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| First day - first saguaro cactus sighting
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Instead of the compact car we'd reserved, we ended up with this minivan at no extra charge. Pretty convenient.
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| Our first stop was the archeology experiment/commune of Arcosanti, started in the early 70's and still being worked on. We took a little tour with a woman who lived and worked there.
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This is a model of the current and planned version of Arcosanti. What's currently built is outlined in black string.
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| They sell a lot of ceramic goods, as well as brass. These particular things are ceramic time capsules, which will be embedded into a wall - the white pipe thing is meant to be filled with artifacts.
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An open air area. If I understood correctly, these were built by piling up huge mounds of dirt, and then pouring concrete over it.
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| The tour guide (on the right) explaining the history of the place.
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One of the earliest structures built.
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| It was set in a beautiful area, with canyons behind it
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Not many people lived there permanently, and even fewer children. Apparently there was a serious accident recently involving a very young girl falling off one of the concrete structures.
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| The theater area
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Some of the apartments must have a great view.
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| The foundry where they make their most profitable souvenirs - brass hanging chimes. We were lucky enought to see them actually pouring hot brass into the molds.
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It was fascinating to watch, but also seemed very labor intensive, and unsafe - like something you'd find in the third world. Here they're pouring molten brass into one of the molds.
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| Finishing off the brass. Already it's lost a lot of its heat - note the color is much darker.
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Some of the chimes, for sale in the gift shop.
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| At the Montezuma's Castle National Monument, a set of ruins. Apparently most of it is still original.
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| We met a man there who dressed up like Lincoln. We saw him and his wife at a few other parks as well.
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Lots of beautiful grasses in Arizona.
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| And cactuses, of course.
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Cooling my feet in a reconstuctred old irrigation ditch, at Montezuma's Well.
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| In the old copper mining town of Jerome.
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| At the Flying Eagle Bed and Breakfast, in Clarkdale. Very nice place, peaceful and out of the way.
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The innkeeper, Inger.
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| At a local chapel with a very good view. They had lots of exotic cactuses around.
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