Our favorite Inns & B&B’s 20 OF ARIZONA’S BEST PLACES TO HIT THE HAY

JULY 2011

ESCAPE. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE

plus ELUSIVE IN NATURE: IN SEARCH OF THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLF and THE BEST PHOTOS YOU’LL EVER SEE OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

4 june 2011 Hacienda del Sol, Tucson www.arizonahighways.com 1 INSIDE Lake Powell 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 48 ELUSIVE IN NATURE 30 NORTHERN EXPOSURES Grand Canyon It’s been more than a dozen years since Mexican gray contents 3 CONTRIBUTORS­ We first became enamored with Shane McDermott’s National Park wolves were reintroduced to their native habitat in 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR work while putting together our December 2010 Flagstaff Eastern Arizona. The captive-breeding program has issue — his twilight shot of Chocolate Falls blew us Camp Verde been half successful at best, but that doesn’t deter 07.11 5 THE JOURNAL all away. Turns out, that photograph wasn’t a fluke. Prescott Snowflake nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from hitting the People, places and things from around the state, When we asked Shane for some images of the San trail in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the evasive including a man whose name is synonymous with the Francisco Peaks and the surrounding highlands, he Bear Wallow endangered species. PHOENIX Wilderness town of Snowflake, a local bird that can reach speeds blew us away all over again. BY RUTH RUDNER up to 200 mph, and a cabin-cozy B&B near Flagstaff A PORTFOLIO BY SHANE M CDERMOTT ILLUSTRATIONS BY DUGALD STERMER with only three rooms. 42 GOING WITH THE FLOW 52 SCENIC DRIVE 18 REST STOPS To the casual observer, the San Juan River flows into POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE Forest Road 618: In July, any road that leads to a • It’s summer. The kids are out of school. It’s time to Lake Powell without a splash. To writer Craig Childs, swimming hole ranks as a scenic drive. This one just hit the road. Wherever you spend the day — Greer, who recently kayaked that remote stretch of the great happens to be scenic, too. Grand Canyon, Sedona — think carefully about where lake, the confluence is a whole different story, one you spend the night. There are plenty of places that’ll that’ll make you think, I wish I could write like that. 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH leave a light on for you, but for something special, hit BY CRAIG CHILDS Uncle Jim Trail: There are many reasons to visit the the hay at one of our favorite places. North Rim, including this trail, which offers a little BY KATHY MONTGOMERY solitude with its Canyon views. ◗ An Arizona thistle, photographed PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK LIPCZYNSKI along Forest Road 231 in the Coconino National Forest. | DEREK VON BRIESEN 56 WHERE IS THIS? FRONT COVER The courtyard of historic Hacienda del Sol, shown just after sunset, was converted from a girls school to a guest ranch in 1948, be- coming a favorite getaway for movie stars. | MARK LIPCZYNSKI BACK COVER A sunflower at Bonito Park, near Sunset Crater in Northern Arizona. | SHANE MCDERMOTT

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.

GET MORE ONLINE www.arizonahighways.com Visit our website for details on weekend getaways, hiking, lodging, dining, photography workshops, slideshows and more. Also, check out our blog for regular posts on just about anything related to travel in Arizona, including road closures, environmental news, festivals and other valuable information we couldn’t fit in the magazine.

www.facebook.com/azhighways Like us on Facebook and get a behind-the-scenes look at Arizona Highways, along with exclusive photos, trivia contests, interesting news and more. 2 june 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s contrib- RUTH RUDNER letter Ruth Rudner is attracted to Arizona utors [email protected] JULY 2011 VOL. 87, NO. 7 because of the wildness of its moun- 800-543-5432 tains. For her, the Mexican gray wolf www.arizonahighways.com Publisher represents that wildness (see Elusive in Ruth Rudner’s story about Mexican gray wolves. WIN HOLDEN Nature, page 48). “I believe it essential Editor The story, Elusive in Nature, is about her visit to the ROBERT STIEVE that wolves be restored to their tradi- Bear Wallow Wilderness in Eastern Arizona. Senior Editor tional landscapes, the landscapes that RANDY SUMMERLIN She and her husband, longtime Arizona Highways evolved with them,” she says. “The Managing Editor photographer David Muench, often visit the area: KELLY KRAMER more people are aware of the wolves’ Washington, Associate Editor Mr. Muench goes to make photographs and our KATHY RITCHIE situation, the more voices are added for writer goes in search of endangered species. Editorial Administrator their protection.” Rudner, who is a regu-

Wolves and Water PAUL MARKOW Her narrative recounts that visit, and also NIKKI KIMBEL lar contributor to Arizona Highways, has written 11 books, including two with her husband, Photography Editor eorge Washington never slept at the Heritage Inn. Kirsten Dunst has, but touches on the captive-breeding program that JEFF KIDA photographer David Muench. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal. not George Washington. That’s not a knock on the Heritage Inn. None of was intended to rescue the wolves from the brink Creative Director BARBARA GLYNN DENNEY the Founding Fathers ever slept there. If they had, this column would have of extinction. Like most environmental efforts, Art Director g KEITH WHITNEY a different lede, or maybe I’d be focused on Kirsten Dunst, the Spider-Man there are those who are in favor and those who Design Production Assistant actress who stayed at the inn in Snowflake during a cross-country road trip. are not. The nots in this case are predominantly DIANA BENZEL-RICE Although it was 30 miles off the beaten path of Interstate 40, she made the detour ranchers. However, as Rudner writes: “For family Map Designer anyway, and liked what she saw. Everyone does. There’s nothing not to like about ranchers struggling to make a living from cattle, KEVIN KIBSEY Production Director the Heritage Inn. there are potential economic benefits from hav- MICHAEL BIANCHI The rooms are cozy, the gardens are lush and the German pancakes will change ing wolves in the area. Hosting guests who are Webmaster VICTORIA J. SNOW your mind about German cooking — there’s no sausage or sauerkraut in sight. The eager to see or hear wolves has proved a boon. DUGALD STERMER Director of Sales & Marketing best thing about the Heritage Inn, however, is its host, JoAnne Guderian. She’s spir- One Arizona rancher who does this is Wilma KELLY MERO As chairman of the Illustration Circulation Director Department at California Col- ited, she’s hip, she’s gracious, and your stay at the inn is an extension of her. Most Jenkins at the Double Circle Ranch in Clifton.” NICOLE BOWMAN inns and B&B’s are like that, and that’s one of the things we considered when put- Regardless of where you stand on the issue, a Finance Director lege of the Arts in San Fran- ting together this month’s cover story. We also looked at amenities, breakfast menus, night at the ranch sounds like a great experience. BOB ALLEN cisco, Dugald Stermer spends Information Technology latitude, longitude … we looked at a lot, and what we ended up with was 20 of Ari- And so does a night along the San Juan River. CINDY BORM ANIS a lot of time in front of the pro-

zona’s best places to hit the hay. That’s where Craig Childs likes to pitch his tent. Corporate or Trade Sales verbial sketchpad. His subjects There are others, of course, but this story covers some of our favorites. Places like Or sleep on the ground, as he did on a recent 602-712-2019 are unlimited, but lately, he’s Sponsorship Sales Representation Garland’s Oak Creek Lodge near Sedona, the Verde River Rock House Bed & Break- kayaking trip. He was exploring a place “where ERNIE MULHOLLAND found himself sketching more fast in Payson, and El Rancho Merlita in Tucson, which at one time was the home of the San Juan River ends and Lake Powell begins.” EMM MEDIA SERVICES LLC and more wildlife, including 602-971-6260 cosmetics pioneer Merle Norman and was recently named one of the “Top 10 Roman- It wasn’t a scientific journey, but rather an adven- [email protected] Mexican gray wolves, which

tic Inns” in the United States. ture in solitude. Letters to the Editor appear in our story Elusive [email protected] At the other end of the spectrum and the other end of the state is Wallace Fam- “Many people come to Lake Powell to engage 2039 W. Lewis Avenue in Nature (see page 48). In ily Hogans, which offers guests a taste of traditional Navajo life as it’s lived in an with another world,” he writes in Going With Phoenix, AZ 85009 addition to Arizona Highways, eight-sided log hogan — without running water or electricity. There’s also a modern the Flow. “One where nature is the predominant Governor Stermer’s work has appeared JANICE K. BREWER hogan with Wi-Fi and other creature comforts, but the old house is more intriguing. force, and where humans are ultimately few. It Director, Department of Transportation in The New York Times, Time, Another interesting option, one that’s not in our cover story, is the Double Circle is a rare clarity, a moment of quiet. You feel dif- JOHN S. HALIKOWSKI Esquire and Rolling Stone. Arizona Transportation Board Ranch in Clifton. ferent when you drop your sleeping bag on the Chairman WILLIAM J. FELDMEIER Chances are, you’ve never heard of this place. Neither had I. Not until I was editing ground knowing there is no one else within Vice Chairman shouting distance. Sitting on your bag, fixing a BARBARA ANN LUNDSTROM SHANE MCDERMOTT Members small meal in a pot for yourself is a satisfying, FELIPE ANDRES ZUBIA Having lived in Flagstaff for the past decade, pho- VICTOR M. FLORES tographer Shane McDermott is no stranger to the almost eerie pleasure. As crowded as parts of STEPHEN W. CHRISTY Lake Powell sometimes get, its long, remote arms KELLY O. ANDERSON San Francisco Peaks (see Northern Exposures, page H ANK ROGERS feel silent, forgotten.” 30). Photography, he says, allows him to combine Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published If you like what you see in this If you’re thinking of dropping off the grid for a monthly by the Arizona Department of Transportation. two of his passions: art and nature. “My time spent Subscription price: $24 a year in the U.S., $44 outside the magazine every month, check while, read this essay. If you’re in search of excel- U.S. Single copy: $3.99 U.S. Call800-543-5432 . Subscrip- photographing in nature is incredibly rejuvenating, tion cor­respon­dence and change of address information: out Arizona Highways Television, lent writing, read this essay. If you’re repulsed Arizona Highways, P.O. Box 433124, Palm Coast, FL 32143- inspiring and creative, allowing me to bring fresh 3124. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ, and at ad- an Emmy Award-winning pro- by the idea of sleeping on the ground, book a ditional mailing office. CANADA POST INTERNATIONAL and dynamic perspectives to the rest of my life.” PUBLICATIONS MAIL PRODUCT (CANADIAN­ DISTRIBU- gram hosted by former news room at the Heritage Inn. You won’t run into TION) SALES AGREEMENT NO. 41220511. SEND RETURNS When he’s not making photographs, McDermott TO WORLDCOLOR, P.O. BOX 875, WINDSOR, ON N9A anchor Robin Sewell. For broad- Craig Childs or the ghost of George Washington, 6P2. POST­MASTER: Send address changes to Arizona practices meditation and yoga. He was a holistic Highways, P.O. Box 433124, Palm Coast, FL 32143-3124. cast times, visit our website, Copy­right © 2011 by the Ari­zona Department of Trans­­ health practitioner for 25 years, and he currently but you will find German pancakes, and they’re por­­tation. Repro­duc­tion in whole or in part with­­out per- mission is prohibited. The magazine does not accept and www.arizonahighways.com, and spectacular. is not responsible for un­solicited ma­ter­ials. works as a professionally certified integral coach. click the Arizona Highways Televi- ROBERT STIEVE, editor This is his first portfolio for Arizona Highways. PRODUCED IN THE USA

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS TV sion link on our home page. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/azhighways. — Interviewed by Daniel Jacka

