arizona

Wupatki National Monument

arizona, Blog, International Travel, United States

It’s high time I invited you to my favorite place in the world (outside of Sint Maarten, of course). If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time in Arizona, you know that Great State Forty-Eight has a lot to offer in the way of hidden roadside treasures. My absolute favorite is Wupatki National Monument.

A couple of years ago, Ben and I took a road trip from Phoenix to Page, which is north of the Grand Canyon on the border of Utah. Along the way, we stopped at several ancient Native American dwellings. I wrote about Palatki, but we also stopped at Wupatki during that trip. This year, I decided to introduce my sister, Kaylee, to Wupatki.

Wupatki is one of those amazing places that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, which makes it even better, because you don’t have to share it with seven million tourists and busload of field-trippers. In fact, it’s so out-of-the-way that you might drive by it on the highway every weekend and never pay attention to the turnoff signs.

However, once you do make that trip deep into the high desert wilderness, you’ll be amazing to walk through the remains of some of Arizona’s oldest civilizations. The history value is incredible– and the Instagram factor isn’t bad, either!

There are many pueblos in Wupatki, and you can see several of them at five stopping points along the loop that takes you through the monument. My favorite is Wupatki Pueblo, a huge, multi-family complex that includes natural air conditioning (you have to see it to believe it) that comes from a hole in the ground.

Cooling off with natural air conditioning

In addition to the big pueblo, you can visit other stops within the monument to walk through houses built over a box canyon, climb inside a medium pueblo with a stunning view, and hike to a hilltop neighborhood.

The best part, to me, is getting out to a place where all you can hear is the sound of the wind over the wilderness, where animals rule the landscape, and where whispers of the past rise like smoke from the crumbling remains of mysterious ancient dwellings.

As an aside, I would encourage you to visit my sister’s blog. She talks about faith and hope in the midst of navigating life as a 23-year-old widow.

Click here for Kaylee’s blog.

Fried Prickly Pear Cactus

arizona, Blog, Cooking, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

So, I got heat stroke yesterday. And it was more frightening than the time I almost wrecked myself on sharp rocks while surfing.

A word to the wise: the elements generally win.

So, what was I doing to incur the wrath of the Arizona sun? I was spending an hour and a half cleaning up my front yard. Yup, that’s all it takes in the summer, apparently.

I was also gathering the ingredients to make fried prickly pear for lunch, which actually turned out pretty decently!

I have always tried to appreciate the food that grows in my own backyard, no matter how unexpected. In the Caribbean, I used to fish and gather food like moringa, tamarind, sea grapes, and coconuts (well, Ben climbed for the coconuts and got most of the fish…)

Sea Grapes in Anguilla

Here, the food is less obvious but still there. In my yard, I can eat three varieties of cactus fruit and two varieties of prickly pear.

I used this recipe. Here are the steps in photos:

Prickly Pear paddles have a lemony taste
You can also eat the fruit. They make good jams.
Leather gloves are a good idea for this step.
Watch out for tiny thorns at the base of the bigger spines
Boiling and then frying tastes better than grilling, IMO
Cheese and onions to stuff it!
Fry in olive oil and pretend it’s healthy
Voila!

I don’t recommend using this type of prickly pear if you have options. The kind without thorns is a lot better. I did stick myself pretty bad, and Ben stepped on one thorn that I dropped. You can buy thorn-free paddles from the store if you don’t grow them. Phoenix Wal-Marts often carry them, and Mexican food stores sell them in other areas.

This was a pretty good lunch. Not amazing, but edible. And sort of a bucket-list item and bragging point. And let’s be honest– who doesn’t want a photo like this on their Instagram? So #trendy.

That being said, it wasn’t worth the heatstroke. So be smart, and know the risks and signs. Stay hydrated when it’s hot, too.

Now you’re wondering what heatstroke signs are. Lucky you– I happen to know first-hand. Unlucky me.

The first thing that happened was that I started to have sore and tingly muscles. I thought I was sore from my workout, even though it felt different than that. Then I got really lethargic and too tired to move.

At this point I was starting to get nervous. My family was coming over in half an hour so I decided to wait it out.

By the time they arrived, I was freezing and shaking, even though it was hot. They took care of me and made me drink water, even though I didn’t want it. By the time Ben got off work and talked to them on the phone, I had a fever that quickly climbed to 104 degrees F. I started get confused, too. I don’t remember that part.

