Driving the Back Road from Flagstaff to Tucson - Part III

There is a lookout at the summit of Apache Trail, where I took the following photo:

Again, I must admit I am not very good at landscapes. You can't really see from this photo but there is a 2,000 foot drop into the canyon in front of the mountains in the background. A better photo would have been a half mile back down from the summit. However, the narrow dirt road did not provide an opportunity to pull over, get out, and take a photo. So, I was left with the above.

Along the way there were saguaros and barrel cactus. And, while we don't lack for saguaros and barrel cactus here at The Azure Gate, the barrel cactus along the Apache Trail were a different species. So, a photo was begging to be taken.

This high up the types of birds found changes. Here a Loggerhead Shrike was posing for me:

Next stop: Boyce Thompson Arboretum.