SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S ISSUE

JULY 2017

ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE

plore Ex the white mountains Jacob Lake Grand Canyon National Park

Flagstaff Parks Walnut Canyon Cottonwood

White Mountains

PHOENIX

Tucson

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2 EDITOR’S LETTER 18 THE BIG PICTURES: 48 AT HOME IN THE WOODS THE WHITE MOUNTAINS Jo Baeza has an affinity for trees, lakes and wild- 3 CONTRIBUTORS life — it comes from her childhood in Minnesota. A Portfolio Edited by Jeff Kida 4 LETTERS When she moved to the White Mountains in 1964, she found a Western version of those natural 30 LIKE A MOUNTAIN wonders, along with a simple life among good 5 THE JOURNAL An Essay by Kelly Vaughn people in a beautiful place. People, places and things from around the An Essay by Jo Baeza state, including Kendrick Cabin near Flagstaff; 34 THE MAVERICK the Jacob Lake Ranger Station; a 1960s flashback “Doc,” “Doc Luce,” “The Maverick Doctor” ... 52 SCENIC DRIVE to the Prescott Frontier Days Parade; and Linda these are just some of the names people Ronstadt’s grandfather, a man who helped pave Spring Valley Loop: Historic Route 66, the use when referring to Sam Luce. The names July the way for the automobile industry in Southern National Old Trails Road, the Beale Wagon vary, but the regard is the same: Sam Luce Arizona. Road ... some of the state’s most iconic routes is a legend down in the Blue. can be experienced along the Spring Valley 16 EXPLORE THE WHITE MOUNTAINS By Kelly Vaughn Loop in Northern Arizona. 2017 Photographs by Scott Baxter By Annette McGivney There’s a widely held and oversimplified image Photographs by Shane McDermott of Arizona that suggests our state has only one 40 WHITE MOUNTAIN COUNTRY ◗ Sunset renders the iconic buttes of the season, and that our environment is little more Grand Canyon as silhouettes, as seen from A story originally published in our July 1945 issue. 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH than searing heat and sand dunes. Like most Desert View on the Canyon’s South Rim. stereotypes, this one is without merit. It doesn’t By Joyce Rockwood Muench Walnut Canyon Trail: You could spend all summer Adam Schallau CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/320 SEC, hold water. What does hold water is the White Photographs by Josef Muench hiking the Arizona Trail. If you only have a day, this F/10, ISO 100, 300 MM LENS Mountains. Big Lake, Crescent Lake, the Black scenic stroll to Fisher Point is a great option. FRONT COVER: White Mountains illustration River, the White River, the Blue River ... there’s 46 CIBECUE FALLS By Robert Stieve by Chris Gall water everywhere. And there are forests, too, Of all the backcountry experiences in the Photographs by Tom Bean BACK COVER: Wildflowers and ponderosa and mountains and meadows and monsoon White Mountains region, one of the most reward- pines grow in a meadow on White Mountain storms. In our ongoing effort to dispel erroneous ing is a boulder-hopping trek to Cibecue Falls. 56 WHERE IS THIS? Apache Tribe land near State Route 260. stereotypes, we present the White Mountains By Robert Stieve Derek von Briesen of Arizona. Enjoy the weather. Photograph by Shane McDermott CANON EOS-1DS MARK III, 1/250 SEC, F/22, ISO 800, 16 MM LENS

2 OCTOBER 2015 PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS AVAILABLE Prints of some photographs in this issue are available for purchase. To view options, visit www.arizona highwaysprints.com. For more information, call 866-962-1191. www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s LETTER CONTRIBUTORS

write an epic poem about the sublime nature of ROMAN RUSSO summer in the White Mountains. Instead, we “I like to write, and I like JULY 2017 VOL. 93 NO. 7 rummaged through our archives and found a to tell stories,” says classic. And when we wanted more, we called 800-543-5432 Roman Russo, one of Jo Baeza. www.arizonahighways.com Arizona Highways’ two If you’re a longtime reader of Arizona Highways, GIFT SHOP: 602-712-2200 editorial interns for the you know Jo Baeza. She’s been writing for us spring 2017 semester. since she threw “some warm clothes” and her PUBLISHER Win Holden For this issue, he wrote “cow dog” into a Ford Galaxie and moved to the EDITOR Robert Stieve about the Ronstadt Emily Dickinson wrote poems White Mountains. She was looking for “a simple ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, family’s iconic hardware DIRECTOR OF about summer. She wrote many poems about life among good people in a beautiful place.” And SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero store in Tucson (see The

summer. Shakespeare wrote about summer, too. she found it at a cabin on Hawley Lake. “I could MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn Journal: History, page 8), and you might also have And so did William Blake and Carl Sandburg look out the window in the morning and see a ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin seen his work on our blog. “Arizona Highways is the type of magazine that really shows off and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Summer herd of 30 or more elk grazing in the meadow EDITORIAL inspires expression and lyricism. It’s where the below,” she writes in At Home in the Woods. ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel something that’s sort of been lost in the journalism industry — the art of beautiful writing lazy days can be found. And it’s a respite, of sorts. From long winters and “Ospreys circled the lake, a wintering bald eagle PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida and beautiful photography,” Russo says. “Print media has had its struggles, but Highways

tax returns and too much homework. Summer, in so many ways, is the sea- perched on a snag, coyotes sang their night song, CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney finds a way to hold on and do it gracefully.” Russo graduated from Arizona State Univer-

son we all count down to. It’s the time of year when we load up the station my dog was drunk on wild scents, and I was all ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney sity’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May of this year, wagon and hit the road. Usually to someplace cool and detached. alone with the sound of silence.” and he’s aiming to focus on public relations as he begins his career. MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey In New York, the road trip is to the Hamptons. In Boston, the Berkshires. In her newest essay, she writes about the PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi For those of us who live in the Sonoran Desert, it’s a scenic drive to the allure of the White Mountains. Why she moved WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow White Mountains. It’s where we go to chill out, wind down and decompress. there. Why she stayed. Why it’s cool and CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman It’s not the only place in Arizona, but when it comes to that therapeutic detached. It’s a wonderful collection of words CHRIS GALL combination of lakes, rivers, mountains, meadows and trees, there’s no place that makes her the longest-tenured writer in the FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen Chris Gall, who’s been better than the White Mountains. We’ve been preaching that since our sec- history of this magazine. Thank you, Jo. For all OPERATIONS/ contributing to Arizona IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis ond issue. of the characters and settings and plots over the Highways for several years, “The White Mountains are now open and accessible to the public,” Editor years. We’re grateful. And indebted. is the illustrator behind CORPORATE OR Vincent J. Keating wrote in May 1925. “The Rice-Springerville highway is in Like Jo Baeza and Joyce Rockwood Muench, TRADE SALES 602-712-2018 our front covers for this year’s Explore Arizona! such condition that a trip by automobile through the heart of the mountains Kelly Vaughn writes about the White Mountains, SPONSORSHIP SALES may be made without the least difficulty. All who visit this section this sum- too. Her theme this month is Escudilla Moun- REPRESENTATION On Media Publications series. “I had always Todd Bresnahan mer will be delighted with the beauties of the mountains, the magnificent tain, a place that helped inspire Aldo Leopold’s 602-445-7169 wanted to create a series forests, the enticing trout streams and the invigorating air.” theories on conservation. Grizzly bears, Mexican of travel posters featuring That was the beginning, but hardly the end. We’ve published hundreds of wolves, endless groves of quaking aspens ... it the state’s great places,” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] stories about the White Mountains in the decades since, including a beauti- was an ecological wonderland. Today, though, 2039 W. Lewis Avenue the Tucson-based artist ful piece in our July 1945 issue titled White Mountain Country. It was written it’s not the same. In the aftermath of the Wal- Phoenix, AZ 85009 says. “I pitched the idea by Joyce Rockwood Muench, who was the wife of longtime contributor Josef low Fire, not even Emily Dickinson could bring to [Editor] Robert Stieve Muench and the mother of world-renowned photographer David Muench. the scorched earth of the mountain back to life. GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey over lunch, and it just so Although the men made “Muench” a household name in this magazine, Mrs. Kelly, however, through her own powerful words, DIRECTOR, happened that he’d been DEPARTMENT Muench was every bit as talented. They used f-stops and long exposures. She tempts us with hope. OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski looking for something used vowels and consonants. “A year after the fire, maybe longer,” she writes similar for the magazine.