As soon as Ben got home, he started treating me for heatstroke. He aggressively rehydrated me and started cooling measures. My temperature began to drop quickly. Since Ben is a doctor, he was able to make that call and treat me at home. Otherwise, I would have had to go to the hospital and get evaluated. Heat stroke is deadly and you should never take chances. I was really stupid not to tell anyone what I was feeling when I knew something was wrong. The faster you get hydrated and bring the fever down, the better your chances for survival and the lower your chances for serious damage like hearing loss.

The moral to the story is this: drink water, stay out of the heat, and get help if you need it.

Home Sweet Home

American University of the Caribbean, arizona, AUC, Blog, Uncategorized, United States

There’s no place like home. Especially when you know you’ll get to call it home for a while.

Kayaking the Salt River for our anniversary
  • 2014

  • 2019

Ben and I celebrated our fifth anniversary a week ago! We realized that we’ve experienced a lot in our half-decade of marriage. Most notably, we survived Ben’s med school journey. I also survived my master’s program. We moved twelve times, living in two countries and three states. We had a baby. I can’t even remember how many jobs we’ve had.

But the transition is over!

You know, it’s fun to list all the different things we’ve done, but it sure does feel flighty at the same time. We’ve both been reading Grit by Angela Duckworth (Ben had it first and I snag it to read when he’s busy), which talks about how most people who excel in their field stick with things and pursue goals over a long period of time. It doesn’t seem like our lives have really characterized that over the past few years, but in the end, it was all to pursue this thing called an M.D. And now we’re on to the next stage.

Flying home after Ben’s graduation! We were on TV at the San Antonio airport.

When it’s all said and done, it was fun to try a bunch of different things, but I’m glad we’ll be sticking with a routine for a while. We were gritty enough to get through med school, and I think we can be gritty enough to be OK with the daily grind, too.

Little Man will appreciate that, too, I think. We were finally able to get him a crib. At eight and half months old, he’s finally out of the pack-and-play and can depend on sleeping in the same place for more than a few weeks at a time.

Relaxing at home

We also bought a couch. That doesn’t sound too exciting, but to me, it was an indication that we’re staying here for a while and not getting furniture with moving in mind. We’ve never bought a couch before. My parents gave us our first one, and we’ve just had futons and things that came with furnished apartments since then. It was fun to pick one out- and the people who sold it to us at their garage sale invited us over for dinner, too! A couch and new friends in the neighborhood. Doesn’t get better than that.

Living room

We’re actually planting things, too. To be honest, the best I’ve done so far is put some pots in the backyard and grow some chives in the kitchen, but it’s a start. Quite literally, we are “putting down roots.”

It’s good to be home.

Little Free Library

arizona, Blog, California, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

Our time in California is affording me all kinds of nice discoveries. I’ve talked about the bluffs and mentioned the hiking. One of the other things I love about our Cali home is the Little Free Library down the street!

Not the LFL in our neighborhood. I feel too awkward to take a photo of someone’s front yard!

If you’re not familiar with Little Free Libraries, get thee to the interwebs to learn how you can experience these wonderful things. Little Free Libraries are tiny houses filled with books that you can take and read, then return or leave at a different LFL. They can be found in front yards, in public spaces, or at businesses.

We aren’t California residents, so I can’t go get a book at a library in town. This was a bummer to me, since I read all the books I packed as well as one I found in our Airbnb room within the first three weeks. I am trying not to get hooked on a Netflix show or watch a lot of YouTube, because I want to limit Little Man’s screen exposure. Besides, I really do like books. And I like pages, so the Kindle app doesn’t always cut it.

Imagine my joy at going on a quick neighborhood walk and discovering a Little Free Library! More books to read! And an excuse to go walking more often.

So far, I’ve read a novel about Princess Di, Maze Runner, All About Sam, and Finding Alaska. I have also found some picture books to read to Little Man.

When I visited Phoenix this week, my mom told me about the LFL that had opened at Rita’s in Glendale! Armed with my free shaved ice birthday coupon, we went to trade in my LFL books for new ones. And get ice cream, obviously.

Now that I have enjoyed two LFLs in two different states, I am determined to find them wherever I go! I wish I’d taken advantage of the ones at the Detroit Riverwalk, but maybe I will get to do that in the future. My dream is to someday have one in my front yard! I’ll keep you posted on my progress of achieving that… First, I need to get a front yard.

Arizona Christmas Lights

arizona, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

 

When the snow is deep in Michigan, a not-so-white Christmas starts to look pretty good! Ben and I made the four-day drive from Detroit to Phoenix to see my family for Christmas.

Arizona may not have snow, but it does have enough colorful lights to create a magical Christmas vibe!

One of my favorite traditions is making a few evenings of Christmas light viewing. The Phoenix area has two major light attractions: Zoo Lights and Glendale Glitters.

