Two Monuments and Changes for the Next Two

 Flagstaff, Arizona

October 16 - 19, 2025

After a good night's sleep, and a lazy morning, breaking camp is quick and easy, and we're back on Hwy 17. This stretch of highway is even more beautiful, passing through the Sedona and Verde Valley area. It's easy to believe the fact that there are more acres of forest in Arizona than in Minnesota! 

A quick stop for gas in Flagstaff, and then 30 miles north on Hwy 89 to Grand Canyon Oasis High Desert Camp. Later I'll wish that was my only time in Flagstaff. 

Like the last stop, I chose this park for its proximity to the two national monuments here. Unlike the last stop, it's a quirky little place with stunning views of the Painted Desert in the distance, and cute tiny homes around a handful of overnight spaces. FHUs, but I just connect water and electric in a gravel (!!) site that I can't get all the way level. Not enough to be an issue.

Easy access off Hwy 89.

Camper kitty next door :-)

It gets down to 30 degrees overnight and I'm especially grateful for the working furnace. The next morning the gratitude ends as said furnace fails to remain lit. After several attempts to find a mobile tech that can come out this far or isn't booked into next week, I thank the gods I have my little electric heater. It worked for us in Santa Fe and keeps us comfortable through the next couple chilly nights.

Just two miles up the highway is the beginning of the loop road that takes us through both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments. I know they're both in the same area, but didn't realized they're connected by a scenic drive. Cool!

Raven greets me at the first national monument.

 

Unnamed ruin on a lava bench. No visible trail.

The first stop is Lomaki Pueblo Ruins, part of a large Hisatsinom community. Ancestors of the Hopi tribe, they farmed many acres in the small valleys below the structures. A couple books I've read on the Pueblo Revolt believe that many of the Puebloans who escaped Spanish rule before the revolt in Santa Fe came here to build a new community. It's even more interesting to see these places having read some of their probable history.

Guess who?

The blend of man-made at the top of natural is seamless. 

A portion of the trails are hard-packed and a good place to try Tessa's buggy again. She is still not a fan, whines, shakes and fusses the whole time. Oh well, we tried.

Lack of appreciation for the close up view.

Other than those in the sky, this is the only wildlife I see all day.

So happy to be out of the doggy-torture-machine, she takes a couple laps in the parking lot.

This is a very different place than Aqua Fria, with a nice paved road, parking lots at designated ruins, several nice pit toilet restrooms, and a visitor center that is of course closed today. I take every side road including a dirt one, and read every sign. Still I miss several of the sites shown on the website. 

 

"...it stands high above the plains, visible for many miles resembling a castle..." - Wupatki by Jesse Walter Fewkes, January 1904

You stop here for the cool ruin and the clean restroom. And for a bonus you get this guy!

And a giant alligator on the hill.

Happier to walk a short distance, Tessa ignores the opening I might try to stuff her in. Again.

San Francisco Mountains in the distance.

One of those dirt roads you follow around each new corner, "just in case".

I know I took a photo of the pretty strip of green along a small creek that was around the last corner, but the photo fairies have absconded with it.

Small, unnamed ruin along the main road.

These ruins include a small harvest storage below a large mesa Pueblo.

Leaving Aqua Fria the open terrain starts filling in with juniper and cedar forests. The road climbs to 8000, but although I don't do well over 7,000 I'm not feeling funky this time. 

The forest floor becomes a black blanket of ash.

In some areas the blankets are covered in lace.

We've seen these creepy plants in post-fire areas before. Still creepy.

The post-fire Dalmation trees are their own unique art.

A small pop of Fall color. I was hoping for more.

A shiny new sign for this unique park.

Like the last park, there are quite a few people at this small parking area below the volcano. I feel insignificant at the base of this dormant symbol of violent power.

The eruption was a single event dated to 1080.

Small red cones are visible along the forest line that mark the line of fissures that formed during the event.

This is a small but interesting national monument. As always I'm grateful for its protection.

Dominating the San Francisco Mountains at 12,637', Humphrey's Peak is the highest mountain in Arizona. Visible from most everywhere in the area, here it peeks over the surrounding forest.

Looking like crushed Oreos on steroids, the lava flow below the volcano looks strangely "new".

Deadly sharp and unapproachable.

Back down at 6,000' this lovely meadow showcases the San Francisos.

I like to think I can still learn from my mistakes. Apparently I need to work on it. The south exit of the loop drive comes out a few miles north of Flagstaff. It's mid-afternoon on Friday. Work and school are "in" so I should be able to just pop into town and grab some sushi for a late lunch! 

Nope.

Egads, where do all these people come from?

I ignore my instincts to turn around quickly and end up in the even crazier downtown. Which of course is where all the sushi restaurants are. Bumper to bumper on the road and the sidewalk and zero parking. It takes me a few tries to get out of the area, but finally I'm escaping back to peace and quiet. Just before I'm out of town I see a nice Italian place with parking and pull in. I feel like I've found sanctuary with a beautiful setting, no waiting, excellent service and a delicious meal. Fat Olive's is just what I needed!

Very good, and plenty for dinner too.

Tessa has time to sniff and squat around the parking lot while this poor guy inches his way out of the tiny space. When they called they were told there was plenty of room for them. He's not happy, but does successfully extract them.

