Apache Trail

Between 1903 and 1911, Arizona's Salt River was "tamed" via the construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Named after Teddy Roosevelt, the dam was dedicated by him in 1909.

The road that had been built along the Salt River to facilitate the building of the dam followed the canyon outlines, including forays into many side canyons and switchbacks up and down the canyon walls.

Roosevelt said it was the most beautiful drive in the world, combining "aspects of Grand Canyon, the Rockies," and other world-famous vistas of the time.

So Michael and I took my mom, who was born just 3 years after the dedication, to ride along this historic (and still unpaved) road.

Apache Trail Hike

We celebrated New Years' Day by going on a short hike. Not only was the hike short, but also most of the hikers. Present were Zachary, my grandson, his friends Lane, Brittany, Ashley and Billy, and me. The youngest was Ashley (6); the oldest was her brother, Billy (11). I decided to head out along the Apache Trail into the Superstition mountains, which begins not far from our house.

Superstitions Hike

Today I found myself with an unexpected (and enforced) day off. Not every business closes shop for Martin Luther King's day, so I was surprised to find that mine did (especially since we'd just had both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off). Even so, I would have gone into work because, as a "temp", I do not get paid for holidays. But the building was closed.

Superstition Mountains

One of our favorite day trips is along the Apache Trail through the breathtaking Superstition Mountains. Today, in a belated celebration of Michael's sister, Surya's, birthday, we made that trip again.

Canyon Lake Sunset

For an upcoming assignment, my friend Keith needed some sunset photos and suggested that we run up to Canyon Lake in the Superstition Mountains to take them. Did he have to twist my arm? Not hardly!

Apache Trail with Danes

We have visitors from Denmark: Michael's nephew, Allan, and Allan's besties Jakob and Iben. As Keith and I love showing off our beloved Arizona, we happily participated in touring my favorite sites in the state, including the beautiful Superstition Mountains, Canyon Lake, and Tortilla Flat, all from the vantage point of the old Apache Trail.

New Year's Day in the Superstitions

New Year's Eve came and went and left a heavy dusting of snow on the higher elevations. The nearest place to see it, for us, was a drive into the Superstition Mountains. We only had to go as far as Canyon Lake to get a generous supply of photos of the rare event.