Tag Archives: Native American

Sedona Vacation 2011, That’s a wrap!

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As is my habit, I am including a summary of my vacation. I like to fill in any gaps I missed or answer any questions that came up during the series of posts and just give you  my final take on the vacation as a whole.

This was my 2nd trip to Sedona and Northern Arizona. The first trip I traveled alone. This trip with a companion, my sister. The first trip was really unbelievable because I had the freedom to do what I wanted , when I wanted and didn’t need to think about anyone else. This trip required that I be a bit more considerate but seeing my sister’s reactions and sharing her observations as a “first time” visitor made it totally worth it.

That’s the thing about vacations. I love going alone but when I do I wish someone was with me so we could oooh and aaahhh over the sights together but when you travel with someone you have to balance the things you want to do so that everyone stays happy and satisfied. After all, vacations don’t come cheap these days. Luckily my sister and I usually get along pretty good as far as agreeing on what to see and do.

So I will rate this vacation as an A for me. I didn’t give it an A+ because I’d seen a lot of the stuff before but even seeing it a 2nd time was great.

The Grand Canyon Railroad is always a fun ride and now I know the best seat is the Observation dome car.

The Petrified Forest is interesting but doesn’t take long unless you’re a real “rock hound”. The Teepee formations and the painted Desert were more interesting to me.

 The wildlife wasn’t much better this time than last time. We saw a mule deer this trip. Sandy saw 2, one as we were driving down 89 A  and one from the train. I saw a mule deer family last trip in the Grand Canyon National park but not outside the park.

We saw a Roadrunner this trip and I saw one last trip. We didn’t see a live Pronghorn this  trip but I did from the Grand Canyon train last trip. We had to settle for the mounted  head at the Blazin’ M ranch this time.

Speaking of the Blazin’M, the show was just as good, maybe even a little better this time but the food was nowhere near as good as it was in my first visit. But food aside, I would go back to that show in a minute. It’s great fun. Of course leading up to the show was the Verde Canyon railroad and that was special with two great views of bald eagles!

As for new stuff, I think for me anyway, seeing the Pueblo at Tuzigoot and the cliff dwelling at Montezuma’s castle were the high points right after the Grand Canyon of course. The Painted Desert was pretty cool too.

As for the Grand Canyon, I love the breathtaking views from the rim but I can’t help feeling pretty special to be one of the 1% to make it to the bottom of the canyon.

 I also have to say that the tour guide (Joe) from Native American Tours proved to be the most thorough guide I’ve had in Arizona. What he shared in his one tour came up over and over in all the rest of our adventures.

Back to wildlife…we didn’t see any javalinas this trip but we saw a “flycatcher” and I got a picture of that. That little red and brown bird was pretty neat.

 There were the little lizard things too. Just like Florida they are everywhere!

The desert was beautiful too. The cactus was in bloom from all the rain.

That’s not something that happens all the time and the Red Rocks of Sedona are always beautiful. The color is just so rich and vibrant.

It’s “dark sky” too so with the minimal lights at night you have awesome viewing for the stars and the night sky.

Enjoy a little vino and who knows, you too can believe in aliens! 🙂

I’d like to make one more trip basically as a photo-op.  If I can I think I would like to spend a full day at the Grand Canyon and just work on pictures…maybe camp there one night so I can hit sunrise and sunset. I’d also include a trip to Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelley, again for photos. There’s also the slot canyons up near Page, Arizona that are known for awesome and unusual pictures.

So that’s my thoughts. I hope my sister enjoyed the trip as much as I did. I’m looking forward to our next joint adventure. With any luck it will be Alaska in 2012. (have to get there before the glaciers melt or the end of the world arrives in Dec of 2012)

Our last bit of vintage Sedona was the Hot Air Balloon we were able to watch from the balcony of our time share unit on Saturday morning before we left. That just made the trip complete as I saw Hot Air Balloons on my last day on my other trip. 🙂

Castle in a Cliff

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After we left Montezuma’s Well, we got back on the interstate for another exit or two until we saw more signs. This time for Montezuma’s Castle. Both Montezuma’s Castle and Montezuma’s Well are National Park locations so I was able to collect park passport stamps at both locations. It was nice to have such well-marked parks. Often when I’m looking for a location the signs are vague or missing. These were right there in your face. No way to get lost! 🙂

As we were driving on the access road to the Castle parking lot a roadrunner crossed right in front of the car. Those little guys are fast! I could imagine the ” Beep-Beep”! As I was the designated driver there was no camera handy so Mr. Roadrunner escaped without a portrait.

