MONDAY - With no check-out time looming over our heads this morning we stayed put until almost 11:00AM.
We've only got 48-miles to go to arrive at our next camping reservation and check-in is not until 2:00PM, so we're going to have to kill some time on the way there.
Dropping down into the 700+ sq.mi. Verde Valley which is home to Sedona and Cottonwood, AZ
Our first stop was a Walmart just a few miles from the campground. While there, we ate lunch at the Carl's Jr. Restaurant in the parking lot before doing our shopping.
With still more time to kill we stopped by the RV repair place where we have an appointment tomorrow to have our trailer brakes checked out. They are working just fine, but they're making an awful sound while doing so. And supposedly we just had them all checked out while we were away in Hawaii?
Anyway by 2:00PM we were pulling into our campsite and since we'll be taking THE POD over to the RV repair guy in the morning we didn't even unhook or plug into the electric. We did however dump our waste tanks on the way in.
We are ready for a fast exit in the morning because it's supposed to be raining!
Why the name "Dead Horse Ranch State Park"?
According to information found on the park's website:
"The story of the park's name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale."
TUESDAY - I was up and online before 7:00AM this morning in order to secure a camping reservation in a Montana State Park for this August, only to find out it's tomorrow morning that it needs to be made. Guess I'll be getting up early tomorrow morning too!
We left the campsite at 8:45AM to drop THE POD off at the repair shop. Afterwards we drove down the street to the Post Office where we have mail waiting for us.
Some pretty important stuff will be in the mail, like our tag renewals for both ROVER and THE POD. I went ahead and opted to pay for the 2-year renewal so I wouldn't have to sweat it out again next year. We also received a couple of replacement credit cards for ones that have expired, and of course the endless junk mail from Medicare and others.
Once we had our mail in hand we were off to go do some sightseeing.
MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT and MONTEZUMA WELL
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This 5-story, 20-room dwelling was built 100-feet above the valley floor in a natural overhang.
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It was built between the years 1100 and 1300, or some 700-900 years ago.
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The dwelling was occupied until the early 1400s when for unknown reasons it was abandoned.
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It wasn't because of a lack of water, there was plenty of water from nearby Beaver Creek.
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Also on the property were some blooming cactus.
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This diorama shows what the dwelling would have looked like if you peeled away the outer wall.
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Five miles northeast of "the castle" is where you'll find "the well".
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More dwellings were built into the walls surrounding the natural spring.
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These too were abandoned at the same time as the castle.
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The spring still produces plenty of fresh water even today.
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In the southeast corner of the pool in an exit canal that maintains the level in the pool.
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At one point in the trail we went down to the river bank.
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It was about a 100' drop down to the water.
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Down by the water there were all kinds of flowering plants.
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The two monuments were named Montezuma because it was originally believed to have been built by Aztec Indians, but was later determined to have been built by the Sinagua people of the region who lived in all the dwellings.
Just as we finished the hike around Montezuma Well at around noon time, I got a phone call from the RV repair shop to inform me the problem with the brakes had been found, parts had been installed and it would be ready for me to pick it up shortly.
I explained where we were and it would be a while before we could get there. She asked if we had eaten lunch and recommended a place not far from where we were. We headed straight over to the Peach Tree Cafe only to find it was closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays, darn it!
The Peach Tree Cafe (since 2022) is exactly the kind of place we like to eat. It's privately owned and operated with home cooked items on the menu that we enjoy.
We ended up driving all the way back into Cottonwood and ate at a restaurant that Tricia noticed on the way in on Monday while we were towing THE POD.
Little did I know that "calavera" is Spanish for "skull", particularly human sugar skulls.
Once seated inside I felt as if I was constantly being watched.
And it wasn't just the few guys seated behind me, they were everywhere!
Putting all the kidding aside, Tricia enjoyed her Arros con Pollo dish. I ordered the Pork and Pineapple Soft Tacos, but didn't realize that refried beans would be part of the tacos, so I wasn't too impressed with the meal.
After lunch we picked up THE POD and brought it over to our campsite, where we finally plugged into the electric post so we can heat the trailer tonight and not use any propane.
WEDNESDAY - We've got a lot of driving to do if we want to take in all the sightseeing plans we have for today.
It starts with us leaving Cottonwood, AZ behind and heading north on AZ Highway 89A towards Sedona. Heading north, going towards Sedona, the highway is 4-lane and remains that way though most of the town.
Even from 20-miles away you can see the Red Rock that Sedona is famous for.
Getting closer now, the highway descends down into Sedona, AZ.
Notice anything different about this McDonalds?