2 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 3 letters THE JOURNAL 07.11 to the editor people > lodging > photography > centennial > dining > nature > things to do > > > > [email protected] GOOD TIMING eling back in time with your Harvey Your special issue on Arizona’s state girl; trekking through Arizona’s most parks [May 2011] comes at an impor- spectacular wildflower landscapes; tant time. Let’s hope it opens some learning the rocky history of one of eyes and makes a difference. Arizona’s trademark brews; being THOMAS LANGFORD, PHOENIX introduced to the family that has built a thriving pecan-growing busi- HAPPY CAMPER ness; and, after having breakfast at As soon as the April 2011 edition Red Rock Café, relaxing at a Nature arrived, I couldn’t wait to dive into Conservancy [property] ... all this the cover story, “25 of Our Favorite while sitting in a waiting room at the Places to Eat in Arizona,” since my May 2011 local service station. I want others to husband and I are always on the look- enjoy this trip as much as I did. out for some good grub in our travels article by Jana Bommersbach titled EILEEN LOWRY, STERLING, VIRGINIA around our state. But my attention Arizona: 1932-1941. In the last paragraph slid down the cover to the subtitle, is a sentence reading (in part) thusly: LOST IN TRANSLATION “Treasure of the Sierra Ancha,” and “December 7, 1941, will forever be I’m a winter Arizonan and I’ve moved suddenly my desire for food was remembered as a ‘day that will live into the modern world. Although set aside and I couldn’t wait to read in infamy.’ ” My presumption is that a senior senior citizen, I purchased about the wilderness of Arizona that Ms. Bommersbach inserted this sec- a GPS. The salesman told me that I love so much. Our family camping tion in quotation marks because she with this new device, I never need trips into the Sierra Ancha over the believed that this is what President fear becoming lost anywhere in the past 25 years are so beloved that it’s Roosevelt said in his famous speech U.S. or Canada. My GPS is a lady. as if we’re camping in our own back- on December 8. It is not. What he She has a soft, soothing voice. She yard. This little-known piece of para- said was, “Yesterday, December 7, gives me turn-by-turn instructions 1941 — a date which will live in once I’ve programmed in my destina- infamy ... .” tion. What a wonderful invention. I ROBERT F. LONGLEY, GREEN VALLEY, ARIZONA named my new friend “Esmeralda.” If I inadvertently turn left instead THE AYES OF MARCH of right, she simply says, gently, Is it possible for me to buy 10 copies “Recalculating,” and directs me of the March 2011 issue of Arizona around the block to where I should Highways? The depth of coverage and have turned in the first place. I love storytelling ability that show in this Esmeralda! There’s only one problem with her. Here in Arizona, there are many Spanish street names, and Esmeralda can’t speak Spanish. Traveling to a friend’s new home on April 2011 Calle de Tesoros, Esmeralda told me to turn left on “Caw-w-wl dee dise north of Roosevelt Lake is rich TESS-or-ohze.” I missed my turn. contact us in history and vivid in unique beauty, “Recalculating,” said my helpful If you have and we can only imagine what it was friend. Turn right on “PLAZE dee thoughts or like for our Native American prede- ES-quew-lah,” then right on “AVE- comments about Mellow Yellow anything in cessors to dwell along the cliffs so nigh-da dee RIVV-er-uh,” then right When it comes to summer recreation, Arizona Highways, long ago. I’m sure they loved this land on ... .” I never did find those streets the Mogollon Rim offers something we’d love to hear as much as we do now. where Esmeralda wanted me to turn. for everyone, from hiking and biking from you. We can to boating, fishing and camping. be reached at MICHELE WATERS, CHANDLER, ARIZONA But I used my previous wonderful TK editor@arizona March 2011 You might even find a spot to sit and highways.com, or new invention, my cell phone. My enjoy cool water and a sprinkling of by mail at 2039 SLURRED SPEECH particular issue are extraordinary. friend gave me directions to her wildflowers, like these yellow cone- W. Lewis Avenue, flowers, reflected in Chevelon Creek. Phoenix, AZ The most recent issue of your truly I would like to strategically place house and I was there in a flash. I 85009. For more outstanding magazine [May 2011] copies of this issue in places where guess Esmeralda can’t be right ALL Information: Black Mesa Ranger District, information, visit 928-535-7300 or www.fs.usda.gov/ansf www.arizonahigh arrived today. I was disappointed people who need an uplifting experi- the time!

ways.com. to find an egregious error in an ence tend to gather. I just loved trav- BEATRICE FULTON KEEBER, MILFORD, MICHIGAN NICK BEREZENKO

4 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 5 THE JOURNAL > people THE JOURNAL > people

Many of the stories would, indeed, mas all year,” Louise says. “He likes to deco- PRATT’S seem incredible if not for the evidence. rate, but he doesn’t like to take it down.” In the living room hangs a photo of Lou- Sanford and Louise met when they ise with her arm around the pet deer. were cast in a romantic play opposite each Through the miracle of taxidermy, the pet other. They were both 22. “It was a love bobcat stretches forever upon a tree limb story,” Louise explains. She was working in a room filled with hunting trophies as a high-school teacher to save money to & that include moose, caribou and Dall Q A go on a mission but never made it. sheep from hunting trips to Alaska. “My mission became him,” she says. Sank points to a painting of his and Together they raised four children. For says: “See that? Isn’t that pretty? That’s a while they owned a ranch in Peeples where we’re going to retire.” Valley. Sank took a job with the Phoenix “Where is that?” a guest asks. Police Department before being recruited “I don’t know,” he answers. as Snowflake town marshal. When the The barn out back displays racks department expanded, he became police of beaver-skin costumes; several pairs chief and remained on the job for 30 years. of cowboy boots that were gifts from A cowboy at heart, Sank retired in 1991 bootmaker John Justin; a collection of to devote his time to raising the overo cowboy hats and beaver-skin caps; a Pony paint horses that follow him around like Express uniform; a bed lined from edge puppies. to edge with coyote pelts; three life-sized “They like me,” he explains. replicas of Sank’s horses; a full-sized Louise retired from teaching after 30 wagon; Native American rugs and jew- years. An excellent seamstress, she sewed Paul Yaffe elry; a player piano; hunting trophies that the buckskin outfits her husband liked World-Renowned include mountain lions, wolves, grizzlies and followed him in a horse trailer as he Motorcycle Designer and black bears; and a mounted, stuffed rode across the country. Why set up shop in Arizona? toy tiger. There is a full commercial “When he decided to go, we went,” she I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and kitchen with a grill that accommodates says matter-of-factly. I’d dabbled in the customizing field, but I “more steaks than I can afford,” as Sank Their fondness for each other is evident. wanted better skills, so I came here, because Phoenix is home to the Motorcycle Mechan- PAUL MARKOW puts it, and a sign that reads: “Some of my Sanford calls Louise a star. ics Institute. best friends are Flakes.” “To me that’s what she is,” he says. “She When you’re packing your saddlebag, what’s He’s a Flake and He’s Proud of It Though it’s July, the house and barn doesn’t do anything that isn’t first class. most important, other than water? deer, a bobcat and a 26-year-old paint horse are decorated for Christmas, with gar- How she ended up with me, I’ll never know.” Sunscreen. In 1878, at the request of Brigham Young, William Jordan named Denver, which Sank has ridden lands, chile-pepper lights and a full-sized Louise calls Sank a man of integrity. Favorite ride in Arizona? Flake settled the town that now bears his name. More than from border to border and coast to coast. Christmas tree. “Sanford has been fun to live with,” she says. I love Jerome. It’s one of my favorite rides 100 years later, Flake’s great-grandson — lawman, rancher, Mementos from all these exploits fill “I think you notice we decorate for Christ- But that’s plain to see. to take, and I think it’s totally cool. I love the drive and the scenery. I always have a great musician, artist and raconteur “Sank” Flake — is one of his home. When the house could no longer Snowflake’s most colorful characters. time. contain them all, he built a two-story barn Favorite memories in Arizona? By KATHY MONTGOMERY that serves as a private museum. I met my fiancée at Handlebar J’s in Scotts- At 78, Sank’s hearing isn’t what it used dale, so that’s a good one. SANFORD “SANK” FLAKE COULDN’T stands the house where Sank was born. to be, a fact he attributes to years of pistol After a long day in the shop, where do you go escape his past if he wanted to. His town’s The imposing brick Victorian just down fire. But he retains a full head of silver hair, for a bite to eat? There are so many great restaurants in history can’t be separated from that of his from it belonged to his grandfather, James unruly eyebrows and an engaging smile. the Phoenix area. Drinkwater’s City Hall in family, and folks here know it well. How Madison Flake. It’s now a museum. On a summer day, he greeted guests wear- Scottsdale is my favorite steak place. Tommy Brigham Young sent Flake’s great-grand- But Sank doesn’t seem eager to escape ing a bola tie, turquoise bracelet and cow- V’s is my favorite Italian. Delux is my favorite burger place. I could go on and on. Pancake father William Jordan his past. His home is a kind of monument boy boots. His wife, Louise, stood nearby House has the best breakfast. Stingray has SNOWFLAKE Flake from Utah to settle to his own history. In addition to a long to shout the questions he couldn’t hear, my favorite sushi. I also really like Culinary the town in 1878. And career in law enforcement and ranch- even with a hearing aid. But Sank needed Dropout. how the town came to be called Snowflake ing, Sank has pursued many interests. An few prompts. Stories poured from him like If you could ride with any Arizona icon, who by combining Flake’s name with that of amateur painter and musician, he honed a water from a spring. would it be? Alice Cooper. I wouldn’t mind riding next to Mormon apostle Erastus Snow. These talent for carving elaborate walking sticks Louise played straight man and kept him. events are celebrated every July during while on a mission in New Zealand. He him honest. “Oh, Sanford,” she clucked as What three words best describe Arizona? Pioneer Days. rode with the Pony Express and served as Sank recounted a time he was so upset it Weather, women, nightlife.

Snowflake is still chock-full of Flakes, wrangler for a half-dozen professional trail took four men to hold him down. — Dave Pratt is the author of and Sank’s neighborhood forms a kind of rides. Roy Rogers and Rex Allen became “It wasn’t that bad,” she said. “He exag- Behind the Mic: 30 Years in Radio

architectural family tree. Across the street his friends. Family pets have included a gerates.” PAUL MARKOW