“Hills roll up in a never ending succession,” she wrote, “as full of motion in Like a Mountain, “I drove one of the scenic Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published month- Great minds think alike!” as the ocean itself. But these waves are carpeted with the green of leaves roads that cut across Escudilla. It was late sum- ly by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Subscrip- For each illustration, Gall tion price: $24 a year in the U.S., $44 outside the U.S. uses a combination of and ferns and trees. Trees and trees and more trees. Big old alligator-barked mer or early fall, and although there was so much Single copy: $4.99 U.S. Call 800-543-5432. Subscription junipers that may remember Coronado, and lithe aspens with their graceful, char from the burn, thin tufts of grass sprung cor­respon­dence and change of address information: Ari- photographs and his everlasting dance, aspens that follow where a fire has been, springing up from the earth like hope.” zona Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. imagination to create the Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ, and at additional to cover the naked wounds of the earth and make her forget the loss of her Hope. Right now, that’s all we have. But some- mailing office.CANADA POST INTERNATIONAL PUBLI- scene, although sometimes — such as with Saguaro National Park and Sonoita-Patago- darker children, the pines and firs.” day, maybe, our grandchildren’s children will get CATIONS MAIL PRODUCT (CANA­DIAN DISTRIBUTION) nia — he makes up the whole scene from his own impressions and memories. And while It’s been more than seven decades since she wrote those lovely words, but to rediscover Escudilla. Maybe. Meantime, there SALES AGREE­MENT NO. 40732015. SEND RETURNS TO he says the January illustration of Grand Canyon National Park was difficult because he QUAD/GRAPHICS, P.O. BOX 456, NIAGARA FALLS ON L2E the allure of the White Mountains — a place where “the world is hushed are many other ways to chill out, wind down 6V2. POSTMASTER­ : Send address changes to Arizona was establishing a “look” that he’d have to follow, he thinks things have actually gotten and beauty lies in every hollow and on every hill” — remains the same. And and decompress in the White Mountains. All you Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Copy­ harder as he’s gone through subsequent months. “The more pieces I do, the greater the right © 2017 by the Ari­zona Department of Trans­­por­­tation. pressure to keep up the quality, freshness and variety of viewpoints,” he says. “I’m just so do the points of interest she described: fishermen fishing on Big Lake, need is a good station wagon. Repro­duc­tion in whole or in part with­­out permission is pro- pastoral scenes along the Coronado Trail, the trickling water of the Little hibited. The magazine does not accept and is not respon- very grateful I got the chance to finally create this dream project. I plan on continuing the Colorado River. In fact, if we didn’t point out the original date at the top ROBERT STIEVE, EDITOR sible for un­solicited ma­ter­ials. series on my own, since there are so many great places in Arizona that I won’t be able to of the story, you might think we’d found a present-day Emily Dickinson to Follow me on Instagram: @arizonahighways feature.” Gall’s other work includes Dinotrux, a children’s book series that’s been adapted PRODUCED IN THE USA by DreamWorks into a successful Netflix program.— NOAH AUSTIN

2 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP JON SPURLING ABOVE, RIGHT RAQUEL CANCHOLA www.arizonahighways.com 3 LETTERS [email protected] THE

JUNE 2017 explore T H E S A N T A C A T A L I N A S JOURNAL �

to keep only current cop- ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE ies of the magazines I I TRY VERY HARD receive to help cut down on the clutter in my house. But the Chris Gall covers for at least the past three issues have been so beauti- ful, I can’t bring myself to toss them. I keep them dis- played prominently. I hope you will continue to use his work and, maybe someday soon, you’ll run a short Let There biography with more examples of his work. Be Light Rosemary Byerlein, Phoenix The water of Ribbon Falls,

special Collector's issue lit with a flashlight, nour- ishes an enclave of green- June 2017 ery below the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. From was surprised to see the article on the the attendants’ clean white uniforms just wanted you to know how much the rim, reaching the short glasses we used to get from Blakely’s with bow ties and caps. I have a picture I’ve enjoyed Arizona Highways over trail that leads to the I [The Journal: History, May 2017]. When I of my dad taken in 1953 at the Chevron I the years. The March [2017] issue on ­waterfall requires an got engaged in 1963, my fiancé couldn’t station with the whole crew posing. A saguaros is outstanding (but I do think 8.4-mile hike down the afford a ring, but he did give me a set of Blakely advertisement is also prominent that about most issues), and I do like North Kaibab Trail; this trek glasses with a pitcher. Over the years I in a magazine I still have. Back in the your theme approach. I can learn about is not recommended for was given more glasses from friends 1960s, The Arizona Republic had a Sunday just one subject in context with many day hikers. For more infor- mation, call Grand Canyon who had one or two left. Looks like I supplement called “Arizona Days and aspects. Thank you for consistent excel- National Park at 928-638- have a legacy that I didn’t know I had. Ways.” In 1962, they produced a rather lent writing and photography. 7888 or visit www.nps.gov/ By the way, I laughed but was incredu- thick edition commemorating the 50th Jackee Mumbower, Cross Junction, Virginia grca. lous with the remark a letter writer anniversary of statehood, packed with CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 5 SEC, made about the Petrified Forest being articles and advertisements, that is now esterday my wife and I got a wonder- F/5.6, ISO 100, 32 MM LENS boring [Letters, May 2017]. Really? Even a great source of memories. I never get ful batch of Arizona Highways as a as a 12-year-old, I wandered the park tired of seeing these nostalgic journeys Y gift from a friend in Phoenix. We’ve and imagined what it might have looked back to people, places and things in early been to the beautiful state of Arizona like when the trees were upright and Arizona. several times the last 10 years. We leafed. It’s a shame the writer couldn’t Charles Lopresto, Phoenix have visited Sedona, Antelope Canyon, look beyond his own exis­tence to the Pinetop, Grand Canyon, Organ Pipe and mystery of our beginnings. aving lived in Sedona for nearly Monument Valley. We have met Navajos, M.A. Ulichny, Tucson 15 years and photographed Devil’s and I bought a sterling silver ring from H Bridge numerous times from many a man named James Begay just in front our short article on the Blakely gas angles, both above and below, I am fas- of a bridge over the Colorado River. stations and the collection of glass- cinated by the image of the arch by I’m so glad to thumb through Arizona Y ware brought back memories of my Larry Lindahl [Hike of the Month, May Highways and recognize lots of places days of youth in Glendale, Arizona. In 2017]. How did he achieve this camera where we have been several times. My the 1950s, Glendale was still mostly a angle — a climb up from below the arch, wife was born in San Antonio. Several rural community, and I remember the or perhaps a rappel down? I have always years later she lived in Pinetop, and I Blakely station on Grand Avenue. We enjoyed the photos that I have taken know your state very well. She is really a still have some of the glasses. I can’t looking up from below the arch. Also, I good guide in your state. The pictures in remember for sure, because I was young, recall hiking out onto the far ledge your paper are so good, and I appreciate but I believe my dad worked for Blakely shown through the arch in Larry’s photo every one. briefly. In those days, he worked in gas with people on the arch waving to me, Claes and Jeanette Astin, Gothenburg, Sweden stations in and around Glendale, and I probably wondering how I got there. do remember him working for Chevron Very cool photo. contact us If you have thoughts or com- with a friend of his that owned several Scott McFeely, Sedona, Arizona ments about anything in Arizona Highways, we’d stations. Those stations were also full- love to hear from you. We can be reached at editor@ arizonahighways.com, or by mail at 2039 W. Lewis service and quite impressive with all the EDITOR’S NOTE: You guessed right, Scott. Larry Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. For more information, products they sold, the road maps, and climbed up from down below. visit www.arizonahighways.com.

4 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY LINDAHL around arizona J

Jacob Lake Ranger Station

NOAH AUSTIN

In the early 1900s, the Kaibab National Forest maintained several ranger stations on what is now its North Kaibab Ranger District north of the Grand Canyon. Today, only one of those structures remains: the Jacob Lake Ranger Station, built in 1910. Isolated among ponderosa pines and fac- ing the pond for which it’s named, the sta- Visitors explore the tion was listed on the National Register of monument near Historic Places in 1987, but by 2014, it was Faraway Ranch in showing its age. Backed by U.S. Forest the 1920s. Service grants, district staff and volun- teers spent two summers restoring the cabin — replacing rotted wood, painting the exterior and repairing masonry. Work was completed last year, in time for the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. DIRECTIONS: From the intersection of U.S. Route 89A and State Route 67, go south on SR 67 and turn right onto Forest Road 461, then left onto Forest Road 282. You’ll see Jacob Lake on the right; the ranger station is on the left.

JACOB LAKE Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center, 928-643-7298, www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab

6 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LIPCZYNSKI www.arizonahighways.com 7 J history photography J

