Our 2022 travels included a short stop in Miami to meet my brother. We usually try to get to Florida when’s it’s not a million degrees outside, but we had a unique opportunity to see my brother who lives in Europe and who was traveling to the U.S. for business. So we braved the heat and the Spring break crowds and made it to the ocean.
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Named for the region’s twisted, bristled trees, Joshua Tree National Park is a unique site in the Mojave Desert. From Sky Valley RV Resort in Hot Springs, CA, we drove north to access the park, closer to the Hidden Valley trailhead.
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When in the Mojave Desert, one must play in the sand—and what better place to do so than on the Kelso Dunes? Kelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of aeolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. Protected by the Mojave National Preserve, the dunes are located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California.
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Evidence of the Sinagua people (from Spanish “sin agua,” meaning “without water”) in the Sedona area dates as far back as 600 A.D. The tribes were involved in agriculture and developed trade routes which lead them to interact with the Hohokam people, who were skilled in irrigation systems. The Sinagua are believed to be related to the Aztec and/or Maya people and were experts in cotton weaving, red clay pottery, and jewelry. They kept dogs and parrots as pets, and wild turkeys as a food source. Throughout the centuries, their dwellings evolved from teepees to intricate adobe structures—some with up to thirty-five rooms, housing hundreds of people—a sign of change from a nomadic lifestyle to a more static one.
Today, there are several Sinaguan sites in the Sedona area: Honanki in the western canyons, Tuzigoot just outside Cottonwood, and Montezuma Castle and Well, located off I-17 in Rimrock and Camp Verde.
Continue reading “Beyond Sedona: Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, and Jerome, Arizona”
As we approached our next Arizona destination, the anticipation built up. The Grand Canyon is an experience like none other. We walked along the South Rim, trying to comprehend the enormity of the geological spectacle in front of us.
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