6 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 7 THE JOURNAL > lodging THEJOURNAL > photography

ing (the better to house his extensively Flower Power furnished music loft), huge picture windows Even in the shadow of the Grand Canyon, it pays to look around. overlooking Humphreys Peak (the better to As photographer Jack Dykinga illustrates, a little fog, a clump of weeds and watch the deer and the antelope play) and some brilliant red flowers can lead to an image that rivals an open floor plan (the better to encourage any shot of the Seventh Natural Wonder. guests to come together for a glass of wine By JEFF KIDA, photo editor and an ice-breaking chat when they first arrive). Because A Shooting Star is remote, Tay- Photo lor makes dinner for guests who’ve given Tip him 24 hours’ notice and an extra $25 per person. Although the meal might be simple and straightforward — say, steak, potatoes, asparagus and salad — the mood is roman- tic and convivial, thanks to the soft glow of kerosene lamps and Taylor’s easygoing style. After dinner, the host morphs from chef to entertainer, whipping out his guitar for a BRUCE D. TAUBERT serenade of romantic ballads from a Boomer repertoire that includes Crosby, Stills & Nash, PULL A FAST ONE The Moody Blues and Leonard Cohen. Before Using a fast shutter his audience slips into happy couch potato- speed helps to freeze dom, Taylor hustles everyone outside for a movement in an im- age. Think of capturing look at Flagstaff’s famously dark night sky — the frantic energy of a even inkier at a 21-mile remove from the city, hummingbird’s flutter. and breathtakingly Star Wars-ian through the What’s more, a faster lens of his research-grade telescope. As an shutter speed is more amateur astronomer who has worked at Kitt forgiving of typical human wobbles and Peak Observatory and a professional photog- vibration. Use this rapher who has practiced astrophotography general rule: shutter since childhood, Taylor is in his element here, speed = 1/x seconds, pointing out stars, constellations, planets, where x is the focal nebulae, the Milky Way and the Andromeda length of your lens. Galaxy, all the while conveying his own sense Multiply by your cam- era’s crop factor. This of wonder and excitement to his guests. photograph was made What a treat to say “awesome” and truly with a 500 mm lens at mean it. Diehards may even rent his equip- 1/2000 second. ment for the evening. GEORGE STOCKING When the star party’s over, guests retire to one of three charming, simply furnished rooms with private entrances and spacious, Tom’s Cabin private baths, each named for a famous Situated on a 5-acre meadow in Kendrick Park near Flagstaff, A Shooting astronomer and outfitted with celestial- North Rim, Grand Canyon | JACK DYKINGA Star Inn is Tom Taylor’s dream project. It isn’t big — there are only three themed bedding. Because Taylor uses solar rooms — but with views of Humphreys Peak and a billion stars in the sky, power to live “off the grid” as much as pos- WHILE WORKING ON HIS book, Images: Jack Dykinga’s Grand Canyon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer you won’t need a lot of company. sible, his air-dried bath towels are rough was focused on capturing Wotans Throne from Cape Royal. To take advantage of the day’s first light, Dykinga ADDITIONAL READING: By NIKKI BUCHANAN to the touch. But those who don’t require camped on the rim and was greeted with an early morning fog that had settled into the Canyon. He made a Look for our book Arizona fancy soaps, plush bathrobes and spa-like Highways Photography series of images from Cape Royal, and then headed back to his campsite, where he found clumps of shrubby Guide, available at book- TOM TAYLOR, WHO OWNS and single-handedly operates A Shooting Star Inn northwest luxury are rewarded with hearty breakfasts, cliffrose enveloped in mist — an unexpected photo opportunity. Because the weather conditions were chang- stores and www.arizona of Flagstaff, is a Renaissance man and it shows. Every nook and cranny of his cabin- beautiful views ing quickly, Dykinga wasted no time in finding a stand of fiery-red Indian paintbrush to anchor the foreground. highways.com/books. cozy B&B is filled with books, pictures, guitars, amps, telescopes, vintage and solitude, A Shooting Star Inn is located The warm tones created a perfect juxtaposition against the cool tones generated by the morning fog. To create at 27948 N. Shooting Star ONLINE FLAGSTAFF cameras and other objects that reflect his various passions — astronomy, which make this this image, which he shot on 4x5 transparency film, Dykinga used a 75 mm lens for its wide-angle properties. Lane, 21 miles northwest of For more photography music, photography, art and nature. unique B&B a Flagstaff off U.S. Route 180. That made the Indian paintbrush appear dominant in the frame. By composing the image this way, the viewer’s tips, visit www.arizona With a little help from his friends, Taylor built his 4,200-square-foot dream house on a truly heavenly For more information, call eye goes first to the brilliance of the red blooms and then to the muted textures of the grasses and shrubs. highways.com/photog 928-606-8070 or visit www. raphy.asp. 5-acre meadow in Kendrick Park, purposefully creating a 26-foot tongue-and-groove ceil- experience. shootingstarinn.com. ■ To order a copy of Images: Jack Dykinga’s Grand Canyon, visit www.arizonahighways.com/books.

8 july 2011 ONLINE For more lodging in Arizona, visit www.arizonahighways.com/travel/lodging.asp. www.arizonahighways.com 9 THEJOURNAL > centennial THEJOURNAL > centennial

Arizona: 1952-1961 DID YOU 1959 In Arizona’s fifth decade of statehood, the population surpassed IN THE NEWS the million mark, Del Webb opened Sun City, and a stream of KNOW? iconic politicians made their marks in Washington. • During the 1950s, the average annual sal- Headlines from By JANA BOMMERSBACH ary for an American 1952-1961 worker was $2,992. EDITOR’S NOTE: In Febru- IT WAS THE DECADE OF GIANTS. lines were positive. On July 26, 1953, • A loaf of bread cost ary 2012, Arizona will Names that would live on forever in Governor Howard Pyle (a former November 4, 1952 celebrate 100 years of 14 cents. statehood, and Arizona Arizona appeared on the scene in the 1950s: radio personality known as the “Voice • Dr. Jonas Salk “Youth for Eisenhower Highways will publish a Ernest W. McFarland, Barry Goldwater, of Arizona”) authorized a raid on the invented the vaccine special Centennial issue. Club to Haul Voters.” Leading up to that mile- John J. Rhodes, and Stewart and Morris Northern Arizona polygamist com- for polio in 1955. — The Arizona Republic stone, we’re presenting Udall, to name a few. And then there were munity of Short Creek, calling it a • In 1959, Alaska and a 10-part history of the the events that made headlines: the open- place “dedicated to the wicked theory Hawaii became the state. This is Part 5. January 16, 1953 ing of Sun City; the state’s raid on Short that every maturing girl child should 49th and 50th states, “Commission Plans Creek; General Electric’s move to metro- be forced into the bondage of multiple respectively. politan Phoenix; and the opening of Kitt wifehood with men of all ages. ...” • Women had a life for Buff Hunt at Fort.” Peak Observatory, southwest of Tucson. Although the Mormon church sup- expectancy of 71.1 — San Pedro Valley News As the state’s population exceeded a mil- ported Pyle’s raid, the public and the years, while men had a life expectancy of lion in 1960, Arizona also gained its first mile media reacted with revulsion to what February 1, 1953 65.6 years. of a major highway, when construction began was the largest mass arrest of men

ARIZONA ARCHIVES STATE “State Ground Water on the Black Canyon Freeway. That route and women in American history. In Situation Worsening.” would eventually eliminate nearly 100 miles the end, 23 polygamist men received — The Arizona Daily Star from the trip between Phoenix and Flagstaff. a year’s probation each, and in 1960, Short Creek was renamed 2011 That same year, a developer named Del Colorado City. [The paper reported on the risk of Arizona Webb determined that the Arizona climate The raid cost Pyle his job. In 1954, he was replaced by Ernest W. overdrawing its groundwater resources.] was the perfect lure for retirees, and so McFarland, a lawyer and water specialist from Florence. McFar- he built the original Sun City. Since then, land had made a name for himself in 1940 when he shocked the September 15, 1955 many other retirement communities have political world by defeating Henry Fountain Ashurst in a race for “Oak Creek Airport to Open opened in Arizona’s desert cities. the U.S. Senate. McFarland would ultimately become majority for Rodeo.” As the population grew, a massive job leader, a position he held until Barry Goldwater defeated him in — The Verde Independent market boomed along with it. General 1952. After leaving Congress, McFarland served two terms as Ari- Electric, Honeywell, IBM and Sperry fol- zona governor, and later, as a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. lowed Motorola to the Phoenix area, and Meanwhile, Goldwater was a young man whose political experi- June 2, 1957 in 1958, Kitt Peak National Observatory ence had been limited to serving on the Phoenix City Council. He “Road Budget Sets Record: began operations. At the time, the observa- would serve Arizona in Congress for more than three decades and State to Spend $48.7 Million.” tory featured the largest concentration of become a political icon known as “Mr. Conservative.” The 1952 elec- — The Arizona Republic space-research facilities in the world. tion also sent a young Mesa attorney named John J. Rhodes to the Despite the growth, not all of the head- U.S. House. Not only would he spend 30 years representing Arizona, May 1, 1958 but he would also become the Republican minor- “Lynching? Nope, Just (Ugh!) ity leader. Rhodes was affectionately known as “Arizona’s Statesman.” ‘Rosie O’Meara.’ ” In addition to conservatives, Arizona also sent — The Arizona Record a couple of bona fide liberals to Washington — [The Globe paper reported that town the Udall brothers. Stewart was first, serving residents hung a dummy of Rose as an Arizona congressman until he was tapped O’Meara, the fictitious author of a COURTESY OF PALMS ROYAL RESORT by President John F. Kennedy as Secretary of the newspaper article calling Globe Interior, making him the first Arizonan to serve a “ghost town.”] in a president’s cabinet. His seat in Congress was ARIZONA: THEN & NOW filled by his brother, Morris, who would become November 2, 1960 one of the most beloved members of the House FOR DECADES, WELL-TO-DO TRAVELERS cooled their heels in the heart-shaped pool “Builders Get Silo Briefing: and a national leader on environmental issues. (above) at the Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix. Flanked by palm trees and tucked in the shadow of Camelback Mountain, the resort — built in 1929 — was originally the home of Prospective Bidders Told of Members of the Arizona-Mexico Cunard Steamship Co. executive Delos Cooke. After millions of dollars in renovations, the Urgency.” Commission, a regional trade organization, stand in front of an Arizona Airways airplane resort reopened in 1997 with 119 casitas and guestrooms. The hotel is a member of the His- — Arizona Daily Star in Tucson in 1959. | ARIZONA STATE ARCHIVES toric Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

10 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 11 THE JOURNAL > centennial THEJOURNAL > centennial

THE O’HACO CATTLE CO., est. 1910 Winslow, Arizona

BY KELLY KRAMER PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT BAXTER

Michael O’Haco’s first horse was named Peanut, a gift from his Uncle Lou. That’s what happens in ranch- ing families — horses are given as gifts, children grow up riding and, if things work out, they take over the family business. Such is the story of the O’Haco Cattle Co. Though O’Haco’s brother, Jim, runs the day- to-day operations of the ranch — Michael took a job with the BNSF Railroad in 1995 — running cattle remains a family affair. “Brothers, sisters, kids and grandkids help work the spring and fall roundups,” O’Haco says. “I continue to stay involved. It’s a way of life, a tough one, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Scott Baxter photographed O’Haco atop his horse, Big John, with his border col- lie, Zooey, at the O’Haco Cattle Co. (formerly the Chevelon Butte Ranch), 35 miles south of Winslow. To read more of Michael O’Haco’s reflections on ranch life, visit our blog at http://arizonahigh ways.wordpress.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “100 Years, 100 Ranchers” has been designated an official Centennial Legacy Project. Every month, we’ll be featur- ing one of the ranchers. It’s part of our own Centennial coverage, which will continue through February 2012. For more informa- tion about “100 Years, 100 Ranchers,” visit www.100years100ranchers.com.

