We took a break from our snowbird hibernation and headed into the Superstition Mountains east of Apache Junction, AZ. There was desert everywhere and all of a sudden a large blue reservoir appeared, complete with a big marina and dozens of boaters on the water.
Canyon Lake was created by the Mormon Flat Dam on the Salt River. I suspect the lake is covered with people in the heat of the Phoenix summers.
I liked the look of the dry grasses mixed with cacti covering the colorful rocky hills!
Except for the parked cars, Tortilla Flat, AZ, could have been right out of the 1880's. The mannequin hanging from a noose in front of one of the stores did not give it a very inviting feeling and we chose to keep moving.
Joani is always looking for the odd angle or extreme close-up to give her compositions a unique look. She very often finds things that I probably would have overlooked.
The interior vascular system was all that remained of this large, long dead, decaying cactus...
...spread out on the desert floor.
I think the Saguaro below was feeling lonely and decided to give himself a hug.
The yellow-green tint to the hills was very pronounced and warranted a close-up inspection. We found the color was due to sun-loving lichen clinging to the rock.
The low angle of the winter sun lends a dramatic look to the Saguaro, outlining them with light. The backlit Cholla cacti positively "glow"!
On our return, the Goldfield Ghost Town, just off North Apache Trail (Hwy 88) was more inviting than the town of Tortilla Flat and there was a lively crowd of people milling around, so we decided to spend a little time exploring. Sam walked with us right into an old west "shoot-out". All of the gunfire made him pretty skittish, but it only lasted a few minutes and he was back sniffing everything almost as soon as the last bad guy bit the dust.
Opportunities for artsy shots were everywhere . . .
As I was admiring the old rusted typewriter, a young boy approached and asked me what it was. Boy, did I feel old!
We were all worn out, even though there had been very little hiking - it will take a while to get back into shape for some real hiking next spring.
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