More of Casa Grande

Casa Grande Ruins

In the middle of the desert between Tucson and Phoenix is the Casa Grande National Monument, which preserves the remains of an ancient Hohokam farming village and the Great House, or Casa Grande as it was called by early Spanish explorers.


The national monument consists of the ruins of several structures surrounded by a wall constructed by the Hohokam, who farmed the Gila valley in the early 1200's.

Four stories high and 60 feet long, the Great House is made of caliche and has managed to survive the extreme weather conditions for about seven centuries. The roof was added in 1932 to help preserve it.

Its walls face the four cardinal points of the compass and a circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting Sun at the summer solstice.

Other openings align with the Sun and moon at specific times.

Perhaps the builders of the Great House would gather inside to ponder the heavens. Knowing the changing positions of the celestial objects also meant knowing times for planting, harvest and celebration.

Explorations

The kids had a blast exploring and learning all about the desert. What made it even more fun was a couple of their friends came along too.

Cool glasses!

Desert flora

Some of the native plants of the Sonoran Desert.

At first I thought it was a critter!

The Desert Museum

On the outskirts of Tucson is this living desert museum. We found all kinds of desert critters there, from roadrunners to owls.

When we go back we'll have to spend more time exploring!

Space men?

Naw, just silly boys!

Nose Art

Begun for practical reasons for identifying friendly units, it evolved to express individualty that was often constrained by the military, and to evoke memories of home.

I enjoyed all the different designs of this "aircraft graffiti."

Closer up...

This one was my favorite. Love the donkey!

Even more modern planes can be painted with nose art. This one is just a little bit different than the rest though!