January 1, 2016

After being cooped up in the house with a cold for over a week, I decided it was time to get out and get some fresh air. What better day of the year than New Year’s Day. I am not one for making New Year’s resolutions, but I have set some intentions for myself in the coming year. One of those is to see more of the state of Arizona. There are so many interesting sites and landscapes here that I don’t think I will ever run out of places to visit. One of the places that has been on my list for a while is Montezuma Castle National Monument, which was only an hour and a half from my house.

Montezuma Castle National Monument is comprised of some cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua people around 1100 AD. The main structure, Montezuma Castle, is a 5 story dwelling recessed in a cliff. Visitors aren’t allowed to enter, but it is still quite extraordinary to view from below.

Seeing and hearing two red-tailed hawks circling above the dwelling added to the experience. They were quite vocal, making the screeching noises you often hear in old Western movies.

After leaving the main structure, I drove a few miles down the road to Montezuma Well, which the Sinagua used to irrigate their crops. More dwellings exist around the giant reservoir.

But don’t go swimming in the water – it’s full of leeches!

More Arizona adventures to come in 2016!