A Well, A Castle, And The Pool

Alice and Aunt Elise started the day with lots of hugs...Then we went to explore the nearby cliff dwellings. Our first stop was at Montezuma's Well. This is a natural sinkhole 368 feet wide, with cliffs that tower 70 feet above the water's surface. Every day over 1.5 million gallons of 74 degree water flows into the Well, fed by three to four large underwater vents, some as deep as 56 feet below the surface. This has been going on consistently for thousands of years. The water exits the well through a cave 300 feet long, emerging into an irrigation ditch originally constructed almost 1,000 years ago by the people who lived and farmed here for centuries.

It was a hot, hot day when we visited the Well but we still enjoyed a great little hike to explore the area.

My Mom...

And my Dad...

The boy cousins - Zane, Henry, and Evan - standing in front of some of the cliff dwellings next to the Well.

In the 1100s, a thriving community of Sinagua Indians built masonry cliff dwellings and hilltop pueblos for a population of up to 200 people. After nearly 300 years of occupation, the Sinagua culture dissolved and the village at Montezuma Well was abandoned. The exact reason isn't known, but disease, drought, and crop failures may have been the reasons they left their homes.

This area was just down the hill from the cliff dwellings and is over 800 years old. You could still see the black marks on the rocks from the cooking fires. Lots of "Kodak moments" - here we have Alice, me, Dan, Elise, Zane, Evan, Henry, and Jay. The hot, but happy, explorers.

My nephew, Evan. Such a photogenic kid! I can hardly believe he's 12 and almost as tall as me. What a pleasure it was to see him this week and re-discover how mature, intelligent, and funny he is.

After enjoying our time at Montezuma Well, we then went on to Montezuma's Castle National Monument. Interesting story... It's not a castle and Montezuma was never there! This is one of the best preserved cliff ruins in North America. The five-story, twenty-room cliff dwelling served as a home for prehistoric Sinagua Indians over 600 years ago. Early settlers to the area assumed that the imposing structure was associated with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but the castle was abandoned almost a century before Montezuma was born.

There were lots of opportunities to see the famous Prickly Pear Cactus.

Leaving Montezuma's Castle, we took a "scenic route," which Dan is famous for finding!, back through Page Springs - a lovely little area which has numerous fresh water springs, and thus very lush vegetation. This area was also home to several wineries - we stopped and did a little wine tasting along the way. Another fun stop was at the local fish hatchery - all Rainbow Trout, and lots of them. Then it was on to the Red Rock State Park Scenic Loop. Gorgeous! Such pretty views of the red rocks (of course!) and the local ecosystem.

Had to take a photo of our rental car, a Chrysler 300. Henry was so totally impressed with Dan's choice of a car. It was quite spiffy.

Back to the resort for lots of pool time. My parents, brother, and sister-in-law, lounging in the pool. Henry, the Swimming Pool Superhero! I'm sure glad Alice didn't clock her chin on the edge of the pool with this trick.