Brrrrr today was a chilly one! I might need to bust out my gloves tomorrow (or, as a co-worker suggested, use socks on my hands until I have time to go to the storage unit…).

In the interest of warming up for awhile, what say we spend Travelin’ Thursday in steamy Arizona? Not in Phoenix, not at the Grand Canyon, not even in Tempe or Tucscon…

but at Montezuma’s Well!

Deep in the desert (The Sonoran Desert, I think?) there is this limestoney well…

See those cave dwellings in the wall? Not actually Aztec, but Sinaguan I think. Strange name, since “sin agua” means “without water…” well, I guess they found their water! Although if I do remember correctly, this water isn’t potable because of the carbon dioxide or something…

Beautiful, right? And very close to another cool site, Montezuma’s Castle (not actually your standard Euro castle, but more like the cliff dwellings over the well seen above).

and a little reptile friend- not as exotic as the bobcat or lynx or javelina or whatever man-go-round and my dad saw…

Anyway, all in all it was a neat place to visit. We had the grounds almost completely to ourselves, and we walked around the well and down by the river nearby. It wouldn’t necessarily be something I’d go way out of my way for, but if you’re headed to Montezuma’s Castle or the Grand Canyon or Lake Pleasant, its just a short drive away!

A desert oasis.

Enjoy!

Do you enjoy going to less popular and more out of the way sights? Or do you stick to the heavily popular tourist attractions? What is the most surprisingly fun little side trip you’ve ever ended up on when your expectations weren’t very high?

Meri