Four Peaks and the Apache' Trail

The weatherman predicted a 50 percent chance of Monsoon storms over most of Central Arizona for this past Sunday. Undaunted, we pressed on towards another trip over the Four Peaks mountain range to Lake Roosevelt. Yes, the skies were black and at times a stray rain drop or two made it all the way to the ground before becoming instant vapor. Very ominously a Western Diamond Back slithered across our path, the first I've seen since moving to Arizona four years ago. As we crossed the last ridge to Roosevelt Lake, the view was breathtaking and by the time we reached water's edge for a picnic, the sun was peaking through the clouds.
I attempted to get Hilda to go swimming, as she hadn't been that close to so much water since two years earlier at Lake Nacimiento. Even though she had been a real "water dog" then, that was then and this was now, and she wasn't having anything to do with all that wet stuff.
From the lake we traveled back on the Apache' Trail, which was originally built for workers and supplies to create Roosevelt Dam beginning in 1903 and completed in 1911. Much of the "road" appears to changed very little since 1903. Nearly forty miles of steep, winding, single lane dirt road passes through dense forests of saguaro and ferocactus. On this trail, on that day, we passed more trucks towing huge trailers and boats than I've seen on most interstate highways.
On passing through Tortilla Flat, Goldfield, and Apache' Junction we intersected route 60 and made a beeline to the outskirts of Superior. Just a very short trip back another dirt trail less than a mile from route 60, is the grave site of Mattie Earp, Wyatt's second wife. There it was, in the middle of a hill overlooking a majestic valley below, a carefully tended to and thoughtfully decorated monument. In this place one could touch the Old West.
Once again, Hilda and I were very reluctant to return home.