After parting with my friend David at the near-ghost town of
Bowie, Arizona and driving through the San Carlos Indian Reservation, I arrived
at the small but impressive Tonto National Monument above Lake Roosevelt. A beautiful walk uphill from the visitor center took me to the 700-year-old cliff dwelling of the Salado People who grew corn, beans, and squash in the valley below. They moved into defensible cliff dwellings as the climate changed and foodstuffs had to be protected from marauders. A single retractable ladder led up to the dwellings.
I had the ruins to myself except for Cassandra, a Park Service archeologist who watches over this treasure.
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| Theodore Roosevelt dedicating the largest masonry dam in the world in 1911 |
Back at my car, I drove to the 1911-built dam that was dedicated by Theodore Roosevelt and named after him in 1959. Then I drove the twenty-mile-long unpaved section of the scenic Apache Trail, which I had mostly to myself as the sun set. The last stretch was a bit intimidating as it climbed up a cliffside with guard rails that looked like they were from 1911! I made it safely to my motel in Mesa, Arizona in time for a late dinner.
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| Near-ghost town of Bowie, AZ |
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| On the Rez at Geronimo |
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| Smokey and Old Ranger on the Rez |
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| Climbing up to Tonto Cliff Dwelling |
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| Visiting with the ghosts of Peoples Past who were born and died here |
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| Reservoir side of the dam |
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| The Salt River side of the dam |
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| Hopeful beginning of the Apache Trail |
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| 1911-era bridge? |
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| I reached the highpoint of the Apache Trail at sunset |
