Casa Grande and Sky Diving in Arizona

While spending time in Casa Grande, Arizona, friends Jean and Joe took us to see some of the sites. They were great tour guides. Our first stop on this day was the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. It was named by early Spanish explorers and the four walls face the points of a compass. In the "Great House" which is four stories high and 60 feet long, there is a hole in the west wall that aligns with the sun on the summer solstice. Other holes align with the moon and sun at certain times of the year. Did they follow the skies for planting and harvesting or perhaps religious reasons? There are ruins here of a large walled compound in which the house lies. These ancient people were farmers and irrigated their fields with water from the nearby Salt and Gila Rivers. The Hohokam built a series of canals for this and other compounds that have been found in the area. They also hunted animals and made use of the variety of plants found here. Archeologists have also found evidence that they traded goods with others traveling through the area

A steel and concrete canopy was built in 1932 to protect the Great House from further erosion. They are making great attempts to save the ruins by adding supports between the walls inside the structure.

Here you can see what remains of some of the other structures in the compound.

The main construction material is caliche, a concrete like mixture of calcium carbonate, sand and clay. They used 300 tons to build the Casa Grande. They piled the caliche mud in many layers which were allowed to dry. The walls are 4 feet thick at the bottom and taper towards the top. These hard working people floated and carried hundreds of logs from trees 60 miles away for floor and ceiling supports. All that remains of these are the holes in the dried caliche.

A close up look at an ocotillo sprouting new leaves. To conserve water, this plant, also known as devil's walking stick, drops all it's leaves when it is dry. Within a few days of rain, it sprouts them again.

From the ancient ruins we went to this sky diving facility. No, we didn't go for a ride, but it was fun to watch.

Here is a brave soul coming in for a landing. Looks so relaxed!

This must be someone taking their first jump, as they are strapped to an experienced diver. At least we hope so.

If you'd rather have the experience without jumping out of a plane, they have this indoor facility.