Phoenix

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Cartoon Cacti!

Cacti in general are not an exotic plant to me, certainly not in the way palm trees still are. I mean, I can hike the hills around my property and see some. But the iconic, cartoony saguaro cactus? Now, that’s something as exotic to me as the palm tree!

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On the way into Phoenix yesterday, I saw ‘forests’ of them dotting the hillsides. I couldn’t believe how big they are. It wasn’t until I reached this morning’s destination that I finally had an opportunity to properly observe and photograph this amazing plant. The one in this picture most closely matches my mental image of the cactus, but I saw some that had no spears (‘branches’) at all and others that had dozens, if not hundreds, of them and were absolutely massive, bigger than a two-story house!

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Montezuma Castle National Monument

On the way to Phoenix tonight from Sedona, I stopped at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. Name for the Aztec ruler, even though there is no connection, this is an apartment-type complex carved out of the hills. It was built 1,000 years ago by people now called the Sinagua (for the Sierra Sin Agua mountains), who farmed the valley below, and eventually abandoned the site. To put this place into an historical context, it was built sometime in the middle to the end of Europe’s Middle Ages.

Until the 1950s, you could actually climb up and explore the ruins, but today you have to stand below and gaze up in awe while walking a short loop. Admission is $5 unless you have an interagency pass. 🙂

Of all the information panels, the one that struck me the most said that while the structure was made solidly and there were obvious signs of maintenance and repair, it was ultimately designed to be returned to the Earth when it was no longer needed. How many more of these structures existed, but have left no trace?

There was a nice diorama showing a cross-section of the complex. It really is built like a castle, complete with a fortified keep.

This site was amazing and I wish I had more time to write about it, but the Starbucks is about to close. I invite you to follow the link at the beginning of the post to get more information.