LAKE POWELL GUIDE Great Ways to Explore Arizona’S Great Lake

Home , Castle Rock (Utah), Gregory Butte, Padre Bay, Tower Butte

How Santa Fe Almost Became Our State Capital

FEBRUARY 2008

LAKE POWELL GUIDE Great Ways to Explore Arizona’s Great Lake

plus: Touring Glen Canyon Dam and: Williams’ Best Restaurant Vintage Airstreams in Bisbee Tony Hillerman's Perfect Weekend contents february 2008 BACK COVER FRONT COVER LA VIEWENROSE Butte, overlooking thereflective watersofPadre BayonLakePowell.Photograph byGaryLadd Mountain —asitesacred totheNavajoIndians —loomsinthedistance.PhotographbyGaryLadd like thisenthusiast paddling intoAnasaziCanyon. Photographby GaryLadd n n To order a printofthisphotograph,seeinformation onoppositepage. To order aprintofthisphotograph, seeinformationonoppositepage. 30 20 14 Features Kayakerscanventure into LakePowell’s myriadnarrow gorgesandhiddencoves, Monkey Wrench Gang. Gang. Wrench Monkey the of spine collective the up running are chills but ending, away the give We won’t opposition. his contemplate to him forced assignment astory until away stayed He years. 25 than more for Powell Lake boycotted who writer, our including were, environmentalists Few afan. wasn’t Abbey Edward aplane. in up photographer our sent we so different, something wanted we portfolio, our for but spectacular, all They’re issue. this in Powell Lake of shots of alot have we noticed, hadn’t you case In it. do to ways of kinds all and Powell, Lake at explore to alot there’s primping, of of years geologic millions and millions and coastline of miles 1,900 than more With Reflecting on Water the Reflecting Out of Blue Clear the Sky Expeditions Powell Amushroom-shaped rock formationseemstosprout from aslopenearCookie Jar Curtainsofrain,CathedralButteand LakePowellblushinsunset’s glow, whileNavajo BY KELLY KRAMER KELLY BY BY LAWRENCE W. CHEEK LAWRENCE BY BY GARY LADD GARY BY 38 36

lau Crew Cleanup this thing is big — really big. big. —really big is thing this it, hate or it Love Dam. Canyon Glen called something have you’d Arizona, Northern in landed concrete of yards cubic 5million If die. you’d head, your on landed concrete of yard cubic one If it. do to has somebody but job, tough a It’s adifference. make to best their doing are who volunteers, to falls graffiti the removing of task The Powell. Lake surrounding rocks red the in names their carve who vandals other of thousands the do Neither Nature. Mother for respect no have Kathi” and “Rob a Big Dam

BY GARY LADD GARY BY BY GARY LADD GARY BY

48 48 44 5 4 3 2 Departments pioneer and history some very large birds. panoramas, beautiful Arizona features Northern in Cliffs Vermilion the of top the to route Anontechnical Crack: Hill Sand MONTH THE OF HIKE effort. the worth well it’s but across, Pariathe to is tough Plateau drive Monument, National of Vermilion Cliffs boundaries the within Paria Located Plateau: ADVENTURE ROAD BACK Arizona. of capital the became almost Fe Santa how and weekend, ideal Hillerman's Airstream accommodations in Tony Bisbee, Williams, in restaurant best the including People, places and things around the state, THE JOURNAL TOLETTERS THE EDITOR CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR'S LETTER

on line Arizona lays claim to more than one great lake. While While lake. great one than more to claim lays Arizona n Available Prints Photographic 866-962-1191 or arizonahighwaysprints.com. visit call To order, captions. in designated as purchase, for at arizonahighways.com to discover those lakes and and lakes those discover to arizonahighways.com at part of the state, many other lakes in Arizona offer offer Arizona in lakes other many state, the of part magnificent Lake Powell with our online slide show. slide online our with Powell Lake magnificent this month with our Calendar of Events. Events. of Calendar our with month this town too proud to die. to proud too town ways to enjoy them. Plus, view additional images of of images additional view Plus, them. enjoy to ways board on Hop fun. of boatloads enthusiasts water WEEKEND GETAWAY The livingWEEKEND museum of Castle Lake Powell and Lake Mead inhabit the northern northern the inhabit Mead Lake and Powell Lake EXPERIENCE ARIZONA Find out what’s happening happening what’s out Find ARIZONA EXPERIENCE amining of tale the tells Arizona Western in Dome

Prints of some photographs in this issue are available available are issue this in photographs some of Prints

arizonahighways.com

by Robert Stieve editor’s letter

2 JEFF KIDA those of you who Dramamine. don’t to those respond for asurrogate be to air the up in Ladd Gary photographer sent we so not for that’s everyone, and plane, asmall into climb to world. To you’ll outPowell though, of are this have get there, of views bird’s-eye —the tours aerial the come from might perspective best but alook, the worth all They’re lake. the beginning. the That’s just pioneer artifacts.” and American of Native collection asubstantial features also museum the River, Colorado the down Powell’sfrom expeditions two Powell Expeditions in writes Kramer Kelly As region. the to wet it when comes get to your way feet agreat is museum you’ve the been, never If Museum. John Wesley Powell the Memorial and drives scenic Gardens, Hanging the to hike a tours, fishing guided houseboats. legendary go the beyond options do, the and There’s and much see to so issue. asingle into beauty natural and water of that all dense con to —it’s hard Seattle to Diego San from States, United the do it to again. time agood like seemed 2008 February country. the in lake man-made second-largest the to issue entire an we’ve dedicated since but awhile it’s been magazine, Highways Arizona of cover the Not mention to pentameter. of iambic share of its worthy it’s certainly stature, anyone of by Longfellow’s ized memorial it’s though been never even big, and is lake great home. to closer alittle alake you need …well, Arizona you in live

— this month’s Blue —this Sky Clear of the Out you’ll in As see around and do in to things 10 best of the we spotlight all, In excursions, diving includes list the things, other Among of coast west the —more than of coastline 1,900 miles With this in times many featured been Powell has Lake course, Of Superior, Arizona’s Like in. Powell comes That’s Lake where y r a u r b e f

. , “In addition to showcasing memorabilia memorabilia showcasing to addition , “In 2008 valves at the base of Glen Canyon valves atthebaseofGlenCanyon Water surgesfrom enormousjet Ladd offers aninsidelookatthe Dam. On page 38, writer Gary Dam. Onpage38,writerGary Wisconsin, Minnesota or Michigan. If If or Michigan. Minnesota Wisconsin, you in live —if it all get from to away place Great Lake. Great ity. poem. Great of human good for the powers his used prophet who Indian about an poem epic Longfellow’s Wadsworth Henry The Song of Hiawatha from comes “Gitche Gumee.” call Thethey name lake colossal dam’s construction.

superior

the

big GARY LADD

lake , -

- - closest thing we’ve got to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Wadsworth we’ve got Henry to thing closest Hiawatha The Song of recite Idon’t he can scene. if on the know man our than lake great Arizona’s with any, if people, more familiar are few and Powell for years, 30 He’s at Lake simple: lived is reason The acouple of stories. wrote photos, and shot of the most story. that for phy photogra the did also plant.” way, power the By the ish Gary fin to 24 months it another took and dam, of the construction Big Dam in writes Ladd Gary As overnight. it didn’t happen And marvel. engineering an is dam the it, it or Love hate impressive. Powell —is Lake created that of concrete wall enormous —the Dam Canyon Glen that admit to would have pranksters havoc-wreaking Gang. Wrench Monkey of the spine collective up the running are but chills Iwon’t ending, existence.” of the its away give or wrongness “rightness the he calls what resolve to forced Larry lake on the trip kayak how afive-day Powell, you’ll learn about Lake ten lake?” desert of this bootprint sal colos the with principle that anyone reconcile How can Earth. on the possible as lightly as tread to responsibility hold amoral now, and we humans then, that Ibelieved Arizona. in I lived that quarter-century the Powell]“I [went never during Lake to ethic,” he explains, honor to my environmental microboycott a “In for years. lake of the nature the with wrestled had Larry writers, of other aboatload and Abbey Edward Like best. the he’s contributor, and one He’s of alongtime name. Larry’s nize way. who couldn’t other look the those among was Cheek Larry For decades, Southwest. the in canyon amazing most the be to considered many what Powell consumed Lake that fact the look past you can if especially it anywhere, like nothing there’s beaches, sandy beautiful and water blue-green brilliant the to canyons picturesque and cliffs sandstone red-rock ering tow From the for eyes. asight sore Powell is —Lake portfolio In fact, as you read through this issue, you’ll notice that Gary Gary you’ll that notice issue, this through you read as fact, In of band fictional his it may, and as Hayduke even that Be In Highways of Arizona reader you’reIf a regular Reflecting on the the on Water Reflecting , but when it comes to Lake Powell, Gary Ladd is the the is Ladd Powell, Gary Lake to , but it when comes , “More than seven years went into the the went into years seven , “More than , one of the best essays ever writ ever essays best , one of the [email protected] , you recog — Robert Stieve — Robert ------

Director of Sales &Marketing Sales of Director ter ma un for responsible not is and accept not does magazine The Repro Copy High Arizona POST N9A ON 6P2. WINDSOR, P.O. WORLD, 875, BOX QUEBECOR TO RETURNS 41220511. SEND (CANA PRODUCT office. mailing additional at and AZ, Phoenix, at paid postage Periodical to to Arizona Highway Arizona subscription cor subscription Send U.S. $3.99 copy: Single U.S. the outside $44 U.S., $24 a the in price: year Subscription Transportation. of Department Arizona highways on tv on highways 2006, 2004, 2002, 2001 Best Travel & In-transit Magazine Magazine &In-transit Travel Best 2001 2002, 2004, 2006, Television arizonahighways.com; click the Arizona Highways the click arizonahighways.com; out winning show hosted by former news anchor Robin Robin anchor news former by hosted show winning Sewell. For broadcast times and more, visit visit more, and times broadcast For Sewell. For more coverage of the Grand Canyon State, check check State, Canyon Grand the of coverage more For William J. Feldmeier, Barbara Ann “Bobbie” Lundstrom, Lundstrom, “Bobbie” Ann Barbara J. Feldmeier, William 2000, 1997 Gold Awards Best Monthly Travel Magazine Travel Monthly Best Awards Gold 1997 2000, rzn Highways Arizona Director of Photography of Director Information Technology Promotions Director Art Books Associate Editor Books Members Editorial Administrator 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001 Magazine of the Year the of Magazine 2001 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, Letters to the Editor the to Letters right © 2008 by the Ari the by ©2008 right Arizona Highways Television Highways Arizona ials. duc Society ofSociety American Travel Writers Foundation CANADA POST INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS MAIL MAIL PUBLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL POST CANADA International Regional Magazine Association Book Division Editor Division Book Deputy Art Director Art Deputy Production Director Photography Editor Director Circulation 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009 AZ Phoenix, Avenue, W.2039 Lewis Inquiries or orders or Inquiries For Corporate or Trade Sales Trade or Corporate For tion in whole or in part w part in or whole in tion Director, of Department Transportation Managing Editor Managing Finance Director Associate Editor Associate ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION BOARD way icon at the bottom of our home page. page. home our of bottom the at icon Vice Chairman Western Publications Association Map Designer FEBRUARY 2008 VOL. 84, NO. 2 NO. 84, VOL. 2008 FEBRUARY

