Yesterday our friends Brock and Leola led us on a day trip in and around Cave Creek, AZ, north of Phoenix and Scottsdale. After lunch we felt in need of a hike. This one led from the parking lot up 300 feet on a winding trail to the ruins of a Hohokam village built on several levels of the hillside.
Just after we started up the hill who should show up but that creepy guy again!!!
View of Brock and Leola and the parking lot from about 1/2 way up. 300 feet doesn’t sound like much until you compare it to climbing to the top of a 30 story building or walking uphill on a football field.
After a morning of chilly breezes and heavy overcast, the sun came out and the day got downright pleasant. We all enjoyed our stroll up the trail, stopping to read the information posted on signs along the way.
These walls would have been several feet high and covered with thatch over poles. Sometimes they were one open room, sometimes divided in two. Each building had a common courtyard with another house.
Front is a house space with bushes growing in the courtyard and another house beyond.
On the top of the hill was a large building apparently build for defense where it is supposed that the outer villagers gathered in times of attack or bad weather.
On the top of the hill the walls were reinforced with mortar. All of the walls like these were partially rebuild to show visitors what they would have looked like.
Signs of an early spring were everywhere.
We had fun trying to identify the different types of cholla (choya).
More to come tomorrow.
Louise and Duane
1 comment:
We can't wait to get back to hiking. I love hikes like this. Educational!
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