Monday, February 22, 2010

Mon.Feb.15, 2010 - Apache Trail

Our day started at the base of the Superstition Mountains (photos of them later in blog) I couldn't take a photo of them facing the sun:) We drove thru Lost Dutchman State Park to Canyon Lake. This is the view from the look out point before we started down around the lake.
Canyon Lake is in the Tonto National Forest.

Stopped at Tortilla Flat... Barb and Bob said we just had to experience this little town... Went in the front door to have this wall of dollar bills greet us.


The hole building was wall papered with dollar bills. Now, because we were going to drive on 25 miles of narrow dirt roads we all decided to use the facilities.....SO

Barb took me in the ladies room and here's what you see!!!!! She thought it'd be a hoot for you to see me like this..!!!

And here's the boys just outside the store... Just couldn't resist adding this one! Sorry guys

First we had to drive over a creek that was about 6 inches deep, ...Bob did a great job of getting us thru so we could head for the hills. Now...we just want you to see that NOTHING keeps the UPS trucks from delivering your mail.... I was taking a photo of the view when this truck FLEW by me...



And I mean FLEW...I was able to get this shot and the one above as he brushed by me... The dust was flying as I got back in the car and we continued on our way SLOWLY.:) It was like riding for 25 miles on a wash board. But the views were spectacular.

Keith spotted this Coke truck making it's way down down down and around the narrow road...We couldn't believe our eyes...BUT this driver must do it all the time. We all got such a big laugh out of the UPS and the Coke trucks. By the way, there's NO guard rails and at some places you just can't pass another car.


Keith took this one from the front seat as we made our way around each turn. Thankfully, it was a very sunny, nice day. Wouldn't want to think of what it's like on a rainy day.

This is the road we were going down ....I was sitting on the drivers side in the back seat to get this shot...the road was very narrow and...this is all the guard rail I ever saw.

I took 100's of photos this day... everywhere we turned the view was more magnificent. We will NEVER forget the Apache Trail...Thanks to Barb and Bob.

Barb packed a delicious picnic lunch knowing we'd have this nice area to stop and eat.. She is a wealth of information...I wish I had a tape recorded so I could remember everything she told us. Bob and Keith were constantly joking with each other ...I had to get a candid shot of the two of them.


This was Apache Lake.... with more awesome views.

We were headed to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam and Lake... That's where we stopped to eat our lunch.


90 feet were added to this damn....It was built during Roosevelt era... This was the view from one side...


AND this is the view from the other side...


I'll just tell you that this shot is about 1/3 the way up to the cave where prehistoric Salado people, named after the Salt River made their living in the mountainous desert. It was a paved switch back trail up the side of a mountain where the remains of their cliff dwelling was tucked inside.




At the very top of the cave was this killer bee hive....Thankfully, they were not active...but we saw enough of them flying around...which didn't make me feel so great.

I gave the camera to Keith and he took this shot from inside the cave looking down on the valley. It told Keith and I how out of shape we were going up to this point. Of course it was also just after we ate lunch...I know I know...no excuses..:) At least is was much easier going back down...


This is what the inside of the cave looked like......or...what's left of it.


Just a view of how it looked as we got to the top. It's now about 3 p.m... and so Bob started for home...I learned that AZ has 5 C's....Cattle, Citrus, Copper, Cotton, & Climate... As we drove home we saw some of the copper mines and cattle on the side of the mountains. We are trying to be like sponges and soak up everything we can:)

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