Trying to escape the warm summer weather we spent two months at 5,000 feet at the Fairgrounds RV Park in Prescott Valley. Right down the street we had a pair of great horned owls.



Surrounding us were small herds of both cattle and pronghorn.



Here is a shot of a sleepy Toby trying to stay awake to not miss anything.



As is our normal routine, once our coach is set up, up goes the Hummer feeder.



Arizona Downs
Right in the fairgrounds was Arizona Downs that had races on Saturdays and Monday.





Sitting in the stands and looking to the east over the racetrack is a nice view.



Here is a nosey ranch pup keeping tabs on what is going on at the track.



Hikes
There are some great hiking trails in the area, and we did several. Heading up Mingus Mountain, there is Woodchute Trail to the north, several trails in the Prescott National Forest to the east, and a beautiful trail around Lynx Lake down closer to Prescott.





Here is a shot of Jan on Lynx Trail, catching her breath after I made a wrong turn.



Agua Fria Day Trip
In our two hours to go from Fairgrounds RV Park to Agua Fria National Monument, we met just three vehicles. This remote site has over 450 recorded archaeological sites spanning over 2,000 years. There are thousands of petroglyphs to see at Puebla la Plata archaeological site, and although the three-mile loop around them was a walkable hike, it was just too warm for the pups.



Tuzigoot Day Trip



Quickly we went from 5,000 to 6,000 feet zigzagging through Prescott National Forest through the old mining town of Jerome to Clarkdale and into the nearby Tuzigoot National Monument.

Tuzigoot is Aztec for “crooked water.” The monument is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1000 and 1400. Here is a pic of me at village.



We hiked down by the Verde River—it was so great to see water and green everywhere. Here is a fellow who knows how to read in style.



Here are a couple of good-looking lizards. I believe that they are both elegant earless lizards.





Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Adjacent to Tuzigoot is Dead Horse Ranch State Park—423 acres in the Coconino National Forest. This good-looking park has many hiking trails with several along the Verde River. We scoped it out for a future stay. It has electric and water, there are several sites long enough for our rig, and it has a decent Verizon signal. It should be a nice place to camp. Here is a photo of Tuzigoot I took from Dead Horse, plus a Moku Hanga version just for fun.





See you soon.

Tags: Prescott Valley, Arizona Downs, Mingus Mountain, Woodchute Trail, Prescott National Forest, Lynx Lake, Agua Fria, Puebla la Plata, Tuzigoot National Monument, Verde River, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Coconino National Forest, Nature Photography, Bird photography, Hummingbirds, pet photography, Wildlife photography