The parking lot is paved and lined and in excellent condition. Once you park, your path takes you past the restrooms to the visitor center. The whole walkway is like a covered portico. The visitor center had a small gift shop and several rangers available to offer suggestions and answer questions.

Passing through the 2nd set of doors sets you on a shaded , paved path that is very easy walking. As you round the first bend in the path the Castle is right there in front of you. What an amazing sight! There is this huge adobe building clinging to the cliff face. The living area extends backward  into the cliff itself. This is the best preserved cliff dwelling in North America.

Unlike Montezuma’s Well, I had seen pictures of Montezuma’s Castle and even watched a documentary at one time so I thought I had an idea what to expect. Boy was I wrong. Nothing in my experience made me ready to see this building  clinging to the side of this cliff. It made me think of the nests swallows build that seem to just hang on the side of a cliff or barn. It is mind-boggling that these ancient people were able to accomplish this gravity defying feat.

The “castle” clings to a Verde Valley limestone cliff. The workmanship demonstrates the skill and tenacity of the Sinagua. They were very daring builders to put it mildly. Access to the dwelling would have been by ladder, with entry to the individual “apartments” through entry holes in the thatched roofs.

The building itself is  5 stories of stone and mortar that contained about 20 rooms and housed as many as 50 people. It’s precarious location perched as it is on the cliff, provided some protection from their marauding enemies. As you can see from the photo with the people at the base of the cliff, that structure is pretty far up there!

A natural overhang offered protection from the elements and provided shade from the hot desert sun. The ruins were so well-preserved when discovered that there were many artifacts still in the building. These artifacts supply archeologists with many clues about life at that time but it hasn’t answered the most burning question…Where did they go and why did they leave?

Farther up the path and still within sight of the “castle” there are more ruins. These were not as well-preserved as the main building, possibly because access was much easier. Built on the same pattern as the cliff dwelling most of the artifacts have been removed over the years by looters.

As the path turned back toward the visitor center leaving the ruins behind there is a small kiosk with an interactive display of what the cliff dwelling might have looked like in its hey day with the people performing the tasks and climbing the ladders in pursuit of their daily life.

The dwelling and the surrounding area has been a National Monument since 1906. Access to the dwelling has been denied since 1950 to preserve what remains of the site and to prevent further damage and looting.

The visitor center  includes a small museum with many of the tools used by the Sinagua to build the dwelling as well as other stone tools used for grinding grain, bone needles for sewing and ornaments. The Sinagua were talented artisans.

Over 350,000 people visit the monument annually. I am pleased to say I am one of them. A very interesting and worthwhile stop on our itinerary.

Montezuma’s Well

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Almost all of our tours are done. We have 1 more this after noon at 5pm, a sunset ride but for the most part our time is our own from this point on. So with the day open we decided to explore Montezuma’s Well.

I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. I just knew that I didn’t get a chance to go there on my last visit to Arizona and Sandy is very interested in Native American Culture so an ancient ruin seemed like a good way to spend some time.

Montezuma’s Well is easy to find. It’s clearly marked with large signs right off interstate 17. There are restrooms and a small ranger station next to the parking lot. The ranger was GREAT!. He was so out-going and friendly. He gave us lots of advice about what to look for on our walk. He obviously enjoys his job and is very good at it.

The trail to the “well” is paved and slopes slightly upward. The ranger told us to “drink plenty of water” ,the mantra of the desert , but even with the sun the walk wasn’t uncomfortable.

At the top the trail winds around a large pond of water. According to the literature it is the remains of a large limestone sinkhole. I expected a little stone well not this big hole filled with water! The sides are very steep and deep. Cave dwellings were visible in the walls of the well.

The water is warm but not from being in the desert. Apparently, what ever the source, the spring flows at a steady 76 degrees all year ’round. More than a million gallons of water a day flows continuously through this huge bowl in the desert floor creating a green oasis in the scrubby desert grassland.

