Red Roads State Pages

Camp Verde
        Montezuma Castle National Monument

Coolidge
        Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Flagstaff
         Meteor Crater

Grand Canyon National Park
        South Rim
        North Rim

Green Valley
        Titan Missile Museum

Holbrook
        Petrified Forest National Park

Quartzsite
         Palm Canyon (KOFA National Wildlife Refuge)

Camp Verde
        Montezuma Castle National Monument

    Nestled into a limestone recess high above the flood plain of Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley, Montezuma Castle is one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America. Researchers estimate the Sinagua farmers who inhabited the rich riparian habitat along Beaver Creek began building this five-story, twenty-room dwelling early in the twelfth century. It's not really a castle and its inhabitants lived long before the Aztec ruler for whom this structure was mistakenly named. 

    The Sinagua culture apparently lived in this area from around 700-1425 A.D. Just a short walk from Montezuma Castle is a badly deteriorated ruin called Castle A. Built against the base of the cliff, this six-story apartment had about forty-five rooms. We were able to get close to some of the walls. 

    Even after the Antiquities Act of 1906 protected four national monuments, including Montezuma Castle, tourists were allowed to enter the ruins. By the mid-1950's, however, that practice was ended in order to prevent further wear and tear on the centuries-old structure. During our March, 2004, visit, we had to content ourselves with viewing from afar. 

    By the way, apparently one of the most frequently asked questions on-site is, "How did they get into the castle?" Based on available evidence, researchers believe the castle-dwellers probably used ladders, which could be withdrawn behind them for security. 

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Coolidge
        Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

    In 1694, Father Eusebio Kino and his part of missionaries found an empty shell of what was apparently a once-flourishing village. Researchers today describe it as a walled compound containing houses and other buildings made from caliche, a concrete-like mixture of sand, clay, and limestone. Like other villages of the Hohokam culture, this one was likely an irrigation community along one of the main canals which made farming possible along the Gila and Salt Rivers and their tributaries, less than fifty miles south of present-day Phoenix.

    Within the compound, one large ancient structure has baffled visitors ever since early Spanish explorers discovered it and named it Casa Grande ("Great House"). Four stories high and sixty feet long, it is the largest structure known to exist in Hohokam times. Modern archeologists have concluded that at least one purpose served by the building was to take note of astronomical events that were important to the farmers who inhabited the village. Casa Grande's walls face the four cardinal points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun during the summer solstice. Other openings also align with the sun and moon at specific times. In fact, astronomers today still visit the ruin to observe special events. The day before our visit had been the spring equinox, 2004, and a group of visitors had been permitted to enter the building which is normally closed to the public.

    The volunteer who led our tour explained that, like many of the other ancient ruins in the Southwest, Casa Grande had suffered not only the weathering of the centuries but also the abuse of casual travelers, artifact thieves, and vandals. There is something about the smooth caliche walls that graffiti writers have found irresistible. Although many examples are readily visible, Casa Grande has been protected from such damage since 1892, when it became the nation's first archeological preserve. Among the oldest markings  are those left by J.W. Ward, a sergeant in the 1st Cavalry, in 1871. Even though we couldn't enter Casa Grande, we were able to walk all the way around it, examining it at our leisure, and peering in several gated entryways.

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Flagstaff
        Meteor Crater

    About 35 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona, we left I-40 at exit 233, Meteor Crater Road. I didn't know much about the natural phenomenon we were heading toward and I surveyed the horizon ahead looking for clues. When we got close enough to make out the visitor center, I still couldn't tell where the crater was. I suspected there was a big hole behind the building. 

    It turned out that I was right about the big hole, but I had underestimated it! It's a challenge for me to try to convey a perspective on the size of the crater. In this photo, perhaps you can make out a large rock silhouetted against the sky, a little to the left of the person at the observation platform. That rock is the size of a small house! From the observation platform, we saw this sheltered patio built farther down into the crater. On the patio was information about the known history of the crater, as well as the hypothesized history of the meteor impact. On the rim near the right edge of this photo, perhaps you can make out the "house-sized rock" silhouetted against the sky.

    On the floor of the crater were relics of mining activity. It was hard to make out much detail on the floor because we were so far away on the rim. Here is my desperate attempt to provide a reference point for grasping the enormity of the crater. (Merely saying it is nearly a mile wide and 570 feet deep isn't enough.) It was an official training site for the Apollo astronauts, and somebody left a six-foot tall "astronaut" near the fenced compound on the crater floor. Can you see "him" and the U.S. flag in the lower right hand corner of this photo detail? (He's just above the "i" in "David."

    Before leaving the rim for the museum inside the visitor's center, we paused to take note of our rig and Meteor Crater Road. J seemed particularly interested in the museum, whose exhibits are described on the visitor's center and museum website. Bud, on the other hand, seemed to appreciate just sitting, perhaps thinking about what the scene was like many years ago when the crater was formed by the impact of a huge meteorite.

