Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 88

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 88

Mid West   

4/15/09-04/22/09 Camp Verde and Sedona, Arizona

The scenery changed very slowly as we traveled back to the USA from Mexico.  The actual border crossing was different due to all the government requirements and buildings, otherwise – there was very little obvious change returning to Arizona.  We saw bigger/better and dirtier/shabbier in the US.  The roads, house designs, businesses, and people were so ‘same’. The signs were all in metric and in Spanish and English, on the Nogales freeway. Gloriettas (we call them round-abouts or traffic circles), frontage roads, retornos (u-turn lanes) are all in southern Arizona. The further north from the border we go, the changes continue to be gradual.  I know there are non-public, cultural differences, but the obvious public difference is color.  Mexico embraces color – bright, primary, mixed, and any color you can think of - color.  Mexico uses color everywhere.  I miss that already. 

Pretty Yuck

As we travel from Tucson past Phoenix, the traffic gets heavier. The number of freeways and the number of lanes in each freeway expands.  Sam has no problem traveling through the Phoenix area.  We look for a place to stay.  We opt for the Distant Drum RV Park, right off of the freeway.  This is a visually stark park that provides a lot of amenities, like individual bathroom/shower rooms.  Nice.  The connection to the internet is the best since we left home.  Nice.  It is central to many of the places we want to be tourists at.  Nice, again.

No Yuck

Montezuma’s Well:  After the really cold, windy weather passed (59 degrees and less), we get into Brutus and travel the very few miles to Montezuma’s Well.  This well is a huge, deep, hole in the ground, with rimrock all around it.  The well was formed when the limestone rock, that was over an underground lake, collapsed.  The people who moved in (Sinagua)– built into the rock walls.  Some of the structure still remains.  (Yes, more ruins.)  The ‘well’ now provides about a million gallons of water a day to form Beaver Creek.  A large, multi-room pueblo was built at one side of the well’s rim. After hundreds of years, the whole area was abandoned (in about 1400). No known reason.  Rumor has it that this area was on a trade route that included places in Mexico.  Many of the shells for their necklaces (one over 36 feet long), were thought to have come from a particular site in Mexico. The Sinaguans were a peaceful, agriculture-based people. We really enjoyed the walk-through, self-tour provided at the site. 

Montezuma's Well

Montezuma’s Castle:  This was a separate site for two other tribes that were near, but not too near, the one at Montezuma’s Well.  This site had extensive cave/pueblo dwellings built into the cliff side. They lived in this area for about the same time period as at the Well, and they all abandoned it at the same time in 1400.  It is amazing to see the ledges and some remnants of rooms, as well as reconstructed rooms.  A river is nearby and farming was a major endeavor here as well.

Montezuma's Castle

With all the visits we have made to Montezuma’s Castle and Well – I have been having bad thoughts and I am hoping Monte does not make a return visit to us, bringing his zoomas.  Yuck!!

Tuzigoot Ruins: To distract me, Sam takes me to the ruins of the Tuzigoot Pueblo.  These ruins were built by another Sinagua tribe, and are more intact – or more re-constructed.  Either way, they look like they were built on a cone shaped, ‘step up’ shaped, flat-topped shaped, rim rock mountain.  They are eerily like the Mayan/Aztec pyramids in Mexico.  Way weird!  We have pictures of both – you look and decide for yourself.  Weird.  The pueblo was built around 1000 ad and abandoned around 1400 ad, about 100 years before the first known Europeans hit the scene. Again the ruins are a part of Arizona State Park system and they have a great self-tour system in place that is very informative.  Although guessing at what something is and what it has been used for is a lot of fun too.

