The Halls of Montezuma

Castles & Canyons

Leaving Sedona, I am heading towards the Grand Canyon. Well technically I am heading away from the Grand Canyon, but that is my final destination today. First off, I’m going to pay a visit to Montezuma Castle. Whilst looking at the route, I notice that there is a Montezuma Well nearby too. I like a theme, so will add that to my trip.

In the last few years, I have noticed that the US has started to embrace the roundabout. When I say “embrace”, I mean they have started to implement them, but not quite gotten to grips with how they work. To be fair, the good folk of Arizona seem to have a better idea of the give way rules of roundabouts than in other parts of the US, where the roundabout is just seen as an obstacle and who dares wins. This is quite odd as driving in America is generally very polite, if a little confusing - such as the filtering through junctions with Stop signs in the order that people arrive. I can only think that the roundabout instils fear of the unknown in some American drivers and they just put their foot down. To be fair, I have encountered the Magic Roundabout in Swindon and can understand the impulse!

Anyway, back on the road, I see some signs to Montezuma Well, which are at odds with the sat nav. In a break with tradition, I decide to follow the road signs. Google Maps is not happy and makes its feelings clear in no uncertain terms. When it sees that I am not going to make a U turn, it starts taking me down all sorts of side roads.

This is of course meant to be a punishment and bend me to its will, but I find it very entertaining. The street names in this town make me think that it is the sort of place where life moves at a different pace: “Top o the Morning Road”, “Ho Hum Trail”, “Maybe Manana Way”. Fantastic stuff. I have already seen streets called “Back O Beyond Road” and “Bucket of Blood Street” on this trip. Americans have a way with names.

Anyway, I am so distracted by my delight at street names, that I only belatedly notice that Google has got its way and has looped me back in the direction I came from. I capitulate. It then occurs to me that although I had followed a sign to Montezuma Well, I had my first stop in Google maps as Montezuma Castle.

Now OK, technically Google was correct, but I tend to think, in this age of AI, if the sat nav notices that you are heading to another destination on your route it should just go with it, or at least ask. Come on Goggle, get your shit together.

Onwards to Montezuma Castle (it is not obvious why either of these sites has Montezuma in their names as they had nothing to do with the Aztec emperor, or even a temporal overlap but I guess it is good marketing) is an impressive cliff dwelling of the Sinagua people built in about the 12th century and abandoned about 300 years later. This is a recurrent theme with these sort of dwellings (it was the same at Chaco Canyon). The information at sites postulates disease, collapse of trade routes, climate change etc. but I believe that the Hopi say that these dwellings were never meant to be permanent and were just part of the migration back to the ancestral homelands).

That is hard core slow migration - building major settlements and living in them for longer than the age of the United States before moving on. That is a patient People!

On to the well, which is perhaps a sink hole but is quite mysterious as it is always full of water, even in times of draught, and hence was a crucial resource to the Sinagua (which those with some basic Spanish will realise means “without water”). There are some strange acoustics there and bird song echoes around the pit. There are also dwellings built into the walls.

The information points out that there are no fish on the “well”, just some basic life forms such as shrimp and leeches, with leeches being the apex predator. I will not be needing the “No Swimming” signs to keep me out of this!

Now while at Montezuma Castle, I discover that there is another settlement, which is sort of the sister site to Montezuma Castle - the hill settlement of Tuzigoot. It would seem rude not to visit this too and the name is cool. Also, I am really cashing in on that National Park pass. I have said this before, but at $80, this annual pass must be the best value in tourism. If you manage 2 visits to the US in a year, you are coining it in!

Not bad views from the penthouse suite

So Tuzigoot, again occupied about 1150 to 1400. Starting to look like a purpose here. I’m still struggling to get my head around exactly which tribes were where, but this might help.

And finally, the drive to the Grand Canyon. I am deliberately staying at the Grand Canyon this time around as I’m keen to be there for sunset and/or sunrise.

After arriving and nipping into the tavern for some quick refreshment, I set off along the rim trail. Obviously I have not put much thought into this, so look at a map. I decide that I will head to Hopi Point, for no other reason than that I have been dipping in and out of Indian culture. The walk is very pleasant - spectacular views and few people away from the main viewpoints.

As I trundle along, I ask AI where the best spot is for a Grand Canyon sunset. Hopi Point as it turns out (might have been wise to check this earlier!) is considered one of the best as you have views in both directions. Now it turns out to be a reasonable walk and I’m not sure I will make it for sunset (I suppose if I had actually given it any thought, I might have gotten on the free shuttle, but I need a walk) so I find a spot nearby which is not too busy and has great views in both directions.

Now photographs never do it justice but the scale of the Grand Canyon is staggering. I don’t particularly suffer from vertigo, but standing on the edge of the canyon almost makes your knees buckle - which is less than ideal on the edge of the canyon! Once again I am struck by the difference between the UK and the US. Here, no one will stop you sitting on the edge, dangling you legs into the void - you take responsibility for you own safety. In the UK, there would be a fence 20 feet away from the edge and some pictures of what you are not allowed to see.

Still sunset sat on the edge of the Grand Canyon is a special experience which will stay with me. The 5 mile walk back in the dark would perhaps not be, so I opt for the shuttle. Its first stop is a bit further along at Hopi Point which, it turns out, is absolutely heaving. I take this as yet another resounding endorsement of random, unplanned travel and going with the flow…

Mission accomplished, I may give getting up for sunrise a miss.