Montezuma Castle and Well

We did it guys, we finally started exploring. Last week was a quiet week. Since we have two weeks here, we’ve been enjoying sitting still for a bit. And with Thanksgiving thrown in the mix, it made sense.

I read a couple of good books. I made it through, “Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven” by Susan Jane Gilman and “Take Me With You” by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The later choice is free right now on Kindle Unlimited. But the book by Gilman, recommended by my friend who is a voracious reader, is far superior.

I’ve also been taking advantage of a fixed address to do some online Christmas shopping. I started receiving the first of a couple of packages today. I am not a Black Friday gal. On that day, I avoid going near stores at all cost. I just can’t get that into material possessions. Also, I feel sorry for the workers having to spend their holidays working crowd control.

Our explorations took us over to the Montezuma Castle National Monument.  The kids worked on their Junior Ranger Badge while we looked around. We got to see an 800 year old house! It is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America.

Then we headed over to the Montezuma Well. This was really cool. Not only did we get to see some more cliff dwellings but we also got to see an amazing oasis in the desert. The mystery of the Montezuma Well was only recently discovered in 2011. The puzzle was how come the water never recedes.

Cliff dwellings at the well

It seems there are underground springs constantly feeding the water source. The National Park Service states, “Over 1.5 million gallons of water flows into the Well every day, a rate that has not fluctuated measurably despite recent droughts throughout the state of Arizona”.

The well is also home to life that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It contains water scorpions, amphipods, a unique single-celled diatom, the Montezuma Well spring snail and leeches. But these leeches don’t suck blood, they eat the amphipods! So it’s a constant dance of survival for them as the water scorpions think they’re yummy too!

The floor of the pit house.

How the pit house used to look

There were also several different styles of homes on site. The oldest being the pit house dating to 1050 CE, then the cliff dwellings around 1100. There was also the remaining foundation of a pueblo community house. All in all, I found this place to be fascinating and well worth the trip.

We were thinking of going to the town of Jerome and checking out a supposed ghost town. But after reading reviews, it seemed to be owned by a private party who was charging entrance to see a bunch of rusted cars. Some of the reviews also mentioned a lack of couth when it came to expressing his political opinions all over his ‘artifacts’.

I think we’ll head in to Sedona in the next few days and take a trolley tour. The kids will probably be bored but maybe they’ll get something out of it. I really liked the one in St. Louis. The little town is supposed to be pretty neat and worth checking out.

In the campground recently, we’ve been graced with the presence of the world’s largest rodent, oh my! Maybe next time our crew member Loki can tell you all about it.

The view at our campsite

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{HUGS} from the Crew!