October 25 & 26, 2008

Saturday 25~~~We are staying in Mesa, Arizona for a few days, the weather here is so nice and no wind. We leave the door open most of the time for Pepsi to look outside. This morning we went sight seeing, stopping at "Cracker Barrel" for a breakfast lunch. From there we went to the "Casa Grande Ruins Nat. Park to see the largest structure from the Hohokam times, the Spanish explorers called it Casa Grande (great house). This ancient building is four stories high and 60 feet long and its walls face the cardinal points of the compass. 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, this is how they knew when to do the planting, harvest and celebration. Who were these people who watched the sky so much? They lived in permanent settlements, made pottery and traded, they diverted the river water through many canals for irrigation for their crops. They made use of all the desert has to offer for survival. The mysterious Great House was completed about 1350, this period of people lasted until the 1400's, when the Hohokam culture ebbed throughout the region.When Missionaries arrived in1694, they found only and empty shell of the once flourishing village. The big old house suffered a lot of damage over the years from Vandals and the elements, in 1892 the Casa Grande became the Nations first archaeological reserve. We enjoyed the video they showed of the progress over the years in maintaining and preserving the Casa. (Pictures)
Sunday 26~~~ We spent the day at home today, catching up on the laundry and cleaning house. After lunch we drove to one of the casinos in the area. It wasn't that great of a casino, so we didn't stay long. They are building several new casino's in this area, they need some, they are old and in need of updates for all the money they are making off the people.