 

 

Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo isn’t a great time to see the animals, unless you like a couple of camels and a creepy animatronic giraffe. However, the light show is fantastic! They even have the lights around the duck pond set to music. We thought that decorating the ducks with lights would really make the show! If I ran the zoo, that’s what I would do. I’d probably get shut down, but that would be one heck of a light show!

 

 

This yeti was not awkward, but my mom and I took a photo with it anyway (If you got that joke, then we’re best friends forever).

 

 

The other major Christmas lights attraction is in my hometown. Glendale Glitters is an annual month-long event! the historic downtown area is decorated in lights, and every weekend brings entertainment to the amphitheater. I used to be in shows there with a performing arts group as a kid.

 

 

Ben and I visited Glendale Glitters with my sister and our friend. It was a bit cold when we were there, so we browsed through the stores downtown. We were followed for a while by a creepy man in a pink sparkle shirt and pink skinnies, so we girls ducked into a comic shop to avoid him while Ben discouraged him from coming inside. I found this superhero inside, but Ben is my real hero!

 

 

This year, we missed all the Glendale Glitters shows and food trucks and vendors, but we still had a lot of fun. Street performers own the night, and many Glendalians take it upon themselves to provide entertainment. When we were there, we saw an impressive parade of decked-out trucks and ATVs blasting music. The procession wrapped around the whole district! The street was transformed into a show of blinking Christmas lights, waving kids, rap, classic Christmas songs and norteño, This is Arizona holiday culture!

 

 

Even more impressive was the UFO that lit up the sky that night. It silently flew through the western sky, lighting up the horizon and drawing everyone outside. It turned out to be a rocket launch from California, but it looked like the world’s biggest Christmas light display!

 

 

This is what an Arizona Christmas looks like: clear streets, clear skies, a little bit of Mexico, and enough light to illuminate the whole world. It was good to be home.

Palatki National Monument: Hidden Ruins in Sedona

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States

 

Palatki? Where’s that? Even people who know Sedona aren’t always familiar with Palatki. However, you are about to be in the know! Here’s a little bit about the Sinagua Native ruins at Palatki, how to get there, and good things to know.

 

 

What to Expect

Palatki is a collection of Sinagua ruins that are thought to be at least 800 years old. They are located on the former homestead of a Mormon settler who actually lived in some of the ruins as he was building his house! Today, the site is a national monument where you can come take a look at the ancient homes and petroglyphs hidden in the Sedona red rock cliffs.

 

 

If you’ve been following this blog for at least a week, you know that Ben and I took a trip all the way up the state of Arizona to visit ancient pueblos. Palatki was number three on our list, and it was definitely different than either Tuzigoot or Pueblo la Plata, the first two we visited!

 

 

For one thing, these particular ruins are located in the shadow of a huge cliff. They also feature ancient rock art spanning probably thousands of years. Pretty cool! It can be hard to find well-preserved petroglyphs.

 

 

Palatki is managed by National Park volunteers who live onsite. Um… where do I sign up? The volunteers give complementary tours of both sites within Palatki. I’m not usually a tour person, but this was awesome. We had a great time and learned a lot!

 

 

How to Get There

Palatki is a bit far from the beaten path, but no so far as to make it hard to get there. It’s worth it, so be sure to go sometime!

 

 

If you are coming from Phoenix, head north on the I-17 until you get to Camp Verde. Then go left on the 260 until you get to Cottonwood. From there, go north on the 89A. Finally, turn left on Loy Butte Road. At the fork, go right on Boynton Point Road. This will take you to Palatki!

 

 

Good Things to Know

  • You will need a Red Rocks Pass, which I believe is $5, or a U.S. National Parks Pass, which is $80. We have the National Parks Pass.
  • The park is open from 9:30 to 3:00, seven days a week.
  • You have to take the tour to see the ruins. This sounds complicated, but it is not. Just call (928) 282-3854 and ask to get a reservation at the time you intend to visit.

 

 

Other Nearby Ruins

Can’t make Palatki, or want to see more? Check out other nearby ruins:

Want more posts on Arizona ruins? Follow 3rd Culture Wife on Facebook for more posts later this week!

Tuzigoot National Monument

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

 

Tuzigoot is one of those places I’ve always see the signs for but never actually visited. During our Pueblos-of-Arizona road trip, though, Ben and I finally stopped to see it! This reconstructed ancient dwelling is located between Cottonwood and Jerome in central Arizona. It’s a great place to go if you want to see what pueblos actually looked like once-upon-a-time.

 

 

Ben and I invested in a National Parks Annual Pass, which is $80 and gives up to four adults and unlimited children admission into any United States National Park for a year. This includes national monuments, so we invited my parents to come with us and witness this awesome bit of history!

