2 weeks in Sedona Verde Valley region and we can only scratch the surface of things to do: In the region are many ancient sites and sacred spiritual areas including the famous Sedona Vortexes (swirling centres of energy that are said to be most intense on certain red rock peaks or mesa’s). Hiking, mountain bikes, and jeep tours are extremely popular and Rockhounds and natural healers are found on every corner due to the abundant minerals that can be found all over the southwest.
Fun Fact: One of the wealthiest Americans ever, William A Clark, got his start in the small town of Clarkdale in this region. He was a 19th Century Copper Baron.
The Arizona Copper Art Museum in Clarkdale is very well done – $9 per adult and open every day. Easy to follow copper footprints start you off with a history of the Clark family, the origin of copper and where it is found, and from there through a series of rooms with copper art and artifacts. They have a great collection and the museum does a lot of its own restoration work as well. After visiting the museum we popped into Violette’s Bakery Cafe, housed in an old caboose, across the street. We ordered the croissant club and panini press sandwiches and some cookies and brownies to have later. Everything was excellent.
Montezuma Castle and Monetezuma Well National Monuments
100’s of feet up 
One of the restored dwellings 
A representation of the inside 
The Well 
Cliff dwelling high above the Well
This area has been inhabited for thousands of years because it has continued to provide reliable sources of water and therefore has one of the highest concentrations of archeological sites in the US. These monuments, along with Tuzigoot which we previously mentioned are three of the sites we visited.
Fun Fact: The explorers who stumbled onto the dwellings thought it was built by the Aztec’s. The name has never been changed.
The Castle was a five-story dwelling on a cliff 100 feet up which was built by Sinagua farmers. The were family apartments as well as storage rooms. The Well is a very deep limestone sink which still continually produces millions of litres of water every day. The water flows out through a small cave and the Sinagua people built irrigation ditches which can still be seen. The water in the well will not support fish life but there are several lifeforms that exist in the Well and no where else – one being a water scorpion. The Well is also home to thousands of leeches. About 150 Sinagua farmers lived at this site.
Sedona
Sedona is a gorgeous looking town surrounded completely by the red rocks with their interesting shapes and colours. It appears to be well laid out with the core in the centre and residential areas spread out among the hills. We made several trips into the village, mostly to go hiking, but we did stop in town one day to tour around a bit. In uptown Sedona were we went there are ample free parking lots. Shops, restaurants, art galleries, and the usual souvenir shops are lined up on one main street for about 4 blocks. We strayed into one art gallery and were very tempted to buy some native art, but when travelling in a trailer it is not wise to have fragile items on board. Also in town is the Chapel of the Holy Cross which is a quick stop, but a must see. A very unusual and architecturally stunning chapel built into the landscape.
Chapel of the Holy Cross 
We had to take the truck to Prescott, an hour away, to have the windshield replaced and taking a scenic route back through the Prescott mountains, the road twists and turns and in places there are amazing views of the verde valley far below. The road ends up in Jerome which we had already visited, so passing through we stopped in Clarkdale for lunch at a Mexican restaurant with good reviews – Su Casa.
Complimentary chips and fresh made salsa to start. I has a margarita and Chris a beer and from their lunch menu with some authentic mexican food choices, I ordered the Pollo Chapala which was so yummy and Chris had the street tacos. There is a self serve cart with salsa’s and hot sauce, and I noticed they have a good selection of Vegetarian options on the menu.
Pollo Chapala 