Sunday, April 30, 2017, Sedona, AZ

Another beautiful sunny day in the southwest, so we headed back into Sedona, AZ, to look around some more great galleries. We parked at Tlaquepaque North and walked everywhere from there. We found there were a lot of shops we missed on our first visit.

I thought this little restaurant would make a great retirement cabin. You don't see a lot of houses built with this much charm.

Sedona attracts the artistic and the spiritual alike. It is known for its “vortexes” (or vortices) - a series of points around the various cliff's. It began when Page Bryant, arrived in VOC (the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona) in the late 1980s.  The artwork around town often displays the town's spiritual bent.

Today the massive wooden doors to the chapel were open and only the iron grillwork was locked.  It is easy to see why the chapel is a popular wedding venue.

The architectural detail everywhere made the place a worthwhile visit even if you never went into any of the shops.

10 days ago Sam sniffed at the base of this statue.  Today it was gone.  I asked if they moved it and was told it sold, but they would be glad to make us another one for $37,500.  I politely declined.

When it was time to have some lunch, we walked by the Hideaway House and thought "why not?" They had a dog-friendly patio with a million dollar view. Everyone that walked by Sam stopped to scratch his ears or give him a treat or bring him a bowl of ice water. He got the royal treatment and we were treated to some unique Italian cooking that was absolutely delicious.

Friday, April 28, 2017, Montezuma's Castle and Well

Just a few miles from the Krazy K campground was Montezuma Castle National Monument. A beautiful example of cliffside architecture built by Sinagua farmers between 1100 and 1300. Early settlers assumed it was Aztec (because they had a fascination with all things Aztec at the time) hence the name. 

Built in a cliff recess 100 feet above the canyon floor, this five-story, 20 room dwelling is one of the best-preserved structures in the Southwest.

The Arizona Sycamore (more disease resistant than the California Sycamore) can grow 75 to 100 feet tall with a similar spread. The trunk may be as much as 10 feet in diameter.

Sycamores have strong wood, but as the tree ages, a fungus attacks and consumes the heartwood. The fungus doesn’t kill the tree, but it makes it weak and hollow. Wildlife uses them as storage chambers for nuts, nesting sites and shelter.

Although visitors are no longer allowed access to the ruins, the cut-away model, below, gave us a good feel for the intricacies of the structure and, maybe, a better glimpse into their daily lives.

I would love to be able to climb a ladder and enter the Castle, but in October of 1951, guided tours of the cliff dwelling ended. At that time a model was created to show what the structure looks like inside.

Without seeing this placard, you would never guess that "Castle A" existed.  It completely blends into the cliff face.

A few miles from Montezuma's Castle was Montezuma's Well. This sizable sinkhole was spring fed and was surely a valued resource for people living in the area. Some of the ancient ones built homes in the cliffs above the lake.

The well holds 15 million gallons of water. It has a continuous current of water springing from primordial origins.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) - spiny elm caterpillar

By taking advantage of natural alcoves and overhangs, residents only needed to build a wall with a door to have a dwelling that was cool in the summer and warm in winter.

Even during times of region drought, about 1.6 million gallons of water flow through two main vents at the Well's bottom each day. The temperature is a nearly constant 74 degrees. There are no fish. Instead, thousands of freshwater leeches swim under the Well's surface.

A short hike down and around takes you to where the water exits through a porous opening in the limestone creating Wet Beaver Creek.

Everywhere, the winter rains had created an explosion of colorful wildflowers.

The remnants of a pole lodge were not really too exciting. You needed a lot of imagination to see there was once a community of people who called this place home.

This pit house (one of four in the area) dates to about 1050. The two largest holes in the dirt floor held the main roof support timbers. The holes around the edge are where the wall posts were placed in the ground.

Thursday, April 27, 2017, Sharlot Hall Museum

We visited the town of Prescott, AZ (pronounced press-cut), twice before and never saw much more than the square. It was beautiful and well worth another visit on its own, but we hoped to see a bit more while we were in the area this time. Our new friend up the road, Norman, recommended we visit Sharlot Hall Museum. It included a collection of historical buildings and exhibits representing the rich history of the very young state of Arizona.

Arizona has been the leading copper producer in the U.S. Since 1910, producing approximately 64% of domestic copper.

A copper overdress was commissioned for Sharlot to wear while delivering Arizona's three electoral votes to Washington after Calvin Coolidge won the Presidential election in 1924.

Looking at the model of the governor's mansion from the rear we realized we were standing in a room that was originally an open stable for horses. Arizona's first governor made Prescott the capital because he did not care to associate with the southern sympathizers living in the much larger city of Tucson.

One of the museum docents suggested the Palace as a good place for lunch, so we took a break from the museum for a quick bite. There was plenty of old west atmosphere as we were seated by the "Sheriff." All around were displays depicting the history of the Palace Saloon, the town and the state.

With full bellies, we headed back to the museum to finish our tour.

In the center of the picture below was Sharlot's car. She bought the Star Four Touring car, manufactured by Durant Motors, in 1927 for $737. She liked its "open body and pulling power on bad roads". Its 38 hp engine allowed top speeds of 45 mph.