Happy Thanksgiving

We hope you have a wonderful holiday with lots of friends and family and that your extended weekend is fun and safe

Remember don’t eat too much – oh what the heck it is that time of year – pig out. Eat lots of turkey with all the fixings and plenty of deserts. Especially lots of desert you can work the few extra pounds off after Christmas – ya right.

Sometimes, when at a location looking around someone will offer to take your picture so you can share it with the folks back home. Often you never know what you might get. We were at Montezuma Well (more on that location later) and a young lady offered to take our picture. We were not leaning, really. Fun image

Happy Thanksgiving

All the best – George and Deanna

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

About 55 miles to the east of where we are staying here in Camp Verde Arizona is Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. This map provides the location within Arizona. It is South and East of Flagstaff and North and East of Phoenix fairly close to Payson, AZ.

On Hwy 87 between Pine and Payson, about 10 miles north of Payson you will see this entrance sign. The natural bridge is located about 3 miles to the west of the highway.

This sign is right before you head down, and we mean down into the valley where the bridge, Pine Creek, and the visitor center are located. This sign is by a drop off area for travel trailer, they do not recommend you bringing your trailer down this hll.

Down we go - brakes don't fail me now. The area circled in this image is the parking area at the bottom of the decent. The road was not as bad as one would have you believe, it was a good surface and wide enough with guard rails.

We decided however that we would not try the road in icy conditions, too old for that much fun.

We are safely down the road and have paid our entry fee. It is a State Park and they charge $7 per adult for an entry fee. Fortunately the two dogs were free and they are allowed on part of the grounds as long as they are on their leash.

The large building in the photo is called Goodfellow Lodge and was built in the 1920's. It also contains a small gift shop and some offices for the State Park, it is a neat looking building.

The lodge can be rented by groups for reunions and other gatherings. It has 10 finished bedrooms (some with private bathrooms, others share communal facilities) as well as a basement suite with private kitchenette.

The first floor has a dining room with picnic-table seating, a fireplace and large kitchen. Overnight guests must stay in the area surrounding the building after the park closes. Trails and the creek area are off limits after hours.

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Here is a map of the area around the natural bridge. There are four access points for viewing and several trails that will take you down and through the bridge for close up viewing.

This is just a view across Pine Creek to provide a feeling for the terrain. We are in an open valley that has substantial hills rising on each side.

Here we are at Viewpoint 1 looking south into the natural bridge. A placard at this location provides the following information:

In front of you, one of the world’s largest known travertine bridges, arches over the clear waters of Pine Creek.

The natural forming bridge is 150 feet wide, 183 feet high, and 400 feet long.

It is estimated that the volume of rock is 200 million cubic feet. This geologic wonder is the result of thousands of years of nature’s handiwork and it is still growing.

The travertine here is formed by deposition of calcium carbonate in small amounts. A constant flow of mineralized water from a perennial spring supplies the ever-growing travertine formations.

We have walked across the bridge and over to Viewpoint 2 which looks back across the creek and bridge to Viewpoint 1. We thought this was an interesting rock formation on the side of the wall above the. creek.

As mentioned earlier there are several trails that lead down onto Pine Creek. One of the trails is Anna Mae trail that will take you directly under the natural bridge.

Unfortunately the trails were closed due to the recent snows and resultant muddy conditions. We were able to get to Viewpoint 2 but not down any of the four trails that lead further into the creek and under the bridge.

This is the information regarding the Anna Mae Trail. There are similar descriptions at the start of the other trails. It appears they are not for the faint of heart.

Here, from the Arizona State Park Web Site is a description of the four trails. Dogs are not allowed on any of the trails.

Pine Creek Trail is about ½ mile long (400 feet developed - undeveloped in the creek bottom), leads to the Pine Creek natural area. Hiking shoes are recommended. Follow the arrows. Allow one hour.

Waterfall Trail is about 300 feet long, ends at waterfall cave. Uneven steps. Allow 15–20 minutes.

Gowan Trail is about 2,200 feet long, down and back leading to an observation deck in the creek bottom. The trail is steep and rough. No trash cans. Hiking shoes are recommended. Allow one hour. The footbridge to the observation deck is currently closed.

Anna Mae Trail is about 500 feet long and leads to Pine Creek Trail and the Natural Bridge. Allow one hour.

This is looking across at the Anna Mae Trail from Viewpoint 1 as the trail winds down by Pine Creek. Looks to be lots of stairs.

Here is some of the runoff from the spring that runs year round. We will see where it falls over the side of the Natural Bridge in the next image. It flows at about 300 gallons an hour constantly, year round. The minerals in the water reacted with the minerals in the soil to build the bridge.