12 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 13 THEJOURNAL > dining THEJOURNAL > nature

Goldens Rule Although bald eagles grace the tails side of the American quarter, golden eagles are impressive, too. Known as “soaring specialists,” these master hunters rarely lose a fight, and they can hit speeds up to 200 mph when they’re on the attack. BY ALLISON OSWALT

n the bird world, golden eagles are known at nearly 200 mph when on the attack. with feathers, while bald eagles’ legs are bare. ias “soaring specialists,” and with wing- When they’re not hunting, golden eagles These built-in leg warmers allow golden spans up to 7 feet and an average weight can be found in their nests, which are eagles to stay put in the winter, rather than around 13 pounds, they’re hard to miss as generally built in rocky crags or cliff faces. migrating south like so many other birds. This they circle overhead. Occasionally, they’ll build in trees or atop even applies to golden eagles living as far Like other large raptors, golden eagles telephone poles. Females lay one to four north as Alaska. use their extensive wingspans to catch rising eggs at a time, and both parents, which are Despite the birds’ grandeur, they haven’t masses of warm air, which allows them to monogamous by nature, incubate their off- always been embraced by humans. Histori- glide for miles with minimal effort in search of spring during the 40- to 50-day gestational cally, ranchers have viewed golden eagles prey. Rabbits, marmots and ground squirrels period. On average, only one or two fledg- with contempt, and decades ago, the birds are among the golden eagles’ favorite meals, lings survive their first three months. were hunted because of their reputation of but they’ve also been known to pick fights As they mature, golden eagles turn dark being bloodthirsty. In reality, golden eagles with animals twice their size. Perhaps that’s brown in color, with lighter golden-brown have had very little impact on the livelihood why they’re also known as “war birds” and plumage on their heads, necks and wing tips. of livestock, and today, there are a variety of the “king of birds.” Nicknames notwithstand- It’s easy to distinguish golden eagles from laws to protect them, thus allowing these ing, golden eagles are master hunters, and immature bald eagles by looking at the birds’ soaring specialists to circle majestically they use their speed to their advantage, flying legs. The legs of golden eagles are covered overhead. PAUL MARKOW

and green chiles on one; gyro meat, feta nature Don’t Let the Name Fool You cheese and olives on another; and pulled factoid If you’re a fan of Larry & Hy’s Bare Bones BBQ in Prescott, pork and barbecue sauce on a third. it’s gone. The name, not the joint. The restaurant is still Barbecue remains the house specialty, but there, serving the same array of comfort food, but it has it comes with Paper’s creative stamp. Most pit a new moniker, Pearl’s Place Café, which is a tribute to masters are dead set in their ways about what chef/owner Mike Paper’s beloved mother. constitutes the best ’cue. Paper applies differ- By ROGER NAYLOR ent homemade spice rubs to meats, and mixes and matches wood accordingly. He uses hick- PEARL’S PLACE CAFÉ IS where picky eaters go to shed their persnickety ways. A wide-ranging ory mingled with mesquite to smoke brisket, menu means that everyone who consumes food can find a favorite. So, unless you’re scheduled to but apple wood for the chicken, which he prowl the catwalk in Milan, try this little eatery nestled in the heart of Prescott’s Whiskey Row. pulls like pork. Meats are served dry, and cus- A diverse menu sometimes signals a lack of identity, but at Pearl’s, it just means the guy tomers choose from any of seven homemade in the kitchen is a bit of a mad scientist with a spatula. Mike Paper opened the doors in sauces, including Carolina Mustard, Dr. Pep- March 2005 to the café that looks like a stylish Memphis blues club. Named per’s Sweet & Nice and Jamaican Sunset. for Paper’s mother, the joint quickly gained a reputation for innovative spins The St. Louis-style ribs are meatier than PRESCOTT TIM FITZHARRIS on comfort food, or “uptown down-home cooking,” as Paper calls it. babybacks and coated with a peppery crust. I’m All Ears Everything is made from scratch at Pearl’s Place. If the roast turkey tastes especially Like all good smoked ribs, they have some Named for its large ears, the succulent, it’s because it’s carved right off the bird, one of 600 Paper roasts during the year. texture, allowing you to savor the qual- mule deer is the largest deer Naturally, all that handy stock makes for gravy so luxurious it could be served in a snifter. ity of the meat at each softly tugging bite. in Arizona, and it ranges from Scooping coleslaw and potato salad from a can might be easy, but easy isn’t what Paper’s Splash on a sauce if you like. Or go nuts the low deserts to high forests. after. Fresh side dishes ranging from slaw to stewed tomatoes to collard greens receive as much and slather on three Adult bucks weigh in excess of 220 pounds, while does average attention as the entrées. Chili aficionados will rejoice with three hearty options — onyx, blanco or four. You think Pearl’s Place Café is 125 pounds. During the summer located at 150 S. and the toe-curling dynamite — or try a sampler of all three. The smoked jerked chicken wings Paper will mind? He’ll Montezuma Street months, a mule deer’s coat is a are wings for grownups, with a complex zing of interconnected spices. Those with lighter appe- probably come out of in Prescott. For more reddish-brown, but by winter, information, call 928- it’ll turn a bluish-gray. tites will appreciate the pita pizza selections, the Mediterranean plate or the crunchy salads. the kitchen and take 541-0006 or visit www.

Even the pure Angus burgers are just a blank canvas for Paper. He piles jalapeño bacon notes. pearlsplacecafe.com. TIM FITZHARRIS

14 july 2011 ONLINE For more dining in Arizona, visit www.arizonahighways.com/travel/dining.asp. www.arizonahighways.com 15 THEJOURNAL > things to do National Parks HELP US ... Hopi FestivalNOVEMBER of 11 STATEWIDE ArtsAmerica’s & Culture best idea just got better. This JULY month,2-3 FLAGSTAFF the National Park Service cele- The Museumbrates Veteran’s of Northern Day with free admission Arizonaat participatingpresents this parks and monuments. 78th annualTake advantage event, which of this fee-free day at HELP OUr StatE ParkS! featuresmore Hopi than masters 15 locations throughout Ari- and emergingzona, including artists, Chiricahua National Mon- Hopi socialument, dances Saguaro and National Park and Walnut traditionalCanyon foods, National as well Monument. Information: as thewww.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm. opportunity to walk DAVID ELMS JR. a nature trail and learn about Ha:san Bak the Hopi values of humility, Saguaro Festival cooperation, respect, and land JULY 9 VAIL and Earth stewardship. Information: Harvest saguaro fruit, prepare and taste 928-774-5213 or www.musnaz.org saguaro products, and learn about the saguaro, its natural history, importance and uses to the Tohono O’odham people. LARRY LINDAHL LARRY This educational event takes place at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, and regis- tration is required. Information: 520-647- 7121 or www.colossalcave.com

Peach Mania JULY 30-31 WILLCOX Nothing says summer like fresh peaches. Stop by Apple Annie’s Orchard for the 14th Annual Peach Mania Festival, which features an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. Then, head out to the orchard

RICHARD MAACK to hand-pick your own tree-ripened peaches and apples. Afterward, Route 66 Photo Workshop enjoy peach ice cream, peach pie and a free craft festival. Information: 520-384-2084 or www.appleannies.com OCTOBER 14-16 PHOENIX, SELIGMAN, ASHFORK, WILLIAMS AND FLAGSTAFF Take a trip back in time along Historic Route 66 with Friends of Ari- zona Highways. This workshop, led by Richard Maack, allows partici- pants an opportunity to hone their photography skills while capturing the quirky and kitschy locations along the iconic highway. Information: 888-790-7042 or www.friendsofazhighways.com

American Cowboy Celebration Slide Rock State Park near Sedona | Derek von Briesen Like every other state in the country, JULY 23 SEDONA Arizona is dealing with a budget crisis. Get yourself in a cowboy state As a state-owned publication, Arizona Here’s How You Can Help: of mind at the 7th Annual Highways has felt the impact, and so have

National Day of the Cowboy PAUL MARKOW our Arizona State Parks. In an effort to For every $24 subscription (1 year) to Arizona Highways, Celebration, which features Northern Arizona Barbecue Festival weather the storm, we’re teaming up with we’ll donate $5 to the Arizona State Parks Foundation! cowboy festivities and West- our park colleagues to help ensure that JULY 1-3 WILLIAMS It’s easy, and it will make a difference. ern entertainment, including a Arizona, through the pages of our magazine cowboy parade, gunfights, live The Williams Main Street Association and the Special Olympics of and the state’s 30 parks, remains open and Western music, Western art- Arizona present a barbecue cook-off July 2 and amateur backyard accessible to residents and visitors alike. ists, and Western trades and barbecue cook-off on July 3. Twenty-seven professional teams will crafts demonstrations. Informa- compete for $10,000 in prize money, and visitors can enjoy a beer tion: 928-204-2390 or www. garden, street dances and a kids zone. Information: 928-635-2395 or For more information and park-specific promo codes, call 800-543-5432 or visit

JEFF KIDA sedonamainstreet.com www.nazbbq.com www.arizonahighways.com/stateparks.html

16 july 2011 rest stops

It’s summer. The kids are out of school. It’s time to hit the road. Wherever you spend the day — Greer, Grand Canyon, Sedona — think carefully about where you spend the night. There are plenty of places that’ll leave a light on for you, but for something special, hit the hay at one of our favorite places.

BY KATHY MONTGOMERY ||| PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK LIPCZYNSKI

The entrance gate to the historic Adobe 18 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.comHouse 19 in Yuma. n Arizona, with our vast public lands and wide-open spaces, the road trip is practically a birth- right. That’s especially true in the summer, when the days are long and heat shimmers off the rubberized asphalt like a mirage, promising adventure just around the next bend. You could leave the state for your summer vacation, but why endure “enhanced” airport screening proce- dures, exorbitant baggage fees, $5 Diet Cokes and 737s packed like sardines when Arizona offers a world of diversity, all within a day’s drive? Whichever direction you head, there’s a lot to see, and at the end of the day, you’re going to need a place to crash. We have a few suggestions. westI The selection in one room under a spotlight as it fills from tioned comfort. But don’t expect includes Virginia Woolf and the ceiling. The “party” shower R&R. The patio bar makes sleep Jhumpa Lahiri, which earns it is large enough for a gathering impossible until 2 a.m. Merci- The Adobe House ||| Yuma a better grade than the chain of your closest friends. Open the fully, checkout is at noon, and Built in 1938, the Adobe House is hotels in its price range. Informa- floor-to-ceiling sliders to engage the hotel-owned convenience one of the few adobe haciendas tion: 928-783-4520 the scene outside or watch the store stocks single-dose aspirin still standing in Yuma. Owners muscle boats rumble through packets. Information: 888-898-4328 Kim and Kevin Wright retained Heat Hotel ||| Lake Havasu City the channel from air-condi- or www.heathotel.com many of the home’s original Despite the name, everything features: colored concrete floors, about Heat Hotel is ultracool, rings for tying up horses and from its clean lines and glass- a gentlemen’s smoking room and-chrome interiors to the and bar. But the Wrights have recessed fiber-optic lighting. The made the most of the grounds 800-square-foot Inferno Suites — transforming their 2 acres- open onto the public boardwalk plus into a tropical oasis with at the foot of the London Bridge. outdoor seating areas, beehive A jetted tub, placed at the center fireplaces and a waterfall. Ask of the bathroom, looks dramatic for the Nautilus Room, which Interiors have a bright look (below) at resembles a small beach condo. the Adobe House in Yuma, while pot- All white and wicker with ted plants decorate outdoor areas (right). The original swimming pool sunny orange accents, the room behind the house (opposite page) has includes a well-equipped kitch- been resurfaced, but is otherwise the enette with stove, microwave same. and full-sized refrigerator. Breakfast, served under the shade of a palapa, will almost make you believe you’ve landed on a first-class island resort. Information: 928-210-4777 or www. theadobehouse.com

Jenny Kent’s Bed & Breakfast ||| Yuma Jenny Kent’s is austere, by B&B standards. Breakfast is conti- nental. The rooms contain few amenities. And that makes sense for a 1905-era schoolteacher’s former home. But Jenny Kent’s has its charms, including afford- ability and proximity to historic downtown Yuma. Befitting a teacher’s home, every room “Let me live in my house by the side of the road, contains a writing desk, Wi-Fi and a well-stocked bookcase. and be a friend to man.” — SAM WALTER FOSS

