Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood AZ and Tuzigoot National Park

March 20-22, 2016

Our base camp for exploring the Sedona area has been the unfortunately named "dead Horse Ranch state Park" in Cottonwood, AZ.  According to their literature: "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."  Well, fortunately, there were no dead horses but a number of live ones!  

Trail riders coming back to the corral just as I was completing my pre-dinner walk

Among the activities available at the park are trail rides, and fishing in one of their three lagoons.  It was very refreshing to see "real" water, as this park is in the Verde (Green) Valley where the Verde River actually flows!  I believe we are a bit starved for green and water!

Blackbirds settling in to roost among the reeds in one of the lagoons 

 

 

Not to be outdone by Sedona as far as unusual energy vortices, I saw quite an unusual sky at Dead Horse Ranch State Park during an evening walk....

UFO?

 

In old Cottonwood, we found Larry's antiques and collectibles where we spent a bit of time but no money!  We also found a good coffee shop and a Thai restaurant where we got some takeout for cook's night off !  (Yeah, that's me!)

One of many signs for sale!

 Only a few miles from our campground is Tuzigoot National Monument, which is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1000 and 1400. The original pueblo was two stories high, with 87 ground floor rooms.  It is thought that the village began as a small cluster of rooms inhabited by about 50 people for about 100 years.  Then, in the 1200s the population doubled and then doubled again.  The Southern Sinagua people were hunters, gatherers and farmers.  They were skilled artisans who made tools, craftsmen who wove cotton, potters and jewelers who made bacelets, pendants and other decorative ornaments out of shells, turquoise and argilite.  
When the site was "discovered" in the 1930s, much of the structure had collapsed.  Many local out of work miners were hired to help in the excavations and "rebuilding" of the pueblo. Very little original structure is left today and the "castle" as it is called is mostly reconstruction.  Nevertheless, it does give one a feeling for the site as it would have been 700 years ago, with commanding views from 120 feet above the valley. 

 The most impressive part of this National Monument was the vast number of archaelogical finds inside the collapsed walls.  See some pictures below!

Metates (mortars and pestles used for grinding corn or other grains)

Various pendants found on the site

First tie-dyed cotton!

Lovely turquoise and shell bracelet and necklace

More turquoise and shell jewelry

Impressive basket weaving;on the left, 700 years old! Modern day on the right.

 The Verde river runs through some of the monument property, and this made for a peaceful lunch stop.

 
 

Sedona AZ

March 21, 2106

Sedona.  Population about 10,000. Elevation about 4,500 feet.  Vibrant arts community,  home to numerous "spiritualist" practitioners, where one can get a photo taken of one's aura, and have a shamanic healing session or any number of other "alternative" treatments. Modern hippie town.  Sedona is said to be the home of an especially high number of "vortices".  A vortex (defined by Page Bryant in 1980) is said to emanate three types of energy: electrical, magnetic and electromagnetic. These power fields are said to energize and inspire.  Sedona is also known as the land of the "Red rocks", sandstone sedimentary rocks whose outlines change with erosion from wind, and are red-hued because of the high content of iron oxide.  
Nothing quite prepares you for the scenery that comes at you around each corner!  The Red Rock scenic Byway and Red Rock Loop Roads are truly breathtaking. Whether it is the particular energy or just the sheer beauty, Sedona is a moving experience!

We spent  a day driving the scenic roads, admiring the amazing rock formations, touring the small Sedona heritage museum, walking around the town absorbing the vibe, eating a delicious lunch at "Sound Bites Grill", topped off with a Starbucks latte from the coffee shop with the best view in the US!

My photos are all of the rocks!!!

Thunder Mountain

Chimney Rock

From Jordan Street, a residential neighbourhood on the way to the little museum

 

Taken from the main intersection downtown!

Courthouse Butte

Bell Rock

Usery Mountain Regional Park, Mesa AZ and a duck toller visit!

March 18-19, 2016

Say what you will about Facebook, it can be an excellent meeting place for people with similar interests, as it proved to be in the present case. This wonderful regional park was suggested to us by my Fb friend Carole McCollum, from our online Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever group.  Carole, her husband, and their toller Baron are winter residents of Mesa AZ.  Our schedules happen to mesh and we arranged to camp at the park nearest to their winter home and had a great visit with Carole, her friend Joanna from Thunder Bay Ontario,  and, of course, Baron!

The park is in the Sonoran desert, on the edge of Mesa, which is part of the greater Phoenix area.  A very busy place and we were lucky to get a campsite!  And one with a fabulous view of Usery Mountain at sunset!  The park is full of cacti, among them tall, proud and plentiful, the Sonoran desert Saguaro.

Our view, wow!

Some Saguaro have a personality...

 The desert is now blooming and it is a great joy to (finally...) see some colour!

Ocotillo in bloom

The cuddly sounding teddy bear cholla

Many birds and reptiles make their home at Usery Park

A wren...not too sure which type

A stern looking lizard, again, unsure of type

 A great hike with Carole, Joanna and Baron

 Smiles all around back at the rig

So lovely to have a toller nearby again! 

  

Thanks again Carole for your visit, your beautiful painting of the mountain and all of the wonderful fruit from your trees (the gin and tonics are much improved with your "wemons" we enjoyed a grapefruit this morning for breakfast and are looking forward to your oranges!) 

On our way to the campground we stopped at the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet, an enormous weekend shopping marketplace with 1500 vendors.  Dave and I split up for a couple of hours and regrouped to compare purchases.  Tire protectors (to guard against that unrelenting sun)  for the rig and some tools for Dave, used books (some by the Arizona/New Mexico recommended mystery writer Tony Hillerman who sets his novels in this area) , a hand-painted T-shirt with cacti and the ubiquitous desert quail and a hand-painted purse with whimsical dogs for me.  A great success! (...)

Something I don't think you can buy inCanada

For sale at the market, but I still haven't seen MY bear...

Usery Park has a world class archery range, with miles of trails, targets of different types including 3D.  Unfortunately, Dave did not have any of his bows and none are available to rent.  We had to content ourselves with walking through the area...

 

3D deer target

Saguaro are definitely NOT official targets...

From Usery Park, we are heading North, towards Sedona and the Grand Canyon!  We have now officially turned the corner and are heading towards home.