A series of stone steps leads down to the water’s edge. The ranger said there were 100 steps. I didn’t count them but if it was 100 it was the easiest 100 I have ever walked.

 At the bottom the path winds through tall grasses and wildflowers until you enter a tree-shaded glen with the water on the left and a stone and cave style dwelling to your right. It was cool and hard to believe I was in a desert.

Sandy had opted to wait on top. While she was  waiting for me to take my little side trip she met some visitors from England that were bird watching. They were lucky enough to spot the Great Horned Owl that makes its home in the cliffs of the well. I, unfortunately, missed that. Still I am glad I explored the bottom.

Back on top and caught up with my sister we found the 2nd trail that the ranger had mentioned. I was able to convince Sandy to try this one. It was slightly steeper and narrower than the “100 step trail” but it was shorter. Only a couple of “landings” down and we turned a corner into a gorgeous glade.

 Huge Arizona Sycamores towered above us, water crest grew green in the stream along the base of the cliff and the water bubbles and gurgles where the well water empties into Beaver Creek. The foliage was so thick it gave a green cast to the light. It was just absolutely gorgeous, just as the ranger had said it would be. It was lovely and peaceful with the water gurgling close by. A perfect place to meditate or spend a day with a book. Still we couldn’t linger too long. there was  so much more that we wanted to see before our trip came to an end.

Back on top in the desert sun, we followed the trail back toward the parking lot.

 We hadn’t seen too much wildlife yet so when I saw one of the little lizards or geckos that seem to be everywhere I took a picture. It may not be much but it’s still wildlife. 🙂

One last note about Montezuma’s Well is that Montezuma was Aztec and the Aztec were never in Arizona. Apparently the early settlers to the area made the assumption that it was Montezuma’s doing and the name stuck. In fact the dwellings had been deserted for over 100 years before Montezuma was even born!

Well with that tidbit of information under our belts it was time to head over to the other misnamed site, Montezuma’s Castle.

Native American Journey’s Tour

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Up bright and early we met the Native American Journey’s Tour at reception at 7:10am. At least they are picking us up so we don’t have to make that drive again today. I will be able to sit back and enjoy the scenery too.

They were right on time. They had already picked up two couples from the Sedona Pines resort. We were traveling in a van. Our driver and guide’s name was Joe. He didn’t appear to be Native American but the web site was a bit “iffy” on that. As long as he knows the history as promised that will be fine.

Our drive took us through Sedona and up RT 89A through Oak Creek Canyon. In all my travels up and down this road I had never seen the bottom of the gorge. If I had I would have been in it  (Ha Ha). Now sitting high in a van I could see well into Oak Creek Canyon. WOW! I think maybe it was a good thing I didn’t know how steep and deep it was when I first started driving this road.

Joe is a bona-fide “rock hound”. I have never seen anyone get so excited over rock formations! He would pull the van over to the side of the road, pull out a white board and start writing information on  it while he explained what we were looking at, just like a geology teacher. He had a pile of different colored sponges that he had cut to represent a fault so he could demonstrate the way the earth shifts when a fault line moves. He would have made a great teacher.  

As we passed Flagstaff Joe told us a story of how the city got its name. The story goes that the early settlers were going to have a big party to celebrate the 4th of July. So that everyone would be able to find the location they picked the largest tree and stripped off all of its limbs then hung a flag from the top. They told everyone to come to the celebration where the Flag Staff was standing.

It was quite a long ride part of which was on the famous RT 66. I’m not sure I could find my way back on my own even though Joe said you can get a permit without going with a tour. The section of the Canyon we were going to and the road that would take us there is on a Reservation so we had to stop at Peach Springs at the  Visitor Center for the Hualapai Tribe to pick up the tour permit. We had a brief rest stop while we were waiting for Joe. There was a gift shop and rest rooms.

When Joe came back waving the permit we all clambered back into the van but we didn’t head out right away. Joe said we had “bookkeeping” to do. He handed out all of the charge slips. As he did he said if we didn’t sign them he would leave us at the Visitor Center so we could find our own way home. I don’t know if he was joking or not but turns out that it put me in an awkward position.

