Road Trip West 5, Arizona

Richard Rathe, April 2026 (Flowers, History)

I originally ventured into Arizona to visit the Crane Petroglyphs Site so I took in other sights as they appeared. The first of these was Montezuma Castle—a Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwelling site.

In addition to the ruins, the most memorable thing for me was the lushness of the Verde River valley floor.

In particular—instead of the cottonwoods I was expecting there were large Arizona Sycamore trees creating a shady glade.

I wound up in Flagstaff by late afternoon, with the intention of getting settled and then driving up for an evening at the Lowell Observatory. Alas, this was cut short by a minor winter storm moving into the area. 🙁