 

 

What to Expect 

Tuzigoot National Monument is the site of a large ancient pueblo that is thought to have housed the Sinagua people about 800 to 600 years ago. the pueblo is pretty big- it has over a hundred rooms!

 

 

The main room has been reconstructed so that visitors can actually walk inside and onto the roof. It’s obviously not exactly like the original, since it has stairs and a concrete floor. But it’s about as close as you can get and still be up to code! While we there, the large room was infested with flying ants. I hate ants with a deadly passion, but it didn’t stop me from going inside anyway!

 

 

My dad gave us an interesting history lesson while we were there. He works for Freeport-McMoRan, the mining company that was formerly Phelps Dodge. Phelps Dodge owns the land surrounding Tuzigoot and used to own the site as well, but they donated it to Yavapai County so that the site could be excavated and serve as a center of history and education.

 

 

Tuzigoot has an awesome visitor center attached where you can enjoy the (hallelujah) air conditioning. There is a museum here, and it hosts demonstrations once a month. You can also buy Native art and baskets here, if you like.

 

 

When to Go

The best time to go to Tuzigoot is in the spring or fall, when the weather is nicest. The summer wasn’t bad, but be prepared for a warm experience!

 

 

If you can, try to go on the third Saturday morning if the month. They do demonstrations from 10:00 to noon at the visitor’s center! When we went, we saw a demonstration on ancient weaving and dying techniques, which was pretty cool. Arrowheads and shoes are up for August and September of 2017.

 

 

How to Get There

If you’re coming from Phoenix, take the I-17 north to Camp Verde. Here, you’ll turn onto the 260 toward Cottonwood and Clarkdale. When the 260 turns into Main Street, continue on this road. Main Street becomes Broadway, and soon you’ll see the turn-off to Tuzigoot on your right.

 

 

Good Things to Know

  • The fee for the park is $10 if you don’t have a National Parks Pass. This fee also covers your visit to Montezuma Castle, should you choose to visit both in the same day.
  • You can get a National Parks Pass online or at one of many offices around the country.
  • Dogs are permitted as long as they are on leashes.
  • Go to Hog Wild Barbecue for lunch. This is not a sponsored link. It is a delicious place that my parents took us to after our trip to Tuzigoot!

 

 

More Pueblos to Visit

Montezuma Well

Montezuma Castle

Agua Fria National Monument

Palatki

Elden Pueblo

Wupatki National Park

The Ruins of Pueblo La Plata in Agua Fria

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

 

Do you ever wonder what it was like to live in prehistoric times? I wonder this all the time. We have so much information on how the ancient Romans lived, but there’s so little verifiable evidence about the life and times of the ancient Native tribes in the American Southwest. We do, however, have the remains of many of their homes! Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona alone contains about 500 of them, including Pueblo La Plata. Here’s a little bit about my excursion here and how to find it!

 

Pueblo La Plata

Although there are a ton of ruins in Agua Fria Monument, there’s one in particular that’s pretty well known and has a maintained trail. Pueblo La Plata is a great destination for your trip to Agua Fria National Park, especially if you don’t have the time or ability to take a longer trek into the hills to search out other ruins.

 

 

Although Pueblo La Plata is the easiest pueblo to reach, it’s still pretty far into the park. It took Ben and I about 40 minutes to drive from the park entrance to the end of the road. We actually didn’t quite get to the end of the road, because it’s a pretty rough road and we weren’t in a jeep or anything. That was OK, because it was a beautiful morning for walking around outside!

 

 

Once we walked about ten minutes, we got to the parking area. There was a path from the parking lot to the pueblo that took about five minutes. Once we arrived, we saw the heaps of stones and outlines of walls that had housed generations for perhaps hundreds of years. Visitors have found shards of pottery and left them on flat stones for the rest of us to see. Like in all archaeological sites, removing objects is not allowed. Thank goodness these things are protected for everyone to enjoy!

 

 

Standing by the walls, we looked out over the hills and canyons. How incredible it must have been to wake up every day to this view! The desert is so beautiful, with so many colors. The red dirt and greenery of the prairie is split suddenly by jagged black canyons, and in the distance the purple mountains meld into the blue of the sky. It’s so remote, and ruggedly stunning.

 

How to Get to Pueblo La Plata

Pueblo La Plata is located in Agua Fria National Monument. This national park area is located between Phoenix and Camp Verde, just south of the Sunset Point Lookout by the Bradshaw Mountains.

