It's Been a Fabulous 3 months in Arizona

We prepared Thursday March 31, 2011 for our journey East and home to North Carolina. 


We leave Friday, April 1, 2011 with our photos, memories and a few mementos of our fabulous visit to the great state of Arizona. It is a state rich in native history as well as scenery and great people.


The trip was further enjoyed by our great travelling companions Steve and Betty Senderovitz. Judy and I learned alot from these two great folks and truly enjoyed their company. Travelling in our 5th wheels West and then East was a safe and great journey. Our sincere thanks to you both Steve and Betty.

Final Lucky Night!

It's ready to head out tomorrow AM

Train Westerly, we are Easterly!

Steve and Betty Ahead going to

Albuquerque NM

04/01/2011

Glimpse of Downtown Prescott

In 1864 Prescott Arizona was the territorial capital of Arizona. It is about 100 miles north of Phoenix. The  elevation is approximately 5400 feet and the area enjoys moderate temperatures year round compared to other Arizona areas that experience triple digit temperatures in the summer.

Prescott Courthouse

Historic Whiskey Row in Prescott

This is a view of the Courthouse on the left 

and Whiskey Row street to the right.

03/30/2011

V-Bar-V Heritage Site - A Rock Art Legacy from the Southern Sinagua

The V Bar V Heritage site is the largest known petroglyph rock site in the Verde Vally. It is also well preserved.  The images below were created by the Sinagua people between 900-1300 AD.

Brand new bird waiting to view the petroglyphs!

03/25/2011

Wukoki and Wupatki National Monuments near Sunset Crater

Wukoki is Hopi for The Big House. It housed up to 3 prehistoric indian families. Pictured below is that structure in the Wupatki National Monument area. The specific site was occupied around 1120 AD.

Wukoki was not rebuilt but remorterd and capped

to deter erosion.

The Wukoki from another view

Yes, again the San Franciscan peaks

off in the distance from Wukoki.

The Wupatki ruins built by the Anasazi culture yet

furnished with Sinagua-style pottery, textiles and tools.

It was the Anasazi people who taught the Sinagua the rock

and mortar masonry technique to build these places.

Home ranged from one-story single family structures

to multi-level. This specific structure had about

100 rooms. The rooms are small generally in comparisonto today's room size.

This Wupatki Pueblo is about 2 miles from the

Wukoki structure.

03/23/2011

Sunset Crater Volcano

The Sunset Crater within the Coconino National Forest

remains to remind us of the volcano activity that occurred here 

around 1060 AD. The eruption ultimately forced the

Sinagua people to leave the area. You can see pine trees

beginning to grow after all of these years that have past.

Another view of the Sunset Crater area today.

Aerial View of the Sunset Crater

A view from Sunset Crater area looking toward the

San Franciscan peaks. Note the lava field in foreground 

that remains today from 1060.

03/23/2011

Festival of the West at Scottsdale Arizona

We ventured out on Saturday, March 19, 2011 to Scottsdale Arizona. The annual Festival of the West show was a break from our many sightseeing tours. We enjoyed cowboy music, chuckwagon cooking and many stars from yesteryears.

Country singer Lynn Anderson appeared at the West show

and obviously a more mature star than when she first

recorded her hit I Never Promised You a Rose Garden in

October 1970. Lynn Anderson put on a great show!

The clue is on the board. Who was Clint Walker?

He starred in many movies and is especially known for 

his TV role as Cheyenne Brodie. The show lasted 8 seasons

and ended in 1964.

Clint Walker signing photos and visiting with

the admirers. He will soon be 84 and while

older looks much like he did in his younger years.

Look closely and try to remember who this actor

is You know him, really, but probably can't remember

his name. Does Carmine Orrico ring a bell? Of course

not but he started in life with that name!

One of many chuckwagons preparing their special
meals like in the old cattle drive days!

Local Cowboys/Cowgirls waiting their turn
to run the obstacle course. An enjoyable
afternoon.

03/19/2011

Williams Arizona and Medium Rare Please!

After visiting the Grand Canyon, we went to

Williams Arizona for a Grand Steak or Prime Rib.

Steve's happy face says it's going to be a great meal.
And it really was outstanding!

Nightlife in Williams. We didn't make it into

the Canyon Club, but it was busy and busy early!

03/16/2011

Oklahoma City Memorial - April 3, 2011

As we head East from Arizona to return home to North Carolina on April 3, 2011, we stopped at Oklahoma City and visited the Memorial in downtown OK City dedicated to the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in OK City Oklahoma on April 19, 1995. Here is our visit in a few photos and some comments. It had tremendous impact on Judy and I. The Museum next to the Memorial was excellent and captures the day, the disaster and the innocent  victims and its city.

The Gates of Time you will view are two gates. The first Gate has the time of 9:01 (AM) or the time before the bomb attack.

The Gates of Time are at opposite ends of

the Reflecting Pool at the Memorial. This gate is

inscribed 9:01.

This Gate of Time is inscribed 9:03.

This gate represents the moment forever

changing all of us to move from Horror

to Hope.

The time of the bomb attack

was  9:02

A view of many of the 168 chairs

representing the victims taken of which 19

children (the smaller chairs) were lost.

The Survivor Tree lives today after the bomb blast.

It is a symbol of life continuing with Hope.

The Museum is directly behind the Survivor Tree.

The Fence protects the Memorial.

It has become a place to leave Tokens of

Love with more than 60000 collected

and stored in archives.

April 19, 1995 Frontal

of the OK City Murrah Federal Building

Let us never forget.

April 3, 2011