Apache Trail Revisited

Shortly after we arrived in Gold Canyon we drove the entire Apache Trail.  It was originally a stagecoach route through the mountains and it has some of the most fantastic views we have seen to date along with absolutely the worst road we have encountered.  Last time out we drove the entire route, about 80 miles, but I left the memory card for my camera on the kitchen table in the RV.  We committed to revisiting the trail with a functioning camera.

Most of the route is on winding mountain roads, complete with hairpin turns and bridges wide enough for only one vehicle.  Some of the route is paved but a good section is dirt, rutted and washboard with a 15 mph speed limit which I never exceeded.  Since our last visit we have had some days with heavy rain and I doubt the roads have improved.  We decided to drive only the paved section.  The eastern section starts in Apache Junction and heads out past Lost Dutchmen State Park to Canyon Lake and then through the metropolis of Tortilla Flat, population 6.  The pavement ends a few miles past Tortilla Flat and at that point we turned around and headed back.  Unfortunately some of the most dramatic views are on the unpaved section so perhaps we will revisit that section in the future, hopefully after significant road improvements are made.

Here we go.....

 The first view of Canyon lake from a roadside lookout high above the lake.

After taking the winding road down to lake level we spotted a few guys trying to catch their limits.

We found a picnic area and let Charli out for some exercise.  She spotted some ducks out in the lake and almost pulled Lori in after her.
When she gets that 4 legged drive going there is almost no holding her back.

This is Tortilla Flat.  That is the whole town.  Basically its here for the tourists and consists of a small museum, restaurant, bar and souvenir shop.  There is also a campground but while we saw some pretty big trailers set up I would never take our rig down that narrow winding road.

Some nice white clouds to add some interest to the usually blue cloudless sky.  To the right of the road is a drop off of a few hundred feet.  As you move further along the route, especially after the pavement is replaced by dirt, the drop offs are straight down right at the edge of the road.  Not for the faint of heart.

I love this truck.  It does a great job of pulling the trailer, lots of power and a nice smooth ride.  It is not however the ideal vehicle for these tight rough roads. The last time on this trail the stiff suspension and light back end had us literally bouncing along the road.  The tight hairpin turns pretty much maxed out our turning radius.

 Some of the best views have hydro/telephone lines running right through the scene.
Once I upgrade my editing program from IPhoto to Photoshop Elements I will be able to remove the hydro lines and you'll never know they were there.
Something to keep me busy once we get home.

No this is no longer the Apache Trail.  Its I60 which runs right through Phoenix.  Shot this just to show some of the overpasses that circle overhead.  It really is quite a maze that makes me so glad we have a GPS.  Can you imagine trying to navigate this for the first time with your spouse as the navigator and a paper map in her lap.   Could be grounds for a divorce. 

The overpasses are finished in terra cotta with aztec like symbols on the sides.  Quit dramatic and in keeping with the desert colours.  Much nicer than concrete grey. 

Still have the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Roosevelt Dam to show you before we head off to Yuma on Sunday.  Today, Friday Feb 13, we spent picking up a few odds and ends at Camping World and started reorganizing the storage spaces in the trailer.  We have been here for so long it seems almost strange to be getting ready to leave.

Later.