Tuesday, September, 19 2017

We decided on just a short hike today because tomorrow we spend the whole day at Sedona. Hiking in the Verde Valley is quite a bit different than Flagstaff. I just picked a place at random and we ended up at the Copper Canyon hiking trail. It was desert hiking (watch out for rattlesnakes) but with some rolling hills and pretty views of the mountains in the desert.  Nice morning hike.

Monday, September 18, 2017

Jax had to go to doggy jail today so we could go do some things that were not dog friendly.  Our first stop was Tuzigoot National Monument. This one has the ruins of a pueblo on top of a mesa. It is about 800 years old. About 60% of it has been reconstructed and visitors can actually walk through some of the rooms.  Next to it is a marsh that the NPS is trying to bring back.  After the pueblo people were gone settlers drained much of it for farming.  The park service wants to restore it to its original state, another oasis in the desert.

Our next stop was Clarkdale and the Arizona Copper Museum. Clarkdale was the home to United Verde Copper Company in the early 1900s. It provided copper for over the world, especially during WWI. The copper was mined in Jerome, just 4 miles away, and brought to the smelting factory in Clarkdale.  The amazing museum features copper art from all over the world, with special emphasis from the 16th-20th centuries.  One of the most interesting rooms is the trench art room. Shell casings, mostly from WWI, were used to make pieces of art, mostly vases. It is unbelievable how they could turn such an ugly thing into a beautiful work of art.  The curator of the museum was full of information and stories of the town and the copper.  It was fascinating!  He also suggested that we go on up the mountain to Jerome.

Jerome is called the City in the Sky.  The houses literally cling to the hillside and have a spectacular view, a little scary though.  It was a mining town in its heyday with a population of 15,000 , then dropped to a "ghost town" of about 50 when the mines played out.  Now it has about 300 people and is on the National Historic Register.  The town survives mostly on tourist trade. There are little shops and galleries, as well as a few small hotels and restaurants. The whole town is only a few blocks long and all of the houses look like they will fall down the hillside at any moment.  From up on top you can look down on the remnants of the the old mine. It was another interesting place.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

We arrived yesterday at our new campsite for the week. It is a lovely, clean, well-maintained park called Zane Grey RV Park.  We have been so lucky with our choices of parks. This park is in the Verde Valley between Flagstaff and Phoenix. The Verde River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in Arizona and is at 3300 ft elevation. It's warmer than Flagstaff, but cooler than Phoenix.

In keeping with our love of ancient people and their history, we went to Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well today.  The castle is part of some ancient cliff dwellings dating back to 1150 and stands only 100 ft above the valley. It is one of the most well-preserved cliff dwellings in the country.  It was an easy 1/2 mile walk and had some very interesting historical dioramas to view and stories to hear about this place and the ancient inhabitants.

Montezuma Well is part of the same monument but is located about 11 miles north.  It is a natural limestone sinkhole. More than a million gallons of water flow through it from an underground spring, creating an oasis in the desert.  The ranger told us that it has a unique closed ecosystem with some plants and animals found nowhere else on earth.  It has something to do with increased CO2 and lack of oxygen. I didn't understand all of it. Anyway, we walked down into the hole and could see the cliff dwellings just under the rim.  The ancient people who lived there actually dug six miles of irrigation ditches to water their crops from this "well". Another interesting daytrip.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

We keep trying to find new hikes around Flagstaff.  There are a lot of good places so that is not a problem.  We have been seeing signs about Picture Canyon, so we decided to give it a try.  However, it turned out to be our least favorite hike.  It was a little over 2 miles and some of it was picturesque, but most of it was just okay.  Still, it got us outside and moving, so that is a good thing.

  The rest of the morning we spent running errands and then we went back to the historic old town.  We had lunch at a sidewalk café and did a little people-watching. It is so nice here that we are contemplating reserving a space here for next summer.  Friday we are moving down to Camp Verde, near Sedona, for a week.

Monday, September 11, 2017

People have tried to describe the Grand Canyon with words and pictures, but unfortunately they just can't do it justice.  It is just so vast and powerful that it defies description.  We especially enjoyed the Desert View Watchtower, the spectacular views from there, and the art inside.  We walked along the Rim Trail and stopped at several overlooks.  However, a few hours is not long enough to see everything (plus the crowds are horrendous in some areas). I do want to go back sometime when we can stay longer.

We also stopped at the Little Colorado Gorge on the way to the Grand Canyon.  This is like a mini Grand Canyon.  We learned that, in ancient times, people entered this smaller canyon and followed it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, because footpaths were easier to navigate there.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

We had a nice easy 2 mile hike this morning (no 185 ft climb). With the scent of the pine trees, the warmth of the sun, the sight of the September wildflowers and the clouds on the mountaintop, I am a happy hiker!

Afternoon football games today and Grand Canyon South Rim tomorrow, weather permitting. Still living the good life, Jax too!