We drove to the parking lot on Dry Creek Road and began getting all our hiking gear together. Bonnie thought since it was so sunny today she should wear four hats. :)
Ken and Bonnie were trying to locate a trail they had taken when they were here previously based on the information they received at the visitor center yesterday.
This was a very nice trail and the views were spectacular!
We finally got to see an agave in bloom.
Its colors are a kind of burgundy/maroon.
The ocotillo was in bloom as well as many other cacti.
We reached a dirt road that was used for off-roading and walked down it a short distance before deciding to head back.
We talked with a mountain biker on the trail and asked if this was the trail that took you around some of the ledges and she said we probably wanted to be on the Mescal trail. Because the rest of this hike appeared to be on a dirt road and not going to where we wanted to be, we decided to turn around and head back and drive to the Mescal trailhead. On the way back, Tafanie called me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and we had a very nice chat while I was hiking. :)
After getting back to the car, we drove a short distance to the Mescal trail head.
We still were not sure that this was the trail that Ken and Bonnie had taken previously but decided to hike it anyways and we were so glad that we did. The views were spectacular!!
Ken spotted this green lizard off to the side of the trail. He was sitting so still. The lizard must have been thinking we wouldn't see him if he didn't move but his green color made him easy to spot.
There were some more agave blooming along the trail. Notice how tall these plants are.
We continued walking along the trail for about 45 minutes...
...stopping periodically to enjoy the views.
We stopped here for a few minutes to drink some water, eat a snack and take in the scenery.
There were a lot more mountain bikers on the trail than there were hikers. We couldn't believe they were biking over some of these same narrow ledges we were walking over!
After our few minutes rest, we continued walking along the trail being constantly amazed by those beautiful red rocks!
As we went around the corner, Ken and Bonnie saw some rock formations they had remembered seeing previously...
...the three monkeys, Monkey See, Monkey Hear, and Monkey Do, with the baby monkey out front.
...and the upside-down wine glass.
At this point, we decided we should start heading back because we wanted to visit the Palatki Ruins site before it closed at 3 pm. After resting a few minutes, we began our hike back. I packed my camera away and told myself I was not going to take any pictures on the hike back and just enjoy the views, but my phone was still within easy reach and I couldn't help myself! :)
About halfway back, I got a call from Crystal wishing me a Happy Mothers Day and I had a very nice chat with her as well while hiking. :)
After we got back to the car, we headed for the Palatki Ruins eating our lunch in the car along the way.
We got there just in time to hear three informative talks about the ruins, the writings on the wall, and the different tribes of people who had lived here starting as far back as 10,000 years ago. We first walked to the Bear Alcove.
You can barely see the drawings of three bears on the wall which are believed to be the earliest drawings. Double-click the below picture to enlarge it and see if you can find the three bears.
And then we walked over to The Grotto that had a little pool of water...
...and surrounded by walls decorated with thousands of years of drawings.
There was a sun calendar on the wall behind the pool. The black triangles drawn under the zigzag lines indicated the winter and summer solstice (shortest and longest days of the year).
The sun shines through these peaks across the valley at varying points throughout the year. Where the sunlight hit those black triangles indicates the winter and summer solstices when the sun is the furthest (winter) and closest (summer) to the equator.
We last walked to the actual Palatki ruins site where dwellings had been built by the Sinagua people who arrived in this area around 650 AD and were believed to have built these dwellings somewhere between 1100 and 1400 AD.
The Sinagua are thought to be early ancestors of the Hopi people. They were a peaceful people and were primarily a farming people. These dwellings provided protection from the elements...
and a great view of the valley below where they could see what or who might be approaching.
WOW!!! What a great day! Our feet were tired but it was a good tired on one of the best hikes of our southwest adventure. Below is a video of portions of our hiking that hopefully gives you a better perspective of the beauty of this area and those Sedona red rocks! Enjoy!
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