Saturday we drove on the Apache Trail in the Superstition Mountains. This trail once served as a stage coach and freight wagon route from Mesa to Globe. Lots of wild west stories have come out of this area where once Indians,cowboys and miners roamed. This was a beautiful drive with rugged canyon vistas,towering saguaro cacti,and desert wildflowers. There are three lakes in these mountains and we had a picnic lunch by one of them,which was Canyon Lake-I have a picture here of that lake. Speaking of saguaro,we have heard a fascinating fact regarding them and other cactus. They begin growing next to a nurse tree-which you can see in the picture I have here. That is a palo verde tree next to it. Unfortunately,over time the cactus will suck all the water from its nurse and cause it to die. We turned off the Apache Trail at Tortilla Flats and drove to Casa Grande Ruins(pictured here). These ruins are the tallest and most massive of Hohokam Indian buildings,dating from the 1300s. While we were viewing this area a group of Native Indians walked silently around the largest building three times,not viewing the ruins but looking at the ground as they walked. They left as quietly as they came. The park service ranger said this group makes that religious pilgrimage once a year when the weather gets cooler.
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