s Robert M. Montoya, Felipe Andres Zubia, Andres Felipe Montoya, M. Robert Art Assistant Art Senior Editor Or visit Or s ® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published monthly by the the by monthly published is 0004-1521) ® (ISSN respon Art Director , P.O. Box 653, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0653. 61054-0653. IL , P.O. Morris, Mount 653, Box Webmaster DIAN DISTRIBUTION) SALES AGREEMENT NO. NO. AGREEMENT SALES DISTRIBUTION) DIAN , P.O. Box 653, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0653. 61054-0653. IL , P.O. Morris, Mount 653, Box Publisher JANET NAPOLITANO JANET VICTOR M. MENDEZ Chairman Editor dence and change of address information information of address change and dence Victor M. Flores M. Victor P

arizonahighways.com roduced

Governor [email protected]

zona Department of Trans of Department zona Delbert Householder

BARBA Toll-free: 800-543-5432 Toll-free: MASTER

S.L. Schorr S.L. NICOLE BOWMAN NICOLE SNOW VICKY JOHNSON RONDA MICHAEL BIANCHI KEVIN KIBSEY DIANA BENZEL-RICE PETER ENSENBERGER EVELYN HOWELL ALBANO BOB BENFORD SALLY CINDY BORMANIS BORMANIS CINDY ALLEN BOB MERO KELLY PAPPAN ANDERSSON SONDA KIDA JEFF NIKKI KIMBEL HELLER PAULY SUMMERLIN RANDY STIEVE ROBERT HOLDEN WIN ith

in out permission is prohibited. prohibited. is permission out

: the , an Emmy award- Emmy , an RA GLY RA Send address changes to to changes address Send 602-712-2019

NN DENNEY

por

solicited solicited

tation. tation.

“When I left the rim to return to my truck, I “When Ilefttherimtoreturn tomytruck,I CONTRIBUTORS 36 years, was up to the task. In fact, he says, 36 years,wasuptothetask.Infact,hesays, 30 yearsafterthatfirstarticle,he’s atitagain. 38). Althoughthere were somechallenges , page Cleanup Crew,page36;andDamBig a condor. Ibeganshootingasthebird circled addition toArizonaHighways,Butler’s work awfully closewhenitsoonfilleduptheentire , which will be to MakeGreatPhotographs,whichwillbe see a large bighorn sheeptrottingsee alargebighorn away.” In sheep,” hesays.“Justbelowthatspot, I shooting, Iwasthinkingthatitgetting available nextmonth. currently workingonabookabout the major especially asthelakecontinuestofluctuatein overlooks of the Grand Canyon. His work overlooks oftheGrandCanyon.Hiswork surface elevation.” Ladd, who lives in Page, is surface elevation.”Ladd,wholivesinPage,is says. “AndIwanttocontinuephotographing Crack, I sat for lunch on the rim overlooking Crack, Isatforlunchontherimoverlooking table,” he says. “Once on top of the Sand Hill table,” hesays.“OnceontopoftheSandHill trek uptheVermilion Cliffs wasunforget- (see National Geographic Adventure. Highways PhotographyGuide:How&Where to takeinthestateaswell.“There are many there are plentyofotheradventures he’dlike the stories,Ladd,who’s livedinArizonafor times sincethen,andthismonth,more than the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell — the GrandCanyonandLakePowell— Highways. He’s beenpublishednumerous view and flapped its wings. I jumped back as view andflappeditswings.Ijumpedbackas wasn’t theonlycritterEliasencountered. peared onthehorizon,andflewcloser. Itwas passed by Anasazi petroglyphs of bighorn passed byAnasazipetroglyphs ofbighorn House RockValley. Asmallblackdot ap- it landedafewfeetaway.” Butthecondor Looking through theviewfinderasIwas has appeared inUSAToday, heard anoiseandlookeddownthetrailto is alsofeatured inournewbook,Arizona in researching, writingandphotographing Instead ofonestory, however, there are three lower, apparently togetabetterlookatme. backpacking tripsintheGrandCanyon,”he , page 20; Out oftheClearBlueSky,page20; of theMonth adventure. “My (page 48) turned (page 48)turned this month’s Hike visit totheVermil- Elias Butler, his into quite the into quitethe ion Cliffs toshoot For photographer For photographer about paddling about paddling first articlepub- Gary Ladd had his Gary Laddhadhis the length of the lengthof peared inArizona photographer photographer Lake Powell,ap- In 1977,writer- lished. Thatstory, GARY BUTLER ELIAS LADD and Backpacker and

“We return everyyeartoshare withfriendsthe T-shirt, coweringinashallowalcove,”hesays. Alaska, and works as a wilderness guide in guidein Alaska, andworksasawilderness , page 48). “At the Month(seeSandHillCrack,page48).“At cold and miserable night in shorts and a cold andmiserablenightinshortsa on topofthecliffs andhadtospendarainy, one point,Igotseparatedfrom mybackpack across Arizona—isaphysicalandexperien- States. “To me,thestatelinereally isa one ofthenewestfederalparksinUnited Wild EarthandTerraWild . didn’t experienceachallengeortwowhen Colorado Plateau, which runs east to west Colorado Plateau,whichrunseasttowest meaningless abstraction,”hesays.“Whereas to theVermilion Cliffs, that’s nottosayhe tial reality.” AlthoughEngelhard isnostranger the geophysicalprovince —themonolithic that hepitchedustheideaofdoingahike the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. His work Refuge.Hiswork the Arctic NationalWildlife Highways. Hecurrently livesinFairbanks, There’s one place,however, thathereturnsto Engelhard isaregular contributortoArizona in theVermilion Cliffs NationalMonument, he journeyed therehe journeyed forthismonth’s Hikeof has alsoappeared inOutside, , page 44). Arizona (seeBackRoadAdventure,page44).

cus,” Coffey says. And even though he and his cus,” Coffey says.Andeventhoughheandhis stunning geologythatismyphotographicfo- surprise to round a tight bend and be at the the at surprise toroundbe atightbendand realized thatmakingpictures wouldbehis to thePowellMonument,itwas a wonderful the 400square milesatoptheplateau.Almost year after year — the Paria Plateau in Northern year after—thePariaPlateauin Northern very edge of a 3,000-foot view down into very edgeofa3,000-footviewdown into we took aim at Powell Monument. Deep, we tookaimatPowellMonument.Deep, without itsownadventure.trip, “Duringthis wife, Twila, whowrote thestory, gothere often, powdery sand is the big challenge in traversing powdery sandisthebigchallengeintraversing Marble Canyon.” Keep in mind, this back road Marble Canyon.”Keepinmind,this back road he says no visit to the Paria Plateau is complete he saysnovisittothePariaPlateauiscomplete is not recommended for anyone with limited is notrecommended foranyonewithlimited backcountry driving experience. been makingphotographsallaround Arizona. life’s work. Sincethatrealization, Coffey has ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM As a part-time As apart-time zona hisbackyard. resident, writer With that in mind, thatinmind, With Michael Engel- Moab, Utah, it’s nosurprise hard considers Northern Ari- Northern ENGELHARD MICHAEL and afterdevelop- State asachild, Grand Canyon Grand Canyon moved to the moved tothe COFFEY photography at photography at High School, he High School,he Paradise Valley Mike Coffey Mike Coffey MIKE ing his interest in ing hisinterest in Utne Reader,

the

PEOPLEJournal RESTAURANTS LODGING PHOTOGRAPHY HISTORY NATURE THINGS TO DO Rodeo’s Hats Off to the Rodeo Queen Grande Dame B A champion photographer As an Arizona cowgirl, I want to let you know how very much I won her buckle and spurs with true grit and broken bones. By Tim Vanderpool enjoyed the article on Louise Serpa [Rodeo’s Grande Dame, November 2007]. I have attended the Tucson Rodeo every February for over 55 letters years, taking along my three sons, then my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren. I missed seeing her there last year — it’s nice to know she’s well. Her daring ability to capture the excitement and dangers of rodeo is awesome. PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST Rodeo photographer Louise Serpa poses with her camera at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds Arena. EDWARD MCCAIN 8 NOVEM BER 2007 ARIZONAHIGH WAYS.COM 9 Leeta Ellis, Green Valley

Taking Aim at Wolf Fables Phoenix — what a departure from daily from your magazine about where to go I thoroughly enjoyed the article about life to what one dreams! Bobby lived in and what to see during our next vaca- the Arizona Game and Fish Depart- Skull Valley, Prescott and then Phoenix, tion in Arizona. Thanks for the exciting ment’s recent research efforts to reduce I guess. 2) The photo of the Santa Fe evenings you gave me due to the excit- elk-vehicle collisions [Crossways With Railroad Station, which was moved ing articles and breathtaking pictures. Elk, July 2007]. Well done, with one north to the old school yard. My dad, Mario Rogus, Cottbus, Germany very important exception. [The writer] Addison N. Turner, was the station arizonahighways.com stated that “hunters” wiped out Arizo- agent there. He made bills of lading Peddling an Idea @ na’s wolves. Before the current model of for cattle from the Diamond and A Half, Your team should develop an Arizona wildlife conservation was in place, there plus others driven in from Zane Grey cycle “touring” article — bicycling and editor were no restrictions on killing many spe- territory. So, it is little wonder that, as motorcycling throughout Arizona. Or cies, and early settlers worked very hard Bobby lay dying, those scenes would add a tour of the month to each of your to make the forests and rangelands “safe” be with him. As you can imagine, magazines. from predators. These actions are not there are tears in my eyes as I type this. David Yoches, Mesa related in the least to the highly regu- Thanks a lot. editor’s note: Thanks for the suggestion, Da- lated and scientifically based hunting George W. Turner, Oceanside, California vid. Turns out, we’re featuring some of the state’s that occurs today. No species has been best cycling routes in next month’s issue. Keep hunted to extinction under modern Home Away From Home your eyes peeled. management. It was, in fact, the hunters I regularly get your excellent magazine, and their growing ecological awareness thanks to my friends Loretta and John Snail Mail vs. the Pony Express that restored elk to Arizona starting in from Arizona City, who gave me a gift My husband and his family are from 1913. Hunters today can be proud of subscription. We already have been to Arizona, but now that we live in Colo- being the cornerstone of the most Arizona four times, and enjoyed every rado, his parents give us a subscription successful system of wildlife conserva- day there. Whenever I read the various to Arizona Highways for our anniversary tion the world has ever witnessed. To articles in your magazine, my memory every year. Our family looks forward to blame them for the disappearance of comes back to the places we have it coming by mail every month. In your Arizona’s wolves does not accurately already been. I am not exaggerating by August 2007 issue, I could completely portray hunters or the vital role they calling Arizona our second home. Your relate to the story by Roger Naylor [Why play in conservation. magazine makes it easy for us to feel the Are They Trying to Kill Me?]. After having Jim Heffelfinger, spirit of all those beautiful and interest- an incident on a horse with a tree a year Arizona Game and Fish Department, Tucson ing places, despite the fact that we live in ago, I understand Roger’s fear of stay- Germany, almost 6,000 miles away. Your ing on his “mighty steed.” I chuckled Heads-Up in Skull Valley magazine also helps us to understand throughout his article. By the end of the Two items caught my eye in the July the current situation and circumstances, story, I wondered if perhaps we should 2007 back-road adventure [Sierra Prieta and keeps us up-to-date. It also gives go back to the old ways of delivering the Panorama]. 1) The inclusion of the us an idea about the eventful history of mail by Pony Express. Three weeks ago, words on the tombstone saying, “A Arizona and its cities, especially the first a dear friend of mine from Cottonwood Whoosh! cowboy forever.” This is the tomb of settlements and the battles against the sent me a package by priority mail. Admittedly, snowfall in Arizona has been Bobby Curry, a former school teacher in natives. We already have a lot of ideas Enclosed were pictures from our 30-year a little anemic in recent years. Still, high school reunion. Unfortunately, it it’s a good idea to have your skis and still hasn’t arrived. I believe that if Roger snowboards ready — you never know. contact us had been delivering the mail on his n For current snow conditions, visit arizonasnowbowl.com or If you have thoughts or comments about anything in Arizona Highways, we’d trusty steed, I’d have my pictures by now. sunriseskipark.com. love to hear from you. We can be reached at [email protected], or By the way, Roger, I’d have a cold brew by mail at 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. For more information, ready for you at the end of your ride. visit arizonahighways.com. Happy trails! Erin Wright, Lone Tree, Colorado BILL HATCHER

