Desert Images

Looking like it is about to tumble, this rock formation is near a newly opened trail in north Scottsdale.

With rocks formed by wind erosion, a fracture between upper and lower stones is obvious in this image and while the upper stone appears to be somewhat balanced from this perspective, a different view would reveal otherwise.

Worse, the smaller boulder near the bottom that is only partially visible here is wedged between the lower stone and the solid base to its right, undoubtedly hastening the ultimate fate that will ultimately befall this structure. Let’s hope no one is in the way when the upper boulder finally tilts off its perch and comes vaulting down the mountainside.

(The small white dot in the sky is the moon.)

This second image was taken in the same general area looking to the south during one of the brief intervals when Fountain Hills turns on its namesake feature.

In the far distance are the Superstition Mountains, so named because it was considered holy land by the Apache Indians, and perhaps because many white settlers who flaunted warnings and entered the area were never seen again. Legend has it that Apache ghosts and spirits did them in but the living may well have had something to do with the disappearances of those who trespassed into the holy ground.

Even today, the Superstitions remain a favorite but hazardous area for prospecting. One dreamer’s bones were found there recently, only a few years after he had gone missing. The mountains are the site of the legend of The Lost Dutchman’s Gold which undoubtedly brings many to the area in hope of instant riches.

Today, the real riches are in the scenery as these dusk photographs prove.