DEER FAMILY

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

I came upon this herd of deer in the street.

They really did not want to get out of my way!
Eventually, they meandered out of the street;

but, not without looking at me in disgust!

SNOW STORM / DUST STORM!

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Today I got caught in a snow storm! I was just driving

along and the ice begins blowing fiercely!

But, then, yesterday - I was in a DUST STORM!

(Something I learned new about Arizona!)

You're just driving along, and the dust

blows up from NOWHERE!

I guess this is the price you pay for living in the desert!

ROUTE 66

I took a long drive on the Mother Road today (Route 66)

I ended up in a little town called Seligman (Arizona).

It is an interesting small town that looks like

it hasn't had progress since 1950!

(I don't mean that in a bad way.)

Well, maybe some progress - after all,

they have "direct dial" phones!
This is the jail from many years ago.
The inside of the jail looks better than the local motel. The paddy wagon!
The bathroom for the jail!

I had a fun dining experience at The Road-Kill Cafe!
They offered such delicacies as: Splatter Platter, Swirl of Squirrel,
Deer Delectables, Fender Tenders, and Mystery Meat
("Could be beaks, could be feet")
I think it might have been a biker bar! Their motto is: "You kill it, we grill it" - YUM!
It made the Big Steak place in Texas look vegetarian-friendly!
Look at the size of the bladder-busting Coke!
Not sure what this was; but, I think it

was their museum!

WALNUT CANYON (ARIZONA)

In a place called Walnut Canyon, I walked in the footsteps of the people who lived there more than 700 years ago. On a trail down into the Canyon, you would look into their homes - cliff dwellings built deep within canyon walls.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

There was a little tarantula on the walkway

keeping me company!

This was the view - I was standing inside

the dwelling looking out the "door".

No, this doggie was not part of the cliff dwellings.

She was in a car in a parking lot. She was so

sweet, she deserved to have her picture taken.

Don't feel bad she was left in the car, it was

cold out (60 degrees) and her owner quickly

came out. She attracted a lot of passerbys!

CLARKDALE and JEROME, ARIZONA

This is a town in Arizona called Clarkdale.

There were several blocks that were designated

as "historic". The houses were so cute and

well-kept.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

The VW Bug on the street is cuter than the house!

This one was the best! I don't know if this was
leftover from Halloween, or always in the yard!

Jerome is the name of this charming little town.

All the buildings and homes are built on the side of cliffs.

It looks as they are going to fall off!

Someone in town told me the jail looked like it

was ready to fall - but, I couldn't find it

(good deterrent for crime!)

This was the visitor's center!!!!

A pretty rose garden.

Look closely - the houses are right on the edge of the cliff.

This Lance Armstrong wanna-be was racing down

the mountain. He was going so fast, my car had a hard

time keeping up with him!

MONTEZUMA CASTLE & TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENTS

Montezuma is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, was built by a culture known as the Sinagua about 700 years ago.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

This shot is just a close-up
This was another cliff dwelling there; however,
it is not as well-preserved as the high-rise.
The fall colors were beautiful

Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo also built by the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms, including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000.
If you're wondering why there are no roofs on any
of these structures (I was), it's because they were constructed of
wood. The wood roofs eventually rotted.

This was the inside

Not a bad view from the front door!

This was the visitor center. It was built in the 30's,

and matched the construction of the pueblos.

This is an interesting plant; a Red Amaranth.

The Hopi used it as a natural dye.