Despite the name, the ruins within Montezuma Castle National Monument
are neither castle nor Aztec dwelling (as the reference to Aztec ruler
Montezuma implies). This Sinagua ruin is, however, one of the best-preserved
cliff dwellings in Arizona. The site consists of two impressive stone pueblos
that were, for some unknown reason, abandoned by the Sinagua people in the
early 14th century.The intriguing ruins is set in a shallow cave 100 feet up a
cliff overlooking Beaver Creek. Construction on this five-story, 20-room
village began sometime in the early 12th century. Because Montezuma Castle has
been protected from the elements by the overhanging roof of the cave in which
it was built, the original adobe mud that was used to plaster over the stone
walls of the dwelling is still intact.
Off I-17 south of Camp Verde 25 miles near Mayer, thanks to the GPS the
rig turned down a gravel dirt road toward the experimental community of Arcosanti.
The motor home absorbed every bump in the road as it rattled like a shaker box
for two miles. "Arcology" -- the marriage of architecture and ecology
-- is the philosophy of Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who launched this
prototype community in the high Arizona desert in 1970. The antithesis of urban
sprawl, its futuristic-looking cluster of solar-powered domes, vaults, and
greenhouses is compact and sustainable; even the concrete is cast in local
desert silt. The
project was started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri in 1970 and is far from
completion. They just don't have the cash to get it finished. We had a
private tour of Arcosanti and visited Soleri’s Cosanti wind bell foundry and
residence in Phoenix several days later.
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| Cosanti Originals |
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| Checking out the famous Soleri wind bells |
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| Paolo Soleri home design at Cosanti in Phoenix |
Taliesin West (known as the winter camp home of the famous
architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his School of Architecture) became a must do.
High on a plateau surrounded by open space overlooking Scottsdale and Phoenix
was the opportunity to take a tour of his estate. The guide was very knowledgeable
and informative about life at Taliesin West. Wright and his third wife Olga who
was thirty years younger lived on this property as their winter home each year
from November until April. They lived at their Wisconsin estate known as
Falling Waters the rest of the year. The brilliance of FLW is really on display
here, including the desert-made concrete and rock walls.
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| Saquaro trees and prickly pear cacti |
Just for curiosity sake checking out the luxury historic
resorts of The Phoencian, Royal Palms, and Arizona Biltmore seemed like a thing
to do in the Phoenix area alo.
However moving south to Tucson and exploring
Saguaro National Park’s Sonoran Desert brought more wonders to catch our interest.
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| Barrel Cacti in bloom |
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| Gambel Quail |
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| A monarch pollinating on a desert flower |
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| Desert tortoise crossing the road in Saquaro National Park |
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| Spotting a roadrunner becomes a thrill |
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| Mexican Desert Trantula |
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| Lizard up close and personal |
Off I-17 south of Camp Verde 25 miles near Mayer, thanks to the GPS the
rig turned down a gravel dirt road toward the experimental community of Arcosanti.
The motor home absorbed every bump in the road as it rattled like a shaker box
for two miles. "Arcology" -- the marriage of architecture and ecology
-- is the philosophy of Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who launched this
prototype community in the high Arizona desert in 1970. The antithesis of urban
sprawl, its futuristic-looking cluster of solar-powered domes, vaults, and
greenhouses is compact and sustainable; even the concrete is cast in local
desert silt. The
project was started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri in 1970 and is far from
completion. They just don't have the cash to get it finished. We had a
private tour of Arcosanti and visited Soleri’s Cosanti wind bell foundry and
residence in Phoenix several days later. 