There is only one McDonalds in the town of Sedona (pop. 9,819), and it is the only one in the world with teal arches. In order to comply with town ordinances they could not use the "Golden Arches" that McDonalds is famous for. Teal was chosen as an acceptable color that would blend with the southwestern look the town was trying to project.
There is an entire website that the Cook Family, owners of this unique franchise location, uses to market their "Teal Arches" merchandise. CHECK IT OUT!
Once you are beyond the center of town AZ-89A turns into a two lane divided street as it enters the downtown tourist area. There are no less than four closely located traffic circles that are meant to slow down traffic while at the same time keeping it flowing smoothly.
Large metal sculptures can be found in the center of each traffic circle.
Once outside of town on the north side, AZ-89A remains a 2-lane winding road.
Teal Arches at McDonalds and traffic circle art is not the reason we drove all the way over to Sedona. No, we are here to visit a very well known state park just 7-miles north of town.
Slide Rock State Park is a summertime destination. While we were here today there wasn't more than a dozen cars in the parking lot that could easily hold more than one hundred. The summertime entrance fee went into effect on May 1st so we had to pony up $30 for a carload to visit today, even though we promised not to enter the water.
SLIDE ROCK STATE PARK
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There are no longer any overnight accommodations at Slide Rock State Park...
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...but the original owners of the property once offered stays in these two cabins.
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Originally the park was a large apple orchard.
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A few of the apple trees are still on the property...
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...along with the equipment used to operate the orchard.
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The park is lined on two sides by huge mountains.
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This is the original owers home, today it's an office space.
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This is the apple packing plant, we'll see more of that later.
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To get to the "slide rock" area you'll have to descend these steps.
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Our first look at the rushing waterway below us.
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During the hot summer weekends this place must be packed full of families.
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It's the equivalent of going to the beach in Arizona.
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There is lots of room for the parents to sit and watch the kids play in the water slides.
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There is even a bathroom/changing room out by the slide area.
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This is where all the fun happens.
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There was only one brave person in the water today. Water temps were in the mid-50°F.
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Time to head back up to the packing plant. They give demonstrations on Wednesday from 9-11AM.
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We missed the first demonstration. This machine sorts the apples by weight.
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We've got more to see today so we are out of here.
The slide area as seen from the high vantage point of the bathroom.
At water level you can see, hear and feel how fast the water is actually moving.
With our visit to Slide Rock State Park coming to an end it's time to start heading back to THE POD. Before we do that though we have a couple more things to see.
If you travel on AZ-179 east out of Sedona you'll be traveling across a 7.5-mile section of road that's designated as the "Red Rock Scenic Byway". It also is credited as being an "All American Road", the highest distinction a road can achieve.
On this overcast and very cloudy day our photos don't do it justice. If you catch these mountains in an early morning sun or late evening sunset these mountains will come alive and positively "glow" red.
RED ROCK SCENIC BYWAY
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This roadrunner sculpture greets you at the western end of the Scenic Byway.
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The entire 7.5-mile journey was incredible.
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A short detour off the byway will bring you to the striking Chapel of the Holy Cross.
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The chapel was built in 18 months at a cost of $300,000 and completed in 1956.
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Back on the byway we are surrounded by the magnificent red rocks.
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We were almost tempted to make a U-turn and see it all again.
It was time for lunch and it's my turn to choose, so I went with one of my favorites, Taco Bell.
I heard all that groaning going on after you read that. Hear me out! It tastes good (to me anyway), it's filling and it's inexpensive compared to most other fast food locations.
Anyway the Taco Bell nearest to the route we're taking home is in the town of Camp Verde, adjacent to Interstate 17.
Tricia has always been a hugh fan of Kokopelli, you know, that flute playing and dancing figure you see all over the Southwest. The first known images of him appear on Hohokam pottery dated to sometime between 750 and 850 AD.
Well by some miracle of coincidence the World's Largest Kokopelli is found just outside of the Taco Bell I choose to eat at today.
What are the chances of that happening?
Everytime we drive into Dead Horse Ranch State Park we see this structure off in the distance. Tomorrow we are going to go find out what it's all about!
THURSDAY - In case you didn't know today we are going next door to explore the Tuzigoot National Monument.
It will be our third National Monument in less than two weeks here in central Arizona. This one will be a little different because 95% of this monument is a reconstruction built on top of the original foundations found underground.
Only three of the walls here are original, the rest were built in the 1930s and 40s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Work Projects Administration (WPA) workers. Great care was used to reconstruct the dwelling using materials found mostly on site, just like the original builders did some 900 years ago.
TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT
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It's evident, even from a distance, just how large this dwelling is.