4 f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 5 the Journal

PEOPLE CELEBRITY Q&A RESTAURANTS reaches of gorges known down through time only to a few birds.” Tony Hillerman In Memoriam: by Dave Pratt By popular demand, the self-taught map- Red Raven maker created Stan Jones’ Boating and Explor- Fine dining isn’t running rampant in Stan Jones ing Map of Lake Powell Country, which he He’s not a household name, but updated yearly. More than mere cartography, Williams, but a popular new place on for the folks in Page, Stan Jones the map reads like a 20,000-word love letter Route 66 is a step in the right direction. was to Lake Powell what John to the lake. Hundreds of thousands of copies have been sold, and it’s considered the bible Muir was to the Sierra Nevada. for Lake Powell country. broiled salmon filet basted with basil-butter and In 1969, Jones co-founded and became the AH: If you were trying to served with cranberry-pine-nut couscous … that’s the kind convince an old friend that he was known as “Mister Lake Powell” first director of the John Wesley Powell Mem- of thing you expect to find in Phoenix or Scottsdale, not in GEOFF GOURLEY and “The Sage of Page.” Stan Jones devoted orial Museum, which showcases Powell’s jour- Arizona is one of the most Williams, Arizona. Not only that, the unexpected entrée is his life to Arizona’s great lake, becoming its neys down the Colorado River, the history of beautiful places in America, served on a white tablecloth — or beige, as it were. Steakhouse, Rod’s Steak House and Wild West Junction are the foremost cartographer and spokesman, and Page and the Indian cultures of the Colorado where would you take him? All of this is surprising because Williams, historically, norm. The Red Raven Restaurant, with its gourmet menu and sharing his discoveries through photographs, Plateau. In recognition of his contribution to TH: I’d take him to Window has been a meat-and- notable wine list, is a considerable change of pace. In this case, Chef and co-owner David Haines articles and an iconic map. On September preserving the state’s natural heritage, he was Rock and Navajo National potatoes kind of town. change is good. Monument, giving him a view (below, left) chats with diners at the 3, 2007, after 40 years of exploring the lake, inducted into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Red Raven Restaurant in Williams. Period. Places like Sue-B’s Co-owned by the husband-wife team of David and Rozan of spots like Church Rock. Stan Jones died of prostate cancer. He was Fame in 2002. Haines, the Red Raven has been im- 88. Raised in Winnetka, Illinois, on the Jones is described as a true gentleman with AH: If you were making a solo pressing desperate locals and flavor- road trip to Sedona, which shores of Lake Michigan, Jones spent an a down-to-earth sensibility. He wasn’t a fan of would you choose: Harley or starved tourists since it opened in June amphibious youth diving, lifeguarding and the champagne-laden boats zooming across Mustang convertible? 2006. There are three reasons for that: teaching aquatic survival in the Navy. His the lake, preferring the serenity of a slow ambience, service and food. TH: I’d take the Mustang, self-described “insatiable zest for adventure” cruise in his 14-foot skiff with a pen, camera because that was a wonderful In addition to the salmon filet, the drove him west, where he worked as a writer and frothy beer at hand. Over the years, he vehicle, and leave the cycle for alluring menu includes Tempura Style and an editor in Tucson and Salt Lake City. He boated in torrential rain and hiked in scorch- younger folks. I’m 82, and feel Shrimp and Red Raven Pasta (chicken also wrote for Walt Disney. In 1967, news of a ing heat, but, he wrote, “I relished every day every year of it. breast, sweet red peppers and oven- new lake in Northern Arizona lured him away and every night.” AH: Describe your ideal week- roasted tomatoes tossed with penne from his city job. That’s how he ended up in Jones’ legacy will live on in the museum end getaway in Arizona. pasta and topped with Parmesan Page with his wife, Alice, and their son, Steve. and through his map, which still guides thou- TH: I’d head for the extreme cheese). And for traveling carnivores, It was there that he witnessed the birth of sands of fellow nature lovers to petroglyph- southeast corner of Arizona, there’s a long list of steaks, including a Lake Powell, watching it grow from a mud etched coves and hidden ruins. Although where that mountain chain rib-eye that was recently dubbed “one puddle to the nation’s second-largest man- Jones turned over the map to his longtime sneaks in from Mexico, and join of the best” by a rib-eye aficionado. made reservoir. He once wrote: “For as long as friend Steve Ward, Ward says he’ll always the swarm of birdwatchers who “I have a passion for cooking and three weeks at a time, I methodically probed think of it as the Stan Jones map. “No one,” show up to watch the colorful wanted to create a restaurant that I’d the new lake’s coves and canyons, squeezing Ward says, “will ever know Lake Powell as parrots, and all sorts of other like to go to,” says David Haines, the feathered species that come — Keridwen Cornelius through narrow clefts to explore the farthest well as Stan did.” up from the south. Aside from head chef. “Not just for food, but for being an internationally notable the whole experience.” Part of that birdwatchers haven, the people experience is the place itself. Long who show up are interesting. and narrow — about 25 feet by 80 feet AH: When you go hiking, — the Red Raven is cozy and inviting. what’s the one thing — other When you pass through the front than water — that you carry door (painted red), you’ll see a brick in your backpack? wall at one end, a high ceiling (also TH: A camera, with a couple of painted red) and green wainscoting extra rolls of film. all around. There are 10 booths, eight AH: If you were taking a tables, retro artwork on the walls and group of kids on an over- an abundance of charm, all of which is nighter in Arizona, where orchestrated by Rozan, who will take would you go? your order and make you feel at home. TH: I think I’d take those young- Like the food and the ambience, the sters to Flagstaff to visit the service at Red Raven is spectacular, telescope used by the astrono- which isn’t always the case in Phoenix mer who discovered Pluto. and Scottsdale. n — Dave Pratt is the host of the The Red Raven is located at 135 W. “Dave Pratt in the Morning” show Route 66 in Williams. For more informa- on KMLE 107.9 FM in Phoenix. tion, visit redravenrestaurant.com or call FRANK TALBOTT GEOFF GOURLEY 928-635-4980. — Robert Stieve

6 f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 7 the Journal

PHOTOGRAPHY Style Points Like writers and painters, photographers develop individual techniques. What follows are some tips on how to establish

your own sense of style. JEFF KIDA This image was shot at 1 second at f-5.6. Using a lower ISO of 100 allows for less grain in the final image. i was hiking recently with a group of photographer friends on a little-known trail north of Phoenix. The group shadows to bright sunlight, adjusting colors from man-made was made up of professionals and amateurs, and along the light sources and the natural world. Our eyes zoom in to iso- way, we shared canyons and conversation, tips and trade late a solitary object. Then, using our peripheral vision, we secrets, successes and failures. We also talked about artistic switch to a wide view, all within fractions of a second. The best style, including individual technique and vision. cameras simply cannot compete with the human eye. The only

