The Floodwaters Falls

Driving into Chaco Canyon on unpacked dirt roads for 20 miles, we were surrounded by torrential rain squalls, raising the possibility that we would not be able to ford a vital creek bed. As luck would have it, we reached the crossing before the water got to high and made it into the National Park, which did have 11 miles of a paved loop road. The rainstorm provided is with the only sight of a waterfall in the 30 days we were there. The ancient Chacoans used this very spillway 1000 years ago to capture water for drinking, cooking, and irrigation. I donated this painting to the NPS.