This picture is from archives ... an year ago ... late October in Page, Arizona. I took a boat ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument ... the bridge is accessible only by a boat. For around 9hrs I was surrounded by this scenery ...Cool huh? --- Leave a comment to share your beautiful thoughts and constructive feedback. If you have enjoyed this article then connect with Facebook or subscribe through email for more exciting updates! Related articles- Blue sky over Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Utah Sunset at Canyonlands National Park, Utah Sunset at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Lone Tree in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Great hikes- Zion Subway This post linked to Skywatch Friday . If you want pictures please ask me :) --- Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License .

Well, very gloomy picture huh? But, it is interesting too ... at least for me for the adventure associated with it :) I was driving past Monument Valley towards Page, Arizona in late October last year. It was stormy. First I passed through light sand winds which might have caused millions of microscopic scratches on the windshield of rented car! Read more »

Largest hottest desert of North America, home for organ pipe and the spectacular saguaro cacti, Sonoran Desert is a place of biodiversity. The Saguaro cactus- popularly known as camel of the plant world, is found ONLY here. These cacti can grow up to 70ft and absorb around 1,500 gallons of water in around ten days. It seems they grow their first side arm at the age of 75-100 years! Isn't it a great experience to stand beside one?! Read more »

Petroglyphs are rock engravings created by the pre-historic people by abrading or carving the rock face. V-Bar-V Ranch petroglyphs is the largest known petroglyph site in Verde Valley left by the Sinagua Indians for us to interpret. More than 1000 symbols are on display on this rock. The symbols- mostly classified as zoomorphs and anthromorphs are clearly preserved. Read more »

The 5-storey, 20-room castle with apartment style dwellings around, so called Montezuma's Castle National Monument has reputation of best preserved Sinaguan cliff dwelling of North America. It is not a castle where Montezuma lived. Early settlers believed that this neat structure belonged to the 16th century Aztec Emperor Montezuma. In reality, the castle was built by the Sinagua Indians in 12th century and they had abandoned the place a century earlier than Montezuma was even born! Read more »

Sedona- sounds very familiar huh? And very popular city in the American South-West! Located at the elevation of 4,500ft in Arizona, Sedona is surrounded by high standing red rock formations with spiritual energy! The rocks and surrounding area offer hundreds of opportunities for hiking and mountain-biking. Its mild summer and winter make is a vacation destination. Sedona's signature red rocks appear in more than 50-60 Hollywood movies. It is a delight to see these rocks glowing in the golden light of rising or setting sun. Read more »

Listed on the National Historic Places Register Tuzigoot is a National Monument near Clarkdale , Arizona. It is a pueblo of 110 rooms built on an outcrop above the Verde river floodplain. The stone masonry rooms do not have doors instead they used ladders to enter the rooms from the opening in the roofs. Tuzigoot in Apache means "crooked water"- named after a small meandering river nearby. Read more »

The 40-mile roundtrip, 4-hours long scenic ride on the tracks that were installed in 1912 crossing over old fashioned bridges and trestles, and passes a 680ft long tunnel- all in the red rock country along the Verde river! Verde Canyon Railroad excursion line started in 1990 between Clarkdale and Perkinsville- it a heritage railroad. Classic FP7 vintage locomotives pull the passengers through the towering red rock pinnacles. Read more »

Canyon de Chelly which means 'rock canyon', the home of Navajo people! If you know Native American history then you know the Battle of Canyon de Chelly between Navajo Nation and United States military, and also the Long Walk of Navajo people. It is the only National Monument completely owned by Navajo Tribal Trust and cooperatively managed by National Park Service (NPS). By federal and tribal law, visitors are allowed to travel inside the canyon only when accompanied by a Navajo guide. But, there are no restrictions in place to view the canyon from the rim. The law is in place to protect the sacred Navajo sites and the household of the people still live there. Read more »

Meteor Crater is a 50,000 year old meteorite impact crater privately owned by Barringer family in Arizona. The crater is 3,99ft wide and 570ft deep in the almost barren desert. Earlier known as Canyon Diablo crater it is a National Natural Landmark and also a popular tourist attraction. Since there is no vegetation cover the crater can be viewed very clearly.Visitors are charged an entrance fee ($16) by the Barringer Crater Company to see the crater. Worth a visit if you are near Flagstaff or you are driving on I-40 near Winslow. Read more »

Vast desert shrub steppe as far as you can see and the painted badlands emerging out of it with crystalized wood scattered all around is what you see in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The amazement you feel is limitless! Blue Mesa, Painted Desert, Tepees in this eroded badlands are beyond one's imagination. I had never thought the drowned trees might even turn into logs of gems! Yes- it is possible when nature finds a way to do it! Read more »

Skywatch in Arizona. I was at Petrified Forest National Park couple of days ago and these teepees looked very interesting at the end of that long road. Blue sky and those cotton-y clouds looked pretty good too! Read more »