Joyce had scheduled a discovery hike at Tonto National Monument. Most of the group had never heard of Tonto National Monument. History Moment: Tonto National Park has two pueblo style cliff dwellings that were inhabited 700 years ago. There is an upper dwelling and a lower dwelling. The tour is for the Upper Dwelling which is only available from November to May because of the weather. The upper dwelling can only be reached via a hike a behind locked fences. One feels very important going behind locked gates.
The hiking group was a more mature group so the ranger stopped on every switchback and talked about plants. Our group had fallen to the back with the ranger that we referred to as clean-up ranger, Jeanine. The clean up ranger’s job was to keep the people in the back moving. The four were only in the back because the people from Wisconsin wanted to stand next to the ranger to ask questions and pushed their way to the front. The clean up ranger told them that they should walk in the streams not on the rocks. (Debbie thinks the clean up ranger did not want to carry her back down the hill if Debbie fell on the rocks) .
Once they reached the upper dwelling, the ranger gave another speech and let the group explore. One lady was intent on shining her flashlight down all the holes in the rocks. (Not sure if she thought if she thought no one had ever looked in the holes before or not). Everyone could return at their own pace with the Wisconsin hikers running down the trail first again. (Debbie believes that she could have beaten them down and is positive that they stepped on the rocks instead of the stream.)
Interesting question: What does Tonto mean in Spanish? Debbie is quite upset with the Lone Ranger but supposedly the LR didn’t know the definition either.
Our rangers. Some woman – our rangers, Jeanine and Nicole 
Upper dwelling 
Our snack view 
Our arrival 
View of the mesa 
Debbie liked these shots 
Art shot 
Another view 
The more shots you take, the longer you delay walking down 
Joyce in action 
I am Larry Eng and welcome to the Mesa 
Permission to walk in the water 
I am Larry Eng and my car has never been this dirty. 
Cool Bridge 
This is a dangerous sign for Debbie as she tends to interpret already 
What are these three doing?
Okay, I looked up the meaning of Tonto (stupid, crazy, silly). I think the Lone Ranger just didn’t speak Spanish, surely he would not have intentionally dissed his loyal companion in such a way. But I like the theory that Tonto’s name for the Lone Ranger – Kemosabe – sounds a lot like the Spanish phrase “quien no sabe” which means “he who doesn’t understand.”
I was deeply disappointed in the Lone Ranger but Kemosabe explained it.