THE Trip, Camp Verde Arizona to THE Grand Canyon Arizona

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Our trip today was about 136 miles.  We left Camp Verde, jumped right back on to I 17 and headed north to Flagstaff.  UP, UP and more UP!!  We climbed about 3500 feet in those 50 or so miles.  We climbed those 3500 feet,

VERY VERY S---L---O---W---L---Y.  

Thank you Big Butt, well done!!

At Flagstaff we jumped on I 40 and headed west to Williams.  At Williams you take 64 due north to the Grand Canyon National Park (all my references to the park are specifically about the South Rim, as we did not have the opportunity to visit the North Rim, in fact, the entire North Rim was still closed to visitors in April).

We stayed 3 nights just outside the Grand Canyon National Park in Tusayan.  The campground is the last business before you hit the park, 1 mile drive to the gate.   The roads in the campground are gravel, the sites are not particularly level, we only have 30 AMP service and water.  It is handy, it is a bit pricy, the staff we encountered were pleasant.  Upon departure we discover that the dump, is, well, the WORST!  We have  rated it in our top 10 worst in all the years we have been doing this (a LOT of years).  But, when you travel by the seat of your pants, plans written in dust, you are pretty happy finding a place to rest your bones and park Tana.  The national park has 3 campgrounds on the south rim, 1 was closed, and the other 2 were basically full and will be for the next 6 to 9 months, reservations need to be made months in advance.  That is too much like living on a schedule, so, on this trip for this gang, that just does not work.  So, the campground in Tusayan worked out pretty nice, cept that dump thing, ewwwwwww.

Hey, who needs a resort, we have the GRAND CANYON nearby!

We will stay here 3 nights, and then move on into Utah.  We arrived here early enough in the day that we were able to go on up to the park for a few hours, stop at the Visitor's Center and the rim for a while.  Lots of people, this is vacation week for a lot of school kids, and it is also "free" week, no entry fee charged at all.  Normal entry fee, $25.00 per car for 7 days.  Oh, your "senior" pass will get you in for free if you are 62 and have that blessed little piece of plastic!   Yes, we have that pass.  Yes, we do!

In just those couple of hours, I managed to take almost 100 photos.  I'll spare you (until tomorrow, LOL).  The following day I took almost 250 photos and the third day I took almost 340 photos.  It is going to be quite the chore choosing and editing from that collection!  Do you see a slide show in the near future here at Reflections??  Probably several slide shows.

Stay tuned - -


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THE Trip, Fort Verde State Historic Park, Man's Close Encounter With WWII Enactor

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

While at the "History of the Solider" event at Fort Verde State Historic Park, Man met a knowledgeable and very cordial representative of the World War II era.  The reenactor had tent and lots of gear that an US Army infantry soldier would use and carry during World War II .

As many soldiers, Man's father would not discuss the war much, so Man took this opportunity to really question and learn about what his father's experiences might have been like.

Showing how to load the M-1, the gun Man's father carried:

Showing us how to clean the weapon.  This reenactor knew his M-1, he was efficient in his motions, and to me it seemed he was fast too.

Here is Man holding the M-1, asking more questions.  (By the way, he would make a great interviewer, he was asking great questions.)

And, a solider has to eat, rations:

There usually seems to be one part of a day or event or learning experience that stands out, in this case it was learning about the pack that Man's father had to carry, what went into it.  Then, Man asked if he could put the pack on (which was supposed to be packed pretty much the way his father's would have been during WWII).

Man was impressed, so much so, that he is still talking about what it would have been like to carry that pack (it was not light). The experience was good, the information good, the insight more than good.  Yes, there is a new appreciation here in Reflection's Land, by both Man and I, for what our soldiers and specifically Man's father experienced during World War II.


