Camp Verde, Arizona

April 6 and 8, 2010
Indian Cliff Dwellings

We are staying at Zane Grey RV Park, a great kick for 2 old western novel readers. In the office library, you can take any book you like except for the Zane Grey's which may only be borrowed. They have a nice collection. This is the area Grey described in his books; he lived and traveled between Camp Verde and Payson.

One of the office staff told us about a great place to hike, just off the highway.
So off we went to find Indian ruins. We parked at the gate, just a mile or so west of the park. "Just up there? We don't even need to take water!" Right! The path was easily followed, even when it went straight up! it wasn't very far, really, or very strenuous, it was just the UP parts that got to me. Russell was great, reliving the lives of the Ancients who once trod these hills. We could see the caves from the road, but their complexities opened to us only as we entered the openings. We had worked up a pretty good sweat, but sitting in the shade of overhangs was very refreshing. Russell explored doorways and several "rooms." I just sat and was happy to do so. It was very cool to look down on the new housing development in the valley. We had the better view, perfect for defense, and really very cozy. The new houses had much better access to water!

On Thursday, we went to Montezuma's Castle, just north of here. These folks knew how to maximize cliff dwellings! They used adobe/mud to build walls several stories high. The Sinagua (without water) people lived in this village for over 300 years. Tourists used to climb up in the complex, but preservation requires that we stay on the sidewalk now. This made our previous climb all the better; we could relate our first-hand experience to the slightly removed one. The early European pioneers mistakenly named the ruins after Montezuma, but they date back centuries before, from 1100 to 1400.

Our final Sinagua trip in time was to Tuzigoot, an Indian condo of sorts. These folks had it made near the Verde River, on a short hill, with plenty of farm land between to 2. They climbed a ladder to enter from the roof, a doorway that also served as chimney. The artifacts found here are truely amazing! The park service has a new visitor center planned to properly display them, so we only got to see pictures of the really big clay pots. We then took the switch-backed road up to the old mining town of Jerome. We were there last year, but this visit was earlier in the day, not as crowded and way more relaxed! The Haunted Hamburger was a very good recomendation for lunch.

All of the "back-in-time" glimpses make me happy to be moving across the desert in an air-conditioned RV with all the modern conveniences.