TERRENCE MOORE The great shooters, it was suggested, make everything look real option is to learn the “language” of photography. Embrace easy, no matter what equipment they use. Their images are its limitations, and then explore and create. You’ll find there’s LODGING always compelling. It’s as if they’re issued some sort of inter- beauty in photography’s simplified palette. galactic press pass allowing unbridled access to the cosmos. Whatever equipment you carry, go out and test it. Find out — no remote, no TiVo, no nothing, which is how it should be Perpetually accompanied by perfect weather and lighting what it can do successfully in as many situations as possible. Shady Dell when you’re flashing back to the 1950s. conditions, this sanctified group seemingly resides in a differ- Pick a subject you enjoy shooting and go for it. Walk around RV parks aren’t for everyone, but this park The best of the bunch, arguably, is the Royal Mansion. Built ent universe — a “Neverland” for photographers. The obvious and explore how light interacts with your chosen topic from a is perfect for anybody wanting a trip back in 1951, this 33-footer has a full-sized bed and a small bathroom. question: How to become a member? variety of angles. In addition, there’s a breakfast booth in the kitchen and leop- Sadly, there are no magical secrets to making great images. Study the work of established artists and photographers. to the days of beatniks and blue highways. ard carpeting in the living room, which adds volumes to the For the most part, it gets down to knowledge and hard work. In the beginning, give yourself permission to emulate the exotic feel of this trailer. Imagine the Jungle Room at Graceland, Photography has a language all its own, so when using your style of others. Think of your early work as learning a second jack kerouac never slept here. Well, maybe he did, but but without Elvis. By the way, he never slept here either. camera, you must learn to think like a photographic Rosetta language. You read, you repeat. You look at work that excites there’s no record of it. Still, it’s the kind of place he would have In all, there are nine trailers at the Shady Dell, eight of Stone. Here’s why: you and you imitate it. The more you practice and review, been drawn to when he was out on the road. Nearby Bisbee which are immaculately restored and used for sleeping. The First, film and digital sensors don’t see the same way people the quicker the translation process occurs. Soon, the vision and its mixed bag of colorful characters would have caught ninth, a 1957 Valentine, houses Dot’s Diner, a 10-stool eat- do. We live in a three-dimensional world — latitude, lon- becomes your own. his eye as well. ery that’s been featured in Gourmet magazine and National gitude and altitude. The photographic world has only two Work on uncomplicated projects, get some keepers, and Located along State Route 80 — at one time a main artery Geographic Traveler. CNN and CBS This Morning have dropped dimensions — there’s no altitude. Whenever we review pro- then begin to experiment and push the envelope, which helps between Savannah, Georgia, and San Diego — the Shady Dell by as well. cessed prints or a computer monitor, we’re looking at a two- establish your personal vision. The more you work, the sooner RV Park is about as far away from high-end luxury as you can When John Hart bought the Valentine in the mid-1950s, he dimensional surface. There’s no depth. Creating the illusion your style will emerge. get. It’s low-key, as most things are in rural Arizona, and it’s a parked it on the corner of Ventura and Topanga Canyon bou- of the missing dimension by use of light and shadow is a good Of course, following the trails established by others is only step back in time, to the days of beatniks and blue highways. levards in L.A. — it was “Burger Bar No. 3” in his chain of Los first step toward photographic success. a starting point. Eventually, you’ll want to strike out on your Of course, there are a few modern-day amenities at the park. Angeles hamburger joints. Development eventually forced Hart Second, our eyes and brains are constantly interpreting own. The excitement really begins when you discover your In particular, full hookups for RVs and campers. If you’ve to move it to the middle of nowhere, and after decades of neglect, visual data — instantly extracting details from the deepest own style and process. — Jeff Kida, Photo Editor blown the kids’ inheritance on a fifth-wheeler, you might as it was shipped to the Shady Dell on a flatbed truck. That was well use it, but that’s not the best way to spend a night at the 1996. Six months later, it was opened as Dot’s Diner, in honor Shady Dell. The better option is to shack up in one of the of Dot Bozeman, the restaurant’s first cook and bottle washer. PHOTO TIP while the background becomes more program of your camera. If you prefer park’s vintage aluminum travel trailers. There are several to Dot retired a few years ago, but her namesake diner is still evenly lit due to the long exposure. to shoot in the manual mode, use a choose from, including a 1949 Airstream, a 1950 Spartan going strong. Check it out, and when you do, think about the In low-light situations, using an If you are hand-holding the camera shutter speed of between 1/10 and a or there is motion, the resulting full second. — Jeff Kida Manor, a 1954 Crown and a 1951 Royal Mansion. ’50s. You won’t see Kerouac at the end of the counter, but if you on-camera strobe (flash) along with a slow shutter speed can be both backgrounds can appear streaked or Take your pick. They’re all cool. The Airstream is the most squint your eyes a little, you might be able to picture him there, editor’s note: Look for Arizona Highways beneficial and, at times, necessary. blurred. To try this, use the “night Photography Guide coming in March. For other photographed, for whatever that’s worth. The Manor, however, hip and cool in a tattered sweatshirt, milking a cup of coffee. Using this technique will allow you to scene mode” built into the menu or books, visit arizonahighways.com. might be the closest you’ll ever come to time travel. The pol- n The Shady Dell is located at 1 Old Douglas Road in Bisbee. create very interesting effects that are ished blond wood on the walls and ceiling is original, as are For rates and reservations, call 520-432-3567 or visit not always predictable. The flash both online For more photography tips and information, visit arizonahighways.com the appliances and furniture. There’s even a vintage television theshadydell.com. — Robert Stieve illuminates and freezes the foreground and click on “Photography.”

8 f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 9 the Journal

HISTORY NATURE talons and hooked beaks (all the better for eating live prey, my dear). Also popular with visitors are two nonraptors — Santa Fe, Arizona? Let Us Prey greater roadrunners, which hunt rattlesnakes, and It seems inconceivable today, but a century ago, Chihuahuan ravens. An innovative program near Tucson gives Twice a day, the birds are released into the desert sky to Santa Fe was proposed as the capital of Arizona. museum visitors a chance to see raptors showcase their athletic ability and unique natural adaptations, in their natural environment. with trainers using leather lures to simulate prey. Barn owls it’s hard to imagine the The senate never voted on are known as silent predators, hovering buoyantly above visi- U.S. government not clamor- the bill, but politicians con- a family of harris’s hawks swoops in interweaving tors, and then making beelines for their targets. Prairie falcons ing to bring Arizona into the cluded that Arizona and arcs, scoping out prey and chasing each other off saguaro tops. whoosh with the speed and recklessness of a getaway car, union, but in the early 20th New Mexico were too A prairie falcon tucks a wing and dives, corkscrewing to the overtaking their avian prey in midair. Harris’s hawks — one

century, it was the prover- sparsely populated to be COCHISE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ground at top speed. A barn owl, its face as pale and round as of only two social raptor species in the world — hunt like a bial last kid picked for the granted statehood indepen- In Douglas, a mock funeral celebrates the defeat of an Arizona-New Mexico a sand dollar, coasts at eye level, then extends its talons and pack of wolves, cornering rabbits, reptiles or rodents. The team. In 1902, the territories dently. So, Beveridge came joint statehood merger, circa 1906. lands on a paloverde snag. family dyamics of these hawks change constantly, with the of Arizona, New Mexico and up with a solution: Make In the Raptor Free Flight demonstration at the Arizona- larger female establishing her authority by forcing the smaller Oklahoma introduced a bill them a single state, and tion stating: “We affirm that choosing conservatives Sonora Desert Museum, cages have been cast aside so visitors males off their saguaro perches. that would promote them to make Santa Fe the capital. with almost no exceptions, likely to create a Taft- can see birds of prey glide, flap, pinwheel and dart in their The birds at the museum are treated like top athletes — statehood. However, Presi Arizonans, of course, bris- our people are unilaterally friendly constitution, the natural habitat. The program began in 1996 they’re kept in shape with daily checkups and exercise, and dent Theodore Roosevelt tled at the idea, fearing their opposed to this obnoxious frontiersmen voted radical. with three Harris’s hawks, and has since their skills are continually honed in training sessions. During and Senator Albert J. Beve territory “might lose her union. …” In addition, the The delegates’ progressive expanded to 17 birds, including five initial flights, the raptors are often reserved and slow. As they ridge of Indiana were wary name, identity and history.” Phoenix City Council, constitution was roundly more species of raptors: the ferrugi- build strength and confidence, they accelerate and expand of the rugged outposts. Arizona’s congressional dele- prompted by President approved by the people in nous hawk, grey hawk, prairie their repertoire of complex maneuvers. In the case of the To make his point, Beve gate, the extravagantly mus- Roosevelt’s passive support 1911. Taft, however, wasn’t falcon, great horned owl and Harris’s hawks, more experienced birds will demonstrate ridge launched a tour of the tachioed Marcus Aurelius of jointure, even changed amused. He sent it back for barn owl. complicated actions for the newbies. Although the birds are territories, determined to Smith, commented that the name of Roosevelt Street revisions, and Arizonans, Raptors are birds with taught to return to their trainers, the Free Flight demonstra- give them a bad report and Beveridge had rejected one to Cleveland Street. yearning more for statehood sharp vision, sharper tion is not a show — the aerial feats are natural behaviors. stymie the bill. His frank rotten egg, and somehow In 1906, Arizonans offi- than for provisions such as There’s been growing concern in recent years over the loss assessment: “Arizona is a thought two rotten eggs cially voted against merging judiciary recall, made the of wild raptors due to habitat encroachment and pest-control mining camp.” Others agreed. would make a good omelet. with New Mexico by a count necessary changes. chemicals. Therefore, the trainers at the museum inform visi- Senator Thomas Bard of Beveridge, nonetheless, of 16,265 to 3,141. Meanwhile, New Mexico tors about steps they can take to prevent unnecessary deaths, California predicted, persisted, delivering a con- Three years later, President pulled ahead in the state- such as avoiding rodenticides and contacting local utility com- “Arizona has reached its limit gressional speech advocating Taft said he’d grant statehood hood race, becoming the panies about making utility poles raptor-safe. of development, its mines the Arizona-New Mexico to Arizona as long as its con- 47th state. Then, on The delicate balance of the desert ecosystem hangs upon its will play out, its population omelet. Arizonans, who for stitution wasn’t radical like Valentine’s Day in 1912, skyborne sentinels. Protecting these birds will help ensure will decrease, and it can years had campaigned for Oklahoma’s. Taft authorized Arizona got what it wanted that they continue to soar over their natural habitat, their claim no more arable land.” statehood, suddenly lobbied Arizonans to elect 52 dele- — admission to the Union as shadows rippling across seas of cactuses as they watch, ready Turns out, the senator wasn’t against it. In 1905, 3,000 gates to a constitutional con- the 48th state. to strike. exactly Nostradamus. Phoenicians signed a peti- vention, but instead of — Keridwen Cornelius n Information: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 520-883-2702 or desertmuseum.org. — Keridwen Cornelius & Sue Tygielski

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY nature factoid ■ In 1875, Phoenix had 16 saloons, four dance halls and one faro table.

■ On February 14, 1862, Confederate President Jefferson Davis issued a proclamation creating the Confederate 50 Territory of Arizona. The following month, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill dividing the New Mexico Territory into two territories, which years ago President Abraham Lincoln signed into law in Febru- in arizona highways ary 1863, overriding the Confederate proclamation PAUL & JOYCE BERQUIST PAUL The focus of our February 1958 issue was Tucson. In his description and establishing the official U.S. Arizona Territory. Gila Monsters of the city, longtime editor Raymond Carlson referred to the Old For nine months of the year, Arizona’s most fearsome lizard is lazy. From Pueblo as a place as “new as a bright, polished penny gleaming in ■ In 1907, a Tucson judge ruled that miners and cattle- July through March, Gila monsters don’t eat. Instead, they live off the fat the sun, building and growing in every direction.” Fifty years later, men could wear their guns in town for up to two hours. stored in their expandable tails. In April, May and June, they hunt for things haven’t changed a whole lot. small rodents, bird and reptile eggs, young birds and frogs. Sometimes, they consume up to a third of their body weight — talk about fat and happy. PAUL & JOYCE BERQUIST PAUL

10 f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 11

the Journal

around the world compete Haute & Cold every February in this colorful spectacle, which is held at the Food-loving skiers can combine Heard Museum in Phoenix. two passions in one afternoon Originally performed by med- during Flagstaff Nordic Center’s icine men and spiritual lead- Eat, Ski and Be Merry on FEB ers to cure ailments and see February 11. An after- into the future, today’s dances noon of food and wine Jim Ryder, participant Tom Rust, participant weave stories that convey 11 awaits at the center’s groomed cross-country trails, messages about the impor- where gliding gourmands can tance of harmony in nature ski or snowshoe through a pro- and the never-ending circle of gressive buffet of haute cuisine. life. The hoops, which were n Information: 928-220-0550 or traditionally made from wil- flagstaffnordiccenter.com. lows, allow dancers to show- Rinus Baak, participant case intricate movements and footwork as they perform tribal dances while manipu- lating from four to 50 hoops Taste of at a time. Among other things, the dancers create shapes that the NFL symbolize animals, butter- this month, gridiron flies, snakes, deities and do-gooders host one of Super Mother Earth. The two-day Bowl XLII’s signature events.

