Took my visiting friends from Chicago on a short d...

Took my visiting friends from Chicago on a short drive to see some different landscape than flat Apache Junction. We enjoyed the curvy drive along the Apache Trail through the canyons and hills. Stopped to overlook Canyon Lake then desended to the shoreline and then onto Tortilla Flats. Sat at the bar in the old saddle stools. Explored the mercantile gift shop for souvenirs, then got ice cream cones before heading back to Apache Junction then Gold Canyon. The view siting on the benches in front of the gift shop facing west was stunning looking up at the cliffs. *Caution* the drive could be hazardous during hours of darkness, not many guardrails.