When I tried to make the reservation several months ago, I had my tax refund money in the account so I used that card. When the charge never went through I called them back. They told me they were just using the card # to “Hold” the reservation and wouldn’t charge it until the trip. ( This was actually my 3rd call as I had wanted some more information before I booked the tour and there had been 1 email. ) Before we left for the trip, I wanted to consolidate everything in one account so I could keep track of my expenses. I made my 4th call to them at that time. I said since they hadn’t charged the card yet, could I change the one I was using. I was told yes, just email the new card #. I started to protest that it wasn’t safe to do that but finally gave up and complied. I also asked for the “Bottom line” as the ad said $179.00 per person plus tax and tip and I was getting a AAA discount as well.

I was told the real cost of the tour was now $229.00 plus tax and tip per person. I protested and said I would cancel as that was not what was advertised and that in spite of numerous requests, no one had been able to give me a final figure for the tour. They back tracked quickly and said ..Oh that’s right you saw the web page plus we can give you the AAA discount. He threw a number at me as he said he had to go to a meeting. I wrote the amount down and sent off the email with my card #.

Now here we were in a van in the tiny town of Peach Springs on a reservation miles from Sedona and the tour guide is saying I have to sign the charge slip or get out. My charge slip was for the wrong credit card( bank account) and over charged by $40.00. Since I was in the back of the van I couldn’t discretely speak to the tour driver. I had to yell it out so everyone could hear.

Joe told me to go ahead and sign it and call Dave, the owner /manager later after the tour and he would straighten it out. That didn’t leave me with many options if I didn’t want to walk home. I had a feeling the damage was already done anyway and the signature was just a formality for the tour operator so I complied and resigned myself to having to deal with that after the tour was over. Since there was nothing more I could do now, I might as well relax and enjoy the trip down, especially if it was going to be more expensive than planned.

With that out of the way (for now), Joe pulled the van out onto the road and our journey to the bottom really began at that point.

Now I don’t want you to think I always have these financial difficulties. This was the first time I’ve had so many things messed up over money. I always travel on a very tight budget so I must have all my little ducks in a row or there’s no way I can go on these vacations . These issues from Payless Car rental to Native American Journey’s are the exception, not the rule. They just happened to all come up on this trip. I have tucked the experiences away and will now be even more diligent before I book a tour or reserve a car.

More Grand Canyon

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There is way too much to show and tell about the Grand Canyon for one post. So let me try to fill in some of what I skipped yesterday.

At our first stop we could see the Colorado River winding its way through the canyon floor.

Our  guide pointed out the rapids. They didn’t look like much from where we were standing but he said they are CLASS 10! He went on to tell us that the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is the only place where rapids are rated on a scale of 1-10. Everywhere else the maximum rapid is 5. He said several other rapids in the canyon are rated class 8. WOW! Anyone up  for a white water rafting trip?

This is a marker from the last survey of the Grand Canyon.

 It was done with volunteers and the assistance of the Boston Museum of Science and the National Geographic Society.

With Sandy waving in the foreground, you can get some perspective of the hugeness of the Canyon. Just awe-inspiring! This was also the stop where the biologist was tracking the Condors.

Railings and walls are there to keep us safe. Even so, we saw a mother take her young son over the fence and right up to the rim. Crazy!

Once back at the train we climbed up to the Visitor Center so I could secure my National Park Stamp. There were a couple of pieces of petrified wood on display. I am hoping we’ll have time to get to the petrified forest this trip. I missed it last time.

 

While there we walked over to El Tovar. The Hotel is the premier lodging in the Grand Canyon National Park. It first opened it’s doors on 1905. It was most recently renovated in 2005.

We also stopped by Hopi House which is another National Historical building. It was created to allow Native Americans to sell their authentic Native American crafts.

Then it was time to climb back down to the depot.

We’ve stretched our visit long enough for this time. We’ll be back in the morning to go into the Canyon so it’s time to load onto the train for the return trip.

It’s about 3:15 so the railroad serves a snack buffet  to First Class and Dome car passengers on the return trip too. This time it’s veggies and dip and cheese and crackers. A nice touch and certainly appreciated.

Just outside of Williams the train slowed to a stop. We spotted the Cowboys galloping along side only now they were bandits here to rob the train! All in fun we handed over change and dollar bills. I presume it is their “tip” for the show this morning.