In chatting with some of the park personnel the best guess is that the Natural Bridge is about 5,000 years old. It started as a massive rock slide that crossed Pin Creek but did not block it, the creek flowed under the rocks. The high mineral quality in the spring water formed the travertine that is the bridge we see today.

The is the view looking into the Natural Bridge from the south. We are at Viewpoint 4. You can see the waterfall from the spring on the left in this image.

Looking over the side of the canyon wall we see a trail that follows the wooden pathway along the creek.

Since the weather did not allow us to descend down to the creek bottom we borrowed this image to show you the size of the bridge. Note the people in the lower right hand corner. This is quite an impressive natural bridge.

At various points along the trail we saw these flat rocks with different colorful animals painted on them. This is a well done Cougar, there was also a Bobcat and Javelina.

It is close to winter here and there were not a lot of birds around. Here is a Woodhouse’s Scrubjay , we saw a few of them round.

As we were getting ready to leave we saw this tree. It appears they have pruned it trying to form a better bonsai shape. Perhaps they got a little over zealous with their pruning saw. Maybe in the spring it will fill out with new limbs and lush green leaves.

Here is the road going out. It is the very same road we came in on. There is only one road in and out. We are ready to climb that hill and head for home.

We hope you enjoyed this abbreviated look at Tonto Natural Bridge. Unfortunately we did not get down under the bridge for different perspectives, perhaps on our next visit. The weather folks say there is more rain and snow on the way so it is unclear if we will get back this trip, if not, certainly later.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

All the best – George & Deanna

Casa Grande ruins and Other Tidbits

South and east of Phoenix not far from Florence, AZ where we stayed for a few days, is a National Monument named Casa Grande Ruins. It is about 700 years old having been built between 1300-1350. It is a fascinating location and very well done. Our congratulations to the park service for preserving this site and for their detailed and informative displays. Lots of fascinating information is presented in the visitor center and on the grounds in plaques viewable as you walk around.

We thought this an interesting artists rendition of Casa Grande. It was stuck back in a corner of the visitor center, we thought it should have been displayed more prominently.

Casa Grande is the site named for the large multi story structure depicted in this drawing. It has a roof cover for protection and preservation from the elements.

No we don’t have a drone so we borrowed this aerial view to show Casa Grande. Additionally the following statements came from an informative plaque at the site.

Archaeologists do not know for sure why the Casa Grande was built. Its original purpose remains a puzzle.

Was It an astronomical observatory? Perhaps. Why do the walls line up north-south-east-west? We still can observe the sun and moon line up with certain holes in the wall year in and year-out

Were sacred ceremonies held here? Did a leader who oversaw the all-important irrigation canals work inside these rooms?

Did an influential family or clan call the Casa Grande their home.

The answers remain unknown. The Casa Grande likely served many purposes, many functions.

This is a view of the Casa Grande from the ground level. It is a large building. The center was originally four stories and the sides were three stories.

There is more at the site than just the Great House. It appears there were various other dwellings and courtyards. The original builders had no written history so archaeologists are dependent on what they can find and logical conclusions as to the real extent and nature of the complex.

This is a view of the Great House wall that faces north. It shows the massive side walls that are very thick.

This mural is along one of the trails at the site. It talks about the extensive canal and irrigation system that the original builders created. It seems they cultivated over 19,000 acres and raised a variety of crops. The best estimate is that there were over 220 miles of irrigation canals at the height of Casa Grande.

Here is a look back at the Great House. We are walking towards the visitor center. In some writeups they talk about the metal protective roof. It is quite a structure in and of itself.

We are walking towards the Visitor Center away from the Great House. The main parts to the Great House Complex are on the west side of the visitor center, where we are at this moment. There are other parts to the complex just north of the visitor center and there are walking trails and picnic areas associated with that area.

Around the property they have these oval clay markers adjacent to many plants and cactus identifying them. This indicates a Queens Agave that happens to be in a pot. Many of the other cactus were in the ground with their markers, identifying the cactus, lying on the ground beside the plant.

When approaching Casa Grande Ruins from the east along Coolidge Blvd there is a set of train tracks, this sign is just before those tracks. It reads “Caution Trains approach at Speeds up to 60 MPH”.

Fortunately there is a crossing gate that blocks the highway when a train approaches, but 60 MPH is fairly fast and one should use caution – look both ways.

After visiting the ruins one must partake of some sustenance. We stopped at a local restaurant and George had a bowl of Menudo which was well prepared.