Tuzigoot Ruins

Verde Valley Railroad:  What a ride!  Sam got us first class tickets and away we went.  OK – it wasn’t quite that fast. The train only travels 12 miles per hour.  But the engines are painted a really cool blue and eagles are painted on them.  Big ones. A complementary champagne (I would recommend you opt for the sparkling cider) and really nice snacks were served and the train started right at 1 pm.  Since we got there at 11 am, that gave us plenty of time in their gift shop, and it was full of really good things – at least until we left with a goodly portion of them.  The ride starts at Clarkdale, the train chugs up Verde Valley and the ‘specialty’ was eagles.  They have two of the magnificent critters that hang-glide around the cliffs. They are nick-named Black and Decker.  No, I am not pulling your leg.  Believe me I would if I could, since these are not very adventuresome sounding names like Eddy Flyer and Wind Diver. Or even Big Talons/Feet Full Grown By 5 Months.  The train moves from rim rock of brown hues, to reddish to bright reddish.  Odd formations, stacked rocks and vegetation in all shades of green. Some flourishing flowers of red, yellow and lavender.  ‘Roach’ lizards scattering and skittering across the cliff sides. We saw some geese in the Verde River down below (not too far down) and took lots of pictures (around 750 between Sam and I).  Sam says that the scenery alone is worth the trip, and we were able to spend most of the four hour ride in the open train car since the weather was fabulous.  We were almost all the way back to the station when I see a white speck move way, way off.  It moved again, so I put the camera on 10X and snap.  Turns out it was an antelope.  Hee. Tee Hee.  Smile.

Verde Valley Train Ahead

Jerome: South of Sedona, west of Camp Verde, through Clarkdale and straight up and you come to the small mining town of Jerome.  It was too straight up.  Nine thousand plus feet.  New heights are being introduced into my world way too often these days.  Jerome was a BAD BOY meet BAD GIRL type of town for the miners mining the mines in this mountainous area. It is considered a ghost town by some, but I think that the vast number of artists and tourist shops are keeping the scary ones where they belong.  Jerome has narrow roads, but if you make it up there, you can see the valley below and the mountains far away.  Beautiful.  Sam and I walked though part of the town, had a home-made ice cream and finished our look-see by car.  It was cold and windy up there.  The town is full of original buildings that have been ‘reconstructed’ and most include brass plates telling of their history.   

Looking Down From Jerome

Prescott and Prescott Valley: We wanted to go to Prescott and Prescott Valley as my Dad’s youngest brother, and therefore my Uncle (and Aunt), live there.  We called, and met them for lunch in Prescott at the Gurley Street Grill.  We met up with Tom and Sharon and it was so wonderful.  We had a good lunch and took a short walk around the area.  Prescott was once the capital of Arizona and I have no clue as to who made the decision to move it.  Bet it was a politician. This is a beautiful city with many beautiful buildings, shops and, of course, people.  Sharon is involved in antiques and Tom is involved in real estate.  We followed them to their home in Prescott Valley via a fabulous scenic drive by interesting rock formations, bodies of water and homes.  Truly lovely.  Our visit was fun and the time passed way too quickly.  I got some pictures of pictures of their sons and grandchildren – and one of them.  I enjoyed them so and thank you Aunt Ann for giving me their address and phone number and the push to see them.  I hope to see them again. The Prescott area is well worth seeing, but if you have an Uncle Tom and Aunt Sharon living there – it is time for you to go visit.  I guarantee you will cherish the time.

On The Road In Prescott Area

Sedona: The Sedona area is mostly about the rocks, rimrock-filled formations that are extremely red in color and the ‘rims’ are rounded.  Aliens would like it here.  Come to think about it, there is a shop that would be enjoyed by any aliens in the area right in the town of Sedona.  There are many ways to see this amazing scenery.  Airplane, helicopter, hummer, jeep or get out and walk.  We chose walk.  Sam equipped me with a walking stick from the Federal Park place and we walked.  In fact, we climbed a bit.  In fact we were both surprised at how much I was able to walk, hike, climb with the aide of that stick and Sam’s arm.  We climbed to the top of a formation near the airport, that allowed us to view many of the other formations in the area, including Courthouse, Jail, Bell, Coffee Pot and more.  Surprised us both.  Sedona is definitely on our ‘gotta see’ recommendation list.

Sam In Sedona

Golf: We golfed.  One of the courses we approached to use the driving range refused our participation due to Sam’s clothing.  We left down-hearted and found another to play.  A really nice smaller course that was the most beautiful we have played on to date.  Unfortunately we both played horribly.  So we took it as an omen and went out and purchased color coordinated collared golf shirts.  My only complaint is that they did not specifically state “Official Collared Golf Shirts”.  OK, we are way too comfort oriented at this moment. 

Saundra In Sedona

Casinos: Yep they are here too. 

 

After spending time swimming in 90 degree weather and having so much fun, it is time to move on to the next adventure.