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Looking back at the Visitor Center you can see how high up above the valley we are.
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The back wall of this room is 1 of 3 original walls.
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The back wall of the room next door is also 700-900 year old original construction.
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Somewhere out there is our campsite.
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This is not the original stairs and railing leading up to the Citadel Room.
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Hey! I know that guy.
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This divider wall is the 3rd original wall on the site.
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Here we are atop the Citadel Room.
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From up here you can see anyone approaching the area.
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It's an unobstructed 360° view from up here.
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Back down by the Visitor Center they had some blooming Ocotillo.
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Don't be tempted to pick any flowers, there are still plenty of sharp spines to stick you.
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There were also these blooming cactus by the Visitor Center.
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These sure are some pretty flowers among the thorny spines.
It was only a little bit after 10:30AM so we decided to drive up into the mountains and check out what is billed as "The Ghost Town" of Jerome, AZ (pop. 460). I don't know how many people you can have living in town and still be considered "a ghost town", maybe it has more to do with how many ghosts you have "living" there?
Our reason to visit Jerome was to find a suitable place to have lunch, and in that respect we succeeded. Jerome is a very historic place to explore and deserved a longer visit than what we gave it today.
JEROME, AZ FOUNDED IN 1899
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High up on the mountainside is where you'll find the town of Jerome, AZ
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This abandoned and collapsed hotel has been repurposed as an event venue.
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This building didn't find a new purpose after the nearby copper mine closed down.
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This is the inside of Bobby D's BBQ where we ate lunch. The bar and stools are from 1899 when the building first opened as The English Kitchen.
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The booths and the floors are also original. This location is credited as being the oldest surviving restaurant in all of Arizona.
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Jerome has quite a view of the Verde Valley.
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Those snow capped peaks are over 50-miles away in Flagstaff, AZ.
FRIDAY - This morning we are once again heading towards Sedona to check out a pair of Heritage Sites in the Coconino National Forest.
The first location at Palatki Heritage Site involves a guided tour which we made reservations for two weeks ago. The second location is a self guided tour, but we just blended in with a tour group that paid $115 each for the ride out to the site in a Pretty Pink Jeep and for the guided tour. Pretty sneaky of us, huh?
PALATKI AND HONONKI HERITAGE SITES
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We must be at the right place, there's the sign outside to prove it.
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Somehwhere over in that cliff face is what we're here to see.
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We start our hike up to the cliff dwellings.
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This pictograph up on the wall was the inspiration for the sign we saw out front.
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Being tucked underneath a northernly overhang protected this place from the weather.
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The second location of this tour is called The Grotto.
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A small archway can be seen up in the mountainside.
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This is The Grotto when ceremonies were performed.
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There were also many more pictographs to be seen here.
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Here is our tour guide Holly explaining what it is we're looking at.
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At the Hononki Heritage Site we had a short hike to the dwellings.
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Again, everything is located under a northern overhang for protection from the weather.
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The pathway took us up close to some of the smaller rooms.
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As someone pointed out, we weren't alone in our viewing of the dwelling.
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Part of the dwellings were located even higher up the wall.
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All over the walls were numerous pictographs.
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This Green Rattlesnake finally decided to come out from under his rock.
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The species is also known as a Black Tailed Rattlesnake.
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There were many single room dwellings along the pathway.
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Tricia was wondering why I had stopped short on the trail.
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That's because there was some cross traffic I didn't want to deal with.
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Doesn't this one resemble a crude looking Kokopelli?
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They must have become bored with the usual pictographs and begun tracing their hands.
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After our two hikes to see the cliff dwellings, pictographs and petroglyphs, it was time for lunch. Can you guess where we ended up for lunch?
I wanted to see if the food tastes different when eaten under "The Teal Arches". SPOILER ALERT - It doesn't!
We've got one more location to check out before we head back to THE POD and that is Red Rock State Park. It is supposed to be one of the top state park destinations in Arizona.
We pulled up to the entrance gate at 2:30PM and the ranger told us it was a little bit late to be starting a hike. We told him we just wanted to drive around inside the park and check things out.
That's when he did us a favor and saved us the $20 entrance fee by issuing us a "5-minute restroom pass" and told us if we didn't return the pass to him in the next 20-minutes he might just have to send the Park Police out looking for us. Wink! Wink! His words, not mine.
Sure there were beautiful red rock formations to be seen all around the park, but you can see them from anywhere without paying a $10 per person entry fee. There was a Visitor Center, picnic area and several trailheads where you could hike out into the rocks, but it's basically just a day use park with facilities.
