Take the A Train

Thursday, October 12, 2017
Clarkdale, Arizona, United States
Today was check out day at the timeshare. Our goal was to leave at 9:00, but it was a little after that when we left. I left a note for the maid to take the food we had leftover so it wouldn’t go to waste (not much- some oil, salad dressing, tea and margarine -stuff I couldn’t pack) and checked out. Since our plane didn’t leave until Friday morning, we still had all morning and most of the afternoon to sightsee. We took one last look at those beautiful red rocks and headed toward Clarkdale to see the Tuzigoot National Monument. Historically, the pueblo was built by the Sinagua people (the same people who etched the petroglyphs) between 1125 and 1400 AD. Tuzigoot is the largest and best-preserved of the many Sinagua pueblo ruins in the Verde Valley. The ruins at Tuzigoot have very few doors; instead, they use trapdoor type openings in the roofs, and use ladders to enter each room.
Caywood and Spicer, the principle archeologists on the excavation, were only graduate students at the time. Most of the work was done by the Civil Works Administration and WPA. Tuzigoot was named by an Apache member of the excavation crew. He suggested naming the pueblo after a near-by water source and suggested the Apache word for 'Crooked Water'. Tuzigoot is an Anglicization of the Apache word. It doesn’t take a lot of time to view it. Some of it is reconstructed, but it gives you a good idea of how they lived.
After we had seen all there was to see, we headed over to the Verde Canyon Railroad to pick up our afternoon tickets for their 1:00 train through the Verde Canyon. We then found a Mexican Restaurant for lunch and made it back to the Railroad in time to look in their little museum and walk along the train to see the engines, 2 FP7 locomotivestwo of only 10 remaining in North America.
The railway first began making trips in 1912. It was built to support area mines like the copper mines of Jerome. The Sante Fe Railway operated the Verde Canyon line from 1912 to 1989. The line was purchased by the Durbano Family in 1989 who began to offer scenic excursions in 1990. 
We had booked First Class, which gives you snacks (little sandwiches, fruit, chicken wings and brownie bites, along with a glass of so-so champagne) and has comfortable seats and private outdoor viewing deck for our ride. From its website’s description, it is billed as one of North America's most scenic and breathtaking rail journeys. It is a four-hour rail excursion through the scenic Verde Canyon, which is only accessible by rail or foot. The train offers views of the area that were once home to the Sinagua and Hohokam peoples, ancient Native Americans, and even provides a glimpse of some ruins. The train route is actually situated between two national forests and follows the scenic Verde River to its destination at the Perkinsville ghost ranch. Scenes from  How the West Was Won were filmed at Perkinsville in 1960s.
After the train, we headed back to Phoenix, listing to the Thursday night football game between the Eagles and Panthers on the radio. We met Keith’s cousin, Kathy, for dinner at the Clever Koi. We think the last time we saw her was a good 25 years ago. We had a lovely dinner and then went to check into our hotel near the airport. 

Comments

Waha
2017-10-15

Loved the names you gave the rock formations. Remarkable how nature turns rocks into art. Did you see any wildlife during the tours? We did see some type of deer/goats on the mountains and at one point, we were certain we saw what appeared to be a small, brown bear.

njbeaglemom
2017-10-15

I didn't name them --the train people did. As for wildlife, A squirrel or two and a few birds on hikes. We did see Javelinas twice and a coyote.

2025-02-12

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