This was the view from the cabin where we stayed. Just strikingly gorgeous and a balm for our heat weary souls.
Though a storm came through while we were there it was just too early in the season and there was not enough snow for skiing. So we made several day hikes in the area and found some amazing ruins and sites.
This hike was amongst some cinder cone like hills at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. You can't tell, but those rocks we're standing on are HUGE. We had to climb about 10-20 yards up them and Alec had to use the telephoto lens to get that picture.
And out in the middle of the desert are the ruins of Indian dwellings that are made of the same red clay that you can find throughout this state. The precision with which they made these bricks and laid them is astounding. As are the stones they used for doorway lintels. They sure looked heavy to me.
This estate had a couple of these round games stadiums and a very interesting blow hole.
They built the homes right into the rocks, which was pretty smart. Much easier to keep out vermin and other people.
What we figured (and the guidebook validated) was that the air was rushing through cracks in the rock under the soil and funneling through this hole. Apparently, the stat of Arizona though that deserved a little platform... and apparently, they were right. We all stood on it so the air could blow up our shirts. It could have been a very Marilyn moment... but alas, we did not have the white dress and strappy sandals.
Here's a good example of how they were built right around and on outcroppings of rock.
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