We were a bit disappointed in Red Rock State Park, but the Red Rock Loop Road you have to travel on to get there revealed several very interesting homes.
Most of the homes in and around Sedona area are built to "blend in" with the desert environment they are located in, they almost disappear into the scenery. But here we are outside of the city limits of Sedona and don't have to comply with all the strict building codes like the one that forced McDonalds to change the color of their arches.
We found two homes that take full advantage of being outside of the city limits. The first is right along the Loop Road and apparently the owner likes to construct things using aluminum.
I hope he has plans for those two huge cages somewhere out in the yard and not just leave them in the driveway taking up space.
Maybe he'll use them to complement the large shiny mirrored archway in his side yard.
This next home is truely a statement piece. I can't imagine the expense required to build this high up on the mountainside. It's like he has his own "Skywalk" patio on the side of his home.
From the north you can see the large circular enclosed balcony.
Zooming in you can see just how large it is.
From the south the home takes on an entire different look. Is that a cable car on the right?
Well it was fun looking at homes that we could never possibly afford, but once back at the campground we had a couple of new arrivals that we could definitely afford if we wanted to.
The "Cool Bus" is obviously a converted school bus.
Are they headed to New York or from New York? At least they have a roof top deck to enjoy.
Right next door was their obvious traveling companion. No chance they ended up next to each other by accident.
SATURDAY - On Tuesday afternoon this week I purchased an item on Ebay with the promise it would be delivered to the Post Office in Cottonwood between Thursday and Saturday. It's being shipped from Phoenix, just 103-miles south of here, straight down Interstate 17. It seemed reasonable that the timeframe was a possibility.
Well Thursday came and went, no package. Friday came and went, again no package. Then this morning at 6:30AM the tracking info said it had been delivered to the Post Office here in Cottonwood, just 3-miles from our campsite.
When the Post Office opened this morning at 9:30AM I called to verify it was there and ready to be picked up. They confirmed it was, much to my relief, because we leave here tomorrow morning.
Fifteen minutes later I was in line at the Post Office to pick up my package. The clerk went to the back of the building somewhere to get my package and then came out and handed me a crushed cardboard box with my delicate plastic item inside.
The box didn't look much larger than the item I was expecting, so I opened it right there in front of the clerk. Much to my relief nothing inside appeared to be broken.
What was the important item I was contemplating sticking around Cottonwood until Monday for? You'll have to wait until the next post to find out!
HINT: It's a piece of functional interior decoration that you can't buy at Walmart or Amazon.
For our last night here in Cottonwood, AZ we are going to treat ourselves to a rather pricey excursion, something we said we weren't going to do once we returned from spending so much money in Hawaii. It took exactly one month to break that promise to be a little more frugal, but this seemed just too good to pass up. We love a good train ride!
We did take a pass when we had the chance to take a helicopter ride down into the Grand Canyon last week, so give us a little bit of credit!
The trip is scheduled as a 20-mile out and back route along the Verde River and through the Verde Canyon with magnificent views along the entire route.
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Upon arriving at our assigned seat we found each passenger had their own charcuterie tray plus a bottle of water and a small bottle of champagne to toast to a safe trip.
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Our train car was near the front of the train...
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...with many more behind us.
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It's shaping up to be a beautiful sunset.
I know what you all are thinking. Where are all the photos from the train ride? Well things didn't go as planned.
We all boarded the train at 5:30PM and left the depot on time. We no sooner finished toasting with the champagne to have a safe trip when the lights in our train car went out. I thought they were just setting the mood for a romantic ride.
Nope! A few minutes later the train came to a complete stop just two miles outside of the depot. We've got problems!
After sitting still on the tracks for what seemed like an hour, which it was, we were told that the trip was cancelled and we'd be heading back to the depot where everyone would be issued a full refund. If you wanted to, you could stay on the train and after they fixed the problem you could ride the route again for FREE. The only catch is you wouldn't be back to the depot until close to midnight and most of the trip would be in the dark.
We elected not to take the later trip because we are moving over 150-miles tomorrow and need to get an early start. They did issue everyone on the train a voucher for a FREE trip anytime in the next year. Our only problem is we won't be anywhere near here anytime in the near future.
At least we did get a free charcuterie tray and tiny bottle of champagne for our troubles. One other thing, for those who had started a bar tab during the failed trip, well those were all torn up and drinks were on the house! They were smart and didn't announce that until we were back at the depot.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
This 5-story, 20-room dwelling was built 100-feet above the valley floor in a natural overhang.
It was built between the years 1100 and 1300, or some 700-900 years ago.
The dwelling was occupied until the early 1400s when for unknown reasons it was abandoned.