20 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 21 of plumbing. The advantages at in the style of a European chalet, and Sears, Roebuck and Co. north this location include access to with a wrapped turret, jigsawn pressed-tin ceilings. A velvet east dining in nearby Window Rock balustrades and cedar shakes. couch, French antiques and Wallace Family Hogans ||| St. Michaels and a higher elevation. The sur- But the interior is pure American paintings hung from tasseled Cherry Creek Lodge ||| Young request, involves gourmet sand- Since 1999, travelers have been rounding forest is ponderosa hunting lodge, complete with ropes complete the feeling of Cherry Creek Lodge, located on wiches and homemade cookies. making the pilgrimage to Mae pine, grassy and strewn with dark wood, massive fireplace Old-World luxury, while shade- a working cattle ranch, is a haven But the highlight is dinner, Wallace’s winter camp, nestled wildflowers in summer. A mid- and trophy mounts. Most of the grown coffee, organic vegetables for sportsmen and history buffs. served family style in the barn among the junipers at Two July morning was cool enough hotel’s 78 rooms are small and and chemical-free bacon add a Built on land once owned by J.D. dining room. Like everything White Rocks. They come to to start a fire before breakfast, simply furnished. Few offer Rim contemporary twist. England Tewksbury of Pleasant Valley else here, entrées are rustic and get a perspective on traditional which included still-warm views. But they’re all mere steps House comes complete with a War fame, the 7,000-acre prop- artful: grilled salmon or roast Navajo life as it’s lived in an blue cornmeal Navajo tortillas. from the Seventh Natural Won- murder mystery surrounding its erty is located at the site of one chicken with preserved Meyer eight-sided log hogan without Information: 505-879-2457 or e-mail der. Information: 888-297-2757 or original owners, for whom the of the grisliest episodes of the lemon, for example, with des- the benefits of running water [email protected] www.grandcanyonlodges.com/el-tovar place is named. A parlor scrap- famous feud between the Gra- serts that incorporate orchard or electricity. Now, the Wallace book recounts every scandalous hams and the Tewksburys. But fruits. It’s a delicious way to family offers a more contempo- El Tovar ||| Grand Canyon England House ||| Flagstaff detail, which involves boozing, these days, it’s the playground experience Arizona in its natu- rary, less remote option, with The Santa Fe Railroad opened This historic bed and breakfast strychnine and a suspected love of Michael and Sharon Lechter ral state. Information: 520-357-6901 a second hogan at the edge of this grande dame lodge of the is located on a quiet, residential triangle. Information: 877-214-7350 and their guests. Michael is an or www.aravaipafarms.com the family’s compound near National Park Service in 1905. street within walking distance or www.englandhousebandb.com avid hunter and sportsman, and St. Michaels. The new hogan One of the last holdouts of the of downtown Flagstaff. Hand- has built a veritable amusement Heritage Inn ||| Snowflake features modern wood-frame Fred Harvey Co., El Tovar was somely constructed of Coconino Firelight Bed & Breakfast ||| Williams park for like-minded enthusiasts, Once home to the sixth child of construction, a covered front considered one of the most and Moenkopi sandstone in Williams is best known as the including a 10-station outdoor Snowflake co-founder William porch, electricity and Wi-Fi, but luxurious hotels west of the 1902, England House features home base for the train to the sporting clays course and a J. Flake, this historic bed and retains the traditional central Mississippi. Architect Charles the original carriage house, Grand Canyon, so it’s fitting that 10-station 3D archery course. For breakfast celebrates the town’s wood stove, dirt floor and lack Whittlesey designed the exterior push-button light switches, the story of this B&B begins less-sporting family members, heritage. With its cheerful there’s a 3-acre fishing pond and brick exterior, spacious porch miles of beautiful country in the and red-and-white bunting, the adjacent Tonto National Forest Heritage Inn looks like a poster to explore on horseback or on for small-town America. Inside, one of a fleet of off-road vehicles. antiques and reproductions like Information: 928-462-4029 or www. claw-foot tubs, gas stoves and cherrycreeklodge.com tall, four-poster beds recall the late 19th century, when the town Aravaipa Farms Bed & Breakfast ||| was founded. Most of the 10 Near Winkelman guestrooms are named for well- Aravaipa Farms feels remarkably known Snowflake pioneers. remote, considering its relatively One of the most popular is the short distance from Phoenix honeymoon suite, located off At El Tovar hotel, the main lobby (left) converted into a game room, and Tucson. Located near the a lovely brick courtyard in the features log construction decorated with mounted wildlife. A photograph with a Wii, an antique shuffle- entrance to the Aravaipa Canyon old Granary building adjacent of famed designer Mary Jane Colter board table and a 1947 jukebox. Wilderness, Aravaipa Farms to the indoor hot tub. For larger hangs in a bedroom named after her at El Tovar (above). The Firelight’s name comes from offers few modern luxuries. groups, a three-bedroom cottage three wood-burning fireplaces, What it does offer is a funky, with full kitchen is available. there, where Debi Zecchin was located in the living room, the rustic haven in a remarkable There’s also a large banquet “held up” by “train robber” Eric dining room and the Yorkshire natural setting. In this ripar- hall above the antiques store Eikenberry. The robbery was Suite. The four remaining guest- ian paradise, Carol Steele has next door for weddings, family staged, but he did steal her rooms have electric fireplace created a comfortable, culinary reunions and other celebrations. heart. A year later, Debi bought heaters. The suite — as large and haven where an extensive fruit Information: 866-486-5947 or www. the home that would become comfortable as a small apart- orchard, organic garden and heritage-inn.net the Firelight out of foreclosure. ment but with the amenities of henhouse help supply breakfast, Debi provided the vision; Eric, a a five-star hotel — is well worth lunch and dinner. Breakfast, Hidden Meadow Ranch ||| Greer licensed contractor, supplied the the splurge. Only 18 and older stocked daily in each casita, Located about 10 miles north of know-how. The results are gor- are welcome, so it’s no wonder includes homemade granola, Greer, Hidden Meadow Ranch geous, with soaring ceilings and this B&B born of romance is orchard fruits, preserves made feels a little like summer camp natural wood. The Tudor-style where couples come to rekindle on site and Carol’s award- for grown-ups. Guests sleep B&B includes a billiards room theirs. Information: 888-838-8218 or winning banana nut cake. in cabins, eat in a dining hall and a third-floor loft that’s been www.firelightbandb.com Lunch, packed as a sack lunch on and choose from planned daily

22 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 23 activities like horseback-riding, Forest on mountain bikes or an Rancho de los Caballeros ||| canoeing, woodworking and AT V. Information: 928-472-4304 or Wickenburg archery. But, oh, what a camp! www.verderiverrockhouse.com This historic, family owned The peeled-log cabins feature property helped make Wick- stone fireplaces, pillow-top beds Hassayampa Inn ||| Prescott enburg the “dude ranch capital and custom-made furnishings. With its iconic cupola, porte- of the world,” when people rou- “Camp food” includes brown- cochere and brick façade, this tinely stayed for weeks at a time. butter poached salmon and historic, 67-room hotel is a Half guest ranch, half resort, achiote-marinated elk tender- Prescott landmark. But the Rancho de los Caballeros still loin. The grounds complete the Hassayampa’s real beauty lies maintains a stable of horses and setting with two trout ponds within. Gracious and elegant, 20,000 acres of pristine Sonoran and wildflower-strewn meadows the well-preserved public areas Desert. But it has adapted to surrounded by stands of pon- feature Art Deco-style etched modern tastes with the addition derosa pines, blue spruce and glass, hand-stenciled ceilings of an award-winning 18-hole firs. There are activities for kids, and a carved mahogany bar. The golf course, a spa and Jeep tours. too. An early dinner seating for chandeliers and tile are original, Accommodations range from the families means adults can enjoy as is the 1927 hand-operated original 300-square-foot guest- a candlelit meal in grown-up elevator that is still in use. Being rooms to lavish 750-square-foot fashion. And Hidden Meadow is historic, the rooms are small, suites. The main lodge is kind open year-round. Snowshoeing but the hotel’s location near “the of ranch-meets-hacienda, with or mountain-biking, life at the square” means you don’t have to flagstone floors, a copper fire- Meadow feels like endless sum- risk a DUI to prowl Prescott’s place and peeled-aspen vigas. mer. Information: 866-333-4080 or Whiskey Row. For a more Santa Fe artist Bruce Cooper www.hiddenmeadow.com refined dining experience, head built the bar, registration desk to the hotel’s Peacock Room. and valances, and inspired Information: 800-322-1927 or www. the hand-carved furniture, all hassayampainn.com painted in shades of raspberry, central tangerine, turquoise and gold. The Verde River Rock House Bed & Breakfast, north of Payson, is built di- A long-standing kids program Verde River Rock House rectly on a natural granite foundation makes “los Cab” a natural for (below). The outside of the house is Bed & Breakfast ||| Payson covered in stone (right). families. Information: 928-684-5484 This B&B, located just north of or www.sunc.com Payson, is everything you could want: attractive, comfortable Garland’s Oak Creek Lodge ||| and situated on a supremely Sedona beautiful spot along the banks Little changes at Garland’s, least of the Verde River. River rock of all the guests. Annual reserva- and wood make the home feel tions are so coveted that people warm and inviting, with acres have negotiated them in divorce of grass overlooking the lushly settlements. And it’s easy to see forested riverbank. Innkeep- why. Garland’s 10 acres form a ers Maggie and Steve Evans are veritable bower of green, with natural hosts and entertain only lush lawns dotted with fruit one group of guests at a time. trees and English-style gardens Maggie is an excellent cook, spilling over with lavender and with a talent for homemade lilies. Sixteen cabins are sim- breads and a preference for ply but elegantly constructed organic, hormone-free meats and of pine, stone and glass, with produce. The guest quarters, porches offering views of Oak located below the main level, Creek Canyon’s pine-studded that make good use of produce has been converted into “the The main living area of the Verde River Rock House showcases an feel spacious and private, with red-rock bluffs. But that’s only from Garland’s own organic world’s smallest spa.” And in eclectic blend of antique furnishings a sitting area, private deck and one reason people come back gardens and orchards. There’s one of the few benefits of the and mounted animals. massage studio. It’s a good place year after year. The other is the still no television or cell phone recession, more of those highly for porch-sitting, but those who food. In addition to breakfast service, but concessions to the coveted reservations are now want more action can explore and afternoon tea, guests enjoy modern world include Wi-Fi, a available. Information: 928-282-3343 the adjacent Tonto National leisurely, four-course dinners yoga platform and a cabin that or www.garlandslodge.com

24 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 25 south south

prickly pears and mesquite. A Azure Gate B&B ||| Tucson At Tucson’s El Rancho Merlita Bed & Breakfast, the main bedroom (above) low-slung 1950s-era brick ranch Nature takes center stage at was once used as cosmetics queen Merle house features a covered patio this Catalina Foothills bed and Norman’s desert getaway. Guests can lounge on an airy brick patio (opposite that runs the length of the house breakfast, situated on 5 acres page) at Rancho Merlita. At left, a light and overlooks an expansive of lush Sonoran Desert. The fixture hangs over the main entrance. manicured lawn, saltwater grounds are thick with old- pool and stunning views of the growth agave, prickly pear and desert and the Santa Catalina Catalina Mountains. Owner cholla cactus. Aided by a few Mountains. Information: 800-558- Diana Osborne gave the house watering holes, that landscape 8157 or www.azuregate.com a complete makeover, but pre- attracts all sorts of desert wild- served many original features, life, including an abundance Arizona Inn ||| Tucson including the rhyolite fireplace, of quail, cottontails and jack- In a world where it seems the flagstone floors and carved rabbits. Javelinas are frequent only constant is change, the vigas. A sandstone pediment visitors, and a bobcat sometimes Arizona Inn feels like an anchor El Rancho Merlita Bed & Breakfast over the front door retains the makes the rounds. Poolside bird- in time, gracious, steady and ||| Tucson matriarch’s signature. The large, feeders create a morning floor unwavering. Opened in 1930, the The name of this gracious B&B comfortable Merle Norman Suite show as elaborate as the gourmet AAA Four-Diamond inn grew reflects its history as cosmetics was once Norman’s quarters, breakfasts, which are delicious out of a philanthropic endeavor pioneer Merle Norman’s Tucson though a larger bathroom was and artfully prepared. To take of Arizona’s first congress- “The atmosphere breathes rest getaway. The property, which added and the dressing room full advantage of the setting, woman, Isabella Greenway. In was recently named one of the has been converted into a small reserve the Catalina guesthouse. 1927, Greenway founded the Ari- and comfort and the many “Top 10 Romantic Inns” in the office that contains the his-and- Accessed by a private driveway, zona Hut, a furniture-making chambers seem full of welcomes.” United States by iLoveInns.com, hers desk Norman shared with the 842-square-foot casita offers operation to employ disabled preserves 3.5 acres of the origi- her husband. Information: 888-218- privacy and a secluded patio veterans. When the stock — HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW nal, 60-acre ranch, lush with 8418 or www.ranchomerlita.com with unobstructed views of the market crashed in 1929, the

