Apache Junction Arizona 3-20 Jan 2025
- ahschneid
- Jan 20
- 9 min read
The second half of our month in Apache Junction AZ has flown by as much as the first even though the holidays were behind us. We’ve observed that this is the most active 55+ park we’ve stayed in. It’s really nice to have so many activities to choose from and we’ve taken them up on a few hikes and nature walks, as well as a couple of potlucks, and Steve even tried out water volleyball one afternoon. We’ve enjoyed the pickleball courts the whole time we’ve been here and we’ll miss the gang that plays most mornings with us.
Steve tried his luck with fishing one day at Saguaro Lake and Salt River. Saguaro Lake is the fourth reservoir on the Salt River, formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam. He didn’t catch anything but it was a beautiful day and soul-nourishing to be near water. We really enjoyed that area and would likely go there again if we were here longer. On our way home that day, we stopped off at the Weavers Needle Vista Viewpoint. Weavers Needle was still pretty far away, but we could see it.
Saguaro Lake/Salt River 3 Jan 2025
Sora Rail bird
Saguaro Lake/Salt River 3 Jan 2025
American Widgeon
Saguaro Lake/Salt River 3 Jan 2025
Saguaro Lake/Salt River 3 Jan 2025
Saguaro Lake/Salt River 3 Jan 2025
Desert Belle Steamboat
Weavers Needle Vista Viewpoint 3 Jan 2025
Superstition Mountains at Weavers Needle 3 Jan 2025
Weavers Needle Vista Viewpoint 3 Jan 2025
Weavers Needle Vista Viewpoint 3 Jan 2025
That's Weavers Needle in the distance...
One evening we walked out to see the colors change on Superstition Mountain at sunset. It was amazing how quickly it happens once it starts.
Sunset on Superstition Mountain
We went out for a Mexican dinner one night with Dave and Carolyn, pickleball players from Minnesota and Pia, a horse motel owner from Wyoming. It was a nice evening. They’ve all been coming to the RV park for 14 and 17 years respectively. Our neighbors, Marty and Vicki (from Indiana) invited us over for happy hour one day. Marty loves playing guitar and singing, so it turned out to be him taking requests. We stayed about an hour and excused ourselves to head to the potluck along with a few of the others.
We went out on the Dolly Steamboat tour of Canyon Lake one day. The weather was overcast, but we still enjoyed beautiful scenery and we even saw desert big horn sheep! It was very windy that day and somewhat cool, so we felt blessed to see the big horn sheep at all. They were hanging out up on the mountain wall and hard to see, but we still tried to capture them in pictures. We also saw a couple of bald eagles.
Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
Male Wood ducks
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
Holes are from petrified logs
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
3 baby Desert Bighorn sheep on top rock left
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
Cropped to see the big horn sheep
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
Dam
From Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake 8 Jan 2025
One day we signed up for the Deer Tanks hike along Bulldog Canyon in the Gold fields. It is rated moderate and 4 miles round trip. It was a somewhat rocky trail with ups and downs through washes. We enjoyed the hike with about 8 other hikers from the park. Joanne organized it and we actually rode with her to the trailhead.
Deer Tank Hike 9 Jan 2025
Deer Tank Hike 9 Jan 2025
That night, we participated in Trivia Night and met Andy and Donna, our teammates. Andy is an extreme hiker and has hiked to the peaks of several mountains in the area. Donna has Macular Degeneration so isn’t able to do as much, but we had a great time with the trivia questions.
The next day we went to the Superstition Ranch Farmers Market. We got a few oranges, apples and a couple of bell peppers for a little over $10! The prices were great and the produce looked very healthy. After the farmers market, we went to Mesa Market which is a huge swap-meet that’s open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We didn’t buy anything, but we got lots of steps in. Anita’s Fitbit logged 2 miles.
On Saturday 11 Jan, we drove to Phoenix to attend mass at the St. Mary's Basilica. From St. Mary's Basilica website: St. Mary's Basilica in downtown Phoenix is one of six pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Phoenix during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. St. Mary's Basilica hosted a Jubilee Mass on New Year's Eve Tuesday. Prior to Mass, Bishop John Dolan blessed a special Peace Pole outside of the Basilica before processing into the church.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary’s Basilica) is the oldest Catholic parish in Phoenix and was the only Catholic parish in Phoenix until 1924. It is the second oldest church in Phoenix with the First Presbyterian Church, organized in 1879, being the oldest. The beginnings of St. Mary’s looked to the private residence of Mr. Jesus Otero located at First Avenue and Washington Street. From 1872 until 1881 priests from Florence, Arizona traveled by buggy every three months, to conduct the Catholic liturgy.
