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SpiritKeep has been fortunate to have the opportunity to share John Martin’s beautiful photos and informative comments on his hikes in the Desert Southwest, and elsewhere. His first photo gallery for your viewing pleasure is of a hike into the Superstition Mountains to an ancient Salado Ruins that is surprisingly well preserved. John has been a good friend of our family for many years, and he was delighted to share his photographs with all of you. (I think that our visitors will like this as much as we do!).
The Superstition Mountains are famous for many things, such as the Lost Dutchman Goldmine, the beauty of the area, and it stands as a famous landmark at Apache Junction, Arizona. The wilderness area includes 160,000 acres of mountains and desert. One of it’s most unique treasures is the Salado Indian Ruins built in a group of caves in Rogers Canyon, circa 1300 A.D. Here, SpiritKeep presents John Martin’s first-hand account of these ruins, from a very recent hike on May 3, 2001. See more complete historical information about the ruins and it’s inhabitants in the Arizona & Southwestern US section. So, without further ado, here’s John..... |
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Hike to The Salado Indian Ruins in Rogers Canyon
of the Superstition Mountains (East of Phoenix, AZ) |
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Hello... As I begin this presentation, I would like to offer a word of caution to anyone who plans to take this hike in the future... These ruins are located in caves in the side of a mountain, and people should not expect to see the rooms of the ruins shown in these photos if they have any problem with rock climbing or fear of heights (true acrophobia). The climb is not severe, and I have a tiny problem with high spots, primarily in situations where a minor slip could result in a nasty or fatal fall. This, and the 4 mile hike, have no doubt helped in the preservation of the site. There has been enough traffic in one area inside of the main cave to produce a high polish on rocks which are otherwise quite rough and jagged. I think that a lot of this polish resulted from use by the Indians themselves,rather than from tourists. |
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This photo is one of the best preserved rooms inside of the largest cave at the site.
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© 2001 John Martin
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This is from inside of the room shown above.
The graffiti is shamelessly carved into 600+ year old original roofing beams. There are not many ruins anywhere that have the original roofing material intact. |
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© 2001 John Martin
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This is taken from the same spot as the ceiling photo above, but looking out through the two doors you are required to pass through to get into this room.
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© 2001 John Martin
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Here is a view of Rogers Canyon from above (from the caves in the side of the mountain, that contain the ruins).
How would you like a view like this from your front porch? |
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© 2001 John Martin
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Copyright © 2001 SpiritKeep, All Rights Reserved. |
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