Waiting for us back at the campground :-)

Saturday is one of those days I always enjoy in-between adventures. Some cleaning, some minor repairs, some re-organizing, and reservations made for Plan C. Reading and a nap as rewards.

With no furnace I'm not confident about dry camping at my next two stops. I also re-check the site sizes and find that the 28' limit at Navajo NM is combined length. I'm not going to fit either. Time for another plan.

I move my next stop to the new KOA in Monument Valley, and the other one all the way to Gallup, New Mexico. This next leg is all on the Navajo Nation with no public campgrounds on my route. So there will be more day trip driving, but I'll have FHUs and not have to worry about the night temps. I feel good about the changes.

Miss Magnolia sitting pretty.

Little M is in Slytherin house!

Big girl Reese matches her shirt. I love those freckles!

Big M hoping he remembered his homework.

Gettin' Back Out There

October 13-15, 2025

Marana - Cordes Lakes, Arizona

Monday morning brings the rain that was expected over the weekend. PJ is already loaded, but hooking up the Jeep is delayed while I wait for a break in the wet. Tessa and I pull out about 10:00. Woo-hoo!

The rain stays with us with some good down pours, and we're delayed in accident-related traffic. Plan A is to visit Ironwood National Monument after I set up at the Valley of the Sun Mobile and RV Park, but with the continuing rain once we arrive I switch to the first Plan B. Which is stay hooked up in the pull-through site, plug in electric, and chill for the afternoon. This park is all deep gravel. No soft dirt, not a sliver of anything green. It's clean, but miserable for the fluffy dog. 

Slow is fine, I'm listening to a good audible book.

The large water bubble in the camera is annoying, probably should have that fixed :-)

Pretty when not flooding my route.

TPMS tells me (in that soft and gentle beeping that doesn't fray my nerves) the Jeep has a low tire. I love my little compressor. Preset pressure and push a button. 4 minutes for 5 pounds.

Glad I didn't need to hook up sewer here. 

Puddles drying, sky clear, we're ready for day two.

Tuesday's a different world. Sunny, blue skies for a longer drive north. I never mind the drive through Phoenix, and today is no different. Hwy 17 has several grades, and I continue to be impressed with how well PJ handles the ups and downs. The terrain has changed when we arrive in Cordes Lakes which is just north of Black Canyon. Cordes Junction Motel and RV Park is behind a Pilot station with several permanent residents, but it's the perfect stop for seeing the national monument, it's clean, and I feel safe.

I appreciate the end site. 

More gravel. There's a nice green grass space, but it's too far for what Tessa can now walk to. So she makes do with what we have around the site. With all hookups connected we check out the area. After a short exploration, we end up at The Cellar for "Linner". 

The Cellar is a hit before I get in the door.

Can't beat a dinner salad that has smoked beets and candied walnuts! Good wings and amber brew too.

Wednesday I'm excited to finally get into a national monument! Just a few miles away I enter Aqua Fria NM, established in January, 2000. The monument includes protected ruins and petroglyphs, but I know I'm not going to see these because they require a hike that my old dog can't do. I also know there's a lot of natural beauty to enjoy from the Jeep. It turns out the Jeep is necessary as recent rains have made high clearance and good tires a requirement. 

Established in January, 2000, Aqua Fria includes over 70,000 acres. In addition to herds of antelope and 194 species of bird, there are 450 registered archaeological sites within the park. 

Why I'm here!

At first I can still see Hwy 17 to the west, then I'm on the dirt road that jumps right into the park. 

For my visit it's all about the views.

Colors change with the moving sun. The road changes with the alternating terrain.

There are a few along the road, but this one hill is solid Beavertail.

One of several boondocking spots before the road gets a lot rougher.

The riparian area is lush with green, and a designated Audubon Important Bird Area. Sounds like there's a waiting list to get in.

Why I have a Jeep.

Green climbs into the rocks.

A few side "roads" branch off the main route. I love having a Jeep, but the hoped for treasure is a rusted water tank.

Large meadowlands are added to the variety of terrain protected here. 

Turning around and heading back always offers something new.

I've seen it before, but mossy rocks seem so out of place in the desert.

The ogres say goodbye and come again!

Prescott is only 30 miles away so I figure I should give the little town another try. The couple times Bill and I included Prescott in our travels we didn't "bond". Many people have shown it to be a wonderful place so I'm optimistic.

Nope. 

It must be me. I'm not supposed to like this place. The traffic starts in Prescott Valley with all the usual box stores, chain eateries, and track homes. Then there's downtown. Mid week, not summer, it's a congested nightmare. I find a parking spot near an interesting looking gallery to keep trying. The sidewalk is as busy as the street, and Tessa isn't wanting to walk around. I make a stop at Trader Joe's for a few things, and walking back to the Jeep I know this is Tessa's last trip. She can barely make it the short distance in the parking lot after walking around the little store. It's okay. I'm not in a hurry today, and I'm not going to force her past her comfort level. 

I'm happy to be out of Prescott. Again.

Proof I was in Prescott.

We're back around sundown for a quiet evening before I pack up and head out in the morning. Two national monuments at the next stop!!

A stack of granddaughters - Reese, Penelope, Magnolia

A tuckered out Elliott after hours of park play and a soccer game :-))