JEFF KIDA 9 event takes place February 9- Taste of the NFL is a fund- 10. The hoop dancing is the raiser that offers a night of THINGS TO DO FEB main attraction, but the event food, football and excitement Colleen Miniuk-Sperry also features the Heard’s while raising money for hun- J. Peter Mortimer 2008 Photo Workshops Hoopla at the Heard world-class museum and gift ger organizations throughout shop, Indian fry bread and the country. St. Join a small group this year to: • Helicopter into Havasu Canyon to athleticism, speed, grace, Museum’s World Champion- other Native American foods. FEB Mary’s Food Learn From the Best photograph its brilliant blue-green n • Photograph the distinctive artisans and Native American tradition … ship Hoop Dance Contest. Information: 602-252-8848 Bank Alliance, Professional instruction by waterfalls, May 15-19; Nov. 16-20. it all adds up to the Heard Top hoop dancers from or heard.org. 2 the nation’s first landscapes of the Hopi Mesas, April 17-20. • Select from several exciting workshops food bank, and Arizona Highways • Develop and refine your photographic led by Navajo photographer LeRoy DeJolie, other organizations will ben- photographers will give technique among the stunning backdrops Hunt’s Mesa & Monument Valley, May 16-20; efit from the event, which of Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, both film and digital Navajo Lands & People, June 4-8; Monument Giddyup Down includes a silent auction and April 19-23; Oct. 28-Nov. 1. photographers the Valley for Large Format Photographers, entertainment, along with opportunity to improve • Master digital workflow with the help of a Oct. 10-14. in the Old Pueblo delectable dishes prepared by professional Photoshop® instructor, Grand • Photograph the Grand Canyon’s spectacular slip on your spurs and a 10-gallon hat and saddle up for chefs and players from NFL their creative and Canyon, April 25-28; Sedona, Oct. 24-27. the country’s largest outdoor midwinter rodeo — Tucson’s cities. The festivities begin on North Rim at the height of fall color, technical skills. • Escape to a local dude ranch to photograph DAVID H. SMITH DAVID 83rd annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. The celebra- Saturday, February 2, at the Sept. 29-Oct. 3. cowboys and cowgirls in action during horse Go for the Gold tion kicks off on February 16 with the Justin Junior Phoenix Convention Center. • Join Gary Ladd as he guides participants to drives, cattle penning, barrel racing and In 1863, Henry Wickenburg dis- Rodeo and Dodge Mutton-bustin’ contest, as well as n Information: 952-835-7621 stunning photography locations near Lake 16 more, Horses & Cowboys, Apr. 29-May 3. covered a gold mine, but not just FEB a Pro Rodeo competition. The nine-day fiesta or tasteofthenfl.com. Powell, Page and Glen Canyon, Preposterous any gold mine — Vulture Mine FEB includes an old-fashioned parade with more than • Experience an exhilarating rafting Landscapes, Oct. 18-23; Lake Powell by would become the most produc- 200 Western-themed floats, marching bands, folk dancers and Photography adventure through the Grand Canyon, Houseboats, Nov. 11-15. April 30-May 11. tive gold mine in Arizona history. Western riders. After that, professional cowboys and cowgirls Workshops • Journey to Southeastern Arizona for The town celebrates its hit the arena for No one knows the striking land- • Sample a variety of Northern Arizona’s premier breathtaking scenery and magnificent FEB 145th anniversary with its bull-riding, barrel- scapes of Page, Lake Powell and landscapes, Best of the West, May 7-12. displays of fall color, Chiricahuas in Autumn, annual Gold Rush Days, racing, saddle- Glen Canyon better than Gary • Discover the twisted interiors of some Nov. 4-8. 8 which takes place Febru- bronc riding, steer Ladd. This year, Friends of Arizona of Arizona’s most amazing slot canyons, ary 8-10. The popular wrestling, roping Highways offers two photography May 11-15; Sept. 23-27. event features gold-panning, and bareback rid- workshops taught by Ladd, whose music and dancing, a parade, a ing competitions. background in both geology and These are just a few of the workshops we rodeo and an Old West shootout. n Information: photography offers students the conduct throughout Arizona and the West. n Information: 800-942-5242 or 800-964-5662, chance to learn from a master. wickenburgchamber.com. 520-741-2233 or n Information: 888-790-7042 or

tucsonrodeo.com. RICHARD MAACK friendsofazhighways.com. For More Information To obtain a free color brochure detailing all of our 2008 photography workshops and 12 f e b r u a r y 2 0 0 8 prices, call toll-free 888-790-7042, or visit us online at friendsofazhighways.com. POWELL EXPEDITIONS With more than 1,900 miles of coastline and millions and millions of years of geologic primping, there’s a lot to explore at Lake Powell, and all kinds of ways to do it. BY KELLY KRAMER

MORNING STILLNESS On a late-October morning, nothing but a ripple stirs on Lake Powell at a houseboat camp in Face Canyon. Photograph by Gary Ladd

14 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 15 IN PLANE VIEW Nestled among the trees (left), 251 tenting and full-hookup campsites provide temporary residents of Wahweap Campground & RV Park with a sunrise view of Castle Rock. Photograph by Peter Ensenberger In August 2002, a tour plane flies over the long arm of Navajo Canyon (below). Photograph by Gary Ladd

2. Rent a houseboat

LAKE POWELL RESORTS & MARINAS, PAGE

If man is the master of his domain, he can be the captain of his very own floating fortress on Lake Powell. With 10 houseboat options available, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas offers much more than mediocre dinghies. Take your pick from the 44-foot Explorer, which sleeps 10, but lacks air conditioning, all the way up through the 75-foot Odyssey, which features six staterooms, a GPS system and a home-theater system, as well as a hot tub, water slide, refrigerator and freezer. The houseboats are water-ready, which means you won’t have to worry about launching from a dry dock. Whether you’re a water-ready partier or just looking to relax, a houseboat is the best way to chill out and enjoy the scenery. n For more information: 888-896-3829 or lakepowell.com.

3. Take a tour

LAKE POWELL TOURS, LAKE POWELL

Too bad Gilligan and the gang couldn’t have taken one of Lake Powell Tours’ three-hour tours. From cruises to Rainbow Bridge to breakfast sightseeing trips, the company offers a slew of adventures suitable for families or 1. Take a dive couples looking for a romantic excursion. Popular water

TWIN FINN DIVING, PAGE expeditions are the Canyon Princess Dinner Cruise, the Navajo Tapestry Boat Cruise, the Sunset Cruise and kayak Sure, Arizona’s landlocked. But that’s not tours. Although the best way to see Lake Powell is from to say great scuba-diving options don’t exist — the water, it’s not the only way. That’s why Lake Powell particularly at Lake Powell, where the fish are Tours also offers a number of hiking expeditions. as common as the houseboats. Thanks to Twin n For more information: 800-410-8302 or Finn Diving, the only full-service dive shop in the lakepowelltours.net. Lake Powell/Page area, you can strap on a tank and head out to the cool, blue water, search- ing for creatures like bluegills, largemouth bass, 4. Take flight walleyes, crappies, catfish and carp. Twin Finn WESTWIND AIR SERVICE, PAGE rents out equipment at affordable rates ($45 per day for a regulator, weights, a wetsuit, two There’s something special about Page. Not only is it tanks and a flag), arranges diving excursions a charming little town, but it’s also smack-dab in the and offers introductory courses. Twin Finn also middle of Arizona’s “scenic triangle,” which encom- rents kayaks and canoes for a little over-the-top passes the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Lake lake exploration of your own. Powell/Rainbow Bridge. That’s why Westwind Air Service n For more information: 928-645-3114 or launches several of its tours from the town, including its twinfinn.com. Grand Scenic Triangle Aerial Tour, which departs near the lake and flies over Navajo Mountain, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon, before landing at Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Westwind also offers packages that BUBBLE UP Captured in the lens of an feature air and ground tours of the area, including some underwater camera, a diver begins her descent that can accommodate entire tour buses full of travelers. O, WHAT A REFLECTION Prior to Glen Canyon Dam’s into Lake Powell’s submerged slot canyons. completion in 1963, Rainbow Bridge spanned dry n For more information: 800-245-8668 or Photograph by Jeff Kida ground several miles from the banks of the Colorado westwindairservice.com. River. Photograph by Peter Ensenberger

16 f e b r u a r y 2008 5. Visit the other canyon 6. Pitch a tent NAVAJO TOURS, NAVAJO NATION WAHWEAP CAMPGROUND, WAHWEAP

Even if you don’t believe in mythology, If you’re looking for a room with a view, this is it. you’ll have to believe that something Composed of 112 tentsites and 139 full hookups, magical happened as rain and wind-driven Wahweap Campground & RV Park is the area’s best sediment carved the sandstone walls of place to pitch a tent, roll out the sleeping bags and Upper and Lower Antelope canyons over roast a marshmallow or two. Wahweap campers are the millennia. Navajo guides have led awarded full access to all of Lake Powell’s amenities, countless adventurers through the as well as campsite grills and tables, utility hookups, canyons and into what they call “the laundry facilities, restrooms, showers and fire rings. crack,” although Navajo Nation residents And the campground is within close proximity to no longer herd sheep through Upper Wahweap Marina, where you’ll find plenty of fishing Antelope. Guided tours through the equipment, bait and boat rentals. If you can’t find all Southwest’s most photographed slot you’re looking for at the campground, Page is only a canyon typically last an hour, and don’t few miles to the south. require a lot of exertion — the majority of n For more information: 928-645-1004 or travel occurs in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. lakepowell.com. For shutterbugs, photography tours last ROCKY ROAD Near Hole in the Rock, the water of Lake Powell reflects clouds and approximately two hours. craggy cliffs on an early winter afternoon. This rough terrain didn’t daunt Mormon n For more information: 928-698-3384 or 7. Take a hike pioneers who forged a wagon trail through the area in the winter of 1879-80. Photograph by Gary Ladd navajotours.com. HANGING GARDENS, GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

It’s not often that you stumble across a garden in the 9. Hit the road

middle of the desert, let alone a hanging one. But HOLE-IN-THE-ROCK ROAD, ESCALANTE, UTAH, TO LAKE POWELL, ARIZONA thanks to winter precipitation, water collects in a Glen Canyon National Recreation Area aquifer, then drips For 62 miles, from Escalante, Utah, to the western shore of Lake Powell, downward through cracks and crevices in the porous Hole-in-the-Rock Road runs a ragged, rocky route. In the summer, it’s rock of the Colorado Plateau. When the water reaches hot (temperatures often exceed the century mark), and in the winter, it’s an impermeable layer — like the Kayenta Formation cold (temperatures below freezing are commonplace), but Hole-in-the- — it flows sideways and down the walls of canyons, Rock is home to some of the most splendid scenery Lake Powell has to where a variety of plants, including maidenhair ferns offer. Although much of the road runs through Utah’s Grand Staircase- and helleborine orchids, cloak the Jurassic Navajo Escalante National Monument, the last 5 miles or so are within the Glen sandstone walls. Of the Colorado Plateau’s hundreds of Canyon National Recreation Area — a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required. endemic plant species, 35 grow in the area’s nearly 200 Consider the names of some of the points of interest along the way hanging gardens, supporting water-loving birds and — Dance Hall Rock, Carcass Wash and Fifty Mile Spring, to name a few — wildlife. If you explore any of them, including Ribbon and hit the road. But be prepared. Take plenty of water and a few snacks, Canyon Garden, tread lightly, as the slopes are fragile and be aware of flash floods, particularly during the summer months. and easily eroded. n For more information: 928-608-6200 or nps.gov/glca. n For more information: 928-608-6200 or nps.gov/glca. 10. Pay your respects

