Just a few images from the general area. The high temps didn't make going out and sightseeing too attractive, but I did go out early one morning. I really went to photograph a famous sight - the Red Rock Crossing. I didn't end up with much success on that shot, but I'll still share the little bits from that morning outing...
My main goal was thwarted by many factors. One reason to go really early was to get the better light - sunrise and sunset providing the best angles of sunlight for photos, blah, blah, blah (another reason was to avoid the heat). But, as it turned out, I was TOO early! Both because the state park the photo op was in didn't open till 8am (and I was there at 6am...) and there were 'no parking' signs all over the road to the park AND because this really was a SUNSET shot (or even mid-day) but NOT a sunrise shot!!! But I didn't know that till I got there - all the research I tried to do on-line ahead of time indicated that it was fine for either time slot (or at least wasn't clear enough about the best time of day)! And then, the last little frustrating detail - I didn't know exactly where to go once I did get into the park (after finally finding a parking place and walking a ways to get back to the park)! I had seen something on-line that seemed to indicate hiking upstream. So I did that - and completely missed the famous photo spot!!! (I did find it later - although, because the lighting wasn't right, I wasn't able to get my shot) But I did find this cute family of mergansers along the upstream trail. Unfortunately, no long lens, but I was at least able to crop big time...
And some reed reflections that I kind of liked.
And here's the big deal set-up. You can just frame-in the Cathedral Rocks or get the whole thing, like this. If you have a) cool storm clouds, b) beautiful blue skies with little fluffy clouds, or best c) great sunset light popping the red in the rocks, etc., you can get a great "pitcher!" But lacking all those things, it's just a pretty snapshot... Oh well, I did miss having to pay the $8 entrance fee at the park ($2 even to just walk in).
I did end up paying the $5 to get in to see the Montezuma Castle - mostly because I'd already done the drive to get there! But it was interesting to see - for a few minutes. Then it was too hot and time to go home!
Not great lighting for this either! Wrong time of day again, but too bad! Here we are anyways! And apparently the name is all wrong too (the discoverers guessed incorrectly and mischaracterized it). There was no connection whatsoever to Montezuma (an Aztec emperor), and it wasn't a castle (wikipedia calls it rather a "prehistoric high rise apartment complex")!
So this place was really built by "the Sinagua people" around 700AD, mostly inhabited from 1124-1400AD, and then abandoned for reasons only guessed at
And here we have the reason why Camp Verde is verde! The Verde River.
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