Ventured Out For Adventure

Yesterday, I blogged about V-Day and today we ventured out for adventure in Arizona!  

 Hubby and I often do spur-of-the-moment trips to explore sites and experience new things.  Since we both have an interest in history, we often visit ruins of the Southwest.  Due to low humidity, these ruins remain intact and are hundreds of years old.  A couple of days ago we visited Casa Grande ruins and today we went to the Tonto Ruins.  In looking at the atlas, we thought we could get to the ruins off Hwy 88 - The Apache Trail.  So off we went.

It was a clear day with no clouds all day and the first site we saw on Hwy 88 north was this church at a museum with the Superstition Mountains in the background.

Went past Canyon Lake and since last time, it was cloudy, I got another photo.

Once we were past Tortilla Flats, we knew the road would become a gravel road. What we didn't know was that it was over 20 miles of gravel road and for a good distance, one lane, wash-boardy, with rickety-looking guardrails.  

Some rocky desert territory in Arizona

At the bottom of 10% decline, we stopped in the bottom of a canyon.  Liked the sun trying to peak over the mountain and the cave in the side.

The Saguaro Cactus is the "defining plants of the Sonoran Desert."  They grow to be 40 to 60 feet tall and live 150 to 200 years.   Some grow arms (up to 25) and others never grow arms. Just like humans, some have kids and others don't.  They are usually 95 to 100 years old before they grow arms.  They stand out in the desert landscape, so many of my photos feature them...they make a nice forefront focus for the distant mountains.

This one has lots of arms.

This one has a lot of baby arms

Hubby and I thought this looked like a Saguaro farm. 

Here is Apache Lake.

And another of Apache Lake with the road we traveled.

We kept waiting for the signs directing us to the Tonto Ruins and after we got on the main, paved  highway, there it was!  Of course, we could have gone the other way (quicker and paved roads) around to the ruins, but then we would have missed this adventure.  

No, I did not get all the way up to ruins.... it was a half mile walk UP 350 feet.  I got about halfway and was too winded and thirsty.  However, I did not waste my time.  Here's some cactus photos.

We have a lot more adventures planned, so tune in again!