Camp Verde Arizona November 2016

I'm late again so lets get started. We are at Distance Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde Arizona. We are about 50 miles south of Flagstaff at 3200 ft. so it is a little cooler then where we were last year. We are on the lands of the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley. This is an area we didn't get to explore last year so that is one reason we came back to Arizona because there is so much to see. We have already been very busy so come along and explore with us.

One of our first adventures was a ride through Oak Canyon. We had to take a round about way through Cottonwood and Sedona to get there but every drive out here is beautiful. Sedona is known for the red rocks in the mountains surrounding it and as you can see in these pictures it is very picturesque. There will be more pictures of Sedona next month but this is all you get for now.

When you leave Sedona headed north you get to the scenic drive through Oak Canyon headed to Flagstaff. We stopped at a day use park so Ruby and Brutus could get out and stretch their legs. They love going on car rides with us and think they are going every time we put on our shoes. Oak Creek ran right thru the park and we were able to walk right down to it so they could get a nice cold drink of water. The canyon is described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its beauty. The next picture is of another day use area that shows the side of the canyon, as you can see the trees were still in their fall colors. The drive was through some steep and winding grades but well worth it.

This is Montezumas Castle. It is a cliff dwelling that is only 6 miles from the park. It was the home to the Southern Singua. The Singua were hunters and gatherers. In the late 1100's they started building here in the Verde Valley and started farming. They picked a beautiful place to live and farm. Below the cliffs there is a nice flowing stream and lots of trees and nice level land to farm. As you can see they had a very well protected place; several family's lived here and each family had one room. There were also some  common rooms and areas for storage. The other picture gives a better prospective of how high up the cliff the dwelling is. For reasons unknown they left this area in early 1400.

This is an opening that was probably used for storage. You can see they built a low wall across the bottom of the opening. I myself think it was a mother-in-law apartment but that is just my thought. There were also dwellings at the base of the cliff that were probably used for storing tools and and things too big or heavy to carry up and down the cliff everyday. You can see the foundations as you walk around the grounds.

It is so interesting to be in this area. As you drive to places like this you are driving thru desert and scrub brush then you find these places where there are flowing streams and trees and grass, or you can find yourself in the mountains with snow on the ground ( we try not to find those places).

This is Montezuma Well. Now before I go any further let me say that the historians don't believe that Chief Montezuma was ever in this area. Why the well and cliff dwellings were given that name no one knows, they can only guess. The well is a natural limestone sink hole fed by an underground spring. It contains over 15 million gallons of water...approximately 1,500,000 gallons flow out of a long narrow cave and into Beaver Creek every day. As you walk around it you see dwellings built into the side of it. The water contains arsenic and carbon dioxide, there are no fish but other life has evolved here.

Tuzigoot was a Southern Sinagua village built between 1000 and 1400. It sets on top of a long ridge 120 feet above Verde Valley. It was originally two stories high in places and had 84 ground floor rooms. Entry was mainly through the roof openings. It was inhabited by about 50 people for 100 years. In the 1200's the population doubled then doubled again. Like Montezuma Castle each family lived in one room with other rooms for storage and common rooms. I saw this sign there and wondered why they wanted snakes to stay on the trail. I finally figured that if they stayed on the trail they would be easier to avoid them. I didn't know snakes could read.

 As the population grew they kept building on rooms. This was one of the first condos. The villagers also farmed as the Verde River flows right thru the valley by the village. With the village built up on the ridge they had a place that was easily defended and they could see out over the valley in all directions.

This is the view looking down from the highest part of the village. As you can see they added rooms all the way down the ridge

This is Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, It is located near Pine Arizona and is about a 2 hour drive from us. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. It is 183 feet high over a 400 foot long tunnel and is 150 feet at its widest point. It is located deep in a valley and I do mean deep. When arriving at the park there is a sign that says there is a 12% down grade. There are trails all around the park. The one I'm on goes over the bridge.

There is a small stream that runs through the park and drops down over the bridge to a creek below. You can see the water falling down to the canyon floor but I was trying to get the rainbow that was being made by the water. In the next picture if you look just above the arch you can see Holly standing there. This shot gives you an idea of the size and height of the bridge.

There is a trail you can take down to the canyon floor and you can walk under the bridge and get a great perspective of the size. No we didn't go on the trail, the sign at the beginning had so many warnings because of the steep trail. It was like all the warnings on a TV commercial about a new drug. Makes you think twice about using it. We did take a trail down to a waterfall but the only water that was falling was down the side of the canyon wall. The creek was dry.

Our friends from Gold Canyon, John and Barb drove up for a visit. We drove up to the old copper mining town of Jerome. It is located on the side of a mountain at 5300 feet.They say it is slowly sliding down the mountain side. It isn't a operating mining town anymore just a lot of restaurants, B&B's and little stores.

I think this is a Jerome low rider. It carrying a spare in the back just in a case of a brake down.

Our last outing for November was to Meteor Crater. This is a meteorite impact crater. It is about 3,900 feet across and 560 feet deep and surrounded  by a rim that rises 45 feet above the surrounding plains. It was created from the impact of a iron meteorite about 50,000 years ago. It is a U.S. National Landmark. I took the first picture with my phone so that I could get a nice shot of the whole creator. This is one I took with my camera, nice but the first one gives you a better perspective of the size.

Here I am with Murry my trusted moose walking stick. Thanks MJ ( my grand daughter) this is one gift that gets a lot of use. We took the guided tour part way around the rim. Our guide was full of information and you could tell that he was excited to share it. This is one of those places that taking the guided tour is a must do. Well worth the time and included in the price of admission.

Here is Holly in the museum by the largest piece of the meteorite that was found and this was 7 miles from the impact center.  Lots of nice information and there is a 10 minute film too.

Some of our astronauts trained on the floor of the crater. As I was looking down in the crater I think I found one they forgot to take back home.

Well it is November so it's time to decorate the coach. They are having a light contest here in the park and some of the sites are really all decked out. The sites here are a little small but we do have a nice view of the mountains and the sun shines most days.

This cactus is my tribute to Spike, Snoopy's brother. because those you know me well,  know I have been a fan of Snoopy for a very long time.  We want to wish all of our family and friends and all of those you follow our blog or stumble across it by accident a very safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you have enjoyed our adventures as much as we have the past year and that you keep coming back for more. Your never to old to learn new things or explore new places.

The sun sets are gorgeous are always a welcome end to the day. The double rainbow promises a new beginning after a welcome rain. I can't promise you a pot of gold at the end but come back next month and I can promise you something shiny to start our next post.