The Apache Trail is where, they say, the wild west still lives. It used to be a stagecoach route that passed through the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona, all the way to the Roosevelt dam, the largest masonry dam in the world. In its heydays, where there was gold in the Superstition Mountains, they say, it was a busy, busy, gravel road, passing through some incredible scenery. Now it is partly paved, partly gravel, but still wild and beautiful all the way.

On a rainy day in Phoenix, R and I started our drive down the Apache Trail. As you can guess, rain is not a habitual visitor to Phoenix, so we were on to some stroke of luck there, seeing the Apache Trail in a different light, so as to say. A few miles from Apache Junction near Phoenix, we came upon the incredibly beautiful Superstition Mountain, shrouded in a cloud, and looking stunning and mysterious. A few miles further was the “ghost town” of Goldfield. Well, a fake ghost town, to be precise, since now its really filled with fake everything: fake saloon, fake railroad, fake bordello, fake church, fake cowboys with strange (fake?) accents, even a fake mine. Its one of those tourist attractions designed to part you with your money. You will lose nothing if you give Goldfield a miss.

Goldfield mine

The last of the cowboys?

Further on the Apache Trail, the civilization kind of fades away, as you enter the beautiful hills. The hills were strange, with the rocks covered mostly with something green. Lichen, perhaps?

Scenery on the Apache Trail

The roads are steep, turning and twisting all the time. Somewhere we came across, down in the canyon floor, carcasses of rusty vehicles that had possibly gone over the precipice one foggy, rainy morning. We stopped to take a few pictures, and wondered whether it was part of one of the western movies we saw, where cars hurtle down the mountain side and explode into fireballs.

Vehicles in a canyon

After one of the many turns in the road, you come across the Apache Lake, a true jewel of a lake with vertical cliff faces on two sides. It was not as pristine as we would have liked to have seen, what with a marina, and boats parked. But if you could keep the eyesore of the marina out of your sight, it was a beautiful lake.

Apache Lake

And finally, we reached our destination for the day: Tortilla Flat; a privately owned town of population six. It has one of the most charming restaurants I have ever seen, with dollar-bills plastered all over the walls by happy customers. The “Killer Chili”, incredibly spicy, is highly recommended. So is the “Prickly Pear ice cream”. It was worth the drive on the Apache Trail.

At Tortilla Flat

At the Tortilla Flat restaurant

Detail from restaurant wall, Tortilla Flat

The road continues for miles after Tortilla Flat. We went past some flooded sections of road, till the road gave way to gravel. Now the sky was cloudy, it was drizzling, and, unfortunately, it was the time to turn back, because they had a jet waiting for us in Phoenix, and I had not heard from the pilot.

Which meant that they would be taking off on time this time.

Flooded road past Tortilla Flat

When we arrived at Tonto National Monument, tucked far away from Phoenix in a bowl of red rocks and clay, the sun was high up in the sky. It was nice and mild though, with cool air blowing, befitting the early spring atmosphere. We were on the Apache Trail, a route that goes around, and sometimes, through, the Superstition Mountains to the east of Phoenix. Its wild, rugged country, desert-like, and largely empty; stone’s throw away from some Indian reservations.

So, there we were, R and I, having driven the Apache Trail halfway around the Superstition mountains, making it a day with no specific agenda, but only to see what Arizona has to bring. The Apache Trail is, to put it using cliched words, simply beautiful. It goes through mountain passes, and continuously changing landscape. And yes, lakes! in Arizona.

Tonto National Monument preserves old Salado Indian dwellings, dating back some seven hundred years. Its on the mountain side right by the Roosevelt Lake, a rather large water body, created by damming the Salt River with Roosevelt Dam, the largest masonry dam in America. Even before the dam, when this area was populated by the Indians, the Salt River provided the much needed life-giving water. It appears to have sustained a few thousand Salado Indians in its heyday. Then, from what is known, around 1450 there was a catastrophic flood which prompted a migration of the Salados away from the Tonto Basin area. Today, down on the Tonto Basin, is the small village of Roosevelt, occupied by those who came after. From the highway, the village looked rather non-descript, a collection of mobile homes or some such; so we decided to skip it.

