Around Cottonwood, Arizona

Hi Everyone,

On Monday, Dec. 23rd we drove a short distance to the Dead Horse Ranch State Park just outside of Cottonwood Arizona. There we found three man-made lagoons that attract migratory birds and waterfowl and many hiking trails to explore. We walked around all three lagoons where we found numerous ducks and several varieties of songbirds.

 There were Mallards, Ring-necks, and Coots paddling around the ponds.

 

It was great fun watching the ducks diving for goodies at the bottom of the pond.

The highlight of our hike culminated with the discovery of a pair of Bald Eagles on a tree just off the path around the middle lagoon on our way back to our car in the parking lot.

After that, we drove a few miles further to Tuzigoot National Monument where we could explore the ruins of an ancient civilization that inhabited the river valley for several centuries. This hill-top pueblo was built over a long period of time from about 1125 to the 1400s. All that remains today are outlines of the buildings that once held the inhabitants of this community of farmers and hunter-gatherers.

The settlement had approximately 110 rooms and an estimated population of several hundred people who once inhabited the hill-top pueblo.

 No one knows for sure why the village was abandoned in the 1400s, long before the Spaniards arrived nearly 100 years later.

On Tuesday, Dec. 24th we awoke to a steady rainstorm that lasted all day and into the night. Since we couldn't do any hiking we stayed home and did some more long-range planning for the next part of our "Great Adventure".

Tomorrow is Christmas and the weather is supposed to remain wet with the possibility of snow. So we might have a White Christmas😃.