We had a relaxing start to the day. We weren't going out until around 11:30, so we putted around doing this and that. Steve went out for a walk and took a few pictures of the campground...it has pretty well cleared out after the Thanksgiving long weekend...
This end site next to Ray and Deb is large with 180 degree water views...
Shortly before 11:30 we all piled into Ray and Deb's car and were off to Superior, AZ...for lunch and a little sightseeing. It was a beautiful drive as we took highway 188 towards Globe and then turning south on highway 60 through Queen Canyon to Superior. Globe is a mining town with several mines nearby...
Superior...
We stopped at the Caboose Visitor Center in Superior and got out to take a look.
Superior began as a mining town with the Hub Mine claim in 1875 filed by W. Tuttle and the Irene Mine claim filed by P. Swain in 1876. These claims, together, became known as the Silver Queen Mine and by 1910 were owned by Colonel Boyce Thompson and renamed the Magma Copper Company.
Lunch was at Porter's Cafe...a very cool little restaurant (thanks for the pictures, Ray)
After a delicious lunch, it was time to get back in the car and retrace our route home...making numerous stops for Ray and Steve to take pictures. The main attraction was 'Apache Leap' but first we took a little drive around the small community.
The guys went to a bridge just past this cool looking motel to get a picture of Apache Leap. Only half of it was visible...
On the eastern side of Queen Creek Canyon is Apache Leap Mountain, towering cliffs streaked with red, where Apaches are supposed to have jumped rather than face the humiliation of surrendering to U.S. Troops.
Queen Creek Bridge...
We're now on the other side of the bridge looking back at Apache Leap...
The Queen Creek Tunnel is a 1,217-foot-long tunnel on US 60 in the Superstition Mountains, just east of Superior, Arizona. Completed in 1952, the Queen Creek Tunnel links Phoenix with Safford by way of Superior and Globe/Miami.
From the back seat!
Looking back at the tunnel...
Another fabulous day seeing the sights of the area!
We enjoyed our last campfire and sunset together...tomorrow we are parting ways for a couple of weeks. Deb and Ray have invited us to join them for a week of "lights and sights" in the Phoenix area before Christmas, so we are meeting up again at Lost Dutchman State Park.
A funny thing happened while sitting around the campfire. Steve was just telling Ray and Deb about the red bird we saw on our hike yesterday, and just then one mysteriously appeared...a red Cardinal! That was very bizarre as none of us had seen one in the campground before. See it sitting on the satellite dish?
We have had a great time with Ray and Deb over the past month...seeing some absolutely wonderful places! A lot of which we wouldn't have been able to see because the roads are too rough for our truck or our truck is too big to take on the roads...thank you Ray and Deb, you are wonderful tour guides!