8. Drop a line JOHN WESLEY POWELL MEMORIAL MUSEUM, PAGE BUBBA’S LAKE POWELL FISHING GUIDE SERVICE, PAGE A trip to Lake Powell wouldn’t be complete without paying homage to the The bass are big in Lake Powell, thanks in large part to man for whom the lake was named, one-armed Civil War veteran Major nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline and plenty of smaller John Wesley Powell. Back in 1869, 10 men in four boats1 set sail0 along the fish on which to dine. And thanks to the company that Green River in Wyoming, looking to find a bigger slice of the American pie Jerry “Bubba” Puckett started 20 years ago — Bubba’s and confirm Powell’s theories about the Grand Canyon of the Colorado Lake Powell Fishing Guide Service — novice and River. Powell did it, and like all good explorers, he discovered amazing hardened anglers alike can find some of the best bass- things along the way, such as the Virgin River (now under Lake Mead) and fishing hotspots the lake has to offer. Although the several native ruins along the Colorado. In addition to showcasing memo- company is now owned by Bubba’s good buddy, Jim rabilia from Powell’s two expeditions down the river, the John Wesley Powell Cliburn, its guides can customize a fishing trip built to Memorial Museum also features a substantial collection of Native American your own specifications, whether you’re a solo adven- and pioneer artifacts, as well as exhibits that focus on the history and ANTELOPE INTERLOPER A dried turer or have a school of kids to take along. Best of all, development of Page and the geology of Colorado River-cut canyons. branch lies on a ledge in bristly you won’t have to haul your own equipment. Cliburn n For more information: 888-597-6873 or powellmuseum.org. counterpoint to the swirling and his crew have you covered. sandstone patterns of Lower Antelope Canyon. Photograph by n For more information: 888-741-2822 or Ralph Lee Hopkins bubbasguide.com. Kelly Kramer is a Phoenix-based writer and a regular contributor to Arizona Highways.

ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 19 In case you hadn’t noticed, we have a lot of shots of Lake Powell in this issue. They’re all spectacular, but for our portfolio, we wanted something different, so we sent our photographer up in a plane. Out of the Clear TO THE POINT Kane Point juts across Lake Powell, which combines the cinematic scenery By Gary Ladd of Glen Canyon with the reflective beauty and recreational possibilities of a reservoir. Blue ky 5 n 20 f e b r u a r y 2008 To order a print of this photograph, see page 1. S ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 21 STAINED STONE Houseboats camp in inlets (below) stained with a “bathwater ring” that marks the lake’s level before severe drought caused it to drop rapidly a few years ago.

“DESSERTED CANYON” Resembling powdered sugar dusted over gingerbread (right), snow settles on Lake Powell’s Escalante Arm, celebrated for its arches, narrow canyons and Indian ruins. 5 n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

22 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 23 5

BAY WATCH The sun sets over Padre Bay (left), illuminating the stripes of sandstone that make up the lake’s signature buttes and arches. n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

24 f e b r u a r y 2008 AROUND THE HORN A houseboat takes an early morning spin around Gregory Butte (left), a castle-shaped monolith near Last Chance Canyon. n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1. REAL CANYONS HAVE CURVES With the lake down 140 feet from full, the serpentine loops of Reflection Canyon (above) emerge, enticing boaters with new scenes around every turn. 5 DISCOVERY CHANNEL Hundreds of squiggly channels like Anasazi Canyon (right) radiate off Lake Powell, inviting boaters to detour into the slickrock wilderness.

26 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 27 FATHER FIGURE It’s easy to see figures in some of the lake’s bizarre rock formations. Padres Butte (above, left) rises like a sandstone Loch Ness monster prowling Padre Bay. n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

SNOWBALL EFFECT When snow sifts over the canyons, houseboats stay moored and silence reigns in the twisting course of Forbidding Canyon (left).

WHAT LIES BENEATH A speedboat narrowly misses rocks bulging up from the main channel near Antelope Point (above). 5

ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 29 R eflecting on theWate r Edward Abbey wasn’t a fan. Few environmentalists were, including our writer, who boycotted Lake Powell for more than 25 years. He stayed away until a story assignment forced him to contemplate his opposition. We won’t give away the MAGNIFICENT MORNING Sunrise illuminates the craggy face of Padres Butte on a placid ending, but chills are running up the collective spine of the Monkey Wrench Gang. Lake Powell. Named for John Wesley Powell, who first explored the Colorado River in 1869, the BY LAWRENCE W. CHEEK PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY LADD lake has more than 1,900 miles of shoreline. n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

30 f e b r u a r y 2008 As crime scenes go, Lake Powell is so staggeringly beautiful that it’s hard to hold in the lock of your mind that you’re supposed to be appalled by it. Even Edward Abbey was grudgingly seduced: “Though not a lake, [it] may well be as its defenders assert the most beautiful reservoir in the world.” Sierra Club’s Executive Director David Brower likewise slipped during a boat trip staged by nature writer John McPhee. “You can’t duplicate this experience — this lake — anywhere else,” Brower admitted.

I’m spending five days on Lake Powell in a kayak, nominally controversial transformation of a landscape yet undertaken by to scribble a travel story, but I’m gnawing on a deeper personal humankind. agenda that I haven’t shared with the five other members of our The idea of man-made lakes first occurred some 4,000 years plastic flotilla. In a microboycott to honor my environmental ago as small reservoirs for drinking water and irrigation in ethic, I never came here during the quarter-century that I lived China, Egypt and Mesopotamia. But these were little more in Arizona. I believed then, and now, that we humans hold a than beaver dams that happened to be built by two-legged land moral responsibility to tread as lightly as possible on the Earth. mammals. The great reservoir boom had to wait for concrete AHow can anyone reconcile that principle with the colossal boot- (huge earthen dams tended toward spectacular and lethal fail- print of this desert lake? ures), and in North America, the New Deal and its public works This is a dilemma that overflows the borders of a travel story. ambitions. With Hoover Dam in 1935, the second of six stoppers It’s worth visiting Lake Powell solely to consider the rightness or wrongness of its existence. The conjunctions of nature and civilization are among the most powerful issues of our time, EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS A houseboat navigates the curves of Reflection Canyon (above), exposed due to low water levels in the lake. and they’re becoming more pressing as the planet grows more MIRROR IMAGE Tower Butte (right) reflects on the blue-green water crowded and our uses of its resources more daring. Lake Powell, of a quiet cove in Labyrinth Canyon. though nearly 50 years old, is perhaps the most radical and n To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

32 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 33 along the Colorado River in Arizona, an era of titanic dams over the loss of Glen Canyon, and in 1997 Richard Ingebretsen, — and vast reservoirs behind them — was in full bloom. a Salt Lake City physician, formed the Glen Canyon Institute Glen Canyon Dam, which created Lake Powell, was unique with the goal of draining the lake. The most remarkable sec- because the landscape upstream was no everyday desert basin. ond thought about the lake came from Arizona’s rock-ribbed It was a labyrinth of crinkly canyons, some as dark and forebod- Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, who said in 1976 that in ing as dungeons, others as dramatic as Gothic cathedrals, punc- all his Senate years, what he most wished he could change was tuated by occasional waterfalls and sunlit splashes of Gambel a vote he cast to construct Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado oaks and willows. Abbey, who devoted a chapter of his book River. Goldwater was remembering the river he’d visited in 1940, Desert Solitaire to his rubber-raft trip through the canyon before gone forever. the lake backed into it, concluded that the landscape was “an Eden, a portion of the earth’s original paradise.” rizona is a land of audacious schemes, partly The dam’s raison d’etre, strangely, is murky. The Bureau of because it’s young and open, and also because Reclamation sold the idea to Congress as a means of hoarding the outrageous landscape seems to provoke Colorado River water for irrigation and hydroelectric power. us into competing with it. More than a mil- But Arizona and Utah also saw it as a catalyst for mass tourism, lennium ago, the Hohokam created the larg- which Glen Canyon’s wilderness had not been. After the lake A est canal system in North America in the arose, its unique beauty seemed to overwrite all other consid- valley that now cradles Phoenix. On the modern Colorado erations. A brochure authored by Floyd Dominy, the Bureau’s Plateau, artist James Turrell has spent more than three decades commissioner from 1959 to 1969, is empurpled with prose remaking a volcanic crater into an experiential observatory. likely not matched by any bureaucrat in modern times: “Colors Metropolitan Phoenix, an oasis supporting more than 4 mil- like a symphony of Nature’s music … a front-row seat in an lion people, is an act of faith in a desert that enjoys 8 inches of amphitheater of infinity … a oneness with the world and God.” rainfall a year. But the lake has not forged a oneness of opinion. Countless Most of our schemes alter the landscape. Some respectfully: writers have seconded Abbey’s alternating heartbreak and fury The prehistoric Sinagua pueblo of Tuzigoot crowns a Verde Valley hill so gracefully that Mother Nature herself could have arranged the rock walls. And some do not: Modern homes perch on the slopes of Phoenix’s Camelback Mountain the consequences of what we’re considering doing, but we there before: the spectacular canyons and slickrock shelves. The and Tucson’s Santa Catalinas, each making haven’t used this feature of our brains very well. This, I think, spectacle that transfixes us today is the starkly dramatic juxta- its personal architectural statement, and the is the unspoken debate at the heart of the Lake Powell issue. position of pink stone, sapphire sky and turquoise water, all on cumulative effect is grandly scaled clutter. John McPhee suggested it in his 1977 book Encounters With the a scale never before seen in a desert. And yes, another spectacle, But it’s dreamy naiveté to imagine that Archdruid: “Possibly the reaction to dams is so violent because precious and irreplaceable, has been drowned underneath it. ancient Native Americans were more enlight- rivers are the ultimate metaphors of existence, and dams destroy How to weigh the value of each against the other? Most of us, ened stewards than we are. Pueblo archi- rivers.” including me, never visited Glen Canyon in person. What we’re tecture flows with the mood and shape of Lake Powell is a monster metaphor. It’s a summation of mod- really weighing is the symbolic power of the engineered lake the land because of its builders’ limitations. ern technology’s nearly unlimited power to revise nature, and versus the natural canyon. They couldn’t truck in materials from distant its opponents fear that it stands as a precedent. Draining the One of my fellow kayakers throws out a provocative thought places; they had to fashion their architecture lake, on the other hand, would be an equally monumental but as we fabricate a camp in a stony bowl embracing a bay. “If this out of whatever the site provided: sandstone, opposite symbol: a scaling back of human aspirations, a rec- were natural,” he says, “no one would ever think anything other clay, pine. Naturally, it took on an organic ognition that the human species is only part of a much larger than that it’s fabulous.” Why, then, condemn it for its human- air. Tuzigoot and similar pueblos probably community of life on Earth, one over which opposable thumbs engineered origins? Or to ask a question one step deeper: Why assumed their tight, clustered forms from the do not automatically give us dominion. is a lake unnatural when it was made by creatures who are, necessity of defense. Modern mountainside That’s a seductive idea for someone who believes that our spe- unquestionably, part of nature? homes, widely separated on acre lots, grow cies needs a booster shot of humility, as I do. The problem is that Behind our camp, the moon rides over a ring of serrated bluffs. out of a different need — the yearning for when applied to Lake Powell, it disregards the human capacity Its white light, cold and sharp as ice, renders the red mountains privacy. for creating beauty, another piece of our biological uniqueness. into silhouettes that glow with vague menace, like charcoal Whatever the reasons, transforming land- We are rearranging nature whenever we design a garden, build hoarding a secret fire. Then intimations of lightning begin flash- scape is what our species does. At whatever a house, sculpt a figure out of stone or wood, or even make a ing on the southern horizon, and for the next two hours we level the technology of the moment allows, painting. (Canvas is a reorganization of plant fibers; pigments watch — warily — as a late-summer thunderstorm scribes a we build roads, bridges, dams, canals, fences, derive from minerals.) If Lake Powell is, as Abbey intimated, half-circle around us. Faint orange virgas scratch the sky, but the fortifications and houses. The Hohokam built “the most beautiful reservoir in the world,” then it also serves rain never finds the ground — a reminder that despite the 27 vast earthen mounds and scooped out ball as a stunning example of artistic success. Most of our meddling million acre-feet of water beside us, we’re in the desert. courts; we move dirt to sculpt golf courses with nature, from suburban lawns to other man-made lakes, is Possibly we humans have a legitimate role to play in this and parking lots. These ambitions are as legit- not nearly as laudable. grand scene, or perhaps we already have improvised beyond imate a part of our nature as building nests is Of course, Lake Powell’s beauty only builds on what was what the desert’s script will tolerate. Lake Powell eventually will for eagles. Every living organism’s biological prove to be a dramatic example of what we should or should imperative is to exploit its environment, to CANYON COUNTRY Lake Powell twists through the winding narrows not do. All I know is that in this flicker of geologic time, I’m maximize opportunity. For better or worse, of Cascade Canyon (left). in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and no longer we humans are equipped to make more of KAYAK CONVOY A kayaker tries to stay afloat in the waves below a appalled. 120-foot-high waterfall in Bridge Canyon (above, left). Surrounded by this mandate than any other species. towering Navajo sandstone walls, kayakers paddle through slots in Lawrence W. Cheek lives near Seattle, where he’s a boat builder, sailor, We’re also uniquely equipped to predict Anasazi Canyon (above, right). kayaker and architecture critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