 

 

Turn off the I-17 onto Bloody Basin Road going east. You’ll see the sign for Agua Fria National Monument. Head down the dirt road. You’ll cross a stream (it might be dry), pass a restroom (which reminds me of descriptions I’ve read of Soviet prison cells– use at your own risk), and head uphill. Follow the signs to Pueblo La Plata. Eventually, you’ll see a sign directing you to turn left. Continue on this road until your car can’t make it anymore and then walk the rest of the way. Eventually, you’ll get to the path leading to the ruins.

 

 

More Awesome Pueblo Sites

There are a lot of great pueblo sites not far from Agua Fria National Monument! Look for Montezuma Well, Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, and Palatki.

I visited several sites on a ruins road trip last weekend, and I’ll be posting a new one every day this week! Subscribe or follow me on Facebook to get notified about each new post.

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States

 

Sedona is one of Arizona’s most intriguing and beautiful locations. You’ve never experienced the magic of Arizona if you’ve been here! This town is built in a geological wonderland, where breathtaking red rock formations rise from the valley floor to create mystical shapes that inspire hikers and painters alike. Ben and I decided to take Kito here and experience some of the things we hadn’t visited before.

 

 

Although Sedona has become famous as a place where New Age mystics come to seek out vortexes, its most recognizable structure is actually Christian. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built to honor the God whose hands carved these mysterious mountains. On Sundays it is a place of worship, and during the rest of the week it is a popular destination for people of all belief systems.

 

 

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built right into the a red rock formation in the heart of Sedona. Although I can’t really see the likeness, the church was inspired by the Empire State Building around the time of its construction. The chapel was finished in the 1950s, and since then it has served as a Catholic place of worship.

 

 

 

The chapel is pretty far out off the I-17, but many people stream into its parking lot every day. I have to admit that we were a bit surprised at how busy it was. I guess when it’s too hot to hike, there isn’t much else to do in Sedona. Besides, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is simply stunning!

We walked up the ramp to the chapel and found ourselves gazing out over the beautiful red-rock landscape. Wow! There are few places in the world quite like this.

 

 

Since Kito couldn’t go into the church, Ben and I took turns sitting inside the chapel. There is a huge window that looks out over Sedona, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best view for a hundred miles around. If it had been quieter in there, that chapel would have been a wonderful place to sit and pray in silence. I was a little bit disappointed that the chapel’s popularity has turned it into such a tourist attraction that it’s pretty much impossible to engage in private worship. Maybe it’s different at other times of the day or when it’s not tourist season.

Even though I didn’t find the atmosphere of the Chapel of the Holy Cross to be conducive to devotional activities while I was there, it was well worth the trip! There’s a lot to love about it: the architecture, the view, the town, and so much more. It’s a great stop for any trip to Sedona. Even just half an hour at the chapel was a wonderful Arizona experience.

 

 

Half an hour was as long as we stayed, although you might want to stay longer. It was pretty warm outside and Kito wasn’t enjoying the crowds, so we decided to drive on to Flagstaff. Kito loved the forest, since it was the first time she had seen one!

Stay tuned for more Arizona adventures! I haven’t been posting much since I’ve been busy doing a lot of things, but pretty soon the 3rd Culture Wife blog will be filled with plenty of new posts on interesting things to see in the Western United States.

By the way, we are moving again soon! We still don’t know where, but I will keep you posted. Subscribe and follow on Facebook to stay connected! Until next time.

Kito’s First Trip to the Forest

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States

 

Kito has been more places in her first year and a half than most dogs see in their lifetime! Although she didn’t love the plane ride that brought her to the United States, she has been enjoying her new surroundings. The desert life has been pretty exciting for her, but she absolutely loved her first trip to the woods!

 

 

Ben took his big Step 1 test, which is the first medical licensing exam that future doctors must take, on the day before our third anniversary. Of course, we had plenty to celebrate on June 7, when his test was done and we had been married for three whole years!

 

By the way– if you want to see our second anniversary adventure in Sint Maarten, read this post. 

 

 

We decided to take a road trip to northern Arizona, where it’s nice and cool. As we drove, we could watch the temperature gauge in our car drop from 101 to 81 degrees. What a difference 20 degrees makes!

 

 

We stopped near Munds Park, which is just outside of Flagstaff, and took a dirt road into the woods.

 

 

Kito was so happy to get off leash and have space to run. She doesn’t go too far away from us, which is good– we did see a coyote while we were walking. Of course, it took off in the other direction as soon as we caught sight of it.

 

 

We also saw a herd of elk. We tried to track them, but that’s pretty hard to do with a dog who wants to play fetch the entire way.

 

 

Hopefully this is the first of many road trips! Kito definitely enjoyed it as much as we did.