    For technical information, go to the Barringer Crater website.

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Grand Canyon National Park

South Rim

    We visited the Grand Canyon South Rim in March 2004, staying three nights in Trailer Village, right in the park. There are full hook-ups and our big rig fit (barely) into a site. We had stayed in Flagstaff the night before our reservation so we could get to the Grand Canyon campground at check-in time. That gave us time to take the shuttle to the rim and get a "first impression." We walked along the Rim Trail from Mather Point to Yavapai Point, where we watched the sun set.

    On our first full day, we drove our truck east on SR 64 to the Desert View Watchtower. (The National Park Service has some great historic photos showing the construction of this Mary Jane Colter-designed tower in 1932.) We spent time looking around there and ate lunch. Then we started working our way back home, driving west on SR 64. We stopped at most of the overlooks and the Tusayan Ruin and Museum.

    Our second full day, we packed sandwiches, rode the shuttle bus to the next-to-the-last stop, Pima Point. From there we hiked along the rim trail to Hermit's Rest, where we bought hot chocolate to go with our sandwiches. We took the shuttle back to the Village Area for a ranger talk on condors. We explored that area a while. Eventually we took the shuttle back to Hopi Point for sunset. It was a great day!

    For photos, see our Grand Canyon photo album, which shows the South Rim first, then the North Rim.

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North Rim

    For years, David had wanted to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The park service estimates that only ten percent of the park's visitors go there. One of the problems is accessibility; there's only one road in (State Route 64) and it is closed by winter snows until about mid-May every year. In 2005, we decided to stay in Arizona until we could get to the North Rim. About ten days before the anticipated opening day, we made reservations for our big rig at the North Rim Campground. 

    The weather cooperated, and we set up camp on May 16. There were still patches of snow around and the scenic drives weren't open yet, but we could hike around the developed area. We even took a half-day mule trip about two miles down the North Kaibab Trail. What an experience! The road to Point Imperial opened on our last day in the park, so we drove to the point and took a hike on the Point Imperial Trail through part of the May 2000 Outlet Fire area.

    For photos, see our Grand Canyon photo album, which shows the South Rim first, then the North Rim.

 

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Green Valley
    Titan Missile Museum

Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 (571-7) Military Reservation in Green Valley, Arizona, is the sole remaining Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) complex of the 54 that were "on alert" during the Cold War between 1963 and 1987. (Go to the rest of the article on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places website.)

     We visited the Titan Missile Museum in December 2002. The museum's website contains good photos and information about the tour we took. The first thing about the site that attracted David and Bud's attention was an unusual antenna. No one at the museum was able to give us any information about it, other than the fact that once a year a "bunch of people come out and use the antenna." David suspects that is for ARRL Field Day, a co-operative contest event held annually on the fourth weekend of June. (Its purpose is to help amateur radio operators develop skills in emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of amateur radio.) I have not been able to find out anything definite about the antenna.

    From the parking lot, we entered the museum area through the security gate. At the Education and Research Center, a facility built after the museum was established, we bought tickets for our guided tour. We had an informational briefing from a volunteer docent, watched a video about Titan missiles, and selected our hard hats to wear on the tour. A different docent led our 30-minute above-ground tour. He explained various artifacts that were on display, such as this engine for the second stage of the missile. We were treated to a look down the launch tube at the missile sitting on its launch ring. Deactivation procedures included cutting the hole in the nosecone so the Russian government can monitor the missile via satellite and verify to their satisfaction that it has not been re-armed.

    At the entrance to the access portal stairway, we were met by a third docent who conducted the underground portion of our tour. We descended by elevator 200 feet below ground and following the route the crew members used to reach the Launch Control Center (LCC). As we entered the LCC, we saw the giant springs used to suspend this three-story, cylindrical concrete and steel structure. Our guide conducted a simulated launch with the help of two of the younger members of the tour group. As a former crew member of a Titan missile site, our guide was able to tell us what is was like to work the 24-hour shifts on alert, sealed behind the blast doors of this facility.

    We made our way along the cableway that connected the LCC to the missile silo. We were on the level at which the missile was serviced. This procedure was represented for our benefit by appropriately attired manikins.  

    There is a lot of technical information, including photos and diagrams, at this website.

    Deactivated missiles are in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. Fourteen of the deactivated missiles (minus warheads) were refurbished for use in launching small satellites into orbit. Between September 1988 and October 2003, thirteen of them were actually used for that purpose, being launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. As of October 2003, there were no plans for launching the fourteenth missile.

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Holbrook
        Petrified Forest National Park

   We entered Petrified Forest National Park at the Painted Desert Visitor Center, from I-40 Exit 311, about 25 miles east of Holbrook, Arizona. It was about 1:30 p.m. on November 7, 2003, and we had decided to drive through the park in the few hours until closing time at 5:00. Bud picked up the Junior Ranger booklet and we started down the Park Road.

