January 23, 2013

Desert Sky

The day started off a little dismally for me because I was going to have to say goodbye to my parents.  We had set the alarm for 6:30 because Renee was scheduled to pick us up on the way to the airport.  It was good planning on our part to leave plenty of time for my parent’s 10am flight as we hit rush hour traffic heading towards Phoenix.  Luckily we were able to move past most of the traffic in the HOV lane.

 

 

 

She dropped us off with Mom & Dad so that we could assist them with obtaining a wheelchair for Mom and with check-in. 

 

                              Renee taking one last picture with Nana & PopPop

 

When we got inside the terminal the first thing I noticed was there was a very long line at the check-in counter.  Fortunately for us, we were approached by a porter with a chair asking us if we needed assistance. 

Mom needed the chair because she had foot surgery a few weeks ago and is not completely healed yet making walking long distances painful.  A perk of being wheelchair bound is not having to wait in line for check-in.  The porter wheeled Mom to a different check-in counter and they and their bag were checked in quickly.   We accompanied them as far as the security checkpoint where we said a tearful goodbye.

 

 

 

It had been a wonderful two week reunion and I am going to miss spending time with them.

Renee dropped us back home by 9:20 and I was able to speak to Mom one more time on her cell phone before they boarded.

We really didn’t have any plans for the day.  I suggested to Monte that we take a ride on the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flats for lunch.  The trail gets its name from the Apache Indians who originally used the trail to move through the Superstition Mountains.  The trail winds through over 40 miles of rugged desert mountains, past deep reservoir lakes.  There are steep cliff drops with very few safety guardrails.  The start of the trail is less than a mile from where we are staying. 

 

 

 

After turning onto AZ88 we passed Superstition Mountain on our right

 

 

 

and the Goldfield Ghost town on our left.  

 

 

 

 

 

A few miles later we passed the entrance to the Lost Dutchman State Park.

 

 

 

(We toured the ghost town and hiked a trail at the State Park back on December 5^th) 

After traveling a couple more miles we found ourselves surrounded by mountains. 

 

 

 

We stopped at a pullout to take pictures and just appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. 

 

 

Continuing on we stopped at a scenic lookout offering magnificent views of Canyon Lake. 

 

 

 

The lake is one of four reservoirs that were formed by the damming of the Salt River. 

 

 

 

The land around the lake has steep cliffs and twisting ravines.

 

 

 

A couple of miles after leaving the lookout for Canyon Lake we arrived at the town of Tortilla Flat, the last surviving stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail.

 

 

 

From my research I learned that Tortilla Flat got its start because of the road construction to Roosevelt Dam in 1904.  A stagecoach stop was needed for freight haulers on their way to the construction site.  After the dam was completed Tortilla Flat was a stage stop for tourists and mail carriers through the 1930’s.

The town was already crowded when we arrived at 11am. 

 

 

 

We took a walk through the Mercantile/Gift Shop that, in addition to the usual touristy items like personalized mugs and key chains, offered wares included Native Indian Pots, Tortilla Flat apparel and authentic cowboy hats.

 

 

 

After leaving the shop, we took posed pictures in front of some of the attractions

 

 

 

before heading into the Superstition Saloon whose décor includes saddle bar stools

 

 

 

and walls covered with dollar bills from around the world. 

 

 

 

 

According to their brochure, the restaurant serves, “The Biggest Burgers, The hottest Chili and the Coldest Drinks in the West.” 

There was no wait to be seated even though the restaurant was very crowded. 

 

 

 

The waitress came to our table within a couple of minutes and took our drink orders.  Monte went with his usual Mountain Dew while I took a departure from my usual order of water and went with a sarsaparilla. 

 

 

 

It was very refreshing and after taking a sip, Monte regretted not ordering the same thing.  When the waitress returned to take our lunch order we told her we needed more time.  Everything sounded great.  I was torn between the hamburger and the enchiladas.  I didn’t end up with either one.  When Monte decided he was having the Pork BBQ Sandwich, it sounded good, so I ordered the same thing.  While we were waiting for our lunch I took pictures of some of the walls covered with money. 

 

 

 

When the food arrived and I took my first bite, I knew I had made the right decision.  It was delicious as was the accompanying sauce, as well as the French fries.

 

 

Before leaving the restaurant we both used the restrooms and couldn’t resist taking some pictures of the unique décor. 

 

 

 

We continued down the boardwalk,

 

 

 

stopping at the General Store and Ice Cream Shop, one of the original buildings from the 1940’s, where we took a quick walk through.  If we weren’t so stuffed from lunch we might have tried a scoop of their famous Prickly Pear Gelato.  The store sells various Tortilla Flat chili spices and salsas, hot sauces and old fashioned candy. 

 

 

 

We moved on to the Tortilla Flat museum housed in a replica schoolhouse. 

 

 

Moving on we traveled for another 5 miles

 

 

 

before reaching the sign alerting us that there was no pavement for the next 22 miles.

