Out on the Apache Trail

We are beginning to have a fairly acute case of cabin fever, so we decided to just take a drive out into the desert today. We drove north of Mesa on the Apache Trail Highway towards the Superstition Mountains.

This is the area of Arizona where the infamous Lost Dutchman mine is supposed to be located.

There are some very ancient and beautiful saquaros --

We saw a Gila Woodpecker working on a cactus skeleton --

A Curve-Billed Thrasher watched us from on top of a sign --

The scenery in this part of the desert is beautiful --

 We saw lots and lots of saguaros --

Some showed the ravages of time --

This male Phainopepla is one of many we saw --

This little Mountain Chickadee was part of a small flock at a trailhead --

These cholla cacti looked to be thriving -- and ready to drop starts for new cacti --

We saw just this one female Phainopepla --

The layers of sedimentary rock sure show on this pillar --

It was 80 degrees and breezy this afternoon. It was a perfect afternoon for a drive.