Despite the entirely inappropriate name of this National Monument, the well itself, really a limestone sinkhole, is fascinating. There are several Indian ruins in the walls of the sinkhole. It is a perennially flowing spring used by the early inhabitants for irrigation and as a source of water. The white object floating in the lake is a turtle trap to catch non-native turtles that were introduced by careless people over the years.
The Florida coast is protected from the ravages of the ocean by a series of barrier islands. Unfortunately, for those of us driving along the coast, there are sand dunes covered with plants between the road and the ocean, so mostly while driving, in between the houses and the high rise condos, this is about all you see of the ocean. But it is interesting. Who says there are no straight lines in nature?
These plants, called sea grapes, are every where along the barrier islands on the Florida Coast of the Atlantic Ocean. They help stabilize the sand and protect the coast from hurricane damage. They grow as low bushes or trees about twenty feet high. They have lovely round leaves.
I have mixed feelings about the ocean. I enjoy the waves and all that goes with it, but it seems like we could use some of that water in Arizona instead wasting it away on beaches in Florida.
This isn't the usual view of Montezuma's Castle but it shows more of the cliff and how isolated the ruin is from below. There is one thing about pictures of the ruin. They make the building look much larger and more impressive than it is in person standing there on the ground.
Rain on the snow in the mountains caused an early melt that translated into a flood down the creeks and rivers in central Arizona. We missed the highest water but normally this is a small clear stream. This might happen once or twice a year or even skip a few years in drought. We always like to see running water in the desert.
You have to look closely to see the structure since it blends in with the cliff. I don't think the ancient inhabitants of Arizona lived in these small constructs, they were more likely used for storage or similar uses. They are presently almost completely inaccessible, but appear on cliffs all over the state.