 

 

 

 Once leaving the paved road we proceeded cautiously.  Some of the hairpin turns have only enough room for one vehicle prompting Monte to beep the car horn to alert traffic coming from the opposite direction and most of the bridges are one lane requiring us to occasionally wait for oncoming traffic to clear the bridge before crossing over. 

We followed the steeply descending road

 

 

 

stopping at the Fish Creek Hill Overlook to stretch our legs. 

 

 

We followed the paved trail that goes about halfway to the point overlooking the Lower Fish Creek Canyon and were rewarded with spectacular views. 

 

 

 

 

We were able to see the road we were going to take winding down the hill and were able to look up the canyon for miles. 

 

 

 

Apache Lake, another one of the reservoirs created along the Salt River, was our next stop. 

 

 

 

Monte stayed at the pavilion near the parking lot while I took the path that led down to the overlook where I took several pictures. 

 

 

 

 

We decided to take a detour down to the lake to look for a bathroom. 

 

 

 

We passed the Apache Lake Motel

 

 

 

before arriving at the marina where we found restrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

There were several signs informing us that the facilities were for registered motel guests only but when you gotta go…..

 

 

We drove for a few more miles taking in the awesome scenery. 

 

 

 

 

When we came across a sign for Burnt Corral Campground, one of the many campgrounds that are part of the Tonto National Forest, we decided to check it out.

 

 

 

The camp itself is nestled in a beautiful setting but the sites are kind of close together and small.

 

 

 

But even if our size rig could be accommodated we wouldn’t want to risk driving on the unpaved, winding road to get to the park. 

 

 

Finally, we reached the Roosevelt Dam and paved roads! 

 

 

We parked in front of a gate that alerted us that trespassers would be prosecuted and took some pictures. 

 

 

 

 

A short driving distance later we found ourselves at the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Interpretive Overlook. 

 

 

 

We parked and walked down the pathway to the dam overlook. 

 

 

The dam, built between 1905 and 1911, is 357 feet high.

 

 

 

 

It was renovated and expanded from 1989 to 1996 expanding the height another 77 feet.  The primary purpose of the dam was to provide storage for the Salt River Project and flood control through the Salt River Valley. 

A mile down the road we pulled into the scenic parking lot that overlooks the Roosevelt Lake Bridge,

 

 

 

the longest two-lane, single-span, steel-arch Bridge in North America.  The bridge, that cost over 21 million dollars to build, spans 1,080 feet across Roosevelt Lake providing two-way traffic. 

 

 

At this point we had the choice of retracing our route and having to once again travel 22 miles on an unpaved gravel road or continue on taking AZ188 to US 60 W.  We really didn’t want to take the kidney-jarring unpaved road back so we chose the longer but faster paved road.

 

 

 

We were glad that we had because doing so took us to our next unplanned destination- The Lower Cliff Dwelling at the Tonto National Monument.

 

 

 We pulled into the parking lot at 3:30 and the first thing we noticed when we entered the Visitor Center was that the closing time was 5pm. 

 

 

I didn't have my passport with me so I stamped a scrap piece of paper and will have to paste it into my passport.

 

We inquired if we would have enough time to take the trail up to the dwelling.  The ranger assured us we had plenty of time and as a bonus the $3 per person fee was waived because Monte has the America the Beautiful pass. 

 

 

 

 

 (One of these days I am going to figure out just how much money we have saved with the pass)

Normally we are very prepared for any type of hike with plenty of water and the proper attire.  This time, because we hadn’t really planned on visiting the monument, we weren’t quite prepared.  We didn’t have any water with us but luckily the trail to the cliff dwelling is paved and very beautifully landscaped. 

 

 

 

These well-preserved cliff dwellings were built by the Salado Indians who farmed in the Salt River Valley. 

 

 

 

The Salado were craftsmen, producing beautiful pottery and intricately woven baskets, many of which are on display at the Visitor Center. 

 

 

During the early 1900’s vandals did considerable damage to the ancient structure.  It is through the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt, who in 1907 declared the Tonto Cliff Dwellings a national monument, that this national treasure has been protected from further damage.  It was awesome to be able to actually walk into the dwelling.  But sections have been closed to reduce visitor impact.  When the original inhabitants lived in the dwelling, there was only one entrance via a ladder through a notch.  The ladder could be pulled up to prevent entry. 

On our return to the Visitor Center we had enough time to watch the 18 minute informational video that I wished we would have seen prior to exploring the dwelling.  But when we first arrived we were informed that the last entry to the dwelling would be at 4pm but the center was open until 5pm so we opted to tour the dwelling first. 

We also found out that there is a reservation required guided hike to the Upper Cliff Dwelling that departs at 10am every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Even though it would mean a 70 mile trip, we may return to take that hike.

We gassed up in the town of Superior paying $3.04 per gallon.  The scenery on the ride home, just as the sun was setting, on US 60 was spectacular! 

 

 

 

The day may have started out as a bummer for me but it sure ended on a high note and reminded me why I CHOSE to leave my home and family to embark on this thrilling adventure.