Roosevelt Lake, Arizona

Today we drove up to Globe and then to Roosevelt Lake.  I took the camera and snapped a few shots of the Arizona afternoon on the lake...

The dam doesn't seem like much from this side, and it has been extended quite a bit higher in more recent years.....

On the back side, you can see how much of a big project this really was.  Again this dam has been rebuilt all the way down the back side, which makes the dam seem really new..

After leaving the back side of the dam, we decided to take the back way back to Apache Junction.  Its a gravel road!  That's kind of interesting since it is officially marked as state road 88.  The gravel begins right behind where I was standing to take the picture above.

Much of the road is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time, but we never had to back up anywhere as we could mostly see when someone was approaching from the opposite direction.  The road clings to the cliff sides of the mountains and follows the creek inlets into switchbacks.  Meanwhile the salt river snakes along several hundred feet below.

At times the river is dammed again creating canyon and saguaro lakes.  The water fills the canyons at the foot of the mountains in these locations.  The road is washboarded and deeply rutted in every turn, jarring the suspension of the car to its very core.

 Loyce tired of the experience fairly quickly and badgered me as to why we hadn't gone back on the much longer pavement, but we wouldn't have had the experience in the mountains that way......

After enduring about 22 miles of this nasty ride at about 15 miles an hour, much of it in second gear, suddenly the road becomes paved again just outside of Tortilla Flat. The road is still too twisty to increase your speed much over 25, but at least it is now smoother.

Not too fare East of Tortilla Flat is the Fish Creek Hill and Canyon.  I found this video on You Tube taken by folks traveling East toward the dam. Its six minutes, but after about 2 minutes the road narrows to the cliff hanging one lane experience and then they meet a car coming from the other way.

It is too bad that their little video camera wasn't capable of taking the enormously beautiful canyon as they crossed the little one lane bridge at the bottom.  There was absolutely no where to park, so I was unable to get any pictures.

I know Loyce was very relieved to reach the pavement, and I am certain she will not let me go again with her along for the ride anyway.........

Retired Rod