26 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 27 Hut found itself with “enough furniture to furnish an inn.” So “What is there more kindly than Greenway opened one. It has the feeling between host and guest?” remained in her family’s hands ever since. Despite its pink and — AESCHYLUS blue exterior, the Arizona Inn exudes Old-World charm. Its 14 meticulously groomed acres include a badminton court and British croquet lawn. Afternoon tea is served in a formal library featuring dark wood, a massive fireplace and Chippendale breakfront. The AAA Four- Diamond restaurant is a proper, white-tablecloth affair. On the other hand, the piano bar feels light and informal, with col- umns, bamboo furniture and a single potted palm reaching skyward to a central skylight. It’s the perfect setting for a run­ away life in need of a pause. Information: 800-933-1093 or www. arizonainn.com

Hacienda del Sol ||| Tucson This lovely, historic property was built in 1929 as a ranch school for girls and was con- verted into a guest ranch after World War II. In its glory days, John Wayne himself is said to have stayed there. The Hacien- da’s current owners completed a major restoration of the adobe structures and grounds in 1999. south Half guest ranch, half resort, Hacienda del Sol now occupies 34 acres of pristine desert with views of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The grounds include because of its enviable location The Joesler Room (opposite page), a restaurant at Hacienda del Sol in riding stables, a swimming pool along the San Pedro River. The Tucson, is named after Josias Joesler, and a mix of 30 rooms, suites interior courtyard is planted one of the original builders of the guest ranch. Two permanent residents of and casitas nestled among with flowers intended to lure Hereford’s Casa de San Pedro, Shadow flower-filled courtyards that hummingbirds and butterflies, and Cody (above), share a moment in the spacious hallway. A bird feeder are reminiscent of a Mexican and it’s not uncommon to see (right) at Casa de San Pedro attracts hacienda. The restaurant and migrating birds stop in for a goldfinches. bar feature an eclectic wine list, bath in the central fountain. live music and alfresco dining. Comfortable spots inside offer But the best birding spot is on Information: 800-728-6514 or www. views of outdoor feeders near the river, just outside the prop- haciendadelsol.com the pool and in the courtyard. erty gates. Laundry facilities are There’s also a pretty outdoor a bonus in the case of extended Casa de San Pedro ||| Hereford space surrounded by sunflowers, trips or unpredictable monsoons. Birders have long flocked to this with a ramada and a half-dozen Information: 888-257-2050 or www. hacienda-style bed and breakfast feeders that teem with activity. bedandbirds.com

28 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 29 A PORTFOLIO BY SHANE McDERMOTT We first became enamored with Shane McDermott’s work while putting together our NORTHERN December 2010 issue — his twilight shot of Chocolate Falls blew us all away. Turns out, that photograph wasn’t a fluke. When we asked Shane for some images of the EXPOSURES San Francisco Peaks and the surrounding highlands, he blew us away all over again.

To order a print of this photograph, call 866-962-1191 or visit www.arizonahighwaysprints.com.

30 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 31 A PORTFOLIO BY SHANE McDERMOTT NORTHERN EXPOSURES

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” — HAL BORLAND

PRECEDING PANEL: Shane McDermott photographed this Sunset Crater scene in the summer of 2010 just after the Schultz Fire. “As devas- tating as the fire was, I knew it could offer a stunning visual, as well,” he says. “I captured this the first day they reopened the forest. Long after the major burn had subsided, the peaks still smoldered. Coupled with the season’s first dynamic monsoon sky, this created a spectacular and rare set of conditions.” ABOVE: Wildflowers bloomed briefly just east of Sunset Crater. “The combination of early morning light and cloud structure provided these dramatic sunbeams, which for me were imperative in bringing this image together,” McDermott says. RIGHT: Mullein plant: “This was an easy and magical capture — I just simply watched where I was walking. The magic lies in the seemingly impossible nature of this beautiful little plant thriving in such a stark and inhospitable environment.”

32 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 33 To order a print of this photograph, call 866-962-1191 or visit www.arizonahighwaysprints.com.

34 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 35 A PORTFOLIO BY SHANE McDERMOTT NORTHERN EXPOSURES

PRECEDING PANEL: At Bonito Park, near Sunset Crater, in fall 2010, the hillside was awash in color. “I had this image in mind for at least three years,” McDermott says. “I first visited the location in fall 2007. I was shocked at how many of these beauties had been lying dormant, just waiting for the perfect conditions. This was the result.” ABOVE: Elk at Mormon Lake: “This image resulted from carefully studying the daily habits and movements of the large local elk herd. Each evening near sunset, they started to migrate out of the lake to spend the night in the nearby forests. This brought them within photographic range during the best light. It was just about being in the right place at the right time.” RIGHT: A bright sunflower close-up was “an experiment that seemed to work well,” McDermott says. “The amazing detail, color and texture of these large sunflowers have always intrigued me. A simple black cloth and a single flash unit allowed me to capture the essence of this beauty.”

36 july 2011 38 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 39 “The mountains are calling and I must go.” — JOHN MUIR PRECEDING PANEL: McDermott calls this image of Government Prairie “Monsoon Mosaic.” He says he was drawn to “the amazingly colorful lichens, as well as the numerous strong diagonal lines and isolated trees. It was an opportunity to include different elements and lines of ten- sion to capture the stillness and simplicity of this evening.” ABOVE: San Francisco Peaks: “This image came together with a failed attempt to photograph the peaks at sunset,” McDermott says. “What attracted me to this composition were the endless rolling cinder hills and the single dominant aspen tree. A very simple arrangement of less-than-spectacular elements all seemed to really come alive once the sky went off.”

40 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 41 GOING WITH THE FLOW To the casual observer, the San here the San Juan River ends and Lake Juan River flows into Lake Powell Powell begins is hard to tell. The river brings dark curls of silt that eventually without a splash. To writer Craig fall to the bottom and flow downstream under the surface of the lake. The transi- Childs, who recently kayaked that tion goes on for miles, sediment swirl- remote stretch of the great lake, ing, rising, falling. Soon, the surface of the lake turns a bright emerald color, losing the confluence is a whole different the river. story, one that’ll make you think, I paddled down the San Juan in a solo, inflatable kayak, gliding off the river and I wish I could write like that. onto the bright waters of Lake Powell. Few people ever see this Wremote arm of the lake. It is too far upstream from any marina; you must carry extra gas and should plan for some nights. There used to be a full-service marina at Paiute Farms around where BY CRAIG CHILDS the San Juan meets the lake, but that was before the National Park Service grasped the complexities of a big, muddy desert river flowing into still water, dumping all its sediment. That marina was abandoned as mudflats grew around it, and in the ’90s was washed away by a flash flood. Afternoon shadows fell across this body of water, half river, half lake, and the sun finally set among sharp-edged buttes. Cliffs of Wingate sandstone looked as if they were constructed out of enormous red tackle boxes, their tips glowing in the last sun. As a full moon rose, I set my small camp among tilted slabs of sandstone. Many people come to Lake Powell to engage with another world, one where nature is the predominant force, and where humans are ultimately few. It is a rare clarity, a moment of quiet. You feel different when you drop your sleeping bag on the ground knowing there is no one else within shouting distance. Sitting on your bag, fixing a small meal in a pot for yourself is a satisfying, almost eerie pleasure. As crowded as parts of Lake Powell sometimes get, its long, remote arms feel silent, forgotten. In the morning, I found there was still a river. It showed up in places, the San Juan rising slowly from the depths, pushing along a fresh current. The rubber hull of my kayak hummed

The day’s last light glances off sandstone pinnacles and cliffs of Fence Canyon, a tributary of Lake Powell’s Escalante Canyon. | gary ladd

42 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 43 through floating tamarisk buds and horsetails drifting in long, diligent lines. Little black grenades of piñon pinecones bobbed by my side, sent down from somewhere far upstream. There are times in late spring when this end of the lake is clogged with debris, but I found surprisingly little, leaning out to grab float- ing plastic water bottles or pieces of Styrofoam that I collected in the floor of my kayak. Much farther downstream, 80 miles or so, more popular parts of the lake actually look like a lake: an expanse of water stretched out, pushing the land away, surface latticed with speedboat wakes. In these upper reaches, however, the lake more closely resembles a river. Water pinches between bold canyon walls. It is more canyon than reservoir, and rarely does a boat venture this far. I once rode a speedboat up the meandering, snake-like pas- sages of the Escalante River across the lake 60 miles from here. It was a calm, cool morning as I lay across the bow, my face gliding over a I saw an glassy surface. Sky and cliff reflected impossible, in the water, shadows cold as we moved slowly, matching the canyon’s mesmerizing bends. Though the Escalante River landscape of was buried far below, turned into sunken turbidity currents and flow- water set ing channels of mud you never see, to giant the river was not entirely gone. It left evidence of itself: the winding mark landscapes. of its passage, a canyon tunneled out of the desert and now leveled off with reservoir water. For hours we followed its course, rounding into lesser tributaries, my hand reaching down, fingers glanc- ing through the water. I have a friend named Katie Lee who thinks this reservoir an abomination. In her 90s, she still cries about what was drowned here in 1963, when old Glen Canyon went under. Many people from that time have told me what a sensual and magical place this was, glens carved back into sandstone where springs fed gardens of desert columbine flowers and maiden- hair ferns, rivers flowing free. But I was not born until after the dam went in. This lake has been here since the beginning of my memory, a piece of my childhood in Arizona. When I first saw it, I did not know about any dam, or the old Glen buried below. I saw an impossible, mesmerizing landscape of water set to giant landscapes of rounded sandstone that looked like kneaded bread dough. Far up the arms of Lake Powell was my first exposure to canyon country. I was with my dad in the mid-1970s. I was in third grade. Like so many others, we came by houseboat. We brought extra gas and planned for some nights, heading far up the San Juan Arm. I was a Sonoran Desert boy back then, and would have remained that way if I had not seen this place at such a tender age. It is the severity I remember, the enchant- ing ghostliness of this landscape. It is like something out of a dream. Make Dr. Seuss God and he’d give us a desert like this.