It wasn't because of a lack of water, there was plenty of water from nearby Beaver Creek.
Also on the property were some blooming cactus.
This diorama shows what the dwelling would have looked like if you peeled away the outer wall.
Five miles northeast of "the castle" is where you'll find "the well".
More dwellings were built into the walls surrounding the natural spring.
These too were abandoned at the same time as the castle.
The spring still produces plenty of fresh water even today.
In the southeast corner of the pool in an exit canal that maintains the level in the pool.
At one point in the trail we went down to the river bank.
It was about a 100' drop down to the water.
Down by the water there were all kinds of flowering plants.
There are no longer any overnight accommodations at Slide Rock State Park...
...but the original owners of the property once offered stays in these two cabins.
Originally the park was a large apple orchard.
A few of the apple trees are still on the property...
...along with the equipment used to operate the orchard.
The park is lined on two sides by huge mountains.
This is the original owers home, today it's an office space.
This is the apple packing plant, we'll see more of that later.
To get to the "slide rock" area you'll have to descend these steps.
Our first look at the rushing waterway below us.
During the hot summer weekends this place must be packed full of families.
It's the equivalent of going to the beach in Arizona.
There is lots of room for the parents to sit and watch the kids play in the water slides.
There is even a bathroom/changing room out by the slide area.
This is where all the fun happens.
There was only one brave person in the water today. Water temps were in the mid-50°F.
Time to head back up to the packing plant. They give demonstrations on Wednesday from 9-11AM.
We missed the first demonstration. This machine sorts the apples by weight.
We've got more to see today so we are out of here.
This roadrunner sculpture greets you at the western end of the Scenic Byway.
The entire 7.5-mile journey was incredible.
A short detour off the byway will bring you to the striking Chapel of the Holy Cross.
The chapel was built in 18 months at a cost of $300,000 and completed in 1956.
Back on the byway we are surrounded by the magnificent red rocks.
We were almost tempted to make a U-turn and see it all again.
It's evident, even from a distance, just how large this dwelling is.
Looking back at the Visitor Center you can see how high up above the valley we are.
The back wall of this room is 1 of 3 original walls.
The back wall of the room next door is also 700-900 year old original construction.
Somewhere out there is our campsite.
This is not the original stairs and railing leading up to the Citadel Room.
Hey! I know that guy.
This divider wall is the 3rd original wall on the site.
Here we are atop the Citadel Room.
From up here you can see anyone approaching the area.
It's an unobstructed 360° view from up here.
Back down by the Visitor Center they had some blooming Ocotillo.
Don't be tempted to pick any flowers, there are still plenty of sharp spines to stick you.
There were also these blooming cactus by the Visitor Center.
These sure are some pretty flowers among the thorny spines.
High up on the mountainside is where you'll find the town of Jerome, AZ
This abandoned and collapsed hotel has been repurposed as an event venue.
This building didn't find a new purpose after the nearby copper mine closed down.
This is the inside of Bobby D's BBQ where we ate lunch.
The booths and the floors are also original.
Jerome has quite a view of the Verde Valley.
Those snow capped peaks are over 50-miles away in Flagstaff, AZ. 
We must be at the right place, there's the sign outside to prove it.
Somehwhere over in that cliff face is what we're here to see.
We start our hike up to the cliff dwellings.
This pictograph up on the wall was the inspiration for the sign we saw out front.
Being tucked underneath a northernly overhang protected this place from the weather.
The second location of this tour is called The Grotto.
A small archway can be seen up in the mountainside.
This is The Grotto when ceremonies were performed.
There were also many more pictographs to be seen here.
Here is our tour guide Holly explaining what it is we're looking at.
At the Hononki Heritage Site we had a short hike to the dwellings.
Again, everything is located under a northern overhang for protection from the weather.
The pathway took us up close to some of the smaller rooms.
As someone pointed out, we weren't alone in our viewing of the dwelling.
Part of the dwellings were located even higher up the wall.
All over the walls were numerous pictographs.
This Green Rattlesnake finally decided to come out from under his rock.
The species is also known as a Black Tailed Rattlesnake.
There were many single room dwellings along the pathway.
Tricia was wondering why I had stopped short on the trail.
That's because there was some cross traffic I didn't want to deal with.
Doesn't this one resemble a crude looking Kokopelli?
They must have become bored with the usual pictographs and begun tracing their hands.
The trip is scheduled as a 20-mile out and back route along the Verde River
Upon arriving at our assigned seat we found each passenger had their own charcuterie tray
Our train car was near the front of the train...
...with many more behind us.
It's shaping up to be a beautiful sunset.