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

■ Astronomer A.E. Doug­ lass, who founded the Lab­­oratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona in Tucson, is born in Vermont on July 5, 1867. ■ About 1,200 striking miners in Bisbee are loaded onto cattle cars and illegally deported to New Mexico on July 12, 1917. The event, now known as the Bisbee Deportation, follows a similar action in Jerome earlier that month. ■ On July 27, 1989, Yuma — a city renowned for its sunshine — experiences its most severe thunder- storm on record, receiving nearly as much rain in one The F. Ronstadt Hardware Co. was a fixture hour — 2.55 inches — as on Tucson’s Sixth Avenue for decades. the city usually gets in an F. Ronstadt Hardware Co. entire year. Although Linda Ronstadt is the most famous Ronstadt, it was her grandfather, Federico José María Ronstadt, who made the family name synonymous Ruby, a farmer near Florence, manages chickens on her farm. with Tucson, Arizona. 50 YEARS AGO IN ARIZONA HIGHWAYS whom I really admire, who stage PHOTO ROMAN RUSSO Q&A: Eirini Pajak things and use tripods and a lot of WORKSHOP equipment, but I couldn’t be spon- PHOTO EDITOR JEFF KIDA oday, 70 N. Sixth Avenue in Tucson is the F. Ronstadt Hardware Co. taneous and catch the things that the site of the Ronstadt Transit Cen- In the early 1900s, Ronstadt helped pave the are important to me if I worked ter, a busy transportation hub. But if way for the automobile industry in Southern JK: Tell us about this photo. lot of people photography. Is your that way. T you could stand across the street from Arizona, selling Oldsmobiles until shortly EP: This is Ruby, who works her approach similar? that address 70 years ago, you’d have a very after World War I. His hardware store moved own farm near Florence. She’s the EP: It probably is similar in that JK: What draws you to a subject? Slot different view. And a few years from now, the to the 70 N. Sixth Avenue location in 1947. mother of a friend of mine, who Ruby, for example, might not EP: A lot of times, I just see things Canyons and same might again be said of a site tied to one When Ronstadt died in 1954, his sons Gilbert lives right next to her. He said his always get noticed — she’s a quiet that are really beautiful to me, and the Paria of Tucson’s most famous families and their (the father of singer and Grammy winner horse had just had a baby, so I took person, in the same way that the that’s what spurs that joy and Plateau September 20-24, a couple of kids over to see the small flowers I like to photograph desire to make photos. There’s so store that helped put the city on the map. Linda Ronstadt) and Edward took over the Page much heavy and ugly stuff in the Federico José María Ronstadt was born in hardware store and ran it until they both Arizona’s gliding commu- baby horse, and I saw this woman are so quiet and lovely. I tried to just Lower Antelope 1868 in Sonora, Mexico. In 1882, his father, retired. The store closed its doors for good in nity, a small but prestigious walking in the fields nearby. I was follow along with her routine and world, and I know that’s the role Canyon, Horseshoe German-born Frederick Augustus Ronstadt, the mid-1980s. group of pilots, was pro- really struck by her, so I made a not invade her space — whatever some photographers have, to docu- Bend and Lake Pow- ell are among the filed in the July 1967 issue couple of photos and asked her she was doing, that was what I ment those things. I want to see the moved his family to Tucson. Federico, who The Ronstadt name, though, lives on in Northeastern Arizona was 14 at the time of the move, became an the transit center, which opened at the site of Arizona Highways. Also son if I could come back and shoot photographed. She amazed me redeeming things, and that’s what photographic wonders apprentice at a carriage and wagon shop, of the old store in 1991. And in 2015, the city featured was photo­ g­ ­ some more. I ended up making sev- — she’s 70-something and still milk- she was for me. In this insane world, on display at this where he learned how to be a wheelwright announced plans to redevelop the aging center rapher Carlos Elmer, eral trips back to photograph her ing her cows by hand and digging here’s this woman who’s working workshop, which is led by acclaimed Navajo (a person who builds or repairs wooden by adding commercial space, apartments and whose essay made the going about her daily work. out trenches on her farm. hard and has this quiet spirit. photographer LeRoy wheels) and a blacksmith. Before long, the a hotel. The redevelopment is scheduled to be compelling case that DeJolie. Information: young apprentice had established his own completed in 2019 — helping to ensure that Arizona has 16 seasons, JK: Our readers know you for your JK: Was this hand-held? To see more shots of Ruby, visit 888-790-7042 or www.ahpw.org wagon and carriage factory. He expanded the even as buildings crumble and their façades rather than four — “if you close-up shots, but you also do a EP: Yes. There are photographers, www.eirinipajak.com/rubysfarm. business to include hardware and farming change, the Ronstadts’ place in Tucson’s his- will do a bit of driving machinery, eventually changing the name to tory won’t be easily forgotten. throughout the year.” To learn more about photography, visit www.arizonahighways.com/photography.

8 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP EIRINI PAJAK ABOVE, RIGHT MEGAN GALOPE www.arizonahighways.com 9 J from our archives [April 1964]

Prescott’s patriotism was on display in this Herb McLaughlin photo of the city’s Frontier Days Parade from the April 1964 issue of Arizona Highways. The issue celebrated Prescott’s centennial and featured several stories on the city’s history and culture. As writer Pauline Henson put it: “Prescott citizens plan and work today for a city that will be very much alive and loved long after they are gone.”

10 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 11 J dining nature J

Ospreys Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), commonly referred to as fish free. Eden sometimes tells skeptical Paradise Point Café hawks, are one of the guests that if they can tell the difference, most widespread Known as “Old Town’s sweet retreat,” Paradise Point Café has built a loyal it’s free. So far, she hasn’t given away a species of the raptor following with its baked goods, including a signature carrot cake and salted single slice. family. They’re found caramel apple pie that’s made with house-made caramel. Mmmm ... The Smiths have since added savory on every continent items, including a breakfast pie, with in the world except KATHY MONTGOMERY bacon, cheddar cheese, hash browns and Antarctica, and they eggs, served with a fresh fruit and yogurt spend much of their time near water, STUMBLING ACROSS Paradise Point delphia, the Smiths loved the dining in parfait. Lunch items include a strawberry hunting fish. These Café in Cottonwood is as surprising as Cottonwood but saw dessert lovers as an spinach salad and a spinach, leek and red birds are great at finding the chewy center of a Tootsie Pop underserved market. pepper pie. fishing with their for the first time. Its owners call their “So we came up with the idea of having Cheeseburger pie, the Smiths’ playful reversible outer toes, restaurant “Old Town’s sweet retreat.” a spot just for dessert,” Eden says. “It’s take on the American classic, began as which make it easier Patrons call it a hidden gem. And it is. kind of evolved since then.” a dish Ladonna made for the family. Al for them to grasp The tiny bakery and bistro lies at the The Smiths built a loyal following with loved it, insisting she reproduce it for prey. Their wingspan end of a narrow breezeway that’s been their baked goods, including the café’s the café. Like a cheeseburger, it’s served ranges from 5 to transformed into an unexpected oasis, signature carrot cake and salted caramel with pickles, mustard and ketchup. Daily 6 feet, and they typi- with a burbling fountain, glass-topped apple pie, made with house-made caramel. soups include gazpacho, with cucumber, cally live for 30 years tables and fragrant jasmine vines. Inside, The walnut pear coffee cake with vanilla basil and mint, in summer; and potato in the wild. They’re the café exudes a tranquil Eastern vibe rum glaze often sells out before noon. corn chowder, vegan vegetable, and apple sometimes mistaken for bald eagles with low lighting, floral cushions and Eden is gluten intolerant, and Al and butternut squash during colder months. because of their dark tables. Even the restroom is con- Ladonna are diabetic, so they wanted to Eden contributed playful organic cof- white heads and cealed, behind a bookshelf that opens offer desserts to accommodate a variety fee drinks with names such as Mocha brown bodies; like a secret door — a holdover from a of dietary needs. Fans from Sedona have Retreat, Peanut Butter Paradise and however, unlike bald wine room that operated like a speakeasy. been known to make the half-hour drive Tropical Oasis, as decadent as desserts in eagles, their under- Al and Ladonna Smith and their just to get a slice of the paleo German their own right. bellies are white. daughter, Eden, opened Paradise Point chocolate cake — made with coconut oil Call Paradise Point Café what you will; — Emily Balli as a bakery in November 2014. Having and coconut flour and sweetened with the one thing everyone can agree on is recently moved from a suburb of Phila- maple syrup. The carrot cake is gluten just how sweet it is.

COTTONWOOD Paradise Point Café, 1029 N. Main Street, 928-634-5901, www.facebook.com/paradisepointcafe

12 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN SHERMAN www.arizonahighways.com 13 J lodging

to make it comfortable for guests while Kendrick Cabin retaining its off-the-grid roots. Pine Built around 1960, this rustic, three-bedroom cabin features pine flooring, flooring and rough-hewn pine ceiling rough-hewn pine ceiling beams and, best of all, a front porch adorned with beams grace the living room and bed- rooms. A wood stove sits in front of Till- Adirondack chairs aimed at distant mountains. man’s fireplace, and lighting comes from

ANNETTE McGIVNEY solar power. The kitchen’s cupboard is well stocked with stoneware, and an out- AS I EAT MY OATMEAL inside cozy, tion, the cabin became available to the building has been converted to a bath- pine-paneled Kendrick Cabin, I’m mes- public in 2001 through the Forest Service’s house with a propane-fueled hot shower. merized by the grassland shimmering Rooms With a View rental program. While Kendrick Cabin once was a in the morning light. The view seems to Robert Tillman homesteaded the frontier homestead, it now comes with stretch forever from the cabin’s picture 160-acre parcel encompassing Kendrick far more opportunities for relaxation window. High, puffy clouds cast shad- Cabin in 1918. The Arkansas native grew than Laura Ingalls Wilder and her fam- ows that drift like black schooners across oats, wheat and potatoes on the land, but ily likely ever enjoyed. Options include the prairie. This sea of space is framed by he mainly made his living as a brick mason scaling cinder hills around the cabin for the towering San Francisco Peaks to the in Flagstaff. Tillman built a cabin where a front-row view of the Peaks, a walk on southeast and Kendrick Peak to the west, he and his wife, Ida, raised eight children. a watchable-wildlife trail just across the interrupted only occasionally by a dirt Following Tillman’s death in 1949, the highway, and exploring hiking and bik- road or distant homestead. cabin caught fire, and all that was left was ing trails at Arizona Nordic Village a few My thoughts turn to one of my favorite the homesteader’s expert stonework. The miles to the south. childhood authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder. property was sold and a new house built The cabin’s isolation conjures ghost sto- On this weekend, I, too, am getting to on the original foundation, incorporating ries in children but is just what the doctor live in a little house on the prairie. Tillman’s masonry walls and fireplace. ordered for stressed-out adults. I discov- Located 22 miles northwest of Flagstaff The property was transferred in 1971 to ered this retreat a few years ago and now in Kendrick Park — the vast grassland the Forest Service, which now manages seek to spend my summer birthday every that straddles U.S. Route 180 — the rustic, much of the public land in Kendrick Park. year sitting on the cabin’s front porch in a three-bedroom cabin is a retired U.S. For- By the late 1990s, Kendrick Cabin had handmade Adirondack chair, enjoying the est Service fireguard station constructed fallen into disrepair. The Forest Service view of sunset on the Peaks and the sweet around 1960. After an extensive restora- spent two years restoring the property sound of wind in the grass.

