Christina Solstad - Spirit of Chaco Blog

Have Fun Riding Your Bike at Chaco Canyon

Did you know that you can ride your bicycle at Chaco Canyon - and how much fun it can be?

My first bike ride at Chaco was earlier this month (April). It's hard to believe I had not jumped on a bike before. I loved it, and got a great workout to boot! I rode the loop road, and to Casa Chiquita (where you must leave your bike and continue on foot - see photo). Next time I'll head to Wijiji.

Being on a bike provides a completely different experience as you explore Chaco. I loved feeling the wind on my face, hearing the birds, feeling the quiet. And I felt closer to the Chacoans.

Reasons to bring your bike:

• Get a great workout. The paved loop road is 9 miles, plus the distance to and from the campground. The dirt roads provide even better exercise.
• Feel more connected to what is around you. Amazing what a difference it is to be on your bike versus in the confines of a car. Feel the wind and sun on your face. Hear the sounds of nature - and the quiet.
• Ride, rather than walk, the dirt roads to Wijiji and Casa Chiquita. Both are fairly short, easy, level rides (1-2 hours), though can have areas of thick sand.
• For more experienced mountain bikers, try the ride to Kin Klizhin, a 24-mile roundtrip ride from the visitor center to a site outside the main park area (5-6 hours). It's on a deeply rutted 2-track road that can be a challenge even for 4-wheel-drive vehicles, so beware!

Tips for a fun and safe ride:

The Music Is All Around Us

"The music is all around us. All you have to do is listen."
--August Rush

In the movie, August Rush, a young boy follows the music he hears all around him, convinced it will lead him to his birth parents. He can't NOT listen. To him, music is everywhere - the traffic, kids playing, wind chimes, someone talking, the subway beneath New York.

What is the music that is calling to you? Are you listening?

In whatever form your music shows up, it is Spirit, that something greater than you, speaking to your heart.

If we listen, magic happens. Life works better. We feel more fulfilled. We are always being guided, if we choose to listen and follow what we hear, and what we feel.

For some, like August Rush, their music is so loud they can't NOT listen. Some of us doubt ourselves, listening to others instead, and doing what seems reasonable or realistic.

What is your music? Writing? Painting? Photography? Cooking? Music? Teaching? or ...?

Listen to what calls to you. Even if it seems faint and you must listen closely. Allow it to wake you at night. Pay attention. See where it leads. Ask, What if?

You may just find something magical.

Music at Chaco Canyon: Native American Flute

I have always connected the beautiful sound of the Native American flute with Chaco Canyon. Listen to R. Carlos Nakai and the wondrous music he makes with his many flutes.

Since having my own, playing at Chaco is something I must do.

In June 2006, I met a couple of photographers who were enjoying Chaco. Unbeknownst to me at the time, one of them (Dave Baiocchi) took photos of me playing my flute, and pausing to take in the stillness, at Casa Rinconada. He was kind enough to send them to me. Thank you, Dave!

I love these photos, because they remind me of how connected and happy I feel when I play.

Braving the Cold to Photograph the Stars at Chaco

Bright crescent moon and stars, looking toward the west (11 pm)

(Specs: ISO=400; f-stop=4; shutter=30 seconds)

Predawn (5:50 am), looking to the south, toward Fajada Butte and Chacra Mesa

(Specs: ISO=400; f-stop=3.5; shutter=30 seconds)

The night sky at Chaco Canyon can be breathtaking. I braved the cold a few times to take photos of the stars, and describe my experience and provide some tips for you below.

1.  I got up early one morning before dawn, excited when I noticed that the stars were visible. It had been stormy the previous afternoon and evening, with rain and some snow. 

However, by the time I got bundled up (it was cold!) and set up my tripod and camera outside, the clear patch in the sky had been replaced by a thick layer of clouds, followed by a brisk wind and some snow. As dawn slowly lightened the sky, I could see that my car was covered in white icy snow, and the ground was white!

See Why It Is Difficult to Leave Chaco Canyon for the photos I did get of the snow before my fingers froze.

2.  I headed out again that night, when I noticed clear sky and stars, with a bright crescent moon. I couldn't see much in my viewfinder or LCD display. I persisted, and kept adjusting settings (ISO, f-stop, shutter), taking photos, and hoping for the best. Even with the bright moon, stars are visible!

3.  I got up again the next morning before dawn, bundled up, set up my tripod and camera, and took as many frames as I could before the predawn light replaced the stars and night sky.

Again, I kept adjusting camera settings. Good thing digital cameras record the details. I like the result!

Here are some basic tips for taking photos of the stars:

Inspired by Chaco: Anson Wright, Musician and Writer

Chaco Canyon has inspired many to express themselves creatively. One of those is Anson Wright, the Chaco Alliance Coordinator, who donates his time to lead the charge in our efforts to prevent the paving of the north road into Chaco.

