Arizona Bound--Day 6

An old castle built up high on a wall and a Calvary fort, all in one day.

Today was another travel day. Was not sure how long it would take to travel west through Flagstaff and then south to Camp Verde, Arizona, so we pull out about 9:00 this morning. We wound up arriving at the Distant Drums RV Resort before noon. After getting set up and eating lunch we headed out to explore. First stop was the Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. This is not actually a castle nor did it have anything to do with Montezuma. This is a five story, 20 room dwelling built in the early 1100’s by the Southern Sinagua Indian Tribe. It is built high up on a cliff in front of a natural cave. When it was first discovered by white explorers it was assumed that these were built by Incas and was given the name of Montezuma’s Castle. Just down from the “Castle” are the ruins from other dwellings. These were apparently for the less important members of the tribe.

After visiting the Castle we drove into Camp Verde to visit the local visitor’s center. After getting information about local attractions we headed to the Fort Verde State Historical Park. This is an old Calvary Fort that has been refurbished and turned into a museum. Several of the original buildings still exist and have period furnishings. After going through the main museum we toured the buildings on the grounds. The buildings were built around a large parade ground. This picture is of the Commanding Officer's quarters.

All in all we enjoyed a good day that was finished with a beautiful Arizona sunset.