We set out to go on our first ‘real’ camping trip since we bought our Escape 19 trailer. With a full 20 gallon fresh water tank, full 6 gallon water heater, empty gray and black tanks, and a 150-watt solar panel with 232 amp-hours of dual 6V battery storage, we were ready to take an actual vacation!
Chaco Canyon Dirt Road Towing Trailer
There was a dirt road that led out to the park that many online reviewers would have you think is nearly impossible to get over. About 80% of it was as tightly packed as asphalt, and only for the last 3 miles did we have to go 10mph. Just go out when the weather is good, and you’ll be fine.
Our trailer looked so insignificant, sitting in front of the butte next to the welcome center – but even more insignificant in our absolutely gorgeous camping site.
There was a fresh water hose at the welcome center to fill up our fresh tank, as well as a sewer dump station (and non-potable hose) at the campground to empty the gray/black tanks.
We didn’t need any extra water, staying out there for 4 days and 3 nights. Upon seeing how much water we had left when we got home, we probably could have gone 2 more nights and days without needing a water refill.
The views were absolutely stunning in the canyon.
The view out our back window was also quite nice.
So was the view out our front window.
A four-mile round-trip hike took us to one of the non-excavated houses. The craftsmanship was incredible, not even taking into account that it is 900 years old.
The Bichon fluff-ball got a bit tired on the long hike, but he was still loving it.
What was so incredible was just how quiet it was out there. Definitely a fantastic place to relax and regroup.
We got up to about 90 watts at max sun power during the day, which was enough to keep us charged to run the propane furnace overnight, as well as the electric blankets for 30 minutes (off of the inverter) before going to sleep. We didn’t run out of battery during our whole trip. 🙂
Although we felt very strange being uninvited to this sacred land by the people who built it, the ruins were absolutely gorgeous, and we felt honored to be able to look inside them.
The glyphs were also quite awe-inspiring.
At a Dark Sky Certified campground, I couldn’t leave without getting a couple 60-second exposure shots of the night sky. Next time, I’ll drop it down to 45 seconds, and we’ll go when the moon isn’t so bright, so we can hopefully see the gases of the Milky Way.
Always go exploring.
