Arizona - Week Two

On our last day in Sedona we hiked on Schnebly Hill.  There is a 4X4 road that goes up the hill about 4 miles to a gate that is closed in winter because of the snow.  The road past the gate eventually connects with Interstate 17, which goes from Flagstaff to Phoenix.  We hiked up to the top of the pass.  Here are some photos of the scenery we saw.

After our hike we had a rest on an outcrop near the gate.

The following day we left for Phoenix.  On our way we stopped at Montezuma’s Well, which has the ruins of a small Sinagua Indian settlement.  The settlement was likely built around 1250 and was abandoned in the 1400’s for reasons that remain unclear to archaeologists. 

In Phoenix we had our van serviced (a routine service was needed). The Mercedes dealer in Scottsdale was like arriving at the Ritz. You are met by a greeter and serviceman and valet. You then can wait in one of the 3 lounges, get a coffee at the in-house Starbucks and your pets are welcome. Very pleasant except for being accosted by a preacher who tried to save our wayward souls. What a preacher was doing at the Mercedes dealer was an unanswered question. We got groceries at the fabulously stocked Whole Foods grocery store next to the car dealer. They had all manner of groceries, mostly organic, prepared foods and even a counter where you could get grilled foods and a beer. The price of wine in the grocery stores here is very low.

Our next stop was Lost Dutchman State Park, just east of Phoenix, near Apache Junction.  The desert there is at an elevation that supports the growth of saguaro cactus as well as cholla and ocotillo. 

Saguaro cactus

Cholla cactus

Phainopepla

Sunset with Saguaro

Ocotillo with Superstition Mountain in background

We visited an arboretum that specialized in desert plants from around the world. Great birdwatching there, especially hummingbirds.

Barrel Cactus

Cottonwoods and Mesquite

Kathy and Sune on the trail

Our next stop was to visit a cliff dwelling at Tonto National Monument.  This is another Sinagua dwelling, built high up on a mountain in a natural cave. 

Tonto cliff dwelling

Inside the cliff dwelling

The trail up to the ruin is not long but quite steep, and gives magnificent views of the lake and country-side below in the valley.

We camped in one of the many campgrounds by Lake Roosevelt. 

We saw quite a few birds during our stay there including an eagle with something he or she was lunching on, we think it was a coot.

Eagle with its lunch

We also saw cactus wrens, black-throated sparrows and phainopepla.

Cactus Wren

Sunset

We continued south toward Safford and camped for a few nights at Roper State Park, which is just east of Mount Graham.  We did drive up the many switchbacks to a campground on the mountain, but it was cold and snowy there, so we opted for the warmth of the valley instead.

Mt Graham

View of the valley from Mt Graham

On our way there we traveled through an area with thousands of Mexican poppies in bloom.

While we were in that area we did some day trips out to various sites.  We drove out to a dry wash that was supposed to be good for birds.  We didn’t see many birds there but we did see some interesting rocks.

Balanced rock

Yucca

Kathy with Mt. Graham in background

Another day we drove to Gila Box, a natural area north east of Roper State Park.  The Gila River goes through the area and promotes the growth of large cottonwoods, a great habitat for birds including the vermillion flycatcher.  But we did not see him there.

Cliffs at Gila Box

Prickly Pear Cactus

View of Mt Graham from Gila Box

We found a rock-hounding area near Gila Box and went to see if we could find fire agates.  There were thousands of them so we collected a small container full.  The rock hound area had lovely views back toward Mt Graham as well.

Basalt outcrop at rock-hound area note also the poppies and cacti

Mt Graham from rock-hound area

Safford is known for growing cotton, and the fields had been plowed and were ready for planting. 

It has been drier than usual here this year due to lack of the monsoon rains last summer and fall.  The grasslands are still brown and the trees are just starting to leaf even though it has been quite warm.