Not Quite Finished with Arizona

In our last post, we shared we had been in Arizona for five months but that wasn’t the end of our Arizona adventures. Since Jim was young, he has dreamed of visiting northern Arizona, particularly the Mogollon Rim and Tonto Forest. His dad gifted him a set of Zane Gray novels that were filled with western adventures in the Colorado Plateau and Tonto Forest region of Arizona. Some 30+ years later, Jim would recite details from those novels as we visited many of the areas mentioned in Grey’s novels. But first, we had a few other sites to visit.

As we traveled north from Phoenix through the Black Hills, we ran into some dreary weather but against the mountains, the sky still displayed beauty. We were surprised to find, after traveling up in elevation, we were suddenly on flat land – the Colorado Plateau.

We chose to centralize our stay in the Verde Valley, particularly Cottonwood. It turned out to be a very good choice as the higher regions were still getting snow and the valley was enjoying 60-70 degree weather. We packed a lot of activity and volunteering in our two week stay.

We began our itinerary with a visit to Tuzigoot National Monument. Excavated by archaeologists in the 1930’s, Tuzigoot was a Pueblo occupied by the ancient Sinagua people. This Pueblo had over 100 rooms and is said to have dated back 1,400 years. Archeologists would discover the abandoned pueblo in the 1930s, which soon became a national monument. A few points to note, Tuzigoot is not the original name of the pueblo given by the people who dwelt there. That name remains unknown. The designated name is the anglicization of an Apache phrase and was given to the site by Ben Lewis, an Apache man who worked on the excavation.

We would later learn in our visit to New Mexico, the word pueblo is not just a structure or home as we originally thought, but rather a community/town/village occupied by Native Americans. It is also the name of a Native America tribe living in the Santa Fe/Albuquerque region.

Later in the week we visited Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well, also occupied by the Sinagua people. This castle (again a name given by Anglo-American settlers and not reflective of the people living in the region), which had remnants of structures similar to Tuzigoot, was a cliff dwelling. It was quite a sight to behold but an even cooler experience happened in New Mexico which we will share with you in our final Season 2 post.

Our visit was on a chilly day and Jim was wearing his URMC/Thompson Health fleece. Suddenly I heard a couple say to Jim, “are you from Canandaigua?” A conversation ensued with a couple that lived only blocks away from our previous house in Newark, NY! It was a pleasure sharing with each other what brought us to this far away place.

We expected our visit to Montezuma Well to be uneventful but found it to be the most interesting of the two Montezuma’s. This well or large pond, in the middle of the desert, contains 15 million gallons of water! Interestingly, it receives less than 13 inches of rain per year. Below the well, volcanic rock forces water back to the to the top of the well. Each day, the well is refilled with 1.5 million gallons of of new water. Unlike artesian wells which can provide the best drink of water, the rock this water passes over leaches arsenic and high amounts of carbon dioxide. Fish cannot survive in this water, however, five species of Amphipoda – that do not exist anywhere else on the planet – have evolved in these waters. We did notice ducks swimming in the water. The Cinnamon Teal stood out to me, having never seen one before. Interestingly, their population has been declining. One might think it is because they are floating in arsenic water, however, the arsenic does not bother them. Why? We are not sure. I researched the topic but did not find any information as to why. If anyone happens to know, please share in the comments below. We would love to know!

You may be surprised to learn pueblos and cave dwellings are evidence ancient cultures settled near this well. Noticing that animals were not surviving in this water, the ancient people knew it was not safe to drink, but still found it to be useful to hydrate their fields of corn, beans, and squash after channeling the water. Evidence of that channel still exists.

The sightseeing activities continued as we drove a steep climb to the old mining town of Jerome. A couple of years ago, Jim and I would watch Aerial America and dream of the places we might visit. Jerome was one of those places. During this visit, it wasn’t a planned stop but as we sat watching the sunset and visiting with our RV neighbor one night, he pointed out that Jerome could be seen from where we sat.

Only six miles from where we were staying, it seemed like we could squeeze a quick trip to Jerome into our afternoon. Little did we know, we would drive at a very slow speed on a very steep climb, turning six miles into what seemed like a lifetime for a person like me who isn’t fond of heights. Known to have 158 scary switchbacks, Route 89A through the Mingus Mountains to Payson, AZ, can either be a thrill ride or a ride like ours, and we only had a few switchbacks! I would have liked to share a few photos of what the scenery looked like as we traveled from 3,500 to 5,000 feet in six miles but I had my eyes closed and was too busy leaning as close as I could to Jim – like that would keep me safer. After my brave husband drove us carefully to our destination, we were rewarded with an amazing view. We could even see the San Francisco Mountain Peaks in the distance. The scene, much like the photo below, look more like art work than landscape.

Jerome, an old mining town, had some original buildings remaining but like many historical places, it has become a tourist destination filled with restaurants and stores. However, we were able to learn the history of this town at the local museum. What I found most fascinating, the population at its peak was 15,000 people. – all in .71 square miles! Today, less than 500 remain.

We were fortunate, after much needed rainfall, to have a beautiful day in our first week. We took advantage of the sun and drove to Sedona before finally heading to the place Jim has dreamed of visiting – Rim Country.

