But
only for a moment, since you'll feel a slight vibration and hear the
sound of an updated 1915 Model T engine and the whoosh of wind along
the Apache Trail from the open-air vehicle.
Phil Rauso Jr. of Gold
Canyon took four passengers on the first ride down the trail Dec. 31
and plans many more excursions in the antique vehicle he found in a
Chicago-area museum.
As he navigates the
hairpin turns on the Apache Trail's steep inclines, passengers who
dare to look over the side may see shadows from the spokes of the
wheels.
Those with their eyes
closed tightly in fear of looking down the 2,000-foot drops will
still enjoy the vehicle's clip-clop sound made as the wheels make
the sharp curves. "It really does sound like a horse," says Kathy
Schmitt, a winter visitor from Iowa.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" she
exclaims as the taxi proceeds down the trail.
The authentic wooden taxi
owned by Debra Morelli has been modified with a 185hp fuel injected
motor, automatic transmission and four-wheel disk brakes for
safer traveling on the Apache Trail, and also has taken families on
Christmas light tours in Gold Canyon.
Rauso is the expert
Model-T driver and carries a satellite phone since cell phones don't
work in the Superstition Wilderness, and a 1915 tool kit comprising a
flathead screwdriver and 7/16 and 9/16 open-end wrenches in case
repairs are needed along the way
Passengers once rode on
Model T taxis from Globe to Phoenix if they booked a side trip from
their coast-to-coast journey on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Rauso
recreates part of this excursion on the paved portion of the road.
The Apache Trail was built
between 1903 and 1905 as a haul road for supplies during the
construction of Roosevelt Dam east of Apache Junction, and after
completion of the project adventurous Phoenix motorists loved to
traverse the "roadway" and report on its conditions when and if they
returned.
Rauso likes to point out
the rusted hulls of vehicles that have gone over the side and jokes
that he's the only taxi driver now since his other students failed
to listen to instructions.
During pull-offs to allow
faster traffic to pass, Rauso shows remnants of stonework used as
guardrails that once lined much of Apache Trail. When the Arizona
Department of Transportation completed in 1922 what is now the U.S.
60 from Globe to Phoenix, that became a more direct and efficient
road on which the grades were not as steep.
By 1928, most of the
service stations that had been constructed at Government Well,
Mormon Flat, Tortilla Flat and Fish Creek were closed as travelers
took the safer route. Mormon Flat was covered by the creation of
Canyon Lake, but Rauso points out these former service stations
where vehicles such as the Model T needed to stop for water.
"They also carried buckets
and stopped by streams to fill up the radiators," says Rauso, who
has modified the Model T used on the tours so that it is stronger
and less likely to overheat.
Although it now has a high
performance engine he never goes
faster than 35 mph in Apache Junction and usually no more than 15 to
20 mph on the trail, the slower ride with someone else doing the
driving allows passengers to experience views they wouldn't normally
see.
Amazing scenery abounds,
including Weaver's Needle, a tall and narrow rock outcrop, and Fish
Creek Canyon.
There are some quiet
periods with no music, but Rauso has selected tunes from the earlier
1900s, such as the Charleston, for the ride north on the trail and
others such as "40 miles of bad road" as passengers end the trip.
"I'm grateful it's not
against the law to go under the speed limit," says Rauso, as "Ol'
Geezer" passes a Department of Public Safety officer.
"I'll never have to worry
about a speeding ticket," he quips as the song, "Not a cop in sight"
plays, followed by "Six days on the road and I'm going to make it
home tonight," as the vehicle pulls into Apache Junction and all the
passengers applaud.
"I would definitely
recommend it," says Schmitt, who stays in Gilbert during the winter.
"But thank goodness for the blankets," she quickly adds. "It's
educational, and being able to ride in a vintage vehicle is very
unique." Her husband, Rick, plans to bring relatives on another trip
in a few weeks.
Michael
Rinaldi, a chef visiting from New Jersey, agrees that he would
suggest the trip to friends. "The slow speed helps you see more. How
many types of cactus are out there?" he asks in a voice full of
wonder.
Riders are advised to
dress for a sleigh ride from November to March and keep hands and
arms inside the vehicle, which has a windshield but no windows. The
roof can be removed if needed or requested.
The original Apache Trail
was a single-lane pathway with pullouts for passing, and a secondary
road was made when Canyon Lake was filled, flooding out part of the
roadway that went through where the lake is now.
Passengers who take the
trip before Canyon Lake is refilled will enjoy Rauso's demonstrating
where the roadway once ran through what became the lake after the
construction of Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams.
SRP has partially drained
the lake to do maintenance on the dams, and it is scheduled to
reopen in February. The Sunset Limited tours and restaurants at
Tortilla Flat and Canyon Lake Marina are still open, but no boating
is permitted.
Although one pickup truck
impatiently passes the Model T with a roar, most motorists smile and
wave and Rauso toots the horn. Children in the back seats of cars
turn around to watch the old vehicle putt-putt along.
"In a touring car, you go
slowly and enjoy things. People don't know what they're missing. I
didn't know what I was missing until I started driving this car,"
confesses Rauso, who moved to the area in 1992.
Realtors have requested to use the car
to acquaint people with the area, and Rauso, who has sickle cell
anemia, hopes to take others with similar maladies on rides. "It
really helps to take your mind off the illness, if only for an hour
or so," he explains.
As a jet flies overhead
and the Model T slowly puffs up the steep hills, Rauso leans over
the wheel as if to help the engine along. He includes another
factoid for the winter visitors: Vehicles weren't allowed to go fast
on the Apache Trail when mules were hauling supplies. The animals
would get spooked and go over the side, he explains.
Fun facts
-- The 93-year-old car has
been undergoing renovations for a year. It runs on regular unleaded
fuel and gets 30 miles per gallon. A nine-gallon gas tank under the
front seat has been replaced with a 22-gallon tank at the rear. Steep inclines caused problems with the gravity-fed gas tank
used in the past.
-- The original cast iron engine has been replaced by an engine half
the weight to improve reliability and strength and get better
mileage. No cranking to start the engine is needed. Disc brakes have
been added for safety. The manifold was routinely used to cook a
side of bacon, making it one of the first RVs.
-- An air filter now helps with dust, but the original vehicles on
the trail used a screen, mesh or cloth to keep out rocks and dust.
However, this "air filter" had a habit of catching fire. When the
windshield is removed, heat from the engine would come back to help
passengers during cold weather.
-- The vehicle's split-rim wooden wheels that needed tubeless
Firestone tires have been replaced by more reliable tires. While the
original vehicles carried several spares tied to the sides and a
change was needed at least once during the trip from Globe to
Phoenix, Rauso only carries one spare. Oil lamps have been converted
to electric lights, but he still uses hand signals for turns and
stops. The wooden sides and top must be sanded and varnished yearly.
-- The 1915 brass "horseless carriage" was the last year the Ford
Motor Co. made this type of vehicle, which was constructed by
carriage makers. Seventy-five to 80 percent of the vehicle is
original, but has been modified because vehicles didn't have the
auto safety standards of today. There are no seat belts because
there's no way to anchor them into the vehicle, Rauso explains.
-- License plate: S10 Arizona Horseless Carriage Historic Vehicle
*****