Arizona: Montezuma's Castle & Hiking in Phoenix

We have been in Arizona for a week.  I'm thankful to be here at a time of year where we can walk from our RV to our truck without melting.  Even in November, it is eighty degrees and sunny every day.  I honestly can't imagine being here during summer.  I would die, I'm sure.  Or cry.  But Arizona in November is something else.  

Since we are an hour ahead now, Jeff doesn't start work until 10 o'clock each morning.  We have been trying to get up early to get out and do a little hike or walk before then.  The desert-chill of morning wakes me up, and breathing the cool air deeply as we hike feels wonderful.  The place we are staying is central to the other places we hope to see and the people who we have made contact with.  There are a lot of little attractions and hikes within a short drive's distance, and we are so enjoying exploring them, one morning at a time.

The first little skip down the road that we did was to visit Montezuma's well.  I think it's meant to be viewed along with Montezuma's Castle, but we only had two hours to spare, so we broke them up into two trips. 

We took the dogs with us, which was a mistake.  They were so crazy excited to be there, and then a very kind ranger stopped us to offer up a lesson on the well, which freaked them out more.  By the time we reached the top of the trail, they were pulling on their leashes so hard that I couldn't really take photos.  But I did manage to snap a few in between picking up poop and trying to keep them from pulling me down into the sinkhole.

The cliff dwellings here are remarkable.  We have talked about what it would be like to make your home in the wall of a cliff; to climb up into your home each night, hoping to protect yourself from wildlife, enemies, and flash floods.

Obligatory pose.

A few days later, we finished up the Montezuma attractions by visiting the castle.  The name "Montezuma" was mistakenly given to these sites by the European-Americans who first found them. They assumed, based on appearance, that Montezuma had a hand in building them.  But it turns out, the dwellings were abandoned at least 40 years before Montezuma was born.  Even still, these places are pretty cool.  

This "castle" is 5 stories high and has 20 different rooms!  It's massive!  We learned that the Sinagua people used ladders to get in and out of their homes, that they were rich in salt and cotton, and that they were great traders.

Jackson joined the Junior Ranger Program with the National Parks Service.  He had hoped to do this at Crater Lake, but for some reason they only run the program there during the summer months.  The rangers and volunteers here were enthusiastic and eager to teach us all about the Verde Valley.  It was wonderful.

Guys, you can't even understand how bursting with happiness my boy was after he was sworn in as a Junior Ranger.  He is taking his oath seriously, knowing that it is no light thing.  The ranger included "eat your fruits and vegetables" to the oath, which made Jackson laugh.  I'm so happy for Jackson to get to do this fun thing, and he is excited to visit more national parks and monuments to earn pins.

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Jeff didn't have to work on Veteran's Day, so we decided to drive down to Phoenix for the morning, to do a hike and try a new restaurant for lunch.  We saw so many new plants!  

We are calling this one "coral cactus."  

So cool!

Sometimes when we hike, it gets hot and the kids look at me with that face that says, "Do we really have to go any farther?"  And sometimes I feel that way, too.  But most of the time we laugh and make jokes and ooh at everything we see.  The kids sing made up songs that I'll never remember the words to, but I'll never forget them singing.  I love, love, love hiking with my people.  

Some of the trees here have green bark.  In Brookings, that would mean they were covered in moss.  In Arizona, it means that they needed a different way to photosynthesize since they couldn't have giant leaves in this arid climate.  Another detail of God's incredible design--a reminder that He created everything for it's special purpose and place.  

Lori, look!  The kids found a moose in the desert!  And they didn't even have any moose-oculars with them!  Ha!

I hope to see a tarantula while we are here.  I think they are beautiful, and while I don't want anything climbing on me, I think it would be cool to see one in it's natural habitat.  That said, I walked carefully around this enormous web.  I don't know what made it and didn't feel brave enough to get close enough to find out!

Before we headed home, we stopped at Freddy's for their famous steakburgers and fried pickles.  We haven't been eating out because we need to save our pennies for our long weekend at the Grand Canyon, but we had to see if this place was as good as we had heard.

Verdict:  The steakburger holds up to its celebrity.  The fried pickles do not.  

(Jeff and Meg liked, but didn't love them.)

This place cost the same for our family as a trip to Sonic or Dairy Queen, and it's about 7 1/2 times better.  It was good enough that Jeff said he wanted to try to make one today for lunch.  :)

So that was our first week in AZ!  In addition to these little excursions, Jeff worked all week and the kids and I stayed busy with schoolwork, swimming, and chores.  We got to do a park play date with the homeschool group, and I really enjoyed getting to know a few of the local families.  I hope to see more of them before we leave.  Then yesterday, we drove into Sedona and had an amazing day there, then had dinner with new friends, but that will have to wait for another post!