Apache and Four Peaks Trails

     A while back, after a wonderful day driving The Apache Trail, I told Vic that I thought it might be fun to drive and view in the opposite direction.  Being the great guy that he is, he planned this day where we reversed direction on that trail followed by driving the Four  Peaks Trail.  It was another really special day!

On our previous trip the light was wrong making it impossible to photograph Canyon Lake at the Apache Junction end of the trail .  If only there weren't power lines going across the sky.  I guess I'm going to have to learn how to use PhotoShop.

This end of the trail is covered with lime green lichen. 

This 1.7 mile segment of the trail switchbacks constantly and is not wide enough for two vehicles to pass except where there is the occasional pullout right on the edge.

The final turn at the base crosses the scenic Fish Creek Bridge.

Another bridge beneath a huge monolith

We have nearly reached Roosevelt Dam and Bridge at the other end of the trail.

Roosevelt Lake is awesome in its beauty.

The earliest brittlebush is blooming.

God and Mother Nature are working hand in hand.

The Four Peaks Trail begins.

Our first glimpse of the Four Peaks

This is too cute - a .1 mile shelf road is built around this tiny knoll.

What fun it was to drive around and......

....to have this great view of a portion of the road we came up.

Much nearer to the Four Peaks

It's our understanding that there is amethyst to be found between two of the peaks.

Funny, the many different geologic formations to be found.

Woohoo! 

I wonder what's on the other side of this hill.....

.....jumbles of rocks and a lone saguaro growing out of this particular heap.

Weaver's Needle is the distinctive formation on the horizon.  It is named for Pauline Weaver, an American mountain man who lived in the 1800s.  He was a military scout, trapper, prospector and explorer.  A number of geographic locations in Arizona have been named for him.  This formation is in the Superstition Mountains and is 1000 ft high.

Thanks, Vic!   You're the best!

Gourd Festival

This was the year of the 8th annual Wertz Gourd Festival which was held at the Pinal County Fairgrounds not far from us.  I had looked forward to this for a couple of months and it was so worth it!

The displays were too cute.

One building held all the entries in the competition for ribbons.  It's incredible what people can do with a simple gourd.  Below are several but not nearly all of those entries.  This is a very small sample of what was displayed.

Another building held the vendors of which there had to be at least 50.  They, of course, did not allow photography - drat.  We found almost anything that could be made from a gourd and all the tools for the trade.

This guy has his name on his chest - Flash Gourdon.   His feet are small gourds and he ran as the driver pedaled the bike.  Too funny and very creative!

And the rider is Gourd Washington

And, just in case there wasn't something from a vendor that you couldn't live without, there were thousands of gourds from which to choose.  Buy one or bushels of them to go.

                                                       

Dust Storm to Winter Storm

                  "..............you have not known what force resides in mindless things until you have known a desert wind"          Mary Austin

I think that quote and the following pictures say it all.

The storm that saturated southern California blew in and in no time the dust obscured everything.  The rain didn't follow for a few hours.

 

Because the valley air was brown with desert dust we headed for the mountains and Pioneer Pass.

  How pretty the trees were and the total difference in vegetation!  It's windy up there too but the dust hadn't made it that far - yet.

The fire couldn't have been too long ago as nothing has come back except mesquite from the roots of the burned stock.

The clouds descended quickly at 6300 ft elevation.

Then the sleet started.

As we descended the clouds did so too until we reached 4500 ft.

At this point they hovered just above us.