Given the long drive and because there is still some light we decide to explore a bit more from the trailhead parking. When we left it was full now there are only three cars left in the large parking lot. We start towards Wetherill grave, Wetherill was quite the character and one of the first people to excavate here before being killed by a Navajo under “mysterious” circumstances.
There is a trail leading from the grave to Pueblo Bonito, about a 1/4 mile hike. Even on this short stretch we get a surprise as we see a white rabbit that we name the “White Ghost” watching us. Is it an escaped pet or an albino? We don’t know but obviously it survived a bit here so we continue on to the beautiful ruins of Pueblo Bonito.
There is little light left so we enter directly into the pueblo and start exploring the extensive ruin.
There are multiple kivas but it is clear which is the Big one, it is quite impressive and we walk around it, as far as we can to size it.
Then it is time to spend some time in the huge plaza trying to understand how the pueblo was structured around it. The plaza existed also during the Anasazi time, there were no ruins found here. It was the center of the pueblo similarly to the town squares in Europe.
As we are leaving we notice a side track to an entrance, and we are lucky to explore it as it leads to the most interesting part of the ruin, a walk through a series of interconected rooms.
Quite a few rooms are impressive with free standing walls that are two stories high, very impressive even now.
As we return to the car it is almost completely dark but we make one more stop at Casa Rinconada. It is a short walk in the darkness using our headlights and we are rewarded by the largest kiva we have ever seen. We really feel like explorers finding a treasure, looking at the kiva in the darkness with no one else around. And then it is time to return to Gallup over dirt and paved roads, a drive that will create problems next day. But today we don’t know that yet so we are soon in the room and going to sleep after a long and tiring day.
