Phoenix, Arizona.

A note for my regular Cellpic Sunday contributors:
Lynn and I are in North Carolina this week visiting family. Our son and his wife live in a semi-rural area with minimal Internet service. Their cell phone coverage for our carrier is weak so my usual remote hot spot connection isn’t reliable. Please expect a delay in my responses to your comments and Cellpic Sunday responses. We will be home again in a couple of days.

Phoenix is located in a large, flat area that is known as the Valley of the Sun partly because it is ringed by several small mountain ranges. Probably the most well-known range is the Superstition Mountains which lie on the eastern boundary of the valley. Colocated with the Tonto National Forest, these beautiful volcanic mountains tower over the community of Apache Junction and draw thousands of adventure seekers each year for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities.

Though not particularly tall, these peaks top out at only 5,000 feet (1524 m) or so, the volcanic peaks are visible for many miles. Indeed, even on not-so-clear days, the Superstitions are visible from Buckeye at the extreme west end of the Valley of the Sun.

The Superstitions hold many secrets and many legends, probably the most enduring are the stories told of the Lost Dutchman Mine. According to legend, a lone prospector discovered a particularly rich stratum of gold. He worked in the mine until his death but the location of his find was lost to the ages when he died. Many have died in those mountains while searching in vain for those vast riches. It’s easy to start following the many trails from the west and south edges of the range, but hundreds have entered, never to return.

About the photo: As we flew just south of the mountain range, I recognized it immediately. It is, by air, only a few moments south and west of Canyon Lake. Captured by my Samsung S20U, I processed the image in Lightroom and Luminar Neo. The photo doesn’t do the mountains justice as our altitude tends to make the terrain look relatively flat. If you look to the left in the photo, you’ll see those incredibly small houses in the Apache Junction and Mesa communities. Only then can you get a realistic scale as to the size of these magnificent mountains. Click on the image above to view it in 2K HD on my Flickr site (and see the gallery of Cellpic Sunday images from this Flight to Phoenix series.)

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge-response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment.

John Steiner

Apache Junction, Arizona

This Travel Tuesday we take a break from our tour of Mazatlan. More from Mexico next Travel Tuesday. The first weekend of March found us east of the Phoenix metro area. Until the end of March, every weekend you can go back in time to the Renaissance at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Held every February and March weekend at Gold Canyon, Arizona; the festival attracts thousands to experience a glimpse of life in an earlier time. You can review my post from 2014’s festival here. This post contains two galleries; the first gallery focuses on our day at the festival. Click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.

The site of the festival is a little over an hour’s drive from our house in Buckeye, and it’s near many hiking trails that wind their way around and through the Superstition Mountains. Many stories focus on the lore of the Lost Dutchman Mine and Jacob Waltz. There is no doubt that Waltz had become a wealthy man, but he carried the secret of the source of his gold to his deathbed. The Lost Dutchman Mine and other much better documented mines in the Superstitions were the stuff of legend.

What better way to spend a weekend than to wander through the Renaissance Festival on Saturday and spend Sunday hiking in the Superstitions? We decided to use some accumulated reward points on a night in a hotel in Mesa, about 20 minutes from our desired hiking trail on Sunday morning.

We happened upon the Dutchman #104 Trail quite by accident. Our original goal would put us on the Peralta Trail. That trailhead would be easy to find from highway 60, a road sign indicates the turnoff only a short distance from the festival grounds. After our night in the hotel, we stopped at a convenience store, purchased some bottled water and a couple of fountain pop cups that we filled completely with ice. The ice and some of the water would go into the bladder in my backpack. The store clerk probably guessed our purpose for the ice-filled cups and asked what we were planning. We mentioned going hiking, and she immediately recommended the First Water Trail. After our conversation, we decided to head there instead of the Peralta Trail. As it turned out, Dutchman #104 trail connects First Water Trail and the Peralta Trail. Dutchman #104 is about 18 miles long, one way. Upon looking at the map at the First Water Trailhead, we decided to take Dutchman #104 toward Peralta Trail until we decided to return to our car. There is no fee for either access or parking at the First Water Trailhead, so on the weekend, unless you arrive early in the day, you can expect to park in the overflow parking area. A half-mile section of trail links the overflow area to the trailhead or you can hike along the road, a decidedly less scenic option. The second gallery features images taken along Dutchman #104. Click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.

John Steiner