On the road with Mike and Tina: Tempe to Benson

Today we got up early to another beautiful day. We planned on making stops at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and the Saguaro National Park (East District). Just a side note - We were impressed with all the beautiful buildings in downtown Tempe, their new light rail lines and how well planned the city is laid out. Perhaps because Tempe is a University town and appears to be experiencing a rebirth.

We got under way by 8:30 and navigated our way to Hwy 60 and over to the I-10 to head south. Traffic south of Phoenix was heavy for the next twenty miles so I kept it between 55 and 60 mph. Lots of trucks passing us, but it was a good highway and we didn't have any problems, except in the construction zones where things get a little tight.

We turned off the freeway at exit 185 and followed the signs to the town of Coolidge where the Casa Grande Ruins were found. We pulled into the park and took the dogs for a walk before visiting the ruins. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is made up of an imposing four storey building dating from the late Hohokam period, probably around the 14th century.

It is part of a large settlement composed of several public rooms, storage and living areas and surrounded by what would have been a large wall. Most of the walls are worn down to three or four feet in height but the structure of the community is clearly defined. The large covering over the tallest ruin was put in place by the NPS to stop further weathering. In addition, at this site, there are several surrounding structures, probably residential in nature. This grouping probably served as a center of trade and communication. The large building may also have been used as an observatory. This site was part of a collection of settlements scattered along the Gila River and linked by a network of irrigation canals.

Leaving Casa Grande Ruins we stopped at the Walmart located about a half mile away and stocked up on grocery's. Interestingly, the town of Coolidge is a great example of horrific sprawl, little planning and little concern for a National treasure by allowing the town to spread out all around the monument.

Staying on Hwy 97 we picked up I-10 and heading east again drove about 90 miles to exit 275 where we drove through the eastern outskirts of Tuscon to the Saguaro National Park. The ranger directed us to a parking/picnic area just down the road aways. About a quarter mile on Tina exclaimed, "There goes a Bobcat!" Sure enough a Bobcat was sauntering across the road in front of us. We got to the picnic area and parked in a little pull out.

Putting the kids on their leashes we got out and went for a short walk to explore a little of the surrounding area. After finding two ticks on Wicket in the last week we were a little leery about getting too far into the brush. This is a spectacular area with lots of hiking trails and an eight mile one way paved loop that is perfect for cyclists. In fact there were dozens of them passing us while we were there.

The scenery was much the same as at the Botanical Gardens with lots of tall Saguaro cactus, dozens of other cactus species, Mesquite and creosote bushes in abundance. Many of the large Saguaros had nests drilled into them.