AZ88 The old stage coach run

3/6/2014 What an incredible day. We went out to Apache Junction, AZ and got on AZ88. This little gem of a road winds forty four miles to Lake Roosevelt. It took us 4 HOURS! The first half of the road was paved to Tortilla Flats, we crossed over two small water crossings where the creek just ran over the road and then the road turned into dirt!! It was awesome, is an understatement if you like winding roads and great vistas. The only casualty were the back door struts on the Tahoe quit working so the door doesn't stay open.
The road closely follows the route built to move construction materials to build the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in 1906. Even the dam is impressive. The road was built by hand and I wished that I had taken one picture of the road where it bends around the side of a cliff. On one side is a massive rock outcrop that they chose to leave in place and dug out the hill behind it leaving almost a tunnel. There was a car behind us and I didn't stop but I thought that that one bend epitomized the hard work in the back breaking heat that those men did, carving the road by hand. 
A photo dump of the day.

We went out 17S to 10E to Apache Junction and got on 88. Returned through Globe on 188 and 60

Superstition Mountain outside Apache Junction

Superstition Mountain

Becky said these cactus looked fuzzy and cuddly on top from a distance. An up close inspection reveal lots of needles.  (Teddybear Cholla, Prickly Pear Cactus, bottom right )

You blogger doing the driving.

From an overlook down onto Canyon Lake. The first of three dammed lakes on the Salt.

At the top of the ridge stand Saguaro cactus, they stood sentinel on so many hills, like silent guardians of the desert. Or Indians massing for an attack. 

Patrick and Iris at canyon Lake where we had lunch. I have never seen Iris swim but she wanted those ducks something fierce. She got her bath for the day.

From an overlook near where the road become dirt. They had a paved walking path to a better vantage point. You can see the road winding down into the valley.

The road leads down into the valley and then further on into the hills beyond.

Blue-eyed grass (forgive me if I don't get these right)

Desert Globemallow

Becky loved photographing the flora and fauna or the desert and she bought some pamphlets to tell her what all the names of the vegetation were. (Cardinal Flower)

The builders stacked rocks to make the road bed.

The road runs along a ridge in the middle of this picture

Patrick decided he was going to cross the creek by hopping from stone to stone. Opps, he fell in and now his shoes are soaked.

We stopped along this creek in the bottom of the valley surrounded by cottonwoods and elms and other trees that feasted on the creeks life giving waters and with the engine shut down, it was totally silent. It was as if nothing had changed since the canyon had first formed. It was an all encompassing silence other than the babble of the water over the centuries old rocks. It could have been a hundred years ago or a thousand. 

Apache Lake. You can see a campground and marina at the bottom right of the lake.

After leaving AZ88, we turned onto 188 South. We stopped at Tonto National Monument. This is the houses that the Indians built up in the caves on the hillside. It was an hour to hike up and back and with wet shoes on the boy, we decided that we would come back another time. We got there just before the park closed also. 

It was a great day and Patrick was bored stiff from all the scenery looking. I wished I had a good dual sport bike. That would have been the best way to see the road. If you are in the Phoenix area and want a good day trip, I highly recommend this. There are plenty of hiking trails and access points into the Tonto National Forest off the road. The dirt road was a washboard at times and required, in my taste, more power to smooth the ride. We had fun! and we saw lots of cars, even Mustangs and Cameros on the road.