ruin and wine..

 Montezumas Castle

not exactly mutually exclusive, but in this case the ruins are remnants of an extinct people, the Sinaguas. Why they left verdant valleys WITH water, even the archaeologists cannot really explain.
How they built these swallow nests in the cliff or the houses on top of a mount, we do know, or guess at!
Cliffdwellings are built from the bottom up, all rooms are only accessible via ladders through the roofs/bottoms of the next layer, rooms built helterskelter as the families expanded.

Tuzigoot was erected on top of a steepish hill in the White Hills near the old mining town of Jerome (of course predating Jerome) for the same reason: Minerals.
The valley of the river Verde was fertile and provided food and wood,  the hills minerals and stones. Tuzigoot is built from lime- and sandstone cemented together with pebbles, the roofs are tree trunks with woven branches and mud. The rooms were used mainly for sleeping and shelter but 'village  life' was spent outdoors.

Tuzigoot

Due to the wish to preserve the Montezuma castle buildings, access has been limited to scholars, while Tuzigoot is accessible to tourists.

The drive from Sedona to Tuzigoot, Jerome and onward to Prescott is rather stunning.

Jerome clings to the steepest hillsides! Formerly a mining town, but mining for copper etc. proved to be too arduous plus the difficulty to transport the rather meager finds,  now it is a tourist town, still boasting a Grand Hotel. Wild West Saloons and Brothels have been gentrified, of course, into shops!

After leaving Jerome, a two lane road twists in hair pin turns up and into the Prescott National Forest,  naturally one better takes it at slow speed and very carefully :-), hoping no speed demon is on one's tail.

But the vista is beautiful...fir trees and wildflowers, interspersed with cacti and scrubby bushes, rocky sides and steep cliffs! The fire danger was  listed at moderate, it has been a rather moist (can't really say wet) summer. 

On the outskirts of Prescott sits a small museum dedicated to Western/Cowboy art, where we found a small special exhibit of works by the 'Jewish cowboy artist',  Kenneth Freeman, plus mock ups of three painters' studios. And small bronzes. Pics to follow..The town of Prescott sits in a bowl like high valley surrounded by 'hillocks' not really craggy mountains.

Returning to Sedona we noticed the variance of the rock formations, cone shaped hills of volcanic origin in gray and brown, limestone in white to light grey, as also sandstone and huge boulders, known as the 'Granite Dells' .Despite the sandy/ rocky soil green vegetation offered some restful views.

The landscape not as imposingly threatening as the Colorado Rockies, nor as mysteriously enchanting as the high New Mexico desert, or as beautifully shaped and colored as the Red Rocks (caused by iron oxide)...one might say these are "Rusty Rocks" ;-)!

Despite many fir trees, the feeling is NOT alpine as are the forests around Taos in NM, which reminded me much of the Italian/Austrian alps.

But it is interesting - a green desert, rather empty, a bit infinite! But it seems to produce some rather good wines in several wineries around Cottonwood, Jerome, etc.