Montezuma’s Castle was an easy but really great stop between Flagstaff, NM and Palm Springs, CA. We happened to get there at the same time as a tour bus so the site was a bit crowded and Dan had to wait in line to get into the gift shop for proof of attendance. On the other hand, I just had to visit the stamp tent with the other National Park passport holders to get my proof (the passport is both of ours, in truth).
I don’t think I’ve mentioned our National Parks passport before, but we had a lot of fun with it and it’s become quite the momento of our trip (and future trips, hopefully). If you are not familiar with it you can go online for the details. The passport and stamps are also available at most the National Parks and Monuments. Here’s a picture of ours and the stamp from today.
For those of you that have an interest in National Parks (and are 62 or older) the lifetime pass is a great deal. It’s $80 and so far we have avoided over $150 of park fees.
So, returning to Montezuma’s Castle, this area was home to the Southern Sinagua, who lived in the modern-day Verde Valley. Montezuma’s Castle is an example of a cliff dwelling with at least 20 rooms for multiple families.
This was another National Monument that welcomed well-behaved dogs like Duncan.
This area was occupied 900 to 1,000 years ago and the cliff dwellings faced south, keeping the rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Being higher up also helped them avoid the flooding of the nearby Beaver Creek and allowed them to keep an eye out for passing travelers or enemies.
To me, this was one of the best examples of an area with safe housing, a water supply, and lands amenable to hunting, fishing, and land crops. If I was looking for a home 900 years ago this area would be high on my list. It really is a living legend.
As a tribute to Route 66 times I had to grab a picture of this gas station from Cottonwood, AZ restored and now called Bing’s Burger Station. I forgot to look at the price of gas, but I’m guessing around a quarter a gallon. We’ve seen prices from $3.69 to $6.39 during this trip, uffda. For reference, Montezuma’s Castle is about 18 miles from Cottonwood, AZ.