Tonto National Monument visitor center

There are two sets of Indian dwellings in Tonto National Monument: the lower and the upper. You can only get to the upper dwellings as part of a tour that starts at 10 in the morning. So we got to hike up to the lower dwellings, a nice short hike of half a mile, gaining some 300 feet in the process. The dwellings are in a large recess on the side of the mountain. They are largely broken, plundered and defaced by those who arrived after the Indians have left. These people left their mark everywhere, inscribing their names on the wooden poles. Tonto dwellings were incorporated into National Monument only in 1916; by then, a lot of damage has already been done.

The lower dwellings at Tonto National Monument

Inside a dwelling

The remains of a house

Cooking implements used by the Salado Indians

We spent a long time among the ruins, trying to imagine what it must have been those hundreds of years ago, looking down out of the window of these beautiful dwellings. The view from there was splendid, with tall mountains with Saguaros all around, and the lake in the distance. I could have stayed there forever.

But the Apache Trail beckons. As Tonto slowly moved farther away in my rear-view mirror, I felt closer to those people from thousand years ago, whom I have never seen, but I know that they lived a simple life, close to nature, and in harmony with it.

And we, the people from a thousand year later, have chosen a very different path.

The drive was boring, to say the least. (Note to myself: while driving in desert, avoid freeways). It is featureless, unexciting landscape. The only excitement on the way was provided by the aggressive driving of the eighteen-wheelers, who seemed intent on ruling all lanes of the freeway. I had to remind myself many times over: this is Arizona, the last bastion of the Wild West.

We reached Saguaro National Park (west) by noon. As national parks go, Saguaro is less than impressive. It’s smaller, and the landscape is not what I will call awe inspiring. But it was an interesting place nevertheless. It was nice and cool on this February afternoon, but awfully bright under a cloudless sky. We decided to drive the length and breadth of the park first, before embarking on any hiking. We took the dirt road (Bajada loop drive) that runs through the park. That really got us close to the Saguaros that grow in abundance near the center of the park.

Kinney road through the park, with red hills in the distance

A dirt road (Bajada Loop drive) through the park

We took our time to inspect some Saguaros here. Got to learn some interesting facts too.

• Saguaro is pronounced Sah-wah-row
• Saguaros typically live some 150-200 years.
• They typically start their early growth in the shade of Mesquite trees, so as to be able to withstand the heat.
• Saguaros are some 85% water.
• A fully grown Saguaro can be as heavy as 8 tonnes.
• Some birds make their home in the Saguaro.
• Most Saguaro arms grow upwards, except when there is a lot of frost or snow. In cold conditions, the arms may move downwards; but when the weather gets warmer, they move upwards again. In extreme cases, you can get an ‘inverted’ Saguaro.
• Saguaros can grow upto 50 feet tall.
• In its lifetime, a Saguaro can produce upwards of 40 million seeds. Perhaps only one of these seeds, at best, will result in a full-grown cactus

R by an 'inverted' Saguaro

Close-up of a Saguaro

Somewhere in our travels through the backroads of Saguaro National Park, we came across the canonical Western movie scene; the lone Saguaro holding tall against the bright sun! Reminded me of the movie ‘High Noon’.

High noon!

While we were driving on the Golden Gate Road (another dirt road through the park) we came across a picnic area that had a nice little shed built on top a small mound. It looked inviting. We decided to spend some time there. Turned out that it provided us with the right backdrop for our ‘Wild West Cowboy’ shots, with the mandatory silhouette et al. : )

Fake cowboy #1

Fake cowboy #2

R and I spent a considerable amount of time there, just playing cowboy, looking at the birds that came visiting, listening to their chirps, or just enjoying the cool desert air and the scenery. A memorable hour well spent.

Finally, we decided to drive to the ‘Signal Hill’, where, a small hike later, we were looking at ancient petroglyphs carved on the broken rocks strewn all around. Being on top of the hill you get to have a wide-angle view of the park, slowly fading away into the distant mountains.

