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!

Friday, September 8, 2017

We have been hearing a lot about Walnut Canyon National Monument, so we decided that today was the day for a visit. We left Jax in the camper and drove the short 10 miles to the canyon (no dogs allowed on these trails).  Once there, we found out there were two trails, The Rim Trail and The Island Trail. We chose The Island Trail because it allowed us to see more of the cliff dwellings. It is a mile loop with sheer drops and a 185-ft climb (240 steps) down into the canyon. The problem of course is that it means 240 steps back up to the canyon rim!  But it was worth it.  The dwellings were sheltered by overhanging cliffs and were home to Walnut Canyon's only permanent inhabitants more than 800 years ago. The people made their living by farming (corn, beans, and squash planted on the mesa top),  hunting, and gathering edible plants. These people were called Sinaqua, which means without water, because of their ability to survive in the relatively dry area. I can not imagine how they made their way up and down those cliff sides on a daily basis.  They stored water in large vessels when the water was available, through infrequent rainy times and snow in the winter.  As you probably know by now, we are fascinated by the history of early Americans.  One of the sad things is to discover how much vandalism occurred at places like Walnut Canyon.  By the time it was recognized as a National Monument in 1915, souvenir hunters and vandals had taken or destroyed most of the artifacts from this region.  So sad!  But nearly 300 dwellings remain and are being preserved.  Your imagination has to fill in the rest.

 

Later in the evening we went to the the RV park's Friday night Happy Hour.  Drinks, food, and friendly conversation made for a nice evening.