Seen from Alstrom Point, Gunsight Butte is greeted by the early morning sun as it reflects off Padre Bay. | derek von briesen

44 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 45 What kid wouldn’t fall for it? And with water you could cannonball into, I was hooked. Oddly enough, we saw the northern lights on that trip. That is what sealed the place for me. It was one of those rare southern flares when the sky over sandstone lit a wild, burning pink. There were thunderstorms in the canyons that night, gusts of wind stirred with a spooky stillness. My memories of the time are only elemental. No faces, no days of the week. Slickrock looms in my imagination, auspicious and wild. This is why I return, why I brought a kayak down from the San Juan into the very country where I fell in love as a child. A shallow pool of water fosters algae in an unnamed tributary of the Boulders fallen to shore were lapped with bright arcs of Escalante Arm of Lake Powell. | gary ladd light reflected off the lake, and I pulled in close to watch them as I paddled by. Slow water gathered in side canyons, where I nosed my kayak, exploring short distances into Morning light clipped the rims, sending a rich glow grand, red-rock amphitheaters. I shouted up to hear my echo. toward the lake where I packed up gear and hit the water. I think of Lake Powell in terms of upstream and down- As I started into my day with languid strokes across smooth stream. It is not entirely a lake in my mind. It remains driven water, I heard the distant roar of an outboard. The sound by rivers. With about 2,000 miles of shoreline threaded into echoed, faded, and grew as the boat neared. It sped around solid stone, the place is not the wide, bladder-like shape you the corner towing a wakeboarder who was doing tricks, see with most lakes and artificial reservoirs. It is mostly arms somersaults in the air. and fingers, the shape of the rivers that make it: the San Juan, I had known this would happen, that any moment I would Escalante, Dirty Devil and Colorado. Even normally dry side encounter the outside world, and I had prepared myself to canyons break away for miles, branching like lightning. give a surly response to whatever exhaust-belching vehicle Wind kicked up in the afternoon, sprinting across the came by. But I could not. water and sending up waves. Ugh, wind. Paddling became The boat slowed as its occupants gave me a wave. Even a chore, at times impossible just to hold my ground, face the wakeboarder stopped his tricks and lifted his hand as sprayed with mist and chop. Though I prefer the grace of I waved in return. With puzzled stares, we watched each paddling, there were times I gladly would have traded other pass. I was surprised to feel an affinity for them. They, for an Evinrude to get me through this canyon. The wind too, had woken early to enjoy the solitude of this secluded slowed me, sent me into shelters where I tied off, taking a arm. They had boated miles upstream before the day’s wind break by scrambling up through boulders into the high, came on, cutting the mirror of Lake Powell. They were here warm walls of the old Glen. Here, the San Juan reached into for the same reason I was. Granted, they came by different Navajo sandstone, a sweet, curvaceous rock that makes up means, trailing an acrobat on a board, a circus of the sublime. the voluptuous bulk of Glen Canyon. Cliffs bear more curves I was an oddity myself, bearded soloist paddling a pumped- than straight lines, side canyons leaning back into alcoves up inflatable, the rubber floor of my boat cluttered with as rounded as band shells. After an hour or so of exploring, skimmed garbage and interesting pieces of driftwood picked I returned to my kayak, crammed my hat down tight, and up along the way. It seems you can’t be anything but weird started paddling, grinning into the wind, my teeth bone-dry. on Lake Powell, plying ribbons of water between mushroom- There is little solace out here for people who prefer vaca- shaped bulges of rick. These long, crazy arms at least give us tions in piney woods. The austerity of Lake Powell, espe- a venue, a place where we can get off the map and bask in the cially in its more remote quarters, can be overwhelming. strangeness of this eroded landscape. But this is why I come, not just to appreciate the beauty of I was glad to be in a kayak, though, and not racing with nature, but to be literally stricken by it. Even quarter-filled an engine. How you move matters. Speed changes your rela- with water, Lake Powell is still inescapably desert. It is a tionship with a place. It took a few minutes for the roar to bony, surreal landscape that burns the eye. fade into a drone, and then vanish altogether. For another In the evening, the wind died down and I paddled in the 15 minutes, waves slapped and suckled against the cliffs, the last light, taking advantage of the relative calm. Entering the boat’s wake slowly playing out. narrows below Zahn Bay, canyon walls came in close. I set a Instead of making downstream miles in the calm of camp on a higher ledge, listening to the lake gulp and smack morning, as I should have, I paddled from one niche of a side against rock while canyon tree frogs called and echoed from canyon to the next. I explored dripping springs, tying off a spring on the other side of the canyon. below one and climbing up to a slick sheet of water emerging from bare rock. Small blue columbines swarmed around the spring among nests of maidenhair ferns. There, I drank from In the early 1990s, the San Juan River deposited heavy silt over a small waterfall into a lower Lake Powell. Since then, rising and falling lake the old Glen Canyon. The water tasted clean, fresh out of the levels have alternately hidden and revealed the falls. | gary ladd earth, a gift of the San Juan Arm.

46 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 47 ELUSIVE IN NATURE It’s been more than a dozen years since Mexican gray wolves were reintroduced to their native habitat in Eastern Arizona. The captive-breeding program has been half successful at best, but that doesn’t deter nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from hitting the trail in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the evasive endangered species.

BY RUTH RUDNER ∞ ILLUSTRATIONS BY DUGALD STERMER

48 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 49 ear Wallow Wilderness is Rim ment many of us feel about the restoration of this long-missing violence. Both the alpha male and a second male were found ing for signs of the San Mateo Pack. According to Michael, Pack territory, and the presence of component of the ecosystem, there are people in the region, shot in the summer of 2010 — 2010 was a lethal summer. The about 550,000 roadless acres in the Blue Range Primitive Area that pack, a small pack of Mexican primarily cattle ranchers, who aren’t comfortable with the alpha male of the San Mateo Pack was also killed, while the and adjoining roadless areas are without resident wolves. gray wolves, is a kind of miracle. idea of wolves. alpha male of the Paradise Pack disappeared. In the gray cold of the winter afternoon, Jean, Michael and Native to Arizona and among Ridding the country of predator animals is nothing new Dave Parsons, a wildlife biologist who managed the U.S. I walked to the planned Green Fire Overlook, a short distance the most endangered mammals in America’s history. For a long time, we looked at animals as Fish and Wildlife Service wolf recovery program from 1990 to from the junction of forest roads 26 and 24. There, in Bluestem in North America, the Mexican “good” or “bad.” We did not understand, as we do today, that 1999, calls the Mexican gray wolf “the most unique subspecies Pack territory, we stood atop rock cliffs, looking north to cliffs gray wolf was extirpated from the the health of the ecosystem requires all the elements — prey of wolf.” Living farther south than other wolves, isolated by on the far side of the Black River. The dark stream wound United States by the 1940s. Decades animals and predators — with which it evolved. Without glaciations, it has a long history of adapting to its environ- its narrow, swift way through the canyon far below. A hun- later, between 1977 and 1980, the their predators, animals like deer and elk increase so ram- ment. Yet now, with a fast-approaching limit to how many dred and one years ago, from the north rim, Aldo Leopold, the species was resurrected out of near pantly they eat themselves out of food, ultimately dying of generations can be captive-bred before losing the genes for father of conservationism, shot a wolf at the edge of the river. extinction when the last five wolves anybody could find were starvation. And hunting pressure is not enough. Without wildness, is its long genetic history to be sacrificed? In the process, he changed forever everything about how we captured in Mexico. The journey of this small gray wolf has predators, prey animals lose their natural wariness. There is The more generations produced in captivity, the more genes look at land. not been easy. Three of the five survivors were taken to the a reason for every native component of a landscape. Whether for wildness are lost. Not getting wolves out of captive facili- It is to that shot we owe the possibility of Mexican gray Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri, to begin a cap- we understand it or not, nature does. ties squanders opportunities to get those nearest their wild wolf restoration. Watching “a fierce green fire dying” in the tive-breeding program. The other two died. In 1998, the first 11 Ironically, for family ranchers struggling to make a living heritage into wilderness. Currently, 307 wolves live in cap- wolf’s eyes, Leopold wrote, he understood how all things in captive wolves were released into the Apache National Forest. from cattle, there are potential economic benefits from having tive facilities across the U.S. and Mexico, two of them at the nature are connected. Without the wolf, the deer’s numbers I wanted to see the Rim Pack — to hear them, at least — to wolves in the area. Hosting guests who are eager to see or hear Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. Last January, two increase until it eats away the mountain. With no vegeta- find a sign of them. Few things are as powerful in wild coun- wolves has proved a boon. One Arizona rancher who does this wolves captured as pups in 2007 were released into the wild. tion holding the mountain together, storms cause mudslides, try as the presence of wolves. Yellowstone, where I worked is Wilma Jenkins at the Double Circle Ranch in Clifton. Jen- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release a new pack streams become silted, deer starve, a wildland is destroyed. To as a guide and where wolf restoration has been successful, kins believes that wolves belong in the area as much as well- this summer, although, as of this writing, more analysis was keep the mountain, Leopold said, we need the wolf. became more pristine for me, more whole, once the wolves managed cattle do. Beaver Creek Guest Ranch, in the heart necessary to make certain the release area was appropriate. David and I left Bear Wallow Wilderness via the Cienega were back. An ecosystem restored feels different from one of the recovery area, does weekly presentations on wolves. In December 2010, Michael Robinson and I hiked a little of Trail, a trail with as many blow-downs as the Reno Lookout with species missing. I’ve seen Mexican gray wolves in zoos. I was not thinking about the politics of wolves as I sat the Blue Range Primitive Area, about 8 miles east of the Blue Trail. It was almost dark when we reached the trailhead. Two I wanted to see them in their native habitat. by Bear Wallow Creek. I just thought about their presence, River, that could be considered appropriate. Crossing healthy hunters, stopping at the trailhead by chance, gave us a ride My husband, David Muench, and I entered Bear Wallow believing with all my heart that if I was alone long enough, grass matted down from snow the day before, we saw it as back to our truck. We camped nearby. We did not see wolves. via the Reno Lookout Trail, descending about 3 miles to its quiet long enough, one would come to the stream to drink. available food for elk, a more hopeful landscape than the over- But I have been in your country, Rim Pack, I thought, and I am junction with the Cienega Trail. Huge blown-down trees lay I believe this every time I hike within the recovery area. It grazed terrain we had walked a day earlier on the Gila, look- grateful. across the trail, the result of violent wind in an earlier year. has not yet happened. Some fallen trees bridged high enough that we could crawl But other people have seen them. Wolf advocate Jean under them. For others, we were able to slither on our bellies Ossorio frequently camps in the recovery area. Armed with or, by removing our packs, wriggle through on our backs. weekly telemetry reports from the Arizona Game and Fish Some we climbed over, jumping down the far side. A grouse Department that show where signals have been picked up sitting on nine eggs — her nest lodged between the trunk and from radio-collared wolves, she is occasionally rewarded by a limb of the tree we had just climbed over — flew up with the sight of wolves or wolf tracks. sudden pounding wing-beats and frightened squawking. I met Jean last December in the Williams Valley, the day We stopped for lunch on the north fork of Bear Wallow after a heavy snowfall. A Creek. Running in little riffles and falls, the creek formed a week before Christmas, she perfect small pool just above us. Along the banks, yellow flow- The health of the ecosystem and Michael Robinson — a ers interrupted the forest shade, the stillness of the pool, the requires all the elements — conservation advocate for the white of dancing water, the gray of boulders. We ate cheese prey animals and predators Center for Biological Diversity and apples and dates. in Tucson — and I were the Wanting to photograph the gorge, David took off after — with which it evolved. only people in the valley. On lunch while I moved a little farther downstream. Leaning that silent, raw-edged morn- against a comfortable rock, I sat on soft earth in a gentle place ing, we found fresh tracks of the Hawk’s Nest Pack along at the creek’s edge. When David was gone awhile, I imagined snow-covered Forest Road 88B. Walking downhill under a it quiet enough for wolves to emerge. I crawled under and over all snow sky, we followed multiple sets of tracks, several wolves those trees to be near you, I thought. Now come to the creek to drink. moving alongside one another, occasionally stepping in the Bear Wallow Wilderness is part of the Blue Range Wolf same track, crisscrossing into the woods to the east, the Recovery Area, 4.4 million acres ranging across Arizona’s meadow to the west. Elk tracks came up from the meadow, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests and New Mexico’s Gila heading into the woods, oddly crossed at one point, like skis National Forest. It’s twice the size of Yellowstone, and about above a mantel. In the course of the day, we watched elk at the half the area is roadless. It’s home to elk, deer, javelinas, prong- edges of forest, elk weaving among the trees. horns, bighorn sheep. This is good country for wolves, and left One set of wolf tracks moved straight ahead until, nearing to themselves, they would thrive, easily reaching the numbers a road reflector, it veered in toward the reflector, where the projected in 1998 of more than 100 by 2006. Instead, there wolf marked its territory, then veered back to its straight track. are 50. The Hawk’s Nest Pack, one of the most successful packs, They have not been left to themselves. For all the excite- has stayed away from livestock, but has, nonetheless, met with