Petroglyphs on top of Signal Hill

A panoramic view of the desert

We took a long drive through the park, and went into the Tucson Mountain County park, and came across the ‘Old Tucson Studios’, which played a role (sic!) in some great western movies of yore. It was kind of late in the day, and we wanted to see the sunset, so we gave the studios a pass.

When we got back to the visitor center, it was closing for the day. Nearly all the visitors (mostly elderly people, for some reason) left at the same time. We decided to take the Cactus Garden trail, and wait for the sunset. Glad we did. It was a splendid sunset, with red and orange and yellow spilled all over the sky.

A Cholla sunset

The sun sets over the desert

The desert never fails to amaze me. I feel a certain closeness to the desert, to its rawness, its harshness, its gentleness, but most of all to its beauty. I wondered whether in my next birth I would like to be a Saguaro, standing tall, looking after the land, and be witness to the beauty that every sunrise and every sunset brings to this splendid Earth of ours.

So I gave vent to my feelings, and hugged a Saguaro.

My brother in next birth.

Have you hugged a Saguaro today?

We drove in from Grand Canyon to Sedona, through some winding roads, from a land of snow to a land of lush green, and beautiful, blinding red. As you come down the mountains into a gorge, and then the hills open up to reveal Sedona, it literally takes your breath away. Its a jewel of a town, tucked into a Red Rock bowl.

We arrived when the sun was setting. Its perhaps the most beautiful time to be in Sedona. The western sky was catching fire. From our vantage point on Airport Mesa, we saw one of the most memorable sunsets.

A Sedona sunset

Sun sets over Sedona hills

The city of Sedona after dark

At the Airport Mesa, we got to know about the ‘Vortex’ that Sedona is famous for. I quote from Sedona Tourism Guide: “Sedona is also internationally known for the uplifting power of its Vortex meditation sites. Two aspects of those sites make Sedona truly special. First, within a very small geographical radius you can easily access all the different types of vortexes (upflow/masculine/electric, inflow/feminine/magnetic, or combination/electromagnetic, etc.) Second, the Vortex sites are interwoven with the real world of a growing city. As a result, seekers have experiences in how to live their spirituality as they go through their daily lives. Rather than having to escape from civilization to find peace, visitors discover that Sedona’s splendor gives them insights for how to create an inner harmony they can maintain once at home.” This theory was explained to us in all detail by Alice, whom we met on the Airport Mesa, as we were waiting for the sunset, along with a large number of people. It was an interesting exchange, us being mostly the listeners of this eclectic theory. Along with the Unified Vortex Theory, we got to know about the celebrities (such as Sharon Stone) who have made Sedona their home in search of the New Age salvation.

A conversation at the Airport Mesa

R, A and M, Bathed in Sedona sunset

The vortices are believed to be strong in many places around the city of Sedona. We were told specifically of two places to visit. Boynton Canyon, to the north, and Bell Rock, to the south. So the next day, we left in the morning for Boynton Canyon. Glad we did. It turned out to be a beautiful place, definitely a place to be if ever you are sucked into a vortex. We found two hills, one representing the masculine and the other the feminine vortex. The view from there was astounding. Reminded me of the old Western movies I have seen; and for good reason, apparently hundreds of Westerns have been shot around Sedona.

At Boynton Canyon

Wild West, anyone?

Next on our way was Bell Rock. This Bell-shaped rock is to the south of Sedona, near the village of Oak Creek. Its right by the highway, but you can get to it via a trail. Bell Rock is considered to the seat of one of the most powerful vortices. Spirituality, even if in a commercial way, was everywhere. At the parking lot, you could buy copies of “Bhagavad Gita” and other Hindu spiritual scriptures.

We took a leisurely walk down the trail to the hill, and R did a bit of rock climbing. But, by then, the delicious ‘Chicken Mole’ we had for lunch in Casa Bonita in downtown Sedona was working its magic on us … so no one was particularly interested in hiking to the top of the Bell Rock. If we did, may be we would have known what it means to be at the center of a vortex. But for now, I will keep that for another visit to Sedona.

Thats one thing I am certain of: we are going back.