Anson is an accomplished jazz guitarist and writer, having published three books and recorded two CDs (and a third to come). I recommend checking out his work.

Anson's marvelous collection of poetry, much of it inspired by his deep connection with Chaco, is called Sandstone Monastery. The cover is clearly Chacoan, showing the Supernova Pictograph near Penasco Blanco.

One reviewer said, "Wright delivers personal and moving passages concerning family, love, spirit and the landscape of his beloved Chaco Canyon."

And he has recently come out with his second CD (with photos of Chaco on the cover), The Sky at Our Feet, in collaboration with John Stowell. John, a musician who also loves Chaco, has put Anson's powerful poetry to music - a wonderful combination.

One of the moving poems set to music on the CD is "Coming Home."

Coming Home

Salt Lake City
heat rising off the asphalt
below a third floor balcony
with a view
southwest to Chaco.
Across the shopping mall
looms the Olive Garden,
white people slow-dining
at a furious pace.
Money flows
from air-conditioned hands,
menu choices tempt
in dizzying abundance,
a leisure class
dines casually
with non-leisurely appetite.

Why It Is Difficult to Leave Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon - both the place and the people - envelops you in its magic, making it difficult to leave. I have found this to be true every time I visit.

I just returned from Chaco - a week later than planned! Can you relate? This is the first time I was actually able to stay, since I have created my work (editing and writing) to be mostly mobile.

Hence my lag on blog posting, since I was without internet access for over a week longer than expected. Oops!

The good news is that I have lots to write about for upcoming posts, after nearly a month in fabulous northern New Mexico: Santa Fe and Chaco.

See what I wrote about the spring equinox in several earlier posts.

Why couldn't I leave (i.e, my excuses)?

• My friends, the park rangers and volunteers, twisted my arm really hard - honest!

• OK, so my arm twists easily, and I am good at doing it myself.

• They put sugar in my gas tank, and punched holes in my tires, so I couldn't leave. No? Well, they threatened to ...

• I needed more time in the canyon, to do all the back country hikes, and visit all my favorite sites (a common excuse).

• I had a chance to ride a bike through the canyon - highly recommended. (Watch for an upcoming post.)

• I volunteered to stay and help when it was expected some large groups (~150 and 75 people) would be coming into the canyon (The Longest Walk 2 and the Hopi Sacred Runners). Turns out they did not come through as expected, but it sure would have been interesting to see them.

• Then the stormy weather made leaving on the south road potentially dangerous, so I waited for better weather. I got to see snow!

• Tried taking some star photos, then had to wait for more clear night sky to try again! I did get some decent shots, to be posted later.

What else is it about Chaco that makes it so difficult to leave?

Elk in Chaco Canyon

Did you know there is a herd of about 50 to 60 elk in Chaco Canyon that migrated into the park in 2000? The first time I actually saw them was last December. And I saw them again this March. I was thrilled!

Most sightings seem to be at dawn or dusk. I have seen them along the south side of the loop road, between Casa Rinconada and the Fajada Butte view turnout. Most recently I saw them off the south road, just at the southern park boundary at sunset (see photos). They are also seen near Fajada Butte.

There are times you can hear them "rutting" in the distance - a very eerie sound. Be sure to look for their footprints in the Chaco Wash, as you hike to Penasco Blanco, or as you cross the wash on the bridge south of the visitor center.

According to Medicine Cards, based on Native American teachings, the elk represents stamina, and teaches that pacing yourself will increase your stamina. This is something I continue to learn in my own life. I have much to learn from nature's wisdom.

Perhaps you will be lucky enough to see elk at Chaco Canyon!

Chaco Canyon Petroglyphs: Questions at Una Vida

Looking at petroglyphs always brings up questions about those who created them, the way in which they were created, and why they were created. Here are our questions while observing the sun's shadow move through the spiral petroglyph at Una Vida at Chaco Canyon, near the spring equinox.

The photos are of petroglyphs on the cliff face up behind Una Vida, near the Visitor Center.

• What caused the shadow?

By observation over these three days, we guessed it was the top edges of the rock face on which the petroglyph sat. Was it already that way naturally, or did they modify the rock to more perfectly align?

Look at the top right portion of the rock, just below the blue sky, and the shadow below, in the first photo. The petroglyphs are in the middle right of the smooth rock face.

• What was their process for creating the spiral, in relation to the movement of the sun?

Were the petroglyphs already created, and the movement of the sun's shadow on the spiral at equinox was a coincidence, and they perhaps modified or added to the spiral (and perhaps the rock above) as a result?

Did they observe the sun first, and create the spiral once they saw how and when the shadow moved across the rock?

• How did they create these pecked drawings in the rock, in days when there were no such things as erasers or the delete key?