50 july 2011 www.arizonahighways.com 51 scenic drive FOREST ROAD Pen Ranch and West Clear Creek, V-Bar-V Heritage Site Creek Wilderness, a lush ripar- protects a staggering array of 618 In July, any ian oasis. Soaring cliffs tower rock art that was created by road that leads to above the fast-tumbling creek. the Sinaguan people sometime The lower reaches of the can- between the years 900 and a swimming hole yon shelter deep pools, perfect 1300. Archaeologists believe ranks as a scenic for swimming, wading and the panels of chiseled symbols drive. This one just fishing. It’s 3 miles to Bull Pen function as a solar calendar. Ranch, and FR 215 requires a Just past V-Bar-V, the road happens to be high-clearance ride, but don’t bends left and pavement scenic, too. worry if your only option is a begins. Cross Wet Beaver sedan — more opportunities to Creek on a one-lane bridge that BY ROGER NAYLOR get wet lie ahead. dips beneath a leafy canopy of PHOTOGRAPHS BY LARRY LINDAHL FR 618 ambles upward just cottonwoods, sycamores and enough to change the vegeta- willows. There’s a campground t might seem optimistic, but tion. Junipers and piñon pines and a picnic area nearby, and ipack a beach towel before cluster along the roadway. the creek will likely be frothy heading out on Forest Road 618. Amid forested hills and flattop with youngsters — an awe- After 6 miles on State Route mesas, an occasional glimpse of some kid-sized pool sits right 260, the slender gravel strand Sedona’s sandstone formations off the road. curves into the scrub hills east cracks the skyline. Scattered For desert dwellers, swim- of Camp Verde with a tangle of buildings dot the rough ming holes hold a special magic creosote, barberry and yucca meadows. This is ranch coun- — a perfect escape when the covering the slopes. Shade in try, dating back more than a mercury punches through the this landscape is a myth. The century. Of course, pioneer top of the thermometer. Air- only plants rising above shoul- settlers weren’t the first to conditioning might keep us Travelers along der level are stunted junipers appreciate the possibilities of alive, but water and shade set Forest Road 618 can cool off in and crucifixion thorns. Water desert grasslands laced with us free. Wet Beaver seems unlikely, but have faith. year-round water. Beyond the campground is Creek (right) or visit the exten- Just past the 2-mile mark At 11.3 miles, you’ll find the the parking area for the Bell sive petroglyphs after turning on FR 618, a rut- largest known petroglyph site Trail, which parallels Wet at the V-Bar-V Heritage Site ted road (Forest Road 215) in the Verde Valley. Located Beaver Creek. A network of (below). bears right. This leads to Bull along the banks of Wet Beaver pathways leads to the water in prime spots, but the big To Sedona To Flagstaff Kahuna of swimming holes 179 north WET BEAVER lurks 3 miles from the trail- WILDERNESS Exit 298 head. Just upstream from TRAILHEAD where the trail crosses the COCONINO N ATIONAL FOREST 17 creek, deep water carves an Campground Southwestern Academy exquisite 70-foot-long channel V-Bar-V Heritage Site between narrow sandstone tour guide V Note: Mileages are approximate. ADDITIONAL e walls. Known as “The Crack,” a r d

READING: For more e

LENGTH: 14 miles one way triangle of rock positioned over scenic drives, pick R k i v ee e Cr DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 17 (Exit 287) in Camp

up a copy of our r r the sweet spot makes a dandy eave book The Back Wet B Verde, drive southeast on State Route 260 for 6 miles diving platform, but more fear- Roads. Now in its to Forest Road 618, and continue north to I-17. fifth edition, the less souls just heave themselves 260 VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None book ($19.95)

in from atop the 25-foot-high 8 WARNING: Back-road travel can be hazardous, so be features 40 of the 1 6 aware of weather and road conditions. Carry plenty walls. state’s most scenic R START HERE F Once you’re dried off (thank drives. To order a Exit 287 of water. Don’t travel alone, and let someone know copy, visit www. where you are going and when you plan to return. goodness for the beach towel), arizonahighways. 17 INFORMATION: com/books. Camp Verde Red Rock Ranger District, 928-282- hop back in the car and follow 4119 or www.fs.usda.gov/coconino. The V-Bar-V FR 2 FR 618 for 2 miles to Interstate 15 WEST CLEAR CREEK Heritage Site is open Friday through Monday, from WILDERNESS 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Red Rock Pass is required. For 17. Or, continue straight ahead To Phoenix 260 Bull Pen Ver de Ranch We more information, call 928-282-3854. Ri st Clear into Sedona. There are a lot ve Creek r Travelers in Arizona can visit www.az511.gov or more swimming holes along dial 511 to get infor­ma­tion on road closures, construc­

Oak Creek. KEVIN KIBSEY tion, delays, weather and more.

52 july 2011 ONLINE For more scenic drives in Arizona, visit www.arizonahighways.com/outdoors/drives.asp. www.arizonahighways.com 53 hikeOF THE month UNCLE JIM TRAIL There are you’ll come to a point where the two trails split. Stay to the right for Uncle Jim, which begins with a gentle downhill many reasons to visit the North run toward a lush drainage below. Deer must love this spot. Rim, including this trail, which From there, the trail heads up the other side of the small offers a little solitude with its drainage, climbing about 200 feet, and continues to another intersection on your right. This is where the Uncle Jim loop Canyon views. begins. The route to the right is hard to find, but if you miss it, don’t worry. You’ll still be on the trail. You’ll just be BY ROBERT STIEVE doing the loop in a clockwise rotation. Either way is OK. PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID ELMS JR. Keeping left (clockwise) you’ll start catching glimpses of the Grand Canyon ahead. But even before you see it, “ he North and the South.” Mention that to most Ameri- you’ll sense it. There’s something about the terrain that t cans and they’ll start rattling off names like Gettysburg, says, “Something big is about to happen.” And it does. Not Fredericksburg … and maybe even Ken Burns. In Arizona, far from that first glimpse, the Canyon comes into full the North and the South are two rims of the Grand Canyon, view. Like every other perspective, this one is magnificent. and they’re very different. Especially the hikes. On the Fortunately, the trail skirts the rim for most of the rest of South Rim, the trails are usually crowded — think South the way to Uncle Jim Point, the apex of the loop. Kaibab and Bright Angel. On the North, they’re not. If you You’ll know you’re there when you see the hitching prefer the latter, head for the Uncle Jim Trail. post, which is used for the mule trains that are so popular Located a few miles north of the Grand Canyon Lodge in this national park. The point itself is a little tricky to on the North Rim, this trail is named for “Uncle Jim” find, but when you do, you’re going to be amazed. Great Owens, a game warden who reportedly killed more than views are typical on the North Rim, but the views from 500 mountain lions in an attempt to strengthen the area’s Uncle Jim Point are beyond words. From where you’ll be deer population. But the plan backfired. Without any standing, you’ll be able to see Roaring Springs Canyon predators, the deer population exploded and, as a result, below and the San Francisco Peaks in the distance. And, ADDITIONAL READING: For more thousands of deer died of starvation. Today, things are if you look under your feet, literally, you’ll see fossils that hikes, pick up a somewhat back to normal, and this trail is a good way to began their timeline more than 250 million years ago, copy of our newest book, Arizona High- see it for yourself. when the point was at the bottom of a warm inland sea. ways Hiking Guide, Like other trails on the North Rim, Uncle Jim winds Get comfortable and enjoy the views. which features 52 RIGHT: Hikers on of the state’s best through a mix of ponderosa pines, white firs, Douglas Although you’ll have to finish the loop the Uncle Jim trails — one for firs, blue spruce and quaking aspens, as well as ferns and before it gets dark, Uncle Jim Point is a Trail are treated each weekend of to startling views the year, sorted by grasses and pine needles. The first mile of the trail paral- great place to sit and contemplate the of the steep, sheer seasons. To order lels the Ken Patrick Trail, so don’t be confused. As you get merits of the two rims. They’re both walls of Roaring a copy, visit www. Springs Canyon. arizonahighways. rolling, check out the views of Roaring Springs Canyon special, but, as you’ll see, the North The hike is 5 miles com/books. to your right. They’re incredible. After about 20 minutes, wins easily when it comes to solitude. round-trip.

To Jacob Lake

north 67 trail guide GRAND CANYON N ATIONAL PARK LENGTH: 5 miles round-tripF DIFFICULTY: Easy ELEVATION: 8,269 to 8,427 feet TRAILHEAD DIRECTIONS: From the Grand Canyon Lodge on the Ranger Station k North Rim, drive north for 2 miles to the signed e re right turn for the North Kaibab Trailhead. Uncle Jim C Uncle Jim l Point e shares a trailhead with the Ken Patrick Trail and a Campground R g o n a A

parking area with the North Kaibab Trail. r t i n h North Rim g g i VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None S r p B r in DOGS ALLOWED: No g N s

C O HORSES ALLOWED: No Grand Canyon a n Lodge y Y o USGS MAP: Bright Angel Point n N T A h k e C e INFORMATION: Backcountry Office, Grand Canyon Bright Angel e T r ra Point C National Park, 928-638-7875 or www.nps.gov/grca n ta se L ni pt za LEAVE-NO-TRACE PRINCIPLES: E an G M • Plan ahead and be prepared. N A • Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Manzanita Oza Butte Point • Dispose of waste properly and pack out your trash. T H • Leave what you find. G I • Respect wildlife and minimize impact. R Komo Point B

• Be considerate of others. KEVIN KIBSEY

54 july 2011 ONLINE For more hikes in Arizona, visit www.arizonahighways.com/outdoors/hiking.asp. www.arizonahighways.com 55 where is this?

Loose Ends BY KELLY KRAMER PHOTOGRAPH BY TIMUR GUSEYNOV

Industry reigns at this 900,000-square-foot urban destination, which features a shaded passageway lined with the artwork of Michael Maglich. This bola tie, which was created by Maglich and pays tribute to the history and culture of the state, is one of 59 that are mounted on concrete columns along the walkway. Maglich installed the bola tie and its iron brethren in 1996.

Win a collection of our most popular books! To enter, correctly identify the location featured above and e-mail your answer to May 2011 Answer: San Carlos High School. [email protected] — type “Where Is This?” in the subject line. Entries can also be sent to 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Congratulations to Phoenix, AZ 85009 (write “Where Is This?” on the envelope). Please include your name, address and phone number. One winner our winner, Dana Smith of Monroeville, will be chosen in a random drawing of qualified entries. Entries must be postmarked by July 15, 2011. Only the winner will be Pennsylvania. notified. The correct answer will be posted in our September issue and online at www.arizonahighways.com beginning August 15.

56 july 2011 Our favorite Inns & B&B’s 20 OF ARIZONA’S BEST PLACES TO HIT THE HAY

JULY 2011

ESCAPE. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE

plus ELUSIVE IN NATURE: IN SEARCH OF THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLF and THE BEST PHOTOS YOU’LL EVER SEE OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

4 june 2011 Hacienda del Sol, Tucson www.arizonahighways.com 1