With Menudo you often get a selection of accoutrements that you can use to enhance the taste to your own discretion. Here we have chopped green onions, Mexican oregano, and Chiltepin Peppers. The peppers are the little round red balls in both the Menudo and the small plastic cup.

The Chiltepin can be quite spicy being about 23 times hotter than a standard Jalapeño Pepper. Don’t just throw a handful in your mouth and bite down. They do add a nice flavor to the Menudo when used in moderation. With the added accoutrements the menudo was fabulous.

Different subject: We needed to get our two Westies, Ozzie and Yogi, a haircut. They don’t shed so they need periodic trimming. We went to a dog groomer in Coolidge and this was the greeter at the counter.

It is a Great Pyrenees, only 7 months old, and obviously quite friendly. Fortunately the owner was one of the people whom worked there and got the dog under some semblance of control. He is not very consistent at running the credit card.

This is a quick look into the dog grooming area. They let the dogs wander around and interact with each other while they are working on a different dog. We had seen this activity in one other grooming location as we have traveled about. Looks as if the dogs have a lot of fun here.

That concludes a brief introduction into the Casa Grande Ruins, they are a fascinating, marvelous place. There is a lot more detailed information on the Internet. The National Park Service has a great detailed web site. You can view their web site by Clicking Here.

We hope you enjoyed this post, we certainly enjoyed looking around the ruins, eating the Menudo, and getting the boys groomed..

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. All the best – George & Deanna

True Value Hardware Store - Florence, AZ

When we got to Florence we made inquiries regarding things to see and do in the local area. We were told emphatically that we must go to the True Value Hardware store on Main Street in Florence.

Over the years we have been to a lot of Hardware Stores and could not figure out what the obsession was with this location. The manager at the RV Park said go there, a waitress at a restaurant during lunch said “Don’t miss the hardware store”, several people we chatted with whom are staying in the RV Park insisted we go there. So we went and the following is what we saw.

This is the Main Street front of the hardware store. It is, at this point in time, three separate adjacent buildings that have been acquired over time and converted into one large building. It started in 1991 and has grown over the years. One write up describes the place as a hardware store with a huge personality.

Yes they do have hardware and the typical stuff you would find in a True Value. But they also have lots, and lots, and lots of other stuff. Basically if you can’t find it here, you don’t need it. You can clearly see the row upon row of boxes containing nuts, bolts, and fasteners of all shapes and sizes.

As we shall see there are all sorts of decorative items and useful and useless items of a myriad of shapes and sizes.

Here is a selection of metal items that you can hang on your wall or use as you wish. There were several displays such as this one scattered about the store.

Yes they have the normal hardware items, lots and lots of them.

Do you need a pen? The bird stands on its foot perched on your desk ready for you to write whatever you wish. As you can see they are available in multiple different colors.

More stuff, the aisles are packed, barely enough space to get around though it does seem orderly and well cared for, not just a shambles of junk.

Did you need a hat? In an adjacent room there is this collection of hats hanging on the wall. Which color would you like?

Did we mention hats? They had a wide variety of styles, shapes, and colors. Something for everyone’s head.

We are looking past an old bicycle into the lawn and garden area. They seemingly have everything and anything for your landscaping needs.

Do you need an umbrella? The white swan in front even has its own stand so you can set it by the door and easily grab it on your way out. Pink flamingo umbrella anyone?

Here are more lawn and garden items. It is really an honest to goodness True Value Hardware store that has a whole lot of other items many of which we are sure you will be interested in.

How about a toad complete with warts? They are available in various sizes and as you peruse the items in the store you will see they are also available in different colors.

Yes more hardware stuff. They have paint and plumbing supplies and anything you would expect at a True Value and a whole lot of items you would not expect.

Here is an interesting item, it is a "Red Neck Party Cup". We did not make this up, it is for sale on the end of the third aisle that branches to the left off the main aisle in the store. We actually thought it was pretty cleverly done.

The only firearms we saw in the store were these 10 shot rubber ban guns. They may have had firearms in an area that we just missed.

Hanging below these wooden pistols are also some wooden rifles, something for everyone.

In a small room down the main aisle is this character sitting in what used to be the original restroom. The public restroom is now in a small park across the street.

When you walk up to see the character he is activated by a motion sensor and goes into movements and a dialog that describes how great and wondrous this store is in all its glory.








That concludes our brief tour around the True Value Hardware Store in Florence Arizona. The images and words don’t adequately describe the place. It is fascinating beyond words and the images can’t seem to capture the enormity and diversity of the place.

As everyone has said “Be sure and go to the True Value Hardware Store”. And so on your next excursion through Florence or this general area be sure and go to the store, it is worth every minute of your time.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

All the best – George & Deanna