Roosevelt Lake and Tonto National Monument

My first camping trip of the year in the books. Its one of the bonuses of living in Arizona; you can camp and backpack year round. This trip was strictly car-camping, with a little bit of hiking and fishing mixed in. We camped about 100 yards from the beach on Theodore Roosevelt Lake (which is actually a reservoir) in Tonto National Forest. It was a beautiful camp with great lake views, and surrounded by barren desert peaks, the highest among them covered in snow. 

Roosevelt Lake camp

I wish I could report that I caught a bunch of fish, but unfortunately I was skunked, which seems to be occurring with more frequency the older I get. In fact this was the second trip in a row I didn't catch anything. Luckily the trip up to Tonto National Monument was a huge success. The impressive cliff dwelling were built from siltstone in a huge cave by the Silado peoples around 1300 AD. 

Lower ruins - Tonto National Monument

Unfortunately I could not get the picture I wanted. From this angle the light wasn't right, and the Park service is very strict about keeping people on trail, so I couldn't photograph it from a different direction. But still, I wanted to show you what the ruins look like, because they are just really cool.

Close-up of a room in the lower ruins

The lower ruins have 19 rooms. The much bigger upper ruins boast 40, but the park strictly controls access to it. The only way to see it is by a Ranger guided tour, and you have to make reservations in advance. From the photos I've seen of the upper ruins, it would definitely be worth the extra effort to see them.

View of Roosevelt Lake from the Lower Ruins trail.

 Roosevelt Lake is the biggest lake entirely within the state if Arizona, but like I mentioned before, its actually a reservoir created by damming the Salt River. Its crazy how much we humans can alter the earth's landscape, but as much as I dislike it, I cant help but be impressed with what we can accomplish.

Roosevelt Dam (lakeside view)

 Overall it was fun trip. Car camping can be a really good time, but I cant help but long for a little more solitude. Hopefully I can get out backpacking soon. Sarah and I are talking about a possible backpack/or camping trip in Saguaro National Park this weekend. Either way I am always happy when I can get away from the city and enjoy the peace of mind that one can only get from the outdoors.

Mountains just after sunset. View from our camp.

Meet the Sinagua: Tuzigoot and Montezuma's Castle

One of the coolest things about living in Arizona is the rich history of its original inhabitants. Peppered throughout the state are the ruins of ancient native American structures. One of these structures, and  probably the most impressive that I have seen thus far, is Montezuma's Castle. The National Park service describes it as "high-rise apartments" but It looks like it could make a formidable castle as well. 

Montezuma's Castle

 This cliff-dwelling was built by the Sinagua people around 700 AD.  How they built it I have no idea, as the structure is carved in limestone on the side of a sheer cliff face. The pictures don't really do it justice, but it's carved so high up that I imagine the builders had to use ladders and scaffolding, or maybe they even hung suspended from ropes from the top like the carvers of Mount Rushmore. Whatever the case may be, Montezuma's Castle is an impressive feat of ancient engineering.

Wide shot of Montezuma's Castle

  I don't know why the Sinagua built their home so far off the ground, but it stands to reason they did it for defense. Why else? Any attacking force would have a hell of a time scaling vertical rock while being bombarded with rocks and arrows and spears. 

Tuzigoot

 Another really cool ruin is an ancient Pueblo called Tuzigoot, also built by the Sinagua. Tuzigoot is a huge 3 story building with 110 rooms, so it must have housed a lot of people. This ruin you can actually walk around in and explore, so it really gives you a sense of how these people must have lived.

"Center" of Tuzigoot

Tuzigoot is somewhat pyramidal in shape, and the center is its highest point. It has almost like a parapet on top where lookouts must have stood. Tuzigoot seems to dominate the Verde River flood plane, and its easy to see why the Sinagua chose this locations. From this point you can see for miles in every direction. 

View from one of the rooms.

 Its amazing to me that ancient people lived here, especially because the climate is so brutal in the summer time.  I cant help but wonder how they did it, and how they thrived. Obviously they were a much tougher breed then the current crop of Arizonans, who cant live without bottled water and air conditioning. Further south in the Sonoran Desert are more ruins, which I have yet to explore. I cant wait to explore them. For me its a thrill to peak inside the lives of the people who came before us.

View from the top.

References:

http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuzigoot_National_Monument
http://www.nps.gov/moca/historyculture/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montezuma_Castle_National_Monument