NEAR FLAGSTAFF Kendrick Cabin, 928-526-0866, www.fs.usda.gov/coconino (information), www.recreation.gov (reservations)

14 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BURCHAM EXPLORE THE WHITE MOUNTAINS HERE’S A WIDELY HELD and oversimplified image T of Arizona that suggests our state has only one season, and that our environment is little more than searing heat The Big Pictures: and sand dunes. Like most stereotypes, this one is without merit. It doesn’t hold water. What does hold water is the White Mountains. Big Lake, Crescent Lake, the Black River, THE WHITE the White River, the Blue River ... there’s water everywhere. And there are forests, too, and mountains and meadows and monsoon storms. In our ongoing effort to dispel erro- MOUNTAINS neous stereotypes, we present the White Mountains of A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA Arizona. Enjoy the weather.

ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC HANSON

16 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 17 The Big Pictures: THE WHITE MOUNTAINS The Big Pictures: A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA THE WHITE MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

18 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 19 PRECEDING PANEL: As monsoon clouds gather in the early afternoon, owl’s-claws (Hymenoxys hoopesii) bloom along a meandering stream in an expansive White Mountains meadow. George Stocking

ABOVE: A lingering mist cloaks evergreens and wildflowers on hillsides above the East Fork of the Black River. Aspen Campground, west of Alpine, features campsites a few steps from the picturesque East Fork. Laurence Parent RIGHT: Pacheta Falls, on White Mountain Apache Tribe land, feeds a profusion of greenery along Pacheta Creek. Visiting the remote waterfall requires a permit from the tribe, a drive on rough dirt roads and a 45-minute hike. Joel Hazelton

20 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 21 Monsoon clouds are reflected in the still waters of Crescent Lake. Located north of Big Lake, the reservoir sits at an elevation of 9,048 feet. It’s a popular place for anglers to catch rainbow and brook trout. George Stocking

The Big Pictures: THE WHITE MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

22 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 23 CASA MALPAIS Arizona is home to some of the most impor- tant ancient ruins in North America. Among them is Casa Malpais near Springerville. The name Casa Malpais, “House of the Bad- lands,” refers to the broken basaltic terrain on which the Mogollon people built this 13th century fissure pueblo. It’s a name that was given by Basque sheepherders who settled the Round Valley in the late 1880s. Although Casa Malpais had been studied by research- ers for decades and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1964, the archaeologi- cal treasure had gone largely unnoticed. It served, for the most part, as a favorite locale for picnickers and illegal pothunters, who prized the potsherds and petroglyphs they found there. Then, in 1991, the town of Springerville purchased the site and, with a grant from the State Historic Preservation The Big Pictures: Office, developed Casa Malpais as a tourist attraction. Today, guided tours of the ruins are available from March through November. For more information, call the Casa Malpais Archaeological Park and Museum at 928-333-5375 THE WHITE or visit www.casamalpais.org. MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

LEFT: Storm clouds loom over mature ponderosa pines in the Coyote Creek area near Springerville and Eagar. Laurence Parent

ABOVE: A piece of pottery marks the doorway of an excavated room at Casa Malpais near Springerville. Jerry Jacka

24 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 25 “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” — JOHN MUIR

The Big Pictures: THE WHITE MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

LEFT: Sunset punctuates a view of the rushing water of the East Fork of the Black River. The river’s East Fork joins its West Fork southeast of Big Lake. Joel Hazelton

ABOVE: Multicolored wildflowers bloom along Forest Road 249 between Alpine and Big Lake. This area was affected by the 2011 Wallow Fire, which burned more than half a million acres in Arizona and New Mexico. Derek von Briesen

26 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 27 The Big Pictures: THE WHITE MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

Evergreens, wildflowers and grasses flourish along the West Baldy Trail, a strenuous 14-mile (round-trip) hike to near the summit of 11,403-foot Baldy Peak. Jeremy Meek

28 JULY 2017 29 Kelly Vaughn

Escudilla Mountain, Arizona’s 12th-highest peak, offers a view of evergreen-covered hills. This photo was made in 2006, five years before the Wallow Fire. David Muench Like a An essay by bKelly Vaughn Mountain

Escudilla Mountain, Arizona’s 12th-highest peak, offers a view of evergreen-covered hills. This photo was made in 2006, five years before the Wallow Fire. David Muench

30 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 31 scudilla Mountain curls like a sleeping bear along the castle,” Leopold wrote. “Each spring, when the warm winds Arizona-New Mexico state line. Its name translates to had softened the shadows on the snow, the old grizzly “basin” or “bowl,” so without having hiked the moun- crawled out of his hibernation den in the rock slides and, tain or read about it or seen it up close, you might not descending the mountain, bashed in the head of a cow. Eat- know it’s the 12th-highest summit in Arizona. ing his fill, he climbed back to his crags, and there summered But, at 10,912 feet, it is. And I knew it. And I saw it burn. peaceably on marmots, conies, berries and roots.” ESix years ago, the Wallow Fire torched the mountain, The bear’s affinity for cows proved his demise, though, and turned aspens to tinder and shrank fledgling pines to ash. he shot himself. Tricked to trigger a government trapper’s set The editor of this magazine — my dearest friend — and I gun, Old Bigfoot walked right into the line of fire and was no went to talk about the fire on national television. Well, he did. more. But his skull is in a museum somewhere, far away from I was the kid who went along for the ride and to write about Escudilla. it later. But. We stayed to follow a hotshot crew that was These things make me wonder. working to build a fire line around the town of Alpine, to try b to protect its people and structures from the violent, wind- fueled flames. TODAY, THE REINTRODUCTION of wolves in the region The air draped so hot around our bodies, and the smoke so bears a vague resemblance to the stress Old Bigfoot’s presence choked the curves of the Coronado Trail, we binged on luke- caused. Leopold also reflected on the death of a wolf in his warm bottles of orange Gatorade just to try to stay hydrated. hallowed Almanac, in his essay Thinking Like a Mountain. He — For about a week after we touched the kindling edge of wil- even he — was among the men who killed it. derness, campfire smell clung to my clothes and skin and hair, “We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green and I couldn’t shake the image of elk in a meadow. There were fire dying in her eyes,” he reflected. “I realized then, and have so many of them, pushed from the forest, forced to open grass. known ever since, that there was something new to me in Unquiet meals make ill digestions, Shakespeare said. those eyes — something known only to her and to the moun- But, somehow, the elk seemed OK. tain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that b because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I A YEAR AFTER THE FIRE, maybe longer, I drove a portion of sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with Terry Flat Loop, one of the scenic roads that cut across Escu- such a view.” dilla. It was late summer or early fall, and although there was Ultimately, Leopold rejected the killing of wolves: “I now so much char from the burn, thin tufts of grass sprang from suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its the earth like hope. Something fragrant and vaguely familiar wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer.” filled the air — imaginary mimosa herbs or my own perfume This is a delicate subject, though — a story, maybe, for — and I remembered the way Aldo Leopold wrote about the another time. mountain before it burned. Before I worried that it would b crumble from the erosive effect of fire. Leopold, who’s often considered the father of conservation JUST WEEKS AGO, I put myself near Escudilla again. It was ecology, spent the early part of his U.S. Forest Service career a fleeting thing — minutes, really — a stop on the way to in the Apache National Forest in Eastern Arizona. It’s the another destination. Still, there is something about the moun- forest that lays claim to the mountain, to the Blue Range, to tain, about the glossy gray spirits of the bears and the wolves places like the Bear Wallow Wilderness. and, now, the aspens that in autumns past covered the moun- So, as far as Arizona’s forests go, it is my favorite. tain in gold filigree. And as I’ve visited those trees in my working years, I’ve The things that never were but might someday be. used them for inspiration. For love letters. For essays. For From Hulsey Lake, midday, the sleeping bear looked raw, things that never were. leafless. Empty. Neither tufts of grass nor the hum from the It follows, then, that when Leopold wrote about the death wake of hibernation moved the mountain. of Arizona’s last grizzly, Old Bigfoot, in A Sand County Almanac, Still, I saw Escudilla differently. The fire wouldn’t claim his words hung in my brain for a while. this mountain or its spirits. “Old Bigfoot was a robber-baron, and Escudilla was his It wouldn’t crumble. Because mountains don’t.

Aspen leaves rest on a burned log on Escudilla Mountain in autumn. Paul Gill

32 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 33 THE MAVERICK “Doc,” “Doc Luce,” “The Maverick Doctor” ... these are just some of the names people use when referring to Sam Luce. The names vary, but the regard is the same: Sam Luce is a legend down in the Blue. BY KELLY VAUGHN / PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT BAXTER

Sam Luce has lived and ranched in the Blue for more than 45 years.

34 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 35 e’d have met Sam Luce much sooner had it not been for the dogs. Two of them — part Ger- man shepherd, part redtick coonhound — began barking as Wsoon as we pulled through the gate at the end of Luce Ranch Road. They didn’t stop. Not when we parked the cars. Not when photographer Scott Baxter called out for Luce. Not when we wandered into the shade to let the dogs settle, then attempted again our slow approach to the front door. We would be patient, though, because we’d heard about these dogs, Oso and Judy. Luce has them to keep wolves off his property. The dogs are beautiful and big. And loud. Besides, it was the kind of day you lock away in your memory for when the weather turns viciously hot or bitterly cold — the kind where the breeze stirs apple blossoms and the smell of earth mixes with the warmth of sun and you feel spring somewhere in your bones. We nuzzled a pony that grazed in a small patch of grass and made small talk as the minutes passed. And then Sam Luce appeared in his sunroom like a spirit. He called out to go ahead and make our way to the door. He would Luce looks out through the sunroom of his ranch house, which is full of ephemera from his time as a musician, physician and rancher. meet us there, and the dogs would be “just fine.”

