Saltire has mountain-top experience

[macwilkin]

What a great pic flying into the sunset!!

When I first moved to Phoenix, back when, I climbed then Squaw Peak. Sat up on top with a long time resident that pointed out landmarks and bemoaned the fact that the city was growing so fast. Northern Avenue was two lane under cottonwood trees, Bell Road was in the county and had gravel shoulders, Metro Center was just being staked out.

By the time I left I could sit up there and bemoan even more growth and point out the freeway now encircling the city...that little town has sure grown! Piestewa Peak remains a great vantage point.

The peak's namesake remains a hero up in these parts since she was half Hopi and half Navajo...and the "tewa" in her name really insinuates she was of Tewa ancestery too. Whatever the case, she's a hero in rezlands and there are more things named after her around her home towns of Tuba City and Moenkopi, Arizona.

Ron

I'm wi' Ron on this one. It's amazing to see the change in PHX over the years, although it was nice to see the outline of North Mountain behind Red's shoulder in the first photo -- that was "my" mountain, the one that overlooks Metrocenter and the apartments were I used to spend my time in the Valley. I still miss that mountain.

I have a picture of that particular benchmark somewhere in my photo albums from over 20 years ago when I climed Squaw/Piestewa Peak.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, gents.

T.