Day Five
Casa Grande Ruins and Tonto
Today's drive will take us north of Tucson and into the Tonto National Forest. We stopped in Tucson to have our video camera looked at. As if we didn't have enough technical problems, our high end video camera is not functioning. We couldn't get it fixed, so it looks like we have another useless item to carry around. The death heat continues this day as it is over 100, but at least the weather is nice.
Driving north, we exit from I-10 and head for the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Casa Grande Ruins NM preserves the remains of ancient Hohokam farming village as well as the enigmatic Great House. The Great House is 4 stories high and 60 feet long and is the largest structure known to exist in Hohokam times. Early spanish explorers called it Casa Grande ("Great House"), and to them it was a mystery. Its walls face the four cardinal points of the compass. A circular holein the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun during the summer solstice. Other openings also align with the sun and moon at specific times. Apparently, the builders of the Great House, people who knoew well the ways of the land, gathered inside to ponder the heavens. Knowing the changing positions of celestial objects meant knowing times for planting, harvest and celebration. The visitor center at the site contains exhibits which explain how the Hohokam survived in these desert conditions. The Great House is covered by a giant roof that resembles an aircraft hanger without the walls. The roof was built in 1932 to protect the structure. There are trails that lead out through the ruins and signs describe daily life. What's nice about national memorials and historic sites like this one are that you can really explore them without many crowds and get really close unlike more crowded national parks. If you visit, be prepared for desert heat in the summer, and more normal temperatures in the winter.
Our next stop was the Tonto National Memorial. We were looking forward to this site because it affords the opportunity to actually walk around in an ancient cliff dwelling. The location seemed appealing because it was located in the Tonto National Forest. This was a little of a misnomer. No only was there no trees around, but is was the same old desert that we had been driving through all day! The visitor center offers exhibits on the culture and craft of the Soldao people and an audiovisual program introducing the park. For those willing, there is also a .5 mile foot trail (paved the whole way) that climbs 350 verticle feet to the lower cliff dwelling. A guided tour is needed to visit the larger upper cliff dwelling an that can be arranged at the visitor center. You'll find the hike up to the lower dwelling a steady climb with many benches to rest if you wish. About halfway up the height of the cliff in front of you provides a little shade so it is cooler as you hike up (in the afternoon). A ranger at the lower dwelling can answer any questions that you may have. Over all, this was a great place to come and like some of the other sites we've visited allowed us to get close to the ancient cultures of the American southwest.
Leaving the memorial, we headed south and found our selves in Globe. We had to fuel up here, and why I'm mentioning this is that this community had the lowest gas prices we had found on our trip. Despite many places on our trip charging over $1.40 for gas, we filled up here for $1.15. It was ironic being in a smaller remote community and being able to gas so cheap. Just for the record, this wasn't just one station, but most of the stations in the community had gas for less than $1.20. In the larger cities of Phoenix and Tucson gas was selling for a little over $1.30. I had never seen such a desparity before.
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