36 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 37 Several of Luce’s fiddles line one of the walls in his living room. Luce put himself through medical school — in part — by playing in a dance band.

psychiatrist, and her practice just got accident. Running out of time, Doc Luce operated on him — up The fire, driven by wind, approached early on in its march busier and busier.” He, too, was in on the mountain. He saved the man’s life. through the White Mountains. The U.S. Forest Service dis- demand, as an emergency-room doctor. But then, one January, the unthinkable happened when the patched two tankers down Luce Ranch Road, and firefighters They’d been in Estes Park because family drove into a canyon. Deer cut across the road and up a unloaded pumps, hoses, sprinklers and more. it afforded them a chance to ride their hill, kicking off a cascade of rocks. “The fire was burning 4 or 5 miles up the canyon,” Luce says. horses — she was a champion eques- “One came bouncing through the passenger-side window, “You could see the smoke and fire going 500 feet in the air, so trian and horse jumper, he a former and it hit our daughter, Stormy, in the head, causing a very they started putting their pumps in my irrigation ditch and lay- jockey — and explore the outdoors serious brain injury,” Luce says. “We went down to Barrow ing out fire hoses so they could squirt water on the buildings to during their time off. Neurological Institute, and she had surgery.” keep them from burning — and it was very good, because that “It started off being fairly nice — it It wasn’t expected that Stormy would regain consciousness, was going to save this place. So many other places burned.” was a small town,” Luce says. “But as and doctors warned that if she did, she wouldn’t much resem- Of course, Luce worked with the fire crew. time went on, the business got busier ble the way she was before the accident. “I heard a walkie-talkie start squawking, ‘You guys have to and busier, and we weren’t able to use So the family returned to Estes Park, and Stormy woke up. evacuate immediately,’ ” he says. “ ‘There are embers blowing a our horses and go riding. We ended Slowly, she walked again. She regained sight and hearing. And half-mile in your direction. You can’t stop them. Get out imme- up having three kids, and we liked to over the years, she developed enough ability to live indepen- diately.’ ” take them on trips, and we wanted dently. Then, the Luces bought the Jack Brooks Ranch, includ- The firefighters left. They abandoned their equipment. So, more time. So, after the summer rush ing its 250 head of cattle, and returned to the Blue. over the next several days, Luce defended the ranch alone, in Estes Park one fall, we decided to That was 46 years ago. Today, Stormy lives in Springerville. using the Forest Service’s high-pressure pumps to douse out- take a look and see if we could find a buildings. small area that wouldn’t be very busy.” LIFE ON THE BLUE IS SIMPLE. AND IT ISN’T. On the second day, he evacuated Julie — she was having They found Blue. There is peace. The silence of space, the running of water. trouble breathing — then returned to keep fighting the fire. And when they did, one of the resi- The colors of dirt and sky and field. There is a dull and lovely “About 4 o’clock in the morning, I was over working on the dents said the tiny community needed sense of isolation. log house where K.T. lives now,” Luce says — referring to his a schoolteacher. There is time to pack deep into the Blue Range Primitive ranch hand, K.T. Thompson, who lives and works on the ranch “I understand the two of you are doc- Area in search of hot springs, as the Luces have done count- with his two daughters. “It was so hot, the water I’d squirt on tors, so you went to school, less times. Time to doctor on San Carlos Apache Tribe land, as the house would turn to steam. It melted a black plastic pipe didn’t you?” Luce remembers Luce did 15 years ago. Time to build things and work on trucks that was a vent pipe. Here came a man walking in here on foot. DOWN ALONG CAMPBELL BLUE CREEK, the man saying. He laughs, and play fiddles — several of which hang on the wall behind Guy by the name of Vicente Ramirez.“ Luce is a legend. “Doc.” “Doc Luce.” “The Maver- Life on the Blue and his blue eyes flash. “Julie Luce as he tells the story of how he met Julie, how he put him- The cowboy had been down the canyon to visit friends. He ick Doctor.” These are just some of the names you said, ‘Well, I’d like to teach self through medical school by shoeing horses and playing in a heard Luce needed help. He went. hear in nearby Alpine when you mention you’ve is simple. And at a school like this.’ So, we dance band. The isolation was, briefly, overcome. been down to visit him. Then the people there decided there were possibili- There is work. The moving of cattle, the tending to horses “Of all the people in this canyon — and I know them all — will spin their own story or two about the time ties.” and dogs and barn cats. Fence-mending, always. The near-con- he was the only one who came in,” Luce says. And Ramirez Doc Luce … it isn’t. There The one-room school stant opening and closing of gates. There is a dark and piercing stayed. Eventually, Luce’s youngest son, Matt, a heavy-equip- … roped a maverick bull. came with a house, and they sense of isolation. ment operator, joined them. The three men fought the fire for … tended to a patient who’d shattered his knee- is peace. The imagined that life on the Blue Over time, the Luces reduced their herd, first to 25 cows, 10 days. cap — with his own .38. could be a retirement of sorts. then to 10. Now, they have one. In an interview for the Arizona Today, the sides of some of the buildings are singed, but the … was slammed into a corral post by an angry silence of space, So the Luces gathered their Memory Project, Luce recounts his reasons for culling the smell of smoke is long gone. As we walk around his property mule, and how he lay in the mud with a broken children and went west. cattle: — Luce has put on a jacket, a bandanna and boots — the doc back for hours until his wife, Julie, found him. the running of After a while, people dis- “This was more work than we wanted to do, so we reduced shows us his tack room, his beautiful saddles, the craftsman- But when Luce answers the door in bare feet covered that the Luces were down, you might say, to 10 percent. We went down to 25 head. ship of fences and log cabins and corrals. There’s an under- and handmade cowhide pants, running his fingers water. The colors doctors and would stop by We found that 25 head, when we were out there branding and stated pride in his words, a knowledge that he is part of the through his fine gray hair, there’s a glimmer in his with minor ailments, but, for getting kicked in the face by a yearling steer, was still plenty of long ranching tradition on the Blue — a heritage he hopes he eyes that says his own stories will be the best. of dirt and sky the most part, the family had work. We raised a pretty good field of corn. We fed our cattle can cling to. At 85 years old and 5 feet, 5 inches, Luce settled quietly into its new from the pasture, and then raised corn that we added to their “What we have on the canyon here is the remnants of a com- moves in the manner of someone a half-century and field. There routine. And there were, of feed. Gradually, we have moderated. We find it more fun to go munity,” Luce says. “We don’t have as large a cattle industry as younger. He is neither slowed by age nor feebled course, a few major traumas camping than we do to brand calves.” once held us together.” by a life lived the way he wanted it. He is, if a per- is a dull and over the years. The interview, which presents a sort of oral history of ranch- The light is golden as Luce stands in the doorway of one of son had to describe him, spry. Bright. Brave. As it turns out, the story ing on the Blue, took place February 4, 2011 — just months the log cabins. Thompson’s daughters return from school and “My wife and I had medical practices in Estes lovely sense about the man shooting him- before the Wallow Fire burned 538,049 acres in Arizona and begin their chores — after they stop to hug the doc. He smiles Park, Colorado,” Luce says as he curls into a beige self in the kneecap is true. As New Mexico, and threatened the Luce Ranch. and cracks a joke and kicks at the ground with a boot. Oso lin- recliner that matches his shirt and pants. “But of isolation. is one about a man who bat- As he settles into his retelling of this particular story, the gers at his side. Julie was a pediatrician who decided to be a tered his skull in a terrible flash in his eyes fades. Because his beloved ranch nearly burned. Together, they walk through the gate. They don’t stop.

38 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 39 A woman and a boy enjoy a meadow of wildflowers in the White Mountains in early summer. Northern Arizona University Cline Library FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Originally published in July 1945

am no physician, but I do know that if anyone road presaged more or was alone, depending only should come to me in need of a rest cure, I on the smaller buildings nestled close by, for com- I would have the name of an ideal place on the plete subsistence. tip of my tongue. In the White Mountains, if you start your tour “Go into the White Mountains of Arizona,” I from Springerville and go, perhaps, to Clifton, you should say. will find the places nicely spaced. Springerville Now to be thoroughly restful, a place must have itself is a self-sufficient little town and its people space enough in which to stretch. The houses, or unusually friendly. We left it feeling that the bless- White Mountain towns, if people insist upon having them, must be ing of the town was upon us. At breakfast, the kind far enough apart to enable the traveler to forget one folk were afraid we might not get enough to eat, before he comes upon the next, and to indulge in and our conversation in one of the stores was as some speculation as to whether the house of snug warm as though we did our weekly trading there. BY JOYCE ROCKWOODCountry MUENCH PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSEF MUENCH logs that showed from the last shining bend in the The eyes of the Pioneer Woman, standing in gray

