Military Trail through the Superstitions

[Yehonadav]

Was looking on Google Earth for any kind of creek or trail that ran from Ft McDowell down across the heart area to Miami. I think I found something. There is a creek or river that runs south from Ft. McDowell and intersect the Salt River. Now I know back then that since there were no paved roads that they would follow familiar trails and water ways. If they followed the Salt River they would run into the Apache Trail. A branch of that trail runs right through the center of the heart Jim, the only problem I'm having is that I can't find how it links or extends to Miami. Speaking of this, it also backs up my theory that many of the mines, etc that the Peraltas found were not far from water ways, either in canyons, etc. I know that back then they would not only look for gold by examining minerals in the rock, but also they would pan for it in the rivers/creeks and if they found some in the water, would follow the water to potentially find the source of the gold. This is probably at least one major method the Peraltas used and would explain why almost all of their landmarks on the latin heart are along these waterways. Some of these waterways may only be actual waterways at times during the year from rain and some may just be perpetually dry now. What do you think about all that?

[Jim Hatt]

Yehonadav,

You make some valid points, but they are mixed in with conclusions (like you have already determined where the heart is) and that is your theory, Not a Fact.

As I just explained to John Kemm in another thread, I personally do not believe in Theories based on things observed in Satellite photos. It's not a fact that you know where the heart is, any more than John knows where the heart is. You should be saying. "Where I believe, or I think, the heart is.

I have been working with satellite imagery since before Google Earth even existed, and I have spent many years on the trail out in the mountains, and come home after many trips, and tried to retrace where I had just been the day before, on a Satellite photo and not been able to do it. When you look at satellite photos, you are seeing only shadows. There is no dimension in them. The only thing the camera picks up is dark and light. If you had a photo of the exact place in the photo you have been working with, that was taken 6 hours later when the sun was in a different part of the sky, you would not recognize a single thing in it. Not a THING! All the shadows would be different and and all the things you thought you saw in the first photo would be gone!

Jim Hatt

[Yehonadav]

You're right Jim, didnt' realize I was coming off like that...I apologize. You are right about the satellite not really showing the true nature of the wilderness but only a generality. I do believe that you can at least tell the general area of things like peaks or depressions and maybe even narrow paths. Nothing set in stone though and I realize that. I guess I get too excited over my 'findings' and forget that it ain't concrete lol. I appreciate your patience with me like I said earlier Jim and I really enjoy discussing these things with you.

[Jim Hatt]

Hang in there Yehonadav

You're new at this and it is a long slow, and painful learning process. A lot of what seemed like Great ideas and theories you had when you were at home, bite the dust once you put your foot in the mountains.

I have had to trash a lot of theories that I had worked on for months and even years.
You either give up, or sit yourself down and try something else.

Believe me, I gave up on satellite photos many years ago. Now, If we had access to the type of satellite photos the Military has... That would be a totally different thing! But we don't.

Jim Hatt

[Desert Cruiser]

John: I used Google Earth Pro. The pro version will give you slightly better prints, but not any better as far as viewing goes. Now the main reason I used it was because I could lay my GPS tracks onto the sattelite photos to see where we'd been. It's nice but not worth it for any other reason. I very seldom use it any more and probably won't pay for the pro version when it runs out. Using my Garmin topos is easier, as Google Earth has a lousy file system to store all your tracks. I had 118 tracks on there. It was too hard finding one to make it show up on there. By the way go to Tools then Options on the bar at the top of Google Earth and raise your Elevation Exaggeration to 2 to give a better 3D view of the mountains. This still won't give you what you want as Jim said these shots are almost always worthless for detail as you don't have the option to see it at different times of the day (shadows)..

Don...

[Jim Hatt]

Thanks Don,

You saved me a lot of typing!

Jim Hatt

[Yehonadav]

hmmm I thought there was an option to see at diff times of the day on version 5.0 I'd have to look but something to do with sunlight you can change the time of day or something like that.

[Jim Hatt]

Yehonadav (from now on I will be addressing you as just "dav" )

dav,

That would be a very nice option! If what you see with the morning sun, isn't there with the evening sun. It obviously wasn't there to begin with. Just a shadow.

Jim Hatt

[Yehonadav]

Yehonadav (from now on I will be addressing you as just "dav" )

dav,

That would be a very nice option! If what you see with the morning sun, isn't there with the evening sun. It obviously wasn't there to begin with. Just a shadow.

Jim Hatt

Yep you can Jim...under the 'View' menu and then select 'Sun' and you can make the sun go through it's whole cycle over the landscape...you all should try it out and see what it does for you.

[Desert Cruiser]

Hey Dav that's pretty neat but hard to control, Going thru the day time it was hard to control but neat. Maybe having the elevation exageration set to 2 has something to do with that too? But thanks for the info.

Don....