Red Rock

One beautiful day we drove up to Red Rock State Park near Sedona.  No Happy Trails for Dora this time: dogs are not allowed at this park. It's understandable: narrow trails with quite a few people and it's too hot to leave animals in your vehicle. If you're going: leave them home. There are warning signs before you get to the park, so no excuses!

We stopped in the visitor center first to see what we were getting into.  We found out that two of the three Oak Creek crossings were closed, leaving only the Kingfisher Bridge on Bunkhouse Trail open.  The person manning the desk suggested that we hike in a counter-clockwise direction: First the Bunkhouse Trail to the Kisva Trail which roughly parallels the creek.  The 1000' climb up to Eagle's Nest is steeper but shorter on that side.  Then continue along the Coyote Ridge Trail and down the Apache Fire Trail.  I do believe that was the right choice.  If we had hiked up and along the Coyote Ridge Trail first we might have given up before reaching Eagle's Nest seeing how far it was.

Crossing Oak Creek

From the trail

Eagle's Nest from below.

Along the trail up to Eagle's Nest.  Piñon and juniper.

It was like a garden.

At the viewpoint, signs pointed out the rock features.

Breathtaking.

The viewpoint as seen from farther on. 

Smooth red rock worn by eons of water.

The house of Apache Fires from below.  

Fascinating architecture.  I wish that it was in repair and open for tours.  The house was designed in the 1940's by Helen Frye, the wife of the President of TWA.   Read more about Jack and Helen Frye, the history of the ranch, and even some great aviation history at http://www.sedonalegendhelenfrye.com/.  There is another website about Jack Frye at http://jack-frye.blogspot.com/

After our hike we headed up to Sedona for a late lunch (i.e. our favorite meal "linner").  What a find: Pisa Lisa.  

It looks like an old Pizza Hut (it is) but it sure doesn't taste like an old Pizza Hut.

We ate this (Justino). All of it.  Plus a salad.

I can't recommend Pisa Lisa highly enough.  Lisa Dahl owns several restaurants in Sedona and I am eager to try others.

That said, except for the food and the scenery you can pretty much have Sedona. Yet another town that has been damaged by its own popularity. 

Tuzigoot

When we decided to stay at Dead Horse Ranch the only ruins in the area we knew about was Montezuma's Castle, which we visited a few  years ago.  We had no idea that Tuzigoot National Monument existed.

We took a walk from the campground to the river and saw something up on a hill.  Tom said "Those look like ruins."

When we first saw the ruins on the hill, they appeared to be across the Verde River from the park.  Instead, the river winds around behind the hill.

This old photo shows what the area looked like prior to 1933.  You can tell from the pattern of rocks that something was there. An excavation led by archaeologists Louise Caywood and Edward Spicer provided work to local families during the Depression.

Many pots were reconstructed from fragments during that period.  Now the glue is being carefully removed, returning them to the state in which they were originally discovered.

"Sin agua" is "Without water" in Spanish.

Another interesting fact mentioned inside the visitor center: after leaving Tuzigoot the people moved north to new settlements including Homolovi.

Enjoy some of our pictures from Tuzigoot.

Each room originally had a hearthstone in the center.

A staircase in this room leads to a viewing area on top of the hill-top building.

The view from the top.

From below, looking up to the top building.

One of the current residents.

We could see some more rooms below which were only partly excavated and not accessible via the trail.

View back toward the state park.  The green trees are cottonwoods along the river, the black are velvet mesquite not yet leafed out.

If you find yourself in the Cottonwood/Sedona area, this National Monument is well worth the visit.