On September 6, 1976, St. Mary’s was named an historic site by the Arizona Historical Society. An on October 17, 1977, the church was added to the State Inventory of Historic Places of Arizona. St. Mary’s was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 1978. On September 2, 1985, His Holiness Pope Saint John Paul II solemnly proclaimed the church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be a Minor Basilica.
While on his American visit, His Holiness John Paul II (now Pope Saint John Paul II) visited St. Mary’s kneeling in prayer in the center aisle and speaking to the crowd from the balcony on September 14, 1987. The people of Phoenix voted St. Mary’s as a “Point of Pride” in the city in 1993.
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
Choir Loft
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
The Christmas decorations were coming down the next day
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
St. Mary's Basilica - Phoenix Arizona - 11 Jan 2025
On Steve’s birthday, we went out to Desert Botanical Garden in Scottsdale. We had signed up to go with a group, but the other couple in the group didn’t show. We had an appointment in Scottsdale later in the day, so we weren’t coming back to the campground till that night. Pia, the activity leader ended up not coming because her truck was in for maintenance. Steve and Anita enjoyed the day on our own. The botanical garden was beautiful, with even a few blooms here and there. We had lunch at a local chain called Culinary Dropout and we both really enjoyed our meals. We had time to kill before Anita’s 4:30pm appointment, so we went to Tempe Lake Beach Park. It’s a nice area next to Tempe Lake which feeds off the Salt River. We took a walk and sat for a while watching planes come into Scottsdale Airport.
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Decorative (fake)
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Boojum (from Baja Mexico)
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Organ pipe cactus on right
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Hole in the Rock at Papago Park
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
unusual Crested Saguaro cactus
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Desert Botanical Garden - Scottsdale Arizona - 14 Jan 2025
Hummingbird
Anita’s appointment wasn’t over till after 6pm, so we stopped for dinner at a German restaurant a German couple in the RV park had told us about. Hubert and Inge live in Germany in the Summer and they winter here in Arizona. They recommended Zur Kate German Restaurant and boy was it good! They have a Bavarian feel in the restaurant Anita’s favorite, Jaeger Schnitzel is on the menu! We really enjoyed our meals, but had to take some home after our big lunch that day. We also got a piece of Black Forest cake to take home and we had our leftovers with the cake the next day.
German Restaurant - Mesa Arizona -14 Jan 2024
German Restaurant - Mesa Arizona -14 Jan 2024
Our last thing we’d signed up for was the 4.5-mile hike on the Arizona Trail to Arnett Canyon on the Picket Post Trail. The hike is rated Moderate and there were 15 of us on the hike. We carried a snack/lunch and ate at the halfway point next to a creek.
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Sunrise at Picket post
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Sunrise on Picket Post trail
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Date Palms
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Arnett Canyon Hike near Superior AZ - 16 Jan 2025
Weavers Needle in distance
For our last day of site seeing, we went to Lost Dutchman's State Park and hiked a couple of the trails there. We had our packed lunch before we left the park and headed to the Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum. It turned out there was a Native American Festival the weekend we were there, so sat in on one of the Native American performances.
Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Black Chinned Sparrows
Lost Dutchman State Park - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Anita was surprised to see a connection to Louisiana...
Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Coatimundi are native to area but we didn't see any
Superstition Mountain - Lost Dutchman Museum - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
Native American Festival - Apache Junction AZ - 18 Jan 2025
We arrived at Picacho Arizona today (20 Jan 2025) and will be here for a month. We can see the Picacho mountain range from our dining table window and have walked around a little to see the campground. There are four pickleball courts here too, but these have wind blocks. It was 3pm ish when we walked around the park and there were people playing pickleball. Apparently the competitive players play from 9am-11am daily. We'll check it out, but they may be out of our league.
While we're here, we're hoping to see friends we met while in Georgia last year. Dave and Jill are also full timers and are staying about 20 miles from where we are. They went to Alaska in Summer 2024 so we're anxious to hear any tips for our Alaska Summer 2025 trip.
We're also looking forward to exploring the Picacho Peak area. The state park is very close to our RV Park. This campground is more remote than the one we left, so we're hoping the Superbowl is shown in the community center since we don't have many channels from our antenna here.
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