40 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 41 disappear from view when seen at certain angles. Closer examination shows a host of other flowers and plants that are preparing for a later flowering. In a few more weeks the violets, blue, yellow, white, will take the place of the irises in the color scheme. In larger meadows, where the ground keeps marshy, there will be hundreds of white cowslips. In August and September, the roads will be bordered with cheery sunflowers, gold against the verdant green. That is to mention only a beginning of the floral offering of these meadows. And the flowers themselves are only one part of their charm. Trees keep at a respectful distance, grouped gracefully and with an irregular line that looks artistic without ceasing to be casual. Here and there, baby aspens, already as fluttering as the parent trees, promise that the meadow will change shape in a few more years. August, September and even In spring, the white bark of an aspen stands out amid ponderosa pines on White Mountain Apache Tribe land. Northern Arizona University Cline Library into October will run more changes in the pattern of security and peace and solitude. A short season, perhaps, but certainly a merry one. stone in the middle of the street, followed us out to the first Coronado missed a sight that adds the last perfect touch to bend in the road. this pastoral scene to be had at frequent turnings in the road, This is an old pathway long used by the white man. So the the rich brown and white of grazing cattle, or of idling horses, cure begins by playing on the human liking for old memories even the gray and black of nibbling burros, stationed near a of things gone by. We follow here the Coronado Trail, which, fire warden’s cabin. we are reminded, that famous Spanish traveler once trod. Here, Such a place is Hannagan Meadow, with the cabin com- more easily than in most places in our country, or perhaps in manding a view of the broad meadow itself. There in a sturdy any other country, can we forget the effects of man’s occupancy corral are several horses, saddled from seven in the morning Near Greer, Hall Creek twists and turns as it hurries toward the Little Colorado River. Northern Arizona University Cline Library and see with our own eyes what Coronado and his men must until seven at night, ready for emergencies. But at night, the have looked upon back in that far-off century. saddles off, the patient animals are let out onto the green to After weary stretches of heartbreaking desert, what an oasis browse among the cowslips. They run a little, to see if they the diligent searcher. Flowers that I did not know taunted me, Eye specialists say that we suffer today from looking at this must have seemed! Hills roll up in a never ending succes- still can, and roll in the soft grass; then with frequent nudges and overhead the pines and aspens talked of higher things. It things too closely. In this part of Arizona the horizons are sion, as full of motion as the ocean itself. But these waves are and realistic “horse-play” go sauntering off to spend the cool was impossible to resist the urge to take hands and dance upon pushed back and the eye follows their long contours with a carpeted with the green of leaves and ferns and trees. A warm night somewhere to their liking. the green. pleasure that is restful and soul satisfying. and living carpet with its own movement. Vistas open now Nearby are cabins that can be rented and horses obtained “One, two, three, and all fall down.” Water adds its note in streams and tumbling cascades and again that permit the mind to grasp the size of these great for trips through this region. The Mogollon Rim, dividing the Fauns or leprechauns waited our departure to come out from and in sheets of smooth lakes. Big Lake, about 15 miles from lands, all within national forest or Indian reservation boundar- Crook and Apache National Forests, is a water divide and from behind the trees. Three bold squirrels chased up and down a Alpine, is a lovely place. Enlarged by man, it lies in the hollow ies. Valleys that crowd upon the hills, and hills that swoop and its forested top the sportsmen can descend on either side, to dead stump. And there was no war or thunder of cannon. between hills, with almost no trees along its immediate shore. lengthen into more valleys. And trees and trees and more trees. the Blue River or to numerous other streams. The meadows still hold me and try to keep me from wander- Instead, they stand back at a distance, shading a delightful Big old alligator-barked junipers that may remember Coronado, Another requisite of our rest cure must be that there shall be ing on to the rolling hills and beautiful pasture lands. But the campground that always harbors at least a few fishermen and and lithe aspens with their graceful, everlasting dance, aspens no need to rush from one spot to another. Here the meadows weary mind, seeking new strength, needs to be able to look their families. that follow where a fire has been, springing up to cover the seem to pull one down upon their inviting green. I recall such off far into the distance to be soothed and reassured. Like an The Little Colorado begins in this region. Near the town of naked wounds of the earth and make her forget the loss of her a place which will always stay in my mind as the “Enchanted enlarged park, like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, if it were Greer, tiny bridges span it impudently, not reckoning nor ever darker children, the pines and firs. Meadow.” It was tucked away in the trees near Alpine, some spread over thousands of acres and then left to nature’s own knowing what a stream it will later become and through what Now the trees give way to a meadow, and these meadows 8,000 feet above sea level. The snow had been off the ground gardening, are the rolling hills of the White Mountains. Cross- deep canyons it will eventually run. Here the cows stand knee seem to have a power reminiscent of legendary poisons that some two weeks and there was still a softness under foot. A ing a small stream, perhaps half a mile away, there may be a deep in it and the children throw pebbles to its clearly seen robbed the victim of all desire to return to his home. For here tiny stream bounded the open space on one side, and had herd of cattle, kept together and moving by the skill of several bottom. Greer sits back on its haunchlike hills, content to let is a perfection of peace, written in a living rhythm. In early thrown up a wall of willows to render the seclusion more com- cowboys riding with the ease born of long practice. They are the river run on. June, wild iris flood the floors and overflow into the higher plete. Trees shut it in on the other three sides. Patches of iris part and parcel of the scene, even as they move out of it, sing- Hall Creek, several miles farther on, in imitation of larger spots under the trees. Erect, delicately colored, they almost responded to an errant breeze and tiny white violets rewarded ing lustily to the tree tops or to the open spaces. rivers, makes a double “S” curve that, seen in sky blue against

42 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 43 A rider on horseback stands beneath White Mountains aspens showing their autumn hues. Gilias bring summer color to an evergreen-trimmed highland meadow in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Northern Arizona University Cline Library Northern Arizona University Cline Library its banks of emerald green, stays in the mind’s eye. We looked was followed by hunters and trappers. Kinishba, now partially restored by Dr. Byron Cummings. passage of years. The world is hushed and beauty lies in every down upon it from a hill of volcanic rock, and saw nestled The name of the town Nutrioso comes from “nutria” mean- The small towns between which the white road runs seem hollow and on every hill. there, as a part of the picture, a great clump of one of the small ing beaver, and “oso,” bear — bearing witness to the abun- deeply rooted in the soil. Alpine rests securely in its hills, a Are you tired of the wheels that turn and turn, and of the barrel-cactuses decorated with a score of bright red blossoms. dance in the vicinity of animals for fur trapping. Many of the small place but a memorable one. Whoever named it had a train’s too insistent whistle? Do the shouts of people hurrying These streams carry fish in their flashing waters and are homesteads and the lodges along the road have stuffed animals feeling for the European Alpine country. There are no tower- to and fro make you want to close your ears? patrolled by men with poles in hand, fishing, yes, but also and carefully preserved furs of creatures shot in the White ing peaks here for a background. The country culminates in Then call time out and seek the White Mountains. They lie drinking in the fresh sweet air and listening, if only with half Mountains. Old Baldy (Thomas Peak), which at its elevation of 11,403 feet cool and green. And remember that whispering aspens must an ear, to the shrill bluejay and the noisy canyon wren. The sawmills, scattered as they are through the forests, point always shows some snow; but the rolling slopes, nestling farm be approached closely to be heard. The noisiest brook of them Still remembering our patient in search of peace, we to another kind of man’s industry. There are no great sections of houses, the fields of grain, and the surrounding forests are all can’t bring its voice through the clamor of your city. Remote, demand that while the body and the soul find adequate denuded timber lands here, for the trees have been selected for strikingly similar. Small sawmills may be seen near almost tranquil, utterly beautiful, it awaits your approach. At your refreshment, the mind, too, must be entertained and pleas- cutting and the young trees have been permitted to come up and every settlement with engines chugging away and clouds of coming, the iris will open to the sun and the grazing cattle antly occupied. So we look to the region for its history and con replace the needed victims of the woodsman’s ax. sawdust filling the air. may lift lazy heads. The summer sound of bees among the its place names for refreshment. A new book opens before us. The Apache Indians need a chapter to themselves. They live One of these is just outside of Nutrioso, and the naked flowers will fill the air. Here is rest and peace, and somehow There is, of course, the interesting Coronado Trail from Spring- now in increasing numbers on two great reservations, bring- flame may be seen through the cracks in a large metal cylin- the assurance that the world will go on. Builded slowly out of erville to Clifton. Here, as we said, is a portion of that traveled ing to cattle raising and the improvement of their own condi- der, involved somehow in the process. This little town would an inexhaustible earth, its dark trees and falling waters have a gentleman’s probable itinerary. Perhaps the first white man tion, the same vigor that made them so fierce on the battlefield delight any artist. At sunset, the cows come ambling down the power of cure, and they assert anew the faith of ages. to see its untold loveliness, now his name has its place in the before they had reconciled themselves to the rule of the white street and make their way up a lane bordered by small build- I give you, for your pleasure, the White Mountains of folds of its green hills and is still echoed by its rocky cliffs. He man. In the heart of the Apache country is the ancient ruin of ings touched with the double magic of setting sun and the Arizona!

44 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 45 Of all the backcountry experiences in the White Mountains region, one of the most rewarding is a boulder-hopping trek to Cibecue Falls.

ibecue means “surrounded by red cliffs.” It’s an Apache word that comes to life along a creek of the same name. Ashoog is another Apache word, one that means “thank you.” And that’s how you’ll feel — thank- ful, grateful, beholden — for the opportunity C to explore the red cliffs, the creek and the 50-foot waterfall that stands as a dramatic denouement to the day’s adventure. Of all the backcountry experiences in the White Mountains region, this is one of our favorites. As Robert B. Whitaker described it in our July 1965 issue: “Cibecue Creek cuts a wilderness swath between unspoiled can- yon walls for forty-five miles in one of the most primitive areas of Eastern Arizona. Its By Robert Stieve Photograph by Shane McDermott secretive journey passes ancient Indian ruins, cibEcue Falls clusters of beargrass wickiups, virgin stands of ponderosa and oak, and multihued cliffs unmatched in brilliance and natural splen- dor. And the dense forest and foreboding canyon guarding this shy mountain stream abounds with bear, lion and other game spe- cies, while her crisp waters hold good num- bers of brown and rainbow trout.” Although a hike along the creek — a tributary of the Salt River — requires some boulder-hopping and probably some wet feet, you won’t regret the effort. Instead, you’ll be grateful for the opportunity. Ashoog.