At the Bell Rock

Climbing up the Bell Rock

Hawaii has that effect on you. Its truly a paradise on earth. Far from most other landmasses, it has its own species of plants and animals that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. It has its own volcanoes, its rain-forests, its ocean, its fabulous beaches, its deserts (yes, even that!), its mountains. What Hawaii does not have is that incredible sense of hurry and purpose that characterize the people over most of the civilized world. May be that’s what I liked about Hawaii. There is a sense of being away. In your little big island.

Enough said.

Ah! what a life!

Gotta go back. Soon. : )

And, then, quite accidentally, we found Kona Joe.

Glad we did. It definitely was one of the most beautiful coffee estates I have ever seen. What a view from the verandah of the coffee tasting room.

A view of 'Kona Joe's coffee estate

The tasting room was, well, tastefully decorated. I tried the ‘100% Kona’ blend, and it was quite nice and light, with a faint hint of aged oak ( I made the last part up, to sound like a coffee aficionado ). We met up with a Brazilian boy, who was interning at the coffee estate as part of his Agricultural studies. He wanted to know if I was Brazilian, because I had a cap with ‘Brasil’ written on it, a souvenir from my visit to Rio couple of years back. ‘Obrigado’, I said, but no, I am not a Brazilian.

Back to the coffee. It was real nice coffee. I heard that they grow coffee on trellis, just like grapes are grown. In fact, they use a lot of wine growing techniques in coffee growing. May be that explains the taste?

Another interesting thing there was the ‘Barack O’ blend of coffee, honoring the Big O.

We hung around the coffee estate for an hour, enjoying the nice sea breeze, and soaking in the great view down to the ocean.

Passing the time in 'Kona Joe's coffe estate

I was wondering whether they had a position open for a farm hand! Or, may be, I could redesign their software system, or, perhaps, their webpage? Kona Joe’s would be a great place to spend some time. May be I will even begin to love coffee!

Kona Joe's new farm hand!

While leaving, I saw a great painting outside the tasting room. Learned that Deepa Alban, “Kona” Joe Alban’s wife is a painter, and these were her paintings. A great place to live and paint, for sure. Inspiration must be brewing, and on tap, all the time!

A painting at 'Kona Joe's

Kilauea is a stuff of legends. In Hawaiian mythology, Kilauea is where most of the conflict between the volcano goddess Pele and the rain god Kamapua’a took place. Pele is revered all over Hawaii Big Island. Some lava formations are named after her, such as Pele’s tears (small teardrop shaped lava droplets) and Pele’s hair (thin, brittle strands of volcanic glass).

The trail begins at the Kilauea Iki overlook, up on the rim of the crater, some 500 feet above what was once a lava lake. Now, of course, after some fifty years, it is covered with a thick crust of solidified lava, perhaps a hundred feet thick. The lava is grey to black in color, and the appearance of the place is that of classic bleak post-apocalyptic landscape.

The rim of the crater has a lush rainforest. As you start on your way down to the base of the crater, you see some interesting plants, such as the fiddlehead fern. Its pleasant walk down to the crater base.

M on the Kilauea Iki trail

At the distance you can see the Halema’uma’u crater of Kilauea caldera, in all its sulfurous glory. Volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide has been spewing from that crater since its last eruption in 1983. Halema’uma’u crater is out-of-bounds for hikers, but the Kilauea Iki is considered safe enough for us to get up close and personal with steaming vents.

The Kilauea caldera in the distance

Down on the crater floor, its dark gray everywhere. Huge cracked chunks of solidified lava jut out all over. The appearance is one of complete and mindless destruction. You can see steam rising in the distance from what appears to be a stress zone on the crater floor. It’s a desolate landscape, but there is sign of new life sprouting out of the lava! You see a some green plants sticking out of the gray lava, trying make their way into an inhospitable world. It was nice to see this process of regeneration.

Steam rises in the distance

A desolate landscape

We finally got close enough to feel the heat of the volcano, even if only mildly. There were steam vents all around near the center of the crater, and we checked them out. The steam coming out was pretty hot. Lucky none of us burned ourselves!

