Indian Ruins, a Scenic Drive, and Finally We Rest

The next stop on my list of things to do was the Shoofly Indian Ruins. The ruins are left from people who lived here between about 1000 and 1200 A.D. Before we got to the site, I was expecting some sort of cliff dwelling or maybe some petroglyphs, but we arrived at this lovely field of wild grass and wild flowers with no signs of cliffs except for the rim in the far distance.

We walked along the path and saw this...

and this...

and this...

and this.

The ruins. I was slightly disappointed, but Mr. Tour Guide read all the signs and we learned that those piles of rocks were not in fact random, but the foundations of actual individual, family, and community dwellings, the walls and roofs had just disappeared over the past 800-1000 years.

Very interesting. It's amazing, first what the human mind will conceive in terms of survival, and second, what the human mind can discover from a seemingly random pile of rocks. I'm sure that when the site was first discovered and excavated there was more evidence than just the rocks, but still. Amazing.

 

We walked along some more, because it was just so beautiful. Nicco refused to let me photograph him sans camera in front of his face. I suppose that's okay, because this is a fairly accurate representation of my child these days: 

He was taking pictures of my attempts to take his picture. Silly monkey.

When we got back to the car, we encountered a damsel (and her dog) in distress attempting to change her flat tire. Patrice offered to help. She explained that a man drove by, signaled to her to roll down her window, pointed out the flat, then drove off. I suppose it was a kindness to let her know she had a flat, but really? he couldn't take 10 minutes to help her change it too? An opportunity in service for us. And by "us" I mean Patrice. Nicco and I were just in the way, so we took another little scenic walk. 

The air was scented with the juniper berries. Aaahhh...just like home! 

Nicco rode the fence like a pony.

And he made me take a picture of the daisies. He always does. They are his grandma's favorite.

There's the Mogollon Rim off in the distance. It was spectacular, for real.

After stop number two, we decided to find a place to sleep. Our options were the motel with the blue tree, 

or the one that told us about the local psychic.

We chose the one with the psychic and then went for a ride, hoping to catch a nice vantage point for watching the sunset on the rim.

We passed Dead Eye Road,

on which was located the local general store.  

We stopped and asked, hoping that they might have some 22 ammo in stock. That question set off quite a rant from the good ol' boys of Houston Mesa. The toothless characters. It was fun(ny).

We got back on the road and took a turn, thinking it was a short cut that would take us up to the scenic drive along the rim. But it did not. It dead-ended at the entrance to the fish hatchery. Which was closed. Bummer.

So we turned around and drove along a mostly dirt road, which dismayed the Daddy, driving the beautiful Audi which had recently been buffed and shined.

We caught the tail end of the sunset, but were in the middle of the forest for what was likely the spectacular light on the rim. Oh well.

We got to our motel, dirty and tired. Too tired even for a hot tub soak before bed.
It was a long day, but a fun one.

Tonto Natural Bridge

Ever since Patrice decided that he needed a new work vehicle, he's been on a quest to find just the right car for him. After much research he found it, in Payson. About a 2.5 hour drive north of here. We decided to take a little road trip to check out the car so he could decide if he really wanted it and in the meantime, we could have a little adventure on the side.

Patrice researched the vehicle and I researched the town and off we went.

I made a list of things to do and first on the list was the Tonto Natural Bridge. When we got there, Patrice was tempted to send Nicco and I on the short hike while he stayed behind to nap. He was up late and didn't sleep, then drove all morning. He needed and earned a nap. But he decided to come along anyway. He could sleep later.

This new camera could become a problem. I take a lot of pictures. A. Lot.

The little valley from the lookout on the top of the bridge.

Looking through the hole in the bridge.
(It's a good thing the grate was there, otherwise you could die.)

What we saw.

Looking up...see the little hole there?

A closer look.

Another view from the lookout point.
Nicco said, "I sure do enjoy Heavenly Father's creations."

The boy will probably need a bigger SD card when we go to France.
He takes more pictures than I do.

Look for tracks, the sign says.

We found one.

A rainbow in the waterfall. Pretty.

The steep hike down

The muddy pool at the bottom

My happy boy

Climbing on the rocks, without any help.
He did allow the Daddy to point the way, but no boosts, pushes, or pulls.

Peek-a-Boo!

They reached a point where they couldn't really go any further
and had to climb onto the bridge that everyone else walked across.

The waterfall spray was refreshing after the hike.

 

 So pretty!

The boys hiked some more. I stayed behind (and took a thousand pictures) because the terrain was difficult to maneuver upon and the rocks were very slippery. I was wearing good shoes, not my usual plastic flip-flops, but I did not have my camera bag and I would definitely need all four limbs to climb.

My small red speck of a boy, waving at me from the other end of the tunnel

 The boys return!

The Daddy told me how proud he was of Nicco. He hiked and climbed with much confidence and competence and after a refreshing drink, Nicco told me that "something happened to me on that hike." He meant that he felt more confident and capable. He became a Man. ~smile~

Some of the pictures I took while my boy was off becoming a Man...

 We headed back and Nicco did NOT want to walk on the paved pathway. Real Men climb rocks!

Here he's trying to convince the Daddy to help him over the side so he could go back the way he came. I managed to talk him out of it. Such a spoil sport.

 My Men.

The walk back up was more tiring. It's a pretty steep little climb, and going up is harder than going down. We made it though, and Patrice asked Nicco what he wanted to do next...should we get in the car and go home, or should we find a hotel and spend the night, and maybe see some more fun things?

Well, I think you can guess what the boy chose. And off we went to find a place to sleep.