A hike along the White A hike to Cibecue Falls requires a Trail Notes: Mountain Apache permit from the White Mountain Apache Tribe. And Tribe’s Cibecue Creek a hike beyond the falls requires a guide. At press features a stunning time, the tribe did not employ one. For more infor- reward: the 50-foot mation, contact the White Mountain Apache Tribe Cibecue Falls. at 928-338-4385 or www.wmat.nsn.us.

46 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 47 AT HOME IN THE WOODS

Jo Baeza has an affinity for trees, lakes and wildlife — it comes from her childhood in Minnesota. When she moved to the White Mountains in 1964, she found a Western version of those natural wonders, along with a simple life among good people in a beautiful place.

An Essay by Jo Baeza Jo Baeza has an affinity for trees, lakes and wildlife — it comes from her childhood in Minnesota. When she moved to the White Mountains in 1964, she found a Western version of those natural wonders, along with a simple life among good people in a beautiful place.

wentieth century America was my folks, who, attracted by the steady a stack of firewood. I stopped to get gas An Essay by Jo Baeza having its midlife crisis. Every rumble of American cars on Route 66, at Indian Pine, drove through the hum- T shift in the cultural wind shook had bought a motel and gas station in ming sawmill town of McNary, passed the foundations of Archie Bunkerism. Holbrook in 1950. For special occasions, a loaded lumber truck, then turned off From the Beatles to Woodstock to the my mom, my dad and I would have onto a dirt road to Hawley Lake on the moonwalk, from the pill, miniskirts and dinner at Charlie Clark’s Steak House Fort Apache Indian Reservation. folk singers to race riots and war pro- in Pinetop-Lakeside or the Paint Pony I could look out the window of my tests, mainstream America was explod- Lodge in Show Low. On Sundays, we’d cabin in the morning and see a herd of ing in a psychedelic spasm. As Bob pack a picnic lunch and drive to the 30 or more elk grazing in the meadow Dylan understated it, “the times they mountains in our gas-guzzler, keeping below. Ospreys circled the lake, a win- are a-changin’.” count of how many deer, elk and tur- tering bald eagle perched on a snag, Not everyone wanted to change with keys we saw. coyotes sang their night song, my dog the times. I was looking for what I had In 1954, I graduated from Stanford was drunk on wild scents, and I was all always looked for: a simple life among University with a degree in English lit- alone with the sound of silence. good people in a beautiful place. I found erature and a hankering for adventure. I When reality set in, I bought a cabin it in the White Mountains of East- came home, explored the country, wrote in the center of Pinetop-Lakeside from Central Arizona in 1964. I was 33, single some stories for Arizona Highways and a cheerful real estate agent named again, with no plan. married a rancher. Eight years later, I left. Pearl Penrod, who knew all 600 people Maybe my childhood in Minnesota No excuses, no regrets. That’s how I was. in town. Businessman Lon Hoffman left me with an affinity for trees, lakes In early November 1964, I threw some described Pinetop-Lakeside as “a quiet, and wildlife. Maybe it goes back to my warm clothes and my cow dog into my peaceful little town with a two-lane great-grandmother’s Bavarian ancestors Ford Galaxie and headed to what Hol- highway and lots of friendly people. or my great-grandfather’s dark Swed- brook folks called Up Country. At an ish forests. Whatever the source, I have altitude of 8,200 feet, Hawley Lake was Mist rises from the White Mountains’ Hawley Lake always felt at home in the woods. already bracing for winter. Friends had at sunrise. The lake is southeast of McNary, on White Arizona’s pine belt was familiar to loaned me their summer cabin and left Mountain Apache Tribe land. David Muench

48 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 49 Atop 7,185-foot Springer Mountain, ponderosa pines frame a view of Pinetop-Lakeside at sunset. Nick Berezenko

over cups of cowboy coffee made on an old cast-iron stove. I loved life in the forest so much, I applied for a lookout job the next year. The upshot was that I worked on different towers about 20 fire seasons over the years, with a family of bears for neighbors and the sound of silence for company. It was the perfect place for a young woman with an affin- ity for trees, lakes and wildlife. Life on the mountain was pretty close to perfect for kids, too. Schools closed during bad storms, and boys could make money shoveling snow off roofs. School was also closed the opening day of deer season. Kids played outdoors until dark in summer. We had a big vegetable garden, chickens and turkeys, all of which had to be fed and watered. Kids learned to work and take care of animals. I’d put them up against anybody for their fish- cleaning speed. Not many kids today can actually go fishing after school for their supper. Friends gave us elk for the freezer. My stepdaughter, Paula, and I sometimes confronted bears when we were picking wild grapes in the fall. Play was rough-and-tumble, with Annie the Australian shepherd as wide receiver. And it was creative. Yes, kids smoked cigarettes down on Billy Creek, but they didn’t do heroin or even know what it was. If kids had grievances, parents usu- Not many kids today can actually go fishing after school for their supper. ally stayed out of it and let the kids set- tle their own fights. Teachers paddled boys for using naughty words. Nobody Everybody knew everybody. We were little girl, Sandy Turnbull, brought a cake of my street. Outdoorsman Bob Fer- pines, weeping willows, boxelders and At the other end of the street was the was rich, but nobody was hungry. all sort of a family. We had a lot of fun.” she had baked for me. I knew I was home. nandez had begun to develop Pinetop aspens, and a handful of other cabins on Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Town I can’t say that life is better for kids in My new home was an uninsulated I applied for a secretarial job with Country Club through a complex land Stephens Drive. The street was named and forest were separated by a three-wire the White Mountains today than it was frame cabin with a living and dining Bob’s Realty, the only job opening in exchange with the U.S. Forest Service. after George Stanley Stephens, born in a fence that needed fixing. It still does. 50 years ago, but it is different. Today, room, brick fireplace, beamed ceiling town. After all, I was a writer; I could White Mountain Country Club was freight wagon between Fort Apache and Arizona Highways was responsible for kids have endless opportunities to learn, and sleeping porch. I borrowed a down type. Bob told me in exasperation one already in business on the site of a for- Pinetop-Lakeside in 1909. A handsome my next career move. In 1966, I wrote a to grow, to be who they want to be. In payment from my dad. The house, lot day, “You’re the worst secretary I ever mer Civilian Conservation Corps camp. fellow, he could sing, yodel, and play story called Not So Lonely the Life of a Look- the meantime, they get to wake up every and trees cost $8,000. It took me four had.” Nevertheless, he paid me $50 a My new home was surrounded by the guitar, banjo and fiddle. On Phoenix out. It was about a couple who manned morning to the same natural wonders years to pay off the mortgage. The first week, right on time. Their corporate an open meadow where meadowlarks radio station KOOL, he was known as a fire tower at Lake Mountain east of that have been attracting good people day in my new house, my neighbor’s headquarters was a log cabin at one end auditioned. There were ponderosa Mountain Steve. Pinetop-Lakeside. I enjoyed my visits since long before 1964.

50 JULY 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 51 scenic DRIVE

SPRING VALLEY LOOP Historic Route 66, the National Old Trails Road, the Beale Wagon Road ... some of the state’s most iconic routes can be experienced along the Spring Valley Loop in Northern Arizona. pillars that marked a segment of the and as you contour around Sitgreaves completed the loop when you arrive back BY ANNETTE McGIVNEY National Old Trails Road, the precur- Mountain, be on the lookout, on the at the old store. But what’s your rush? PHOTOGRAPHS BY SHANE McDERMOTT sor to Route 66. Built in the early 20th right, for a camel sign 3.6 miles past the Grab a sandwich at the deli and pull up century, the highway once ferried Model intersection. This marks a Forest Service to a picnic table out front to chat with the T’s that slowly bumped their way across trailhead for the historic Beale Wagon locals before returning to the interstate. eople have been traveling across Northern Arizona. Road. If you explore that route, keep your Life in the fast lane can wait. Northern Arizona for thousands of Route 66 then bends to the north and eyes trained on the ground, where there P years. First they journeyed on foot, becomes Forest Road 74. After several are still wagon-wheel ruts left by the then by covered wagon, next by train miles, the pavement ends and the road thousands of 19th century immigrants SCENIC and eventually via a historic two-lane becomes graded red gravel. The rounded who passed this way. DRIVES of Arizona’s Best Back road. But when you’re speeding down peak of 9,354-foot Sitgreaves Mountain On the north side of Sitgreaves 40 Roads ADDITIONAL READING: For more adventure, pick up one of the lanes of Interstate 40, it’s easy is dead ahead and surrounded by open Mountain, Spring Valley Road intersects a copy of our book Scenic to skip past the region’s history and take pastureland. After approximately 7 miles Friendly Country Road. Turn right to Drives, which features 40 of the state’s most beautiful back in only as much as you can glimpse at on FR 74, the road intersects Spring Val- stay on Spring Valley Road, then con- roads. To order, visit www.shop Edited by Robert Stieve 70 mph. That’s when it’s time for a much- ley Road (Forest Road 141). Turn right, tinue south for 10 miles to Parks. You’ve and Kelly Vaughn Kramer arizonahighways.com/books. needed detour on the Spring Valley Loop. From hiking an ancient pathway to a watering hole, to walking in the wagon- wheel ruts of a pioneer route, to follow- ing the cracked pavement of Route 66, this 29.7-mile tour revisits what made the region tick 100, or even 1,000, years ago. From Exit 178 on I-40, head west on Historic Route 66. In a half-mile, you’ll TOUR GUIDE arrive at the small community of Parks Note: Mileages are approximate.

