Woodpeckers and Ruins

We are allowed hummingbird feeders here at the park so the other day we picked up a cheapo feeder and a hanger to put outside our RV. What a treat we got. Within 5 minutes of Dave setting up the feeder we were treated to not only hummingbirds (didn't get a picture yet) but woodpeckers. Those birds are big! These two are called Gila Woodpeckers, found in southern Arizona and into Mexico, spilled alot of the nectar out while trying to get their beaks into the holes. We got one picture showing the woodpecker's tongue thrust into the little hole. This morning we also saw the Gilded Woodpecker - will have to get some photos to share. We have now decided to get more hummer feeders - they didn't put a limit as to how many!

Mid morning we got our first Arizona visitors - our son-in-law's parents drove from Chandler to the RV to see it and us. After a nice visit we drove to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Casa Grande about 20 miles north of Picacho Peak. The Ancient people, Hohokom - meaning 'all gone' or 'all used up', lived in this arid desert sometime around 300 CE until the early 1400s. The structures that are left from these people are quite impressive. The main building which is 4 stories high and 60 feet long is a wonder to see. A roof so to speak has been built over the main building to try to protect what is left after hundreds of years of erosion and the sun's harsh rays. You can see people standing to the left of the building to get a perspective on how large it is. The Hohokoms knew where to place windows to capture the summer solstice and winter alignment, placing windows to exactly pick up the alignment and then all people gathered inside for worship and contemplation. What is mind boggling is how did they build this thing without today's modern conveniences (engines, cranes, etc.) During the time the Hohokom lived in this area, it was very different from today's environment - water was abundant then, they harvested crops, hunted in the adjacent areas for wild animals. Very interesting place - want to go back there and spend more time going through the exhibits inside the visitor's center.