Apache Trail

Now this was a good day.  No spending money on tires and service appointments, just spending money on stuff we want to spend it on.

Pat was up super early again for a quick coffee before refilling her mug and heading to the pool.  This time she met a bunch of women who, by the sounds of it, had a great time socializing and having fun.

I was back at the RV dusting and cleaning, making the bed and generally working hard.  Well, making the bed is true but otherwise I was doing trip planning for our return in 2025.  We have learned the hard way this year that doing things in an RV at different places is not at all like doing those things in a boat.  With the boat we typically had to plan around the weather to get from A to B and then anchor somewhere and enjoy.  The RV planning is a lot different.  There are so many retirees doing this there is huge demand on facilities, and if you don't book eight months to a year out you are not getting in to popular places.  So I am already working on spring 2025 return as well as the initial plan for 2025/26.

Pat returned around 0930 and we set off on a trip up in to the Superstition Mountains.  This was a great opportunity to get in to see the mountain up close and there is a storied road called the Apache Trail.  This was a route originally used by Apache Indians to get up into the Superstition Mountains.  Rather than me write a lot about the history of this trail and things to see, I provide this link of the Apache Trail.

We had a great day exploring the area and were impressed with how well the roads were maintained.  There is no question the road has a lot of switchbacks and tight turns but is good pavement and well marked.  Pat commented quite a few times about the ‘cliffy corners’ as the only thing about the road is there are no guardrails on the sides, rather just a single pole every fifty to hundred feet or so.  Going into the mountains she was mostly on the inside of the corners, but the return down was a different story.

We stopped at the Lost Dutchman Museum and had a great walk around.  The museum is very well done and it was well attended.  Of course there are the obligatory signs for snakes and other critters but we have been told they are all hibernating right now so Pat need not worry.

This chapel was used extensively and can still be used today for weddings, memorials, and other functions.

I think it is fairly obvious who the guy is in this picture, but we were told the unique thing about this movie was it was the only one in which he did not sing.  Anyone know the name of the movie?

This museum features a lot of the gold mining equipment and features of what it was like when the gold rush was at its height.  It is also the location for what was known as Apacheland Movie Studio.  Some executives in Hollywood wanted to create a set in as close to an authentic location as possible so built Apacheland on this location.  Throughout the years there were hundreds of movies and TV episodes filmed at this location.

The camera does not really do justice to how scenic the views are on this trail, but these two hopefully show some of the beauty.

We ended up about halfway up the trail at a place called Tortilla Flat.  This is a little community with apparently 6 residents and is the last of the original stagecoach stops along the trail.  There is a storied History of the community and today it has a post office, a saloon, hardware store and a small museum.  As a sign of how the community dealt with lawless types there is a jail that Pat unfortunately found herself stuck in, and a morbid example of what happens to those who cross the line.

Well that didn’t take long

We had planned on eating at the Saloon but there was a bus tour in that just about filled the place and it smelled like stale oil so we decided to take a pass on eating there and find somewhere authentic in town when we got back.

When we got in to town we wanted to find a proper Farmers Market so ended up at, what else, the Superstition Ranch Farmers Market.  What a worthwhile stop that was.  It was a Wednesday afternoon but the place was packed.  Kind of set up like a generic indoor market and had a similar feel to Orchard’s in North Bay, or Harvest Barn in St. Catharines.  The prices were very good.  Most everything there was local, but local here means Arizona, Southern California or Mexico.  The quality and selection were very good on most products and we will go back there again on Sunday to stock up before we head to Quartzite.

While there we asked one of the clerks where a really good local restaurant would be to eat.  He had only been here two years he said so didnt know any.  Kind of strange but then perhaps he doesnt dine out much.  He directed us to another guy who didn’t hesitate and told us to go to Hacker’s Grill.  We drove to the spot and, again, it was packed.  Got a seat fairly quickly, ordered, received the food and paid all within about a half hour or so.  Not that we were rushed but this place has it down pat on serving and moving people along.  No dawdling around at tables for the people who come here.  The food was excellent and prices were very good.  $4.50 for a beer and $9.80 for a hamburger and fries for me and $9.80 for a Patty Melt (of course) for Pat.

After we went to a local butcher for some fresh pork as that is the only type of meat we have not been able to stock in the freezer in a while.  $9.99 a pound for a rib loin roast bone-in.  For the last few years rather than buy chops I buy a rib loin roast, do it up on the bbq and cut each rib segment just before serving.  I find doing it that way the meat stays more moist and is cheaper than buying it from the store where you are paying a bit more to have the butcher cut the segments.

Thanks for reading.