Investigating ... investigating ...

Keeping warm

Its steamin' hot!

The Lava King poses for a portrait

We reached the end of the crater floor finally. It was the time to look back and marvel at the enormity of all, and try to visualize what it must have been like when it was a boiling lava lake not so long ago. Makes you appreciate the vast scale of nature, and our relative insignificance.

Looking back to where we came from

We were at the edge of rainforest, and started up the trail to get to the top of the crater wall, which would take us to the Thurston Lava Tube. Then it was short walk along the rim to the Kilauea Iki parking.

Back to the rainforest

Up the hill

As we reached the parking spot, some tourists who were watching the Kilauea Iki crater from the overlook, got talking to us. Some of them were old, and could not possibly hike down to the crater floor. One of them said, “You guys look like you were down there” … perhaps it showed on our faces. The excitement of walking on an active volcano crater floor is a memory I will cherish for a long time.

The next time Kilauea erupts, I hope I am around to see it.

We were in Hilo, Big Island, in the “Old Hawaiian Bed and Breakfast”, which was very close to the rainbow falls state park, so on the day we were leaving Hilo, we decide to go see the Rainbow falls and the so called “Boiling Pots”. These two places were within a mile of each other, and, in fact, on the same Wailuku river.

Rainbow falls is 80 feet high, small as waterfalls go. Its quite pretty, no doubt, even when not framed by any rainbows. It flows over a lava cave, for underneath the ledge there is a gaping opening which vanishes in the darkness, as far as I could see. Legend has it that the cave is the abode of Hawaiian goddess Hina.

Rainbow falls at Hilo, Hawaii

You can take a short trail up to the upper reaches of the falls, where there is another lookout. The striking feature there is a collection of rather large trees. The river upstream of the falls looked rather calm. I suspect that after a huge downpour it may look rather different, though.

At upper Rainbow falls lookout

We also went to see the “Boiling Pots”, about a mile upstream. This is where the river gets all frothy passing through some minor lava gorges.

Boiling pots in Hilo, Hawaii

There were some tourists there, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Some kind souls took a picture of us for the records.

R, M and A at the Boiling Pots, Hilo

If you don’t have that much time in Big Island, you may as well give these two attractions a miss. They do not measure up either in scale, or beauty, to other Hawaii water shows, such as the Akaka falls.

But first lets get done with the basic science of lava tube. What are lava tubes? When lava flows down the side of a volcano, it comes in contact with air, and cools. The top of the lava stream soon starts to form a solid crust, while the lava lower down remains hot. Soon, this provides the inner hot lava a great conduit to flow long distances without getting cooled, since the outer crust acts as an insulator. Finally, when the lava flow stops, it drains out, leaving a hollow tube. Lava tubes can be a few feet long, or can extend miles. One of the lava tubes off the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is estimated to be some 30 miles or more long.

The Thurston lava tube is shorter in comparison, extending a mere 500 feet or so, near the Kilauea volcano on Big Island. The trail into the lava tube starts from a parking lot off the Chain of Craters road in the Volcanoes National Park. The path is beautiful, as it passes through a rainforest.

The trail to the Thurston Lava Tube

R and M at the entrance of the Thurston Lava Tube

Soon, you descend the trail to enter the tube. The lava tube is split into two parts. The first part, which is short, is lit by low intensity lighting, and is generally meant for the tourists to get a feel of what the inside of a lava tube looks like. The tube is rather wide at this place, perhaps even 15 ft or more. It zig-zags under the ground like a river, and provides rather interesting views of being in an winding tunnel.
There are pools of water at places, presumably from the omnipresent rain. There are also tree roots dangling from the ceiling at places. Overall, a nice walk underground. Way safer than New York subway, though.

Soon you need to come out of the first part of the tunnel. For most tourists, the trail ends here. There is a second part of the lava tube here, separated by a gate, and the mandatory warning sign. If you have good flashlights, and are keen for some adventure, you may as well brave the dark tunnel. When I say dark, I really mean dark. Very, very dark. As in the absence of all light.

Its dark in here, in the second part of the tunnel!

