Cutting through the rugged Superstition Mountains from the towns of Apache Junction and Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Lake, Arizona's Route 88 -- a.k.a the Apache Trail Highway -- is a gorgeous ride with endless spots of oohs and ahhs. Unfortunately, it is also one of the worst, most treacherous roads I've driven in all the United States. It winds its way around cliffside after cliffside on a pothole-infested, one-lane road that somehow is declared suitable for two lanes. And those two lanes are filled with large pickups pulling boats to the various recreational spots in the area. But if you survive, it's hard to mind a slow ride through unspoiled southwestern desert wilderness. If you're going, the best vehicle to take is a small car with good shocks. (And air conditioning!)

This winter before some shoots in Sedona, I traveled up the Arizona Route 60 highway through the Pinal mountains between Superior and Miami (pronounced "My Amma"). With the altitude the desert there in the Tonto National Forest can get more moisture than the valleys and so it bursts full of life. It is a rugged, rocky area, home I'm told to some of the world's largest tin and copper deposits.