Aqua Fria National Monument….our new focus got its first back-road experience.  It was dusty, wash boarded, washed out, and rock pocked.  There was even a creek fording.  No problem.

Brilliant fuchsia blossoms on hedgehog cactus dot the rugged hillsides.  The vivid green of towering cottonwood trees follows the contour of hidden washes.  A pretty impressive snake lies sunning on the road.  The remnants of stacked stone walls on a perfect mesa are all that tell the story of the ancients who used to call this place home.