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THE Trip, Fort Verde State Historic Park, Celebrate and Honor Our Soliders

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

On April 9 and 10, 2011 at Fort Verde State Historic Park they celebrated and honored our soldiers, from the Revolutionary War to the present.  On the 9th the weather was rather nasty with rain, wind, and snow on the mountains and in Sedona.  Man and I ventured forth on the 10th when the weather was still brisk, but, sunny.  We briefly visited the displays for the Gulf Wars, Korea, Revolutionary War, the time of the War of 1812,World War I and I even tried to get some information or mentors from the Civil War re-enactors as I was working on the series about Alfred Darden at that time.  Man spent a lot of time with the World War II re-enactors as his father was in the U.S. Army.  I'll chat about  that in my next post.

As we got to the park late in the afternoon we did not get to spend a lot of time, but, we were there for the closing ceremony, the lowering of the flag.  It was performed with dignity and honor and respect.

Thank you to the men that have served and to the reenactors.  Well done.



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THE Trip, Fort Verde State Historic Park, Camp Verde, Arizona

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Fort Verde State Historic Park is a little jewel, located in Camp Verde, Arizona.

To quote their web site: "The fort was a base for General Crook’s U.S. Army scouts and soldiers in the 1870s and 1880s. From 1865 – 1891 Camp Lincoln, Camp Verde and Fort Verde were home to officers, doctors, families, enlisted men, and scouts. The park is the best-preserved example of an Indian Wars period fort in Arizona."

While we were staying in the area they celebrated, History of the Solider.  Man thought it would be interesting, and he was so right!  There is a Visitor's Center, with some very nice exhibits and there are several buildings representing the Officers' Row, with more exhibits.  They have some fine examples of furniture, a hospital, laundry, commissary, guardhouse, bath house and there is a nice (practice?) large field with flag pole.

We did not spend as much time investigating the exhibits as we might have, because of the "History of the Solider" event.  Many of the exhibits were behind glass and a lot of the photos had reflections and glare, and no, I did not use my flash on any of these photos.

Just outside the Visitor Center is this memorial, to those that served:

Just one of several uniforms displayed in the well designed exhibits in the Visitor Center:

They have a great collection of bottles, whiskey bottles, bottles for bitters, condiments, extracts, medicine, stout, champagne and wine and this, which I thought was quite pretty as well as functional:

In one of the Officer's buildings I found these.  I have a trunk almost identical to this one (not an heirloom) and a rocker, again, very similar (which was my grandmother's).  I hope mine are not this dusty when I get back to the stick built!  LOL

If you happen to be in the area of Camp Verde, Man and I can highly recommend stopping at Fort Verde Historic State Park.



* In the next couple of posts, the tribute to soldiers past and what Man learned!
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THE Trip, Tuzigoot National Monument, near Clarkdale Arizona

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

The area around Camp Verde is steeped in history of "the ancient ones".  After visiting Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well, there was no way we were going to skip Tuzigoot.

The neat part about this park is that you can walk around, very close to the ruins, and in fact, inside part of it.

Tuzigoot is the Apache word for crooked water.  The Monument is a remnant of a village built by the Southern Singuas sometime between 1125 and 1400.  Yea, read that again, between 1125 and 1400!  Boggles the mind, doesn't it??

The original pueblo (as the brochure calls it) was 2 stories high in places.  There were between 77 and 86 ground floor rooms, almost no exterior doors, as entry was via ladders and openings in the roof.

It is estimated that the village was home for about 50 people at first and that the population stayed at about 50 for some 100 years.  The population did double during the 1200's.  It doubled again, as farmers and families fleeing from drought in nearby, but outlying areas moved into the village.  (Later during our stay near Camp Verde we actually visited one of the outlying villages that abandoned their village to move to Tuzigoot.)

View of Tuzigoot Ruins as you approach.  That hill/ridge is about 120 feet
above the Valley floor.  The park covers about 42 acres.

This is the tallest section, 2 stories, with a flat roof.  You are allowed up there.

Current entrance, I am guessing not original.  This allows
access for visitors.  In the rear of these rooms, you can
barely see a stairwell which gains access to the roof.
Stairwell is not original.

Inside the same room, you can see the walls built of soft limestone and sandstone.
Logs of juniper, pine and cottonwood were used to form roofs.  On top of
the logs there is another layer of plant matter. Other photos show
this to be a straw or reed type plant.  The signage also tells us that the
walls are in constant need of stabilization and repair, and in fact repairs
were being done while we were there.  (This roof is a reproduction.)

