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Az88 Apache Trail: Apache Jct - Tortilla Flat s(u)

Approaches

From West. Superstition Blvd is one of those very rare roads that runs diagonal to the Phoenix grid pattern. The big blocks of the Superstition Mountains with their straight drop-offs seem to have a hypnotizing effect on me from the entire east end of this metro area. This road heads straight along the north-western edge of this house of a mountain. There is no shoulder on this road and traffic on the western part is fairly heavy, in order to serve all those retirement homes that have congregated around the bottom of this sight.

But once these homes are behind, so is most of the traffic. Steering wheels as well as handle bars get a lot more use after this. This is a very small climb, but you never know if that was it, or if there is another bump behind that next turn, behind that next  rock outcrop, under the vista of the next blinding rock, in order to lead just a few feet higher. Unfortunately a power line is present in just about every photograph I am tempted to take. But if that's reality, so be it.

From East. (described downwards) There are so many turns and bumps in the road, you forget if you are going up or down. But finally a new sight appears. a lake between the rocks with actual water in it, Canyon Lake.