Casa Grande National Monument

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Most INTERESTING: Being able to walk into the rooms. The houses were on the open ground, not in a canyon like at Walnut Canyon. Also, these houses were MUCH bigger. The walls were taller than me. There weren't any roofs. There was also a huge building in the middle.

Most BORING: Not being able to go into the big castle. Now there's big bars to keep people out.



For FAMILIES: This is another place to get your Junior Ranger Badge. Here is a picture of me being "sworn in" as a Junior Ranger. This was my seventh badge!

SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

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Saguaro National Park is an interesting park.

The visitor's center has a few little facts and a couple of displays.

It also has a little walking trail for when it hasn't rained recently. The reason you can't go on it if it's rained recently is because it goes along a dry creek bed.

Saguaro National Park

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Most FUN: Getting another Junior Ranger badge. This time the Ranger made an announcement to the whole visitor center!

the WORST thing: having to walk around so much.

Families should go here so you can see different cacti. Drive a ways then walk on a trail up the hills. You can even wander OFF the trail, if you are careful of the pricklies. And make sure your kids do the Jr. Ranger program!

This is a picture of one of the Saguaro Cacti. (You say it Suh-Wa-Roe!!!)

Then there is a close-up of the lines of pricklies on the whole cactus.

WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL PARK

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Walnut Canyon is a pretty cool place because you can see the place where people used to live about 800 years ago. One of the only down sides is that you have to go down around 200 steps to get to the ruins.

But if you don't want to have the hassle of going down the steps, there is a lookout balcony so you can see the canyon and a few of the ruins in the walls.

There is also a little museum inside the visitor's center that tells a little bit about the people that lived there.

Walnut Canyon National Park

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BEST Thing: was getting to walk into the houses down low. You could see the soot from hundreds of years ago!

the most TIRESOME Thing: was having to walk down so many steps and so many ramps. Then we had to walk aaaallllll the way back up again. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

Families should go here, as long as they try to get their Junior Ranger Badge. (Then the museum isn't quite so boring cuz it's a scavenger hunt!) Go see my other blog to read all about what it was like. ( http://imagineanna.blogspot.com/ )

Larry's Antique Store -- Cottonwood, AZ

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The most INTERESTING thing: the old washing machine you rocked with a handle. That would have been hard work! Make sure to find this machine when you are there! (unless they finally sold it!)

The WORST/most FRUSTRATING thing: we ran out of time and couldn't see everything outside.

If your family likes anything old, or if you like to see lots of junk and look for interesting things in it, you should DEFINITELY come here!

ANTIQUE STORE (Cottonwood, AZ)

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Larry's Antiques is an old antique store that has tons of different antiques of all the shapes, sizes, and descriptions that you can think of. It's lots of fun for everyone in the family, including kids.

JEROME, AZ

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Jerome, the well populated ghost town...yeah, that's exactly what I said, GHOST TOWN. Yeah right.

Well I guess it was kind of fun...I mean we got to see a fair amount of art, fancy chairs, odd paintings, a glassblowing demonstration, you get the idea.

There was even an "old" playground: it had one basic jungle gym, a swing set, and a Calvin and Hobbs slide (steep metal ladder to a straight, slippery metal slope with no flat at the end...)

Jerome

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Most FUN: Getting to hula hoop at a park. The playground was a flat place on the hill between two levels of buildings.

Most BORING: Reading all the signs that told about the old buildings (and lots of the buildings are fallen down.)

Families: Look for wandering chickens! We found a rooster and a hen by a building. When they got afraid of us, they ran back home which was down the steps from the road.

You also have to bring lots of coins! You can throw 'em through a fence into part of a building [as a fund-raiser for the historical society]. The funniest target was getting coins into the outhouse hole!

RIO VERDE RV PARK

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Rio Verde is a nice RV Park with a small stream running right near it and with a small public picnic area near the middle that is nice and shady and usually gets a comfortable breeze. There are a few antenna TV channels and a cable hookup.

Fort Verde State Park

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MOST INTERESTING: Seeing the fancy swords the soldiers only wore for parties and things. They were streaks of bright silver metal. The place they held it was al curly-cued. And one of the swords had a covering made out of FISH skin!

MOST BORING: Having to hear Dad talk about it! I mostly wanted to play around and just look at it without studying it.

FAMILIES should visit here. Make sure your kids do the Junior Ranger program. Inside the museum make sure to look for the swords! And look for the sidesaddle...you put one leg up and around the hook and one leg was down. It didn't look very comfortable!

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

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The Grand Canyon is an amazing sight. On a clear day you can see the however many miles from one side to the other as well as the full mile to the bottom. And as dad pointed out there are a lot of canyons inside the canyon, with canyons inside them.

Although some things were more fun, such as climbing the watchtower building at the east end of the canyon. And everyone should go to a ranger talk of some sort. The one I went to was about California Condors. As a random fact,did you know that their wingspan is almost nine and a half feet long? that talk is at four o' clock in the evening every day.

Sedona

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Most INTERESTING Thing: Getting to see Elephant Rock--it was really cool! There were houses built right near the red-rock shapes. I bet they get good views! (Also, see review of Church of the Holy Cross---that was the best thing...)

Most BORING Thing: like always--having to sit in the car so long. It was worse because it was hard to find parking.

Families should go here but try to find a time with less people so you can find parking!

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

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BEST THING: Seeing the Colorado River. We saw boats floating on it! They looked like just white dots but someone showed them to us. They were so small because they were SO far away! Someday I want to take a mule ride to get down to the bottom and see the river up close.

WORST THING: Having to go see it every day makes it get boring!!

Families should come here. Younger kids should make sure and get a Junior Ranger Badge. [Ask how at any information center.] We went to the talk about Condors and other birds and you should go to that one, too. You should either take the mule ride or at least hike down the canyon a little ways.