and the historic Parks in the Pines Gen- LENGTH: 29.7-mile loop eral Store, the starting point for the loop. DIRECTIONS: From Parks, go west on Historic Route Built in 1910, the store was one of the first 66, which turns to the north and becomes Forest Road 74, for 13.4 miles to Spring Valley Road (Forest Road gas stations in the area and also served 141). Turn right onto Spring Valley Road and continue as a post office. Locals still hang out here 16.3 miles back to Parks. to shoot the breeze, just as they have for by Native Americans who moved through As you continue west on Route 66, VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None in good weather. more than a century. the area some 1,000 years ago. Park on watch for a square stone monument, WARNING: Back-road travel can be hazardous, so be aware of weather and road conditions. Carry plenty of But save the store for later. The first the left side of the road, at the Oak Hill about 4 feet tall, on the right side of the water. Don’t travel alone, and let someone know where stop on this tour is 3.7 miles past the Snow Play Area. A green metal U.S. For- road. This is what’s left of two 20-foot you are going and when you plan to return. store, at the region’s original hangout: est Service gate across the highway INFORMATION: Williams Ranger District, Keyhole Sink. A short box canyon, which marks the Keyhole Sink Trailhead, where ABOVE: The Beale Wagon Road is one of many 928-635-5600 or www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab pieces of history along the Spring Valley Loop. Travelers in Arizona can visit www.az511.gov or dial sometimes has a flowing waterfall, con- an easy 1.3-mile path through the pines OPPOSITE PAGE: In addition to history, the loop 511 to get infor­ma­tion on road closures, construc­tion, tains an ancient petroglyph panel created takes you to the petroglyphs. offers views of the San Francisco Peaks to the east. delays, weather and more.

52 JULY 2017 MAP BY KEVIN KIBSEY www.arizonahighways.com 53 HIKE of the month

WALNUT CANYON TRAIL You could spend the other side and eventually intersects Turn left at the big tree. A few min- a short spur trail that runs 0.2 miles to a utes later, the trail dips toward another all summer hiking the Arizona Trail. If you only scenic viewpoint, where you’ll get a beau- side canyon but never goes in. Instead, tiful look into Walnut Canyon. The can- it skirts the edge and starts a gradual have a day, this scenic stroll to Fisher Point is a yon, which is 20 miles long, 400 feet deep climb. As you inch your way up, you’ll great option. BY ROBERT STIEVE PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM BEAN and a quarter-mile wide, was carved by start glimpsing Walnut Canyon through Walnut Creek over a period of 60 million the trees to your left. Then, all of a sud- years, and within its winding walls are den, there it is. A big opening with even f you do a Google search for “how long the “Flagstaff bypass,” and it begins at a an abundant mix of plants and animals bigger views. It’s a quick look, however, is the Arizona Trail,” you won’t find an well-marked trailhead along Old Walnut — you’ll see signs of mule deer all day. as the trail immediately peels away from I exact number. Not without some dig- Canyon Road. What you’ll see when you Just east of the viewpoint is Walnut Can- the rim. ging. Most reliable sources mark it at get there is a healthy, open forest of pon- yon National Monument, where, from For the next 20 minutes, you’ll wind “800-plus” miles. Even the Arizona Trail derosa pines. The trail is a mix of rock around 1100 to 1250, ancient Sinaguans through the woods and arrive at another Association rounds it off to 800. That’s and dirt, and the floor is covered with constructed the cliff dwellings that are short spur to a forest road. Just beyond it, because there are two “alternate” routes too many pine cones to count. now protected by the national monu- the AZT makes a turn toward Marshall along the trail. One at Pusch Ridge in the About five minutes into the woods, ment. If you don’t make the detour on the Lake. Instead of making the turn, stay Santa Catalina Mountains. And one in Humphreys Peak makes its first appear- way out, be sure to hit it coming back. left for about 200 yards to Fisher Point, Flagstaff. They were built — in the spirit ance. Look to the northwest. Then, about Back on the main trail, enjoy the views which is the turnaround point and the of the trail — as a way of avoiding city a minute later, the AZT intersects the of Humphreys Peak and settle in. The ter- payoff for this hike. Plan on spending traffic and “maximizing the experience Campbell Mesa Trail. The terrain at this rain remains about the same for the next some quality time there. The point is one of Arizona’s landscape.” The bypasses point is mostly level. Twenty minutes 25 minutes, at which point you’ll inter- of the highlights of the Arizona Trail, can throw off the math. In addition, the later, however, the trail switches down- sect another spur (0.7 miles) to another which, if you’re counting, continues trail is continually being groomed, which hill into a small side canyon, where the scenic viewpoint. Although the forest is south for another 580 miles. Give or take. affects the overall distance. So, if you’re trees get thick and the forest gets dark. made up of mostly ponderosas, there are counting, the AZT is about 800 miles The bottom is shady and cool, and the long. Give or take. fresh smell of the pines is intense. So are BELOW: Fisher Point, which is the turnaround point for this hike, overlooks Walnut Canyon. ADDITIONAL READING: The Walnut Canyon Trail (an unofficial the sounds of the birds. RIGHT: The trail offers nice views of the San For more hikes, pick up a copy name that we’ve assigned) is a segment of From the bottom, the trail climbs up Francisco Peaks to the northwest. some Gambel oaks, too, and this is where growth ponderosa. The tree is lying dead of Arizona Highways Hiking Guide, which features 52 of the they really start showing up. on the ground, but it makes its presence state’s best trails — one for each Continuing southwest, you’ll come to a known. So do the misanthropic Steller’s weekend of the year, sorted by seasons. To order a copy, visit short side trail that leads to Forest Road jays, which never seem to stop yelling at www.shoparizonahighways 301. It’s accompanied by a massive, old- the uninvited interlopers. .com/books.

TRAIL GUIDE DIFFICULTY: Moderate ELEVATION: 6,735 to 7,033 feet TRAILHEAD GPS: N 35˚10.816', W 111˚31.928' DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 17 in Flagstaff, go east on Interstate 40 for 5.5 miles to Country Club Drive (Exit 201). Turn right onto Country Club Drive and continue 0.8 miles to Old Walnut Canyon Road (Forest Road 303). Turn left onto Old Walnut Canyon Road and continue 3.5 miles to the trailhead parking on the right. (Note: All but the first 0.4 miles of Old Walnut Canyon Road are dirt, and it can be rugged in places.) VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: A high-clearance vehicle is recommended. DOGS ALLOWED: Yes HORSES ALLOWED: Yes USGS MAP: Flagstaff East INFORMATION: Flagstaff Ranger District, 928-526-0866 or www.fs.usda.gov/coconino LEAVE-NO-TRACE PRINCIPLES: • Plan ahead and be out all of your trash. prepared. • Leave what you find. • Travel and camp on • Respect wildlife. durable surfaces. • Minimize campfire impact. • Dispose of waste • Be considerate of properly and pack others.

54 JULY 2017 MAP BY KEVIN KIBSEY www.arizonahighways.com 55 ,

WHERE IS THIS? so much better than wallpaper ... the Vintage Poster collection by arizona highways

Writing on the Wall If you can read the plaque on this North- Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017 Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017 Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017 THEARIZONA THEARIZONA THEARIZONA HIGHWAYS HIGHWAYS HIGHWAYS ern Arizona building, grand canyon national park �LLECTION petrified forest national park �LLECTION saguaro national park �LLECTION this month’s Where Is This? isn’t going to be GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK 18 x 24 inches #AGCP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #APFP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #ASNP7 $19.99 much of a challenge. If you don’t have super- human eyesight, we’ll tell you that the build- ing dates to the 1870s and is named after one of its managers. And it’s part of a complex that owes its existence to the water source located there.

Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017 Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017 Illustration by Chris Gall ©2017

THEARIZONA THEARIZONA THEARIZONA HIGHWAYS HIGHWAYS HIGHWAYS �LLECTION sonoita-patagonia �LLECTION lake powell �LLECTION santa catalina mountains

SONOITA-PATAGONIA LAKE POWELL SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS 18 x 24 inches #ASPP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #ALPP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #ASCP7 $19.99 May 2017 Answer & Winner Win a collection of our can also be sent to 2039 W. qualified entries. Entries most popular books! Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ must be postmarked by Saguaro National To order, visit www.shoparizonahighways.com or call 800-543-5432. To enter, correctly identify 85009 (write “Where Is July 15, 2017. Only the winner Park. Congratula- the location pictured above This?” on the envelope). will be notified. The correct *Pricing does not include shipping and handling charges. Use code P7G5CP when ordering. tions to our winner, and email your answer to Please include your name, answer will be posted in our Alice McCreary editor@arizonahighways address and phone number. September issue and online of Cherry Hill, .com — type “Where Is This?” One winner will be chosen at www.­ arizonahighways­ THEARIZONA New Jersey. in the subject line. Entries in a random drawing of .com beginning August 15. HIGHWAYS �LLECTION 56 JULY 2017 PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP JEFF KIDA ABOVE, LEFT ARCHIE TUCKER

Gall Poster AD_0617.indd 56 5/2/17 2:23 PM