Above, looking down from the 2 story structure to the Valley floor.
The entire structure measures about 500 feet by 100 feet.  There were
approximately 77 to 86 ground floor rooms and about 15 in the 2 story structure.

This is looking back up the hill, over the tops of the remains of
many of the rooms of the village.

The living quarters here were so much different than the cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well.  Many of the cliff dwellings had 2 to 3 walls and maybe even part of a ceiling already in place and the ancient ones only had to add an outside wall, and entrances.  This village had no natural "walls" in place.  The signage indicates that if the structure deteriorated a new room would be built on the ruins of the old.

Man and I enjoyed our visit to Tuzigoot, it was totally awesome.


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THE Trip, Montezuma Well, The Homes

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Very near Montezuma Castle National Monument, and in fact, part of that unit, is Montezuma Well. To quote that web site, "Formed long ago by the collapse of a limestone cavern, over one million gallons of water a day flows continuously into the Well. This constant supply of warm, fresh water provides an aquatic habitat like no other in the world, and has served as an oasis for wildlife and humans for thousands of years."  We were told by several people we know and met along the way that the Well was not to be missed.  I totally agree, if possible, this site is even more awesome that the Castle Monument.

Above, first a view of at least 2 homes, the well is below what you can see here.

Taken from above, different angle, closer view of one of the homes.

Above, this photo shows the edge of the well and the two homes,
note the family on the upper level, far left side of photo to give some idea of size.

Even tho panoramic photos don't translate well here, try clicking on
this anyway, click back button on your browser to return to Reflections.
The cliff dwelling homes are just above that one lone green tree, on the left.

These cave dwellings are down on the level of the water of the well.

Above the well is this large pueblo, contained about 20 to 30 rooms,
each room would be about 12 X 8.

A very special part of the Well site is the irrigation canal, which I will bring you in another post, stay tuned.



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THE Trip, Gold Canyon to Camp Verde Arizona

Copyright 2011, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Sadly we leave Gold Canyon today, but are ready to see what is down the road, the wheels are a rolling. We have a short ride, just about 138 miles, about half of that to just get to the north side of Phoenix.  Also remarkable in the change in foliage as we climbed in altitude and gave Big Butt the opportunity to show his towing stuff.

Our route was 60 NW to the 101 (loop).  Took the 101 north and then east till we hit I 17 North.  I 17 North to Camp Verde.

We did stop along the way at the Sunset Point Rest Area at Exit 252 on the I 17.   Scenic view opportunity and stretch the legs (and, ya, potty stops).  Looking down into a small valley of sorts I spied this.  If you google Hourrelzy you will probably find, as I did, 6 hits.  (I even tried a Bing search, one hit.)  No clues will be found tho as to what this means, if anything.

Back in Big Butt, we made our way into Verde Valley, 6% grades, downhill of course.

Above, you know you are gonna go down and quickly
when you see that tell tale Runaway Truck Ramp sign.

And, true to their words, there is the ramp.
We are happy to report, we did not need to use it!
Note the elevation, 4,000 feet.  By weeks end
we will have seen 7,000 and some wet sleet stuff, 
but, ONLY while driving Big Butt.  Tana's turn at 
7,000 feet will come in 2 weeks!

Above, one of our first glimpses of Verde Valley,
and, way back, miles away, the red rock area that surrounds
 Sedona Arizona, looking a bit pink so many miles away.

Our original intention was to stay here for one week, we ended up staying 2 weeks and 1 day (the 1 day was to wait out a wind event that we did not care to tow in.)  Our MOC (Montana Owners Club) RVing friends are starting to feed us ideas of what to see, where to go, good places to eat.  It seems as the closer we get to Utah the more ideas they have!  We are more than happy to listen to them, and thanks to friend Steve R. we had some great BBQ while in Camp Verde, thanks Steve for the name!  See, we went:

And, it was good!

We settled into our campsite at Distant Drums RV Resort and started mapping our sightseeing trips.  And, what sights they are!  Sony is on overload!

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