We were up early in the morning, eager to make the hour and half drive to see the long awaited Mogollon Rim and the cute mountain communities of Strawberry, Pine and Payson located in the Tonto Forest. Once again we would travel in elevation from 3,500 to 7,000 feet. I must confess my eyes were closed during part of the ride and I was again trying to get as close as to Jim as I could. Why does the steep side always have to be on my side! Despite some drop offs and no guardrail, the view was beautiful. And yes, we saw snow! However the piece de resistance was seeing Jim fulfill his dream of looking out over the Mogollon Rim into the Tonto Forest.

Before arriving at our final destination, the Zane Grey Museum, we stopped at the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Known to be the largest natural, travertine bridge in the world, this natural wonder is 183 feet high, 100 feet long, and as wide as 150 feet (that’s a lot of countertops!). The pictures do not do justice to this beautiful bridge. In fact the whole park, nestled in the Pine Canyon, surrounded by the Colorado Plateau, was equally beautiful.

When we arrived at the Zane Grey Museum, we were fortunate to get a one on one tour of the cabin Zane Grey lived in. Unfortunately the original cabin (or hunting lodge) burned in the Dude Fire of 1990, which also took 28,000 acres of forest, 58 homes, and the lives of six fire fighters. We were told original blueprints and some original items from the cabin were used to build the replica cabin. Zane was known to write many of his novels in that cabin.

As our tour ended, we visited with the volunteers at the museum. Jim was so knowledgeable about the area and Zane Grey from the books his father gave him, that they asked him to stay and work for the museum! Maybe someday.

The remainder of our time was spent quickly visiting various sites on our list. The weather in Arizona was abnormal this past winter so the area was still seeing snow storms. After carefully watching the weather, and extending our stay in the much warmer climate of the Verde Valley, we found a brief window, packed up the RV and headed for the Grand Canyon. We would be there for less than 24 hours before another snow storm hit the area. Main roads in the region are known to close during snow storms so it was quite possible we would be stuck if we didn’t hurry. Thankfully we were able to stay in an RV park within walking distance of the Grand Canyon. We spent a beautiful, sunny afternoon walking through the snow to get to the canyon. Our goal in both Season 1 and 2 has been to avoid snow, but somehow it keeps finding us! Along the way we saw our first elk. It was fairly comfortable being close to people although we kept our distance. We were in their home after all.

We were surprised at our reaction to the Grand Canyon. It seemed surreal, like a painting. Believe it or not, I was able to stand at the fence on the edge of the canyon with no fear of the height or the canyon below! However, I chose not to go out on a rocky point with Jim – baby steps…

The next day we left early and made it past Flagstaff just in time to miss the next snow storm, unfortunately without stopping. However, we did see the beautiful San Francisco peaks. All six of these peaks range from 11,460 – 12,600 feet They were majestic!

Our next destination was Winslow, Jim just had to “stand on the corner in Winslow, AZ”. I’m not sure why the Eagles were in Winslow to begin with – it is a very small town – but it was on Jim’s bucket list and we had fun visiting with other tourists filling their own bucket with another achievement. Of course we left our mark, along with others, on the “flat bed Ford”.

While in the area, we stayed at Homolovi State Park and were pleasantly surprised to learn the park was an archeological site of the Hopi Native Americans dating back to the 1200-1300’s. One very windy, cold afternoon we drove back to the site. Despite vandalism in the past, there are still remnants of pottery and Kiva’s, a large room used for spiritual ceremonies. The view was stunning, despite the blowing sand. We could even see the San Francisco Peaks again, sixty-eight miles away.

As often happens in our journey, we come across an unexpected natural wonder that leaves us breathless. That was the case when we visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I had heard of the Petrified Forest and thought, that is one location I can live without seeing. It is just a desert with old logs, how interesting can that be? Boy, am I glad I gave it a chance!

What may look quite dreary and not beautiful, upon further observation, are dead trees said to be millions of years old. The area, formerly a forest, was covered in ancient waters and buried by sediment and debris, cutting off the oxygen supply. The trees absorbed minerals from the waters which crystalized leaving behind quartz, amethyst, and yellow citrine in the cracks of the trees. Erosion over the years resurfaced these logs from their burial, leaving the logs full of the beautiful colors from these gems.

Unbeknownst to us, the Painted Desert was easily accessible from the Petrified Forest. An hour drive took us through beautiful buttes and mesas also formed from the same water and erosion. Minerals of iron and manganese, which can oxidize into reddish colors, change to hues of blue, lavender, and pink when the water table is high and there is less oxygen. When the waters recede, these beautiful colors are exposed for all to see.

I must say, our time spent in Arizona revealed the wonders of God and His creation and perhaps, a tiny glimpse of heaven.

As I wrap up the stories of our very long stay in Arizona, I saved the best for last. While in Cottonwood, we volunteered with Old Town Mission Food Pantry. This organization was impressive. Available to anyone in need, they have a food pantry (which offered so much food!), home-cooked meals, a kids shop filled with diapers, backpacks, school supplies, hygiene essentials, toys and more. But the list continues! They also have a hair salon, vision clinic, legal clinic, thrift store, showers, and employment program. They even hosted family craft nights. We were in awe. We have found that a generous community can be the caveat that determines the success of organizations that serve those in need. From daily grocery store donations, to community organization donations, to individual donations, along with dedicated volunteers and staff, these towns and cities are making a difference in the lives of the unseen. We were blessed to serve at the food pantry and thrilled to be invited back for Easter dinner and egg coloring. Dinner, compliments of Liz, chef extraordinaire, was delicious! It was a blessing to see the families enjoy this special holiday. Thank you to Kelly and Liz, and many others for welcoming us into your world with open hearts.