Montezuma's Castle, Well and Petroglyphs

On Monday, the first official day of Spring Break, I packed up the kids and headed out to some popular sites in the area. Sad that it took me four years of living here to finally go and see these beautiful sites. First we went to Montezuma's Castle, where the Sinagua Indians lived 700 years ago, the kids were amazed at how they lived and all the little areas of ancient life, but I couldn't make them understand how long ago it really was.

Here we are resting after a short hike, it is an easy hike for anyone who wants to go

Here is a close up of what is left of the castle, the front half or more is all missing

The kids are standing where the common Sinagua lived, and Emma proudly told us how they would grind corn (she learned about it in school- it was a proud moment for a mother!)

Next we went to Montezuma's Well, which is a natural spring with pretty warm water. It was a beautiful area- and quite a little hike, but we took water and snacks with us.

Here is a rest stop after a lot of stairs!

Here is Emma at one of the spring exits and canals that would irrigate farms- made by the Sinagua. We were surrounded by giant beautiful trees and we could see fish and turtles swimming in the water. It was so calm and beautiful.

Last we went to V-V Ranch home of many petroglyphs. This is a long flat hike which Ryan did in style. Here one of the park rangers gave my kids a paper with examples on it that they had to locate. It was a very fun game. Emma took this picture to prove that I really did take my kids and that Ryan was in tow!

There were so many- this wall is just amazing. From this wall they found a beautiful butterfly woman and that is why they believe the Sinagua might be the ancestors of the Hopi today. COOL! Can you tell I love history- oh yeah!

Getting ready to head back~ and take naps in the car.

PS- The entire round trip was only 56 miles- all this so close to me meaning-- all of you have another reason to come and visit!