Montezuma Castle, and Black Horse State Park, Cottonwood, Az.

When you travel thru Arizona, you have to try 2 favorites, this is one, it is called Fry Bread. You will find vendors on the side of the road baking these, and of course you have to stop and try one. Kind of like fried dough, but the dough is much lighter in texture, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, yummy!!

Now we need to find Ash Bread vendor next!

Here we are at Montezuma Castle National Monument...

Petrocliff writing on this rock, near the visitor center.

Prickley Pear Catus, you see everywhere, picky, picky!

Flag representing the 100th anniversary of finding this location 1906-2006

Flag representing the tribes.

The Southern Sinagua farmers began building this 5 story, 20 room dwelling early in the 1100's. It is in a cliff 100 feet above the valley.

This is a close up of the structure, you are not allowed into the site.

It is amazing when you first see it, unbelievable really.

This sign tells how they built the rooms.

This sign explains how they lived off the land.

Sign showing the Arizona Sycamore Tree the unusual bark.

Check out Paul standing near one, they grew to amazing sizes.

At first I thought this was a snake, I am always looking around, but it is part of the tree maybe a deformed branch....

This sign tells about the other animals that lived in the hills also.

There was another structure a short distance to the west, it is referred as Castle A, it was an 6 story apartment like building, with about 45 rooms, built on the base of the cliff. Today only a small part has been restored.

This is what remains today.

Every society needs water to survive, and they had that too, a creek at the base of the cliff.

Here it is, running a bit high because of the recent rains in the area.

No one really knows why this community of people disappeared, but sometime around 1400 a.d. they did.

This is a replica of what the cliff would have looked like during that period.
Don't you wish you could go back in time and really find out more about this group of farmers, learn from them and understand how and why the didn't continue to live in the caves.

So after a day of exploring, it is time to find a campground, Dead Horse Ranch State Park is our home for the night.

Here we are home sweet home!

Here is our little Gremlin all tucked in for the night!!