Slide Show

Monday 10 February 2014

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS

Yesterday we went into town to go to the Mesa Market. This is like a huge Swap Meet located off Signal Butt on Baseline (http://mesamarket.com/)  address is 10550 E Baseline Rd Mesa AZ 85209 
This is what we got there :) 


Lots of cool stuff at the  Mesa Market
After the Market Alan met us back at camp and brought Mary his Mule for me to ride. We were going to do a little Mountain climbing in the Superstition mountains
The view through the ears of a Mule of The Superstitions

More about the Superstitions below

The Superstition Mountains, popularly called "The Superstitions", are a range of mountains in Arizona located to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are anchored by Superstition Mountain, a large mountain that is a popular recreation destination for residents of the Phoenix, Arizona area.
The mountain range is in the federally designated Superstition Wilderness Area, and includes a variety of natural features in addition to its namesake mountain. Weavers Needle, a prominent landmark and rock climbing destination set behind and to the east of Superstition Mountain, is a tall erosioned remnant[1] that plays a significant role in the legend of the Lost Dutchman's Gold MinePeralta Canyon, on the northeast side of Superstition Mountain, contains a popular trail that leads up to Freemont Saddle, which provides a very picturesque view of Weavers Needle. Miner's Needle is another prominent formation in the wilderness and a popular hiking destination.
As with most of the terrain surrounding the Phoenix metropolitan area, the Superstition Mountains have a desert climate, with high summer temperatures and a handful of perennial sources of water. The altitude in the more remote, eastern portion of the wilderness is higher than the western portion, which lowers temperatures slightly. Numerous hiking trails cross the mountains from multiple access points, including the Peralta Trailhead, the most popular.[2] The Lost Dutchman State Park, located on the west side of Superstition Mountain, includes several short walking trails.
The Superstition Mountains are bounded roughly by U.S. Route 60 on the south, State Route 88 on the northwest, and State Route 188 on the northeast.
The mountains were once known in Spanish as Sierra de la Espuma.


Superstition legends



The legend of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine centers around the Superstition Mountains. According to the legend, a German immigrant named Jacob Waitz discovered a mother lode in the Superstition Wilderness and revealed its location on his deathbed in Phoenix in 1891 to Julia Thomas, a boarding-house owner who had taken care of him for many years. Several mines have been claimed to be the actual mine that Waitz discovered, but none of those claims have been verified. The legends and lore of the Superstition Mountains can be experienced at the Superstition Mountain Museum on the Apache Trail where artifacts of the Lost Dutchman are on display.
Some Apaches believe that the hole leading down into the lower world, or hell, is located in the Superstition Mountains. Winds blowing from the hole are supposed to be the cause of severe dust storms in the metropolitan region.





At this point on the trail Ron waited with his horse and Alan and I rode the Mules as far as we could go up. 

Looking back at the view

Alan and his mule Foxy climbing higher and higher


Again looking behind us at the view

Yes there is a trail there and we did get the mules up past this.

Even higher we went

This was about the end of the line for the mules

 To the right it is straight down, the trail to the left  goes straight up.  Looks like this is about as far as a four legged animal can go.

Heading back down

We meet back up with Ron and went around the left side of the mountain




More beautiful views 

Got to love those ears

Back at camp as the sun goes down our cat Duma watches it

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