34 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 35 GUARDS AGAINST GRAFFITI Volunteers remove modern-day graffiti that has damaged historical inscriptions and ancient petroglyphs on the red-rock surfaces lining the shores of Lake Powell.

Hole-in-the-Rock and climb the 700 feet to the rim. Along the National Park Service archaeologist and representatives from way, remnants of retaining walls, drill holes and numerous Native American tribes. historic inscriptions are still visible. Unfortunately, Hole-in-the- During our trip back to Antelope Point, I open True GRIT’s Rock, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, unofficial ship’s log. Inside, I find descriptions of weekly adven- has been defaced, and recent inscriptions vastly outnumber the tures and discoveries, brilliant sunrises, cartoons and praise for historic messages. the graffiti-removal program, all recorded by the volunteers. It’s “Rob and Kathi” have no respect for Mother Nature. Neither do the That’s why Foti, Dowding, Page and I climb to the top. Sixty a distinguished record of daily adventures and hard work. In thousands of other vandals who carve their names in the red rocks miles of dirt and slickrock road ends at the summit of The Hole, 2005 and 2006, 85 volunteers removed more than 11,000 square and we suspect that many of the vandals arrived via this route. feet of graffiti around Lake Powell. surrounding Lake Powell. The task of removing the graffiti falls to vol- We circle around from the road’s end back to the rim of the A few months after my trip, a True GRIT volunteer discovered unteers, who are doing their best to make a difference. It’s a tough job, canyon where there’s a stupendous view eastward. We can easily one of the most egregious examples of graffiti vandalism. In a see across the lake into Cottonwood Canyon, and with binocu- rocky ravine near Padre Bay, a Spanish inscription read: “We but somebody has to do it. Written & Photographed by Gary Ladd lars we can see remnants of a road leading up to the far rim at passed this way, 1776.” It’s believed to have been carved by a Aladdin’s Lamp Pass. It’s too bad that such extraordinary land- member of the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition on its return scapes have been covered with graffiti, even if the destruction trip to Santa Fe. After failing to reach Monterey, California, It’s a Friday morning, and Jim Page is issuing me a hat, work our efforts on historic locations around the lake. wasn’t perpetrated by calloused criminals, but rather average before winter, the expedition reversed course, traveling through gloves and a T-shirt. He’s an ex-Marine who hates Lake Powell’s After a quiet cruise up the lake to a camp in Oak Bay, I ask people like “Rob & Kathi,” who probably fail to comprehend this area just before a climactic fording of the Colorado River. shoreline graffiti. Because of that, he’s volunteered to pilotTrue Page about the program’s funding. “It comes mostly from the their own depravity. The inscription survived intact for 218 years until Rob & Kathi GRIT, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s houseboat, and National Park Foundation,” he says. “And Antelope Point The next day we park the speedboat near the mouth of the scratched their names over it in 1994. lead volunteer groups eager to scrub rock walls until they’re Marina helps by contributing a boat slip at the dock and boat Escalante Arm of the lake. Nearby we locate an inscription hid- Rob and Kathi: If you’re reading this, the National Park graffiti-free. This week, I’m one of the crew members. maintenance.” Elbow grease does the rest. den in a yawning sandstone alcove: “J.W. Black, 1896.” Black Service would like you to give them a call. Five years ago, four longtime Powell enthusiasts decided The next morning, we pile into the speedboat we’re towing was a pioneer trail builder and explorer. But again, disrespectful they’d seen enough — Lake Powell’s graffiti problem was out of behind True GRIT and head up the lake to Hole-in-the-Rock, boaters have scrawled scores of names, dates, blasphemies and editor’s note: Several months after the discovery of the 1776 control. That’s when Bob and Vicki Schwartz, and Bill and Carol the cleft in the rim of Glen Canyon where, in 1879, Mormon declarations of love around Black’s name. We go to work. Four inscription near Padre Bay, Gary Ladd helped carry 175 pounds of laser- Williams, donated a houseboat. The boat was christened True pioneers blasted an improbable wagon route down a 1,000-foot hours later, we’ve cleaned the alcove, leaving the Black inscrip- scanning equipment to the site to test it for authenticity. Preliminary GRIT in April 2004 — GRIT is an acronym for “Graffiti Removal chute to the Colorado River. After six weeks of labor, they skid- tion alone and unblemished. results indicate the inscription is genuine. & Intervention Team” — and it’s patrolled the lake ever since, ded 83 wagons down “The Hole,” ferried them across the river, On our last full day we head to Rainbow Bridge, a place n True GRIT heads out approximately 12 times a year, for five to seven Iarmed with binoculars, buckets and brushes. then forced their way out of the canyon. Six months after leaving revered by Native Americans, archaeologists, geologists, histo- days at a time. For information, call 928-608-6200 or visit nps.gov/glca. Two other crew members are joining me on this trip. civilization, hardened and exhausted, they founded the town of rians and just about every intelligent biped. Despite its stature, John Dowding is from Salt Lake City, and Sally Foti is from Bluff in southeastern Utah. It’s one of the most celebrated migra- we find blighted rock. All we are allowed to do, however, is Gary Ladd can’t imagine what some people are thinking when they visit Glen Canyon and surround themselves in its beauty, and then sabotage the Greenehaven, a small town near Page. Our commander, Jim tions in the history of the West. make notes and take photographs because restoration work at very landscape they went to experience. Ladd lives in Page at the edge of Page, is from Big Water, Utah. The four of us are going to focus These days, Lake Powell boaters can anchor at the foot of Rainbow Bridge National Monument must be supervised by a Glen Canyon.

36 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 37 BIRD’S-EYE VIEW An aerial view of Glen Canyon Dam reveals its graceful concrete curve. The adjacent Glen Canyon Dam Bridge was dedicated in 1959.

If one cubic yard

of concrete landed

on your head,

you’d die.

If 5 million cubic yards

of concrete landed

in Northern Arizona,

you’d have something

called Glen Canyon Dam.

Love it or hate it,

this thing is big —

really big. dam big WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY GARY LADD

38 f e b r u a r y 2008 “Everybody brings their own eyes to this place,” Joanna Joseph says with a smile. “Kids ask if anybody’s ever skateboarded its face. Calculus students look at it and wonder what part of a conic section it might be, engineers see formulas expressed in concrete, and environmentalists see a river being thwarted.”

For a little more than a decade, Joseph led tours of Glen Can- yon Dam, telling visitors from around the world about the concrete Goliath that gave birth to Lake Powell, which winds for 186 miles through the canyons of southern Utah and Northern Arizona. More than seven years went into the construction of the dam, and it took another 24 months to finish the power plant. The lake took even longer — although it started rising in March 1963, it didn’t hit its high- water mark until June 1980. Glen Canyon Dam was auth orized by Congress in 1956 as part of the Colorado River Storage RAPID RELEASE Hollow jet valves, located at the base of the dam, Project. The Bureau of Reclamation oversaw the construction, release water from Lake Powell when necessary. and today operates the dam as one of several projects along the Colorado River. Like Hoover Dam to the west, Glen Canyon Dam is a gravity Despite its immensity, the dam doesn’t sit still. The hydroelec- arch dam — its 10 million tons of mass help prevent the deep tric power plant at its base pulses with the spinning of eight waters of Lake Powell from shoving it aside. Equally important 400-ton turbine rotors. It hums, too — a German visitor once is the arch-shape of the dam, which maximizes geometry to facil pointed out that the buzz of the power plant is a continuous B- itate stability. Because the arch hunches against the force of the flat. And like a living organism, the dam squirms a little in its water behind it, the push of the lake only wedges the dam more sandstone seat. In the summer, the sweeping concrete face heats tightly into the canyon walls. (The same geometry stabilizes up beneath the sun and bulges upstream. The annual expansion nearby Rainbow Bridge — the world’s largest natural bridge.) is measured by engineers, who use lasers and plumb lines to Of course, the dam wasn’t built to be a lab exercise for engi- track the movement — the recordings show an upstream shift neers. Or a tourist attraction, for that matter. It was built to of 1.5 to 2 inches at the dam’s center every summer. generate electricity and store water for use in drought years. And Not surprisingly, engineers are constantly looking for signs of it’s served its purpose. From 1985 to 1993, during a period of any unusual movement or change. That’s why the dam houses 3 below-normal snowfall in the Rocky Mountains, Lake Powell miles of inspection galleries, which form a labyrinth of tunnels released half of its water to downstream users. It gained back throughout the dam, from top to bottom and canyon wall to most of that water in subsequent wet years. But in the summer canyon wall. of 1999, another drought rolled in, and by April 2005, Lake “We’re continually updating our monitoring equipment,” says Powell had surrendered two-thirds of its volume to water users Jeff Jones, foreman of the dam’s group of electronic equipment in Arizona, Nevada and California. Since then, the lake has mechanics. “The trend has been to go from daily, weekly and rebounded to about half-capacity. monthly physical checks to continuous electronic checks.” Drought, however, isn’t the only thing affecting lake levels. For subtle, long-term movements within the dam, there are Evaporation from the surface of Lake Powell skims off about 4 hundreds of strain gauges and piezometers to measure the resolve feet of water per year. That translates to more than 800 cubic feet of the lake to slip beneath the dam. And there’s a seismograph to per second, averaged over a year, when the lake is full. By com- OPTICAL ILLUSION The sun casts a straight shadow of the measure larger, more sudden stirrings. So far, the seismograph parison, the Colorado River typically loses about 10,000 to Glen Canyon Dam Bridge onto the curved surface of the dam. hasn’t revealed anything of interest. 20,000 cubic feet per second. The decrease in water is a concern.

ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 41 STANDING TALL Glen Canyon Dam towers 587 feet over the Colorado River, making it the fourth- highest dam in the United States.

And so is the increase in sediment. Like all lakes, natural or man-made, Lake Powell will eventually fill with sediment. Surveys conducted in the mid-1980s theorized that silt would choke off the lake in a few hundred years. No one knows for sure. What is certain, however, is that dredging won’t help, because the rate of siltation is staggering — on average, Lake Powell’s tributar- ies pour the equivalent of 10,000 dump truck loads of silt and sand into the lake every day. DID Ironically, the silt that now clogs Lake Powell above the dam is sorely missed downstream in the Grand Canyon, where the natural riparian habitat is starved for spring floods and fresh sand. The ancient YOU ecosystem of the Grand Canyon has been altered by Glen Canyon Dam, and a new, post-dam ecosystem reigns with an array of both positive and negative effects. KNOW? Ken Rice, the dam’s facility manager, says the bureau is well aware of the challenges. “We’re discussing reasonable options for handling t The height of Glen Canyon Dam from the growing silt accumulation,” he says. There’s a “pandemic plan” as the river below is 587 feet, which makes it well, he says, for dealing with any situation where routine operations taller than the Washington Monument. and maintenance are interrupted for long periods of time. t The height of the dam from its bedrock foundation Time will tell what’s necessary. Meanwhile, the water continues to is 710 feet, which is just 16 feet shy of Hoover Dam. flow. And not just to meet water commitments downstream. Recently, t The maximum thickness of the dam is 300 feet, a team of environmental scientists and other experts was given a voice which is the length of a football field. in the operation of the dam. Their concerns are many: the preservation t There are almost 5 million cubic yards of of downstream archaeological sites, the enhancement of wildlife hab- concrete in the dam. itats, the maintenance of water quality, the contentment of river run- t The maximum hydropower output of the dam ners, and the protection of Native American cultural resources, among is 1,320 megawatts, which is enough to serve the needs of more than a million people. others. Of course, not every need is met every year, but a largely work- able compromise has been achieved, and that seems to appeal to locals t The maximum capacity of Lake Powell is approximately 27 million acre-feet, which is a little less than Lake Mead. and visitors alike. “There are quite a few tourists who come here specifically to learn t Lake Powell comprises 252 square miles with a shoreline of 1,960 miles, which is more than the U.S. Pacific coastline more about its pros and cons,” Joseph says. Beyond that, the reactions from Canada to Mexico. of the tourists vary, depending on where they’re from. According to Joseph, the Germans ask, “How tall, how wide, how does it work?” The French remark, “Look at those beautiful curves!” The Japanese ask, “Is it cost-efficient?” And the Americans wonder, “How does this compare with Hoover Dam?”

n For information on dam tours, visit glencanyonnha.com. For information on Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, visit nps.gov/glca. BRIDGING THE GAP The steel arch of Glen Canyon Dam Bridge spans 1,028 feet with a deck length of 1,271 feet. Before the From his home in Page, Gary Ladd can hear the hum of Glen Canyon Dam’s bridge was opened in 1959, motorists traveled almost 200 miles electrical transformers, but he prefers the rumble of the Colorado River as it to reach the other side of the canyon. hurries toward the rapids of the Grand Canyon.

42 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 43 adventure back road

PERFECT BACKDROP Rising 3,000 with our maps and GPS coor- that haven’t been reclaimed headquarters for Two Mile feet above the Colorado River, the dinates. Turns out, he didn’t by the sand. Still, with each Ranch’s water operation. At rugged escarpment of the Vermilion need them — if he said there fork in the sand, the route got the time, the three-room Paria Plateau Cliffs (above) showcases the region’s Located within the boundaries of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, intriguing geologic timeline. was a sliver of road spanning more obscure and the maps dwelling was occupied by the the plateau, we’d later realize less definitive. plateau’s sole human inhabit- the Paria Plateau is tough to drive across, but it’s well worth the effort. that he was right. We also Nevertheless, we found ant. These days, the warning by Twila Coffey photographs by Mike Coffey Coffey by Twila According to the maps, realized that with a little prac- our way to the unmistak- cry of a raven is about all that there were five potential tice, even novices learn to rec- able landmark of Pine Tree breaks the silence. “We leave behind a long line as impressive in height as the drenched the area just before Fund staffers who keep vigil routes from House Rock ognize the remnants of roads Pockets, the now-abandoned Back on the road, stretches of cliffs, many hundred feet Grand Canyon is in depth. we got there, we were optimis- at the nearby condor release Road east onto the plateau. high, composed of orange and The vast and mysterious tic that we could maneuver site, to a regular clientele of Through a process of trial and vermilion sandstones. I have wall defines the Paria Plateau’s the axle-deep sand that barri- ranch hands and government error, we decided that BLM named them ‘Vermilion Cliffs.’ impenetrable south side, cades Joe’s Place — the pictur- employees. She welcomes Road 1017 was the route with I look back and see the morning which comprises 200,000 esque remains of the oldest tourists, too — folks who are the fewest impediments. sun shining in splendor on their acres of shifting sands and ranch house on the plateau — fascinated by the mystery and It helps to know the “lay of painted faces.” sculpted rock known as the and ride the moist sand all history of the vast plateau. the sand.” — John Wesley Powell, 1870 “Sand Hills.” the way to Powell Monument On the day of our trip, we For directions to Joe’s For this trip, my husband at the southeastern edge. woke at dawn and loaded Place and Powell Monument, even before we crossed and I had a plan to cross the Our base camp was Lee’s our camera equipment, along we talked to a retired ranch the Colorado River at Marble plateau from west to east, Ferry Lodge at Vermilion with a sheaf of BLM and topo- foreman, who, we were told, Canyon, we could see the dis- coaxing our ancient Suburban Cliffs, better known as graphic maps, energy bars, knows the area as well as tant “painted faces” that John along unmarked “roads” that “Maggie’s place.” Maggie water, a tire pump, a shovel, anyone. He wasn’t impressed Wesley Powell had described are little more than sand- Sacher, the corporate drop- a first-aid kit, and a notebook more than a hundred years drifted trails, where land- out who owns the motel, with scribbles of advice and GOOD OL’ JOE On Northern earlier. Soaring 3,000 feet marks are few, and so are oversees a community of directions. We also packed Arizona’s Paria Plateau, a 19th century structure, known as Joe’s above the Colorado River, the other human beings. free spirits, ranging from her a satellite phone, which we’d Place (right), sits abandoned on the Vermilion Cliffs are almost Because a rare rain had restaurant crew, to Peregrine rented in Flagstaff. barren landscape of Sand Hills.

44 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 45 WHAT A VIEW A crevice along the with cones, succulents were cliffs (left) opens up to the valley below, plump, and in the damp where the Colorado River begins its journey through the Grand Canyon. In sand, the comings and goings the background, the Echo Cliffs of wildlife were vividly bracket the valley’s eastern border. recorded. We saw evidence of rabbits, coyotes or foxes, of deepening sand forced us and what was either an elk, to shift the Suburban into an overweight deer or maybe a lower gear as we headed even a bighorn sheep. toward Joe’s Place, which is As it turned out, the sand 14 miles beyond Pine Tree tracks took us almost to the Pockets. precipice. The condor’s-eye At Joe’s we stopped in some view of the valley 3,000 feet shallow sand near a gap in the below is, in the truest sense ancient pole fence that con- of the word, awesome. From nects the 19th century ranch where we were standing, we could see Maggie’s place. And TRAIL’S END At 6,700 feet, Powell house to its sizable store of even though the buildings Monument sits above Marble Canyon on the Vermilion Cliffs’ water. Recently replenished, were barely distinguishable, northeastern face. the pond sparkled with re Vehicle Requirements: A high- like anthills in the sand, the flected light. While we were clearance, four-wheel-drive surroundings were easily vehicle is required. Because there, a battalion of ravens of long stretches of loose identified by the incised con- in the company of our long- seemed to scold us. They sand that can be difficult to tours of the Colorado River trailing shadow, we were were persistent and vocifer- maneuver, this road is not just beyond. In the distance, tempted to bed down in the recommended for anyone ous in their defense of the with limited backcountry we could see cars and trucks Suburban in order to catch territory. driving experience. crawling soundlessly along a glimpse of the watering To the delight of the black Warning: Back-road travel can U.S. Route 89A. hole’s early morning visitors. be hazardous, so beware of birds, we left Joe’s Place and weather and road conditions. At Powell Monument, a But when we used the satel- headed for Powell Monument. Carry plenty of water. Don’t butte that anchors the eastern lite phone to call Maggie and And along the way, we took travel alone, and let someone façade of the Vermilion Cliffs, let her know our plan, she know where you’re going and note of the route, knowing when you plan to return. we looked for petroglyphs. mentioned something about it would be dusk, and then Information: North Kaibab Although we found a few steaks for dinner. Without Ranger District, 928-643-7395; dark, when we backtracked Bureau of Land Management, panels, we didn’t have time to a second thought, our plan off the plateau. 435-688-3200; Lee’s Ferry look for more. The setting sun went out the window. Maybe On the high perimeter, Lodge at Vermilion Cliffs, 928- told us it was time to go. next time we’ll make it an 355-2231 or leesferrylodge.com. the conifers were heavy Heading back to Joe’s Place overnighter. route finder

Note: Mileages are approximate. > In Corral Valley, at 3.15 miles (36°51.56’N, 112°00.67’W), note a fork to > Begin at Lee’s Ferry Lodge at Vermilion Cliffs driving west on U.S. Route the left and continue straight on BLM 1017. 89A for 24.2 miles, and turn right (north) onto House Rock Road (BLM Road 1065). > Reach Pine Tree Pockets at 6.3 miles (36°50.61’N, 111°57.67’W), and take the road, BLM Road 1104, to the right (south) of the line shack > Drive north 9.4 miles to Pine Tree Pockets Road (BLM Road 1017) and well. (36°51.67’N, 112°03.79’W). A corral on the west side of House Rock Road locates the turn-off. The following mileage is referenced from this point. > At 6.65 miles (36°50.