etc etc etc.
They have to do this to protect the resource.

[Martha Cather]

M'Daid wrote:
>
> >The most horrendous experience behind the wheel of a car was on the
> >road into Chaco after a rainstorm. That dirt turns to oily slime - no
> >traction at all. It was a nightmare. Avoid wet roads unless they are
> >paved or gravel - or let it dry first. I think I was on the "northern"

> >road.
>
> Yes, all the roads in the part of NM are horrible after rain. As are the
> dirt road over by Taos and Rio Grande Gorge.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "...una misma realidad se quiebra en muchas realidades divergentes
> cuando es mirada desde puntos de vista distintos."
>
> "...cuando el horizonte se fija es que se ha anquilosado y que
> nosotros ingresamos en la vejez."
>
> Ortega y Gasset
>
> "

It's the lovely Cretaceous rocks that cover that
part of the state. Makes wonderful car-eating slime
when it rains.

MC

[Scot Carpenter]

Evan Cantor (can...@spot.Colorado.EDU) wrote:
: Just visited Chaco last week; the "old" road which was about 30 miles of

: potential "slick" in the rain is no longer being used. The northwest
: entrance into the national Park has been closed and is now a hiking trail to
: Casa Chiquita and Penasco Blanco. The "new" road is somewhat south of Nageezi

Pity.

: You need a permit to hike

: to "backcountry" ruins, are prohibited from leaving the trail, etc etc etc.
: They have to do this to protect the resource.

After car-camping in the 'official' campgrounds back in '91, I
picked up a hitchhiking young Scottish guy on the way out on the
Northwest road. He'd spent the night up on the ridge in a most
un-approved site, endured a New Mexico thunderstorm, and seen Chaco in a
unique way... damn anarchists.
but can't see that he hurt anything. I played Planxty and Silly
Wizard on the tape player as we drove toward Albequeque, and he told me
how he liked HipHop and raves...
guess we are all just maintaining our fantasies. His big thrill
was relating what he saw in NM to John Ford westerns....

Scot
--
| Scot Carpenter carp...@uh.edu 71234...@compuserve.com |
Polish comes from the cities, wisdom from the desert.
F.H, Dune