   At our first turn-out, we learned from a sign that "the Painted Desert District of Petrified Forest National Park" encompasses "50,000 acres of colorful mesas, buttes, and badlands. Beyond the boundaries of the park, the Painted Desert runs west and north in a great arc, extending past the horizon almost to the edges of the Grand Canyon." I had not realized that a portion of the Painted Desert was "inside" Petrified Forest National Park.

    We stopped for a visit at the Painted Desert Inn, mentioned in Jamie Jensen's Road Trip USA as a Route 66 landmark during the 1920's and 1930's. Park literature gave us more information:

"An example of Mexican Pueblo Revival Architecture, the Painted Desert Inn has soft pink colors and graceful lines designed to blend with the rolling terrain. Originally build in 1924, the inn was enlarged and redesigned by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the late 1930's, and renovated by the Fred Harvey Company in 1947. It served as a hotel until it was closed to guests in 1963.

    "Scheduled for demolition, the Painted Desert Inn was saved by preservation efforts and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975. The National Park Service used the inn as a temporary visitor center on several occasions until it opened as a cultural center in 1990.

    "For four decades the Panted Desert Inn offered hospitality to park visitors. Today it preserves a multi-cultural legacy of design inspired by nature."

    We examined the old interior decorations, studied the artifact displays, and enjoyed the view. We found a sign explaining the geological term "badlands" and giving several examples, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park, in North Dakota, which we had visited less than three months earlier.

    Continuing our drive south, after crossing over I-40, we parked the rig at the Puerco Pueblo lot and walked the short path to the area of the ruins. From an information sign, we learned the following:    

"Puerco Pueblo stood one-story high, with 2 to 3 rows of [about 100] connected rooms surrounding a central plaza. [Within the plaza were several rectangular ceremonial rooms called kivas.] The village, inhabited from about A.D. 1250 to the late 1300's, housed a number of families. The nearby river provided the water that nourished plant and animal life necessary for this pueblo community.

    "Eventually, the people of Puerco Pueblo left, joining with the ancestors of today's Hopi or perhaps Zuni people. Fragments of their buildings and tools, and their petroglyphs on nearby rocks, remain to tell us of their existence."

    As a short side trip from the Park Road, we took the Blue Mesa loop road for some views of different territory. Here the colors were more blue and purple, rather than the red and pink we had been seeing. Back on the Park Road heading south, we began to see chunks of petrified wood. Notice these examples with two  pronghorn, which are often mistakenly called antelope. 

    Our final stop was at the Rainbow Forest Museum, which serves as the south entrance visitor's center. Here we walked a portion of the Giant Logs Trail, seeing some beautiful specimens of huge petrified logs. Bud reported to the ranger and received his Junior Ranger badge. J inquired of the ranger about a place to legal collect specimens of petrified. (It is illegal to remove any rocks from the park.) The ranger told us about one of her favorite places, along a back road south of Holbrook. The next morning, with a little searching, we located several nice rocks to keep.

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Quartzsite
        Palm Canyon (KOFA National Wildlife Refuge)

    In our travels on US 95 between Yuma and Quartzsite, David had noticed a sign indicating "Palm Canyon" down a dirt road heading east, about 18 miles south of Quartzsite. Some inquiries gave him enough information that he wanted to drive back to the canyon to see the only native palm trees in Arizona.

    Turning off US 95, we drove about seven miles back the dirt road, stopping briefly at a small unattended information kiosk that stated we were entering the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The road ended in a little parking lot; we found the trailhead at the east end of the lot. We picked up a regulations flier which also had a map of the refuge. We located the mine museum in relation to where we were at Palm Canyon. There was also a very informative trail map brochure which told us more about the trees.

"People were aware of the small, scattered clusters of trees growing in Palm Canyon even before the creation of the [Kofa National Wildlife] refuge. The palm trees have become a major visitor attraction for the refuge.

"To be specific, the trees are California Fan Palms, Washingtonia filifera. They are not date-bearing alms. These unique plants are probably the descendents of palms growing in the region during the last periods of North American glaciation. Some botanists theorize that the trees gradually spread into these canyons and other protected niches as the climate warmed to desert conditions. Other researchers have suggested that the trees may have been spread from other palm groves by birds or coyotes carrying seeds in their digestive tracts.

"Since palm trees do not produce annual growth rings like shade trees, it's very difficult to say how old the trees might be. In Palm Canyon, the palm trees are able to survive in the narrow side canons where direct sunshine is limited but some moisture is available. Te trees' survival is dependent on the micro-climate in this protected canyon."

    The trail was only about a half-mile long, but it was rough most of the way, with some steep sections. It took us about an hour to make the round trip. At the end of the trail was a small sign that said "Palms" and pointed toward a narrow, north-trending side canyon. By looking up, we could clearly see the trees, although they were in shadow. After taking some photos of the view looking west from inside the canyon, we did a little cave exploring. On the way back to the truck, we spotted some wildlife. Can anyone help with species identification?

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