Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle is a national monument in Arizona. Neither part of the name is correct. It was named "Montezuma" as when it was first found, they named it after Montezuma (after the Aztec emperor. It was actually abandoned 40 years before Montezuma was born. It's also not a "castle" like the structures from the middle ages, but more like a prehistoric apartment complex.

We actually went there, and it would have costed us 20$, but since one of my brothers was in 4th grade, all we had to do was take a quiz and we got in for free. It was on a trail that was a third of a mile and about two-thirds of the way through the trail, the castle was there. It is actually carved inside a mountain and really high up. We also got to hear about "Castle A," a "castle" near it which was closer to the ground and probably traded a lot with Montezuma Castle.

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The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and it's not hard to see why. It is very long (about 18 miles), and over a mile deep. It was carved by the Colorado River in Arizona. The rim has multiple buildings and monuments alongside it, and you can take a helicopter ride around the canyon (make sure it's not on a windy day however). Theodore Roosevelt helped a lot with the preservation of the canyon, and visited it multiple times. We actually visited the Grand Canyon recently, and it was very strange to look at. It actually looks like a picture if you look far at the other side, as if you were looking through something like Google Maps' panorama feature. I'm sort of afraid of heights, but I wasn't scared most of the time here because it was impossible to grasp how high up I actually was. It was a little unnerving getting my picture taken though, because I couldn't see the canyon. There was actually a helicopter crash...

Sedona and the Chapel of the Holy Cross

On the way to the Grand Canyon we had to pass through Sedona, and while we were there, we went to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Sedona looks very different from the rest of Arizona. The very red rocks and all of the mountains makes it look beautiful compared to Phoenix or somewhere else in Arizona. Since it was on the way, we decided to go to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. We parked a little ways away from the chapel, as the parking lots were filled and a walk would do us some good. When we got in, we heard some music playing and saw a lot of candles. You could light a candle in memory of a loved one for a few dollars. Near the front, you could look out a window overlooking Sedona. There is also a plaque showing how the place was built. It's a small place, but it's still an important one.

Lake Pleasant

A few weeks ago (as of writing) in Phoenix, we went to Lake Pleasant. We first took a small ride on a boat to a restaurant (as the bridge was broken). After that, we returned and saw the site for what is intended to be the largest water slide in the world (it is still under construction however). After that, we drove right up to where the lake was so we could unload the kayaks. The road actually went into the water, so there must be more water than there was the first time the road was built. So we unloaded the kayaks there and got them into the water. There were two islands, and we decided to paddle to the second. There was actually a geocache there, but we didn't have the stuff we normally brought. We still signed the log though, as there was a pencil. While my brothers went to the same island, I tried to skipped rocks (I didn't do very good, but I skipped some). Shortly after they returned we packed up the kayaks and went home. Lake Pleasant was a pleasant lake.

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