But, of course, you have your own flashlight to show you the way. You can do one of two things at this time, like we did. First, you can stop, and just look back. It looks like a black wall. If thats not enough, you can turn off your flashlights, and soak in the darkness, and the stillness. Its eerie.

Into the dark unknown!

Somewhere inside we met up with some other people whose flashlight was not giving out enough light, so they wanted to know if they could go along with us. Surprising, or may be not, they were from San Francisco, California. They helped take a picture of us in the dark!

Somewhere deep inside the lava tube

R had his powerful super-duper headlamp on, and investigated the lava rock wall. It was rough. The rough lava on the wall is called ‘Nahuku’ in Hawaiian.

R checks out the lava tube wall

There was a depression in the tunnel at some point, so we stopped and turned around at that place. I suspect some hundred feet more of the tunnel was left. A picture taken in the dark showed signs of some other people in the tube.

Intrepid souls

Finally, we got back to light. There were others near the entrance, contemplating the hike. I guess our faces, all lit up from our little adventure, inspired them to embrace the dark side too.

At the exit to the lava tube

Once outside, you are surrounded, not by darkness, but by greenery. A lovely green rainforest awaits you outside.

The rainforest outside

Glad to be outside the lava tube. But will go back there again.

We had plans to go to Akaka Falls State Park near Hilo, before we drive off to the Volcanoes National Park to the south of Big Island. R was feeling a bit under the weather, and decided that he is going to just sleep at the back of the car all the way. He was conserving his energy for seeing the volcanoes.

From highway 19, also called the Hawaii Belt Road, we took the left turn to Highway 220 about 8 miles north of Hilo. The road passes through a wonderful little town called Homomu, which looks every inch like a western town. Do check out Ed’s Bakery there. It has some mean ‘Molten Lava’ passion-fruit (Lilikoi, in Hawaiian) jam that you must taste. Its great stuff!

The turn to Akaka falls

The road to Akaka Falls goes through some old sugarcane plantations, in fact the only sugarcane plantations we saw in Big Island.

On the way to Akaka falls, through sugarcane plantations

Akaka falls is in a majestic setting, like Hawaiian waterfalls are apt to be. Its a straight 442 feet drop, and is surrounded by a lush green rainforest. Its obvious that it rains a lot in that area, since even the rocks around the waterfall looked green! The rainforest had some exotic Hawaiian plants.

Its a very short hike to the viewing area, roughly at the same level as the top of waterfall, but across from it. You get a great view of the gorge into which the falls plunge, completely unobstructed. In Hawaiian, Akaka means a split, in this case a split in earth. Its obvious why its called so when you see the falls.

A closer look at the spray

There were quite a few people there at the viewing area, so we did the usual touristy thing of asking someone to take a picture of us, and in return taking a picture of them.The picture actually came out fine (a lot of times it does not because of camera shake). Looks like M is attempting to push back my belly. Hmmm. Some gym days are in order, I guess. The great Hawaiian breakfast at the hotel has spoiled me no end!

M and A near Akaka Falls

Walking back through the rainforest, I caught sight of a set of trees, covered head to toe with overgrowth. Looked to me like a group of tree people reaching skyward. A hangover from watching the ‘Lord of the Rings’ over and over again, I suppose. Who can forget the memorable ‘treebeard’?

The tall tree people?

On the way out, looking back from the top of the stairs, I saw a bunch of tourists (just like me) crossing a bridge. Didn’t realize that there were these many tourists there. Akaka does get a lot of tourists, being close to Hilo, and being very accessible. Its also a very minimal hike to the falls and back, so its just the right kind of touristic place that you will possibly find captured in many digital cameras.

The touristas!

Overall, Akaka Falls is a must see, since it gives a very reasonably good idea about Hawaii rainforests, even if from a safe distance. For the more adventurous, I assume there are better hiking opportunities around the falls, though I could not find any signs of that in the Akaka Falls state park. I am sure intrepid hikers can find ways to get up close and personal with Akaka falls following some hidden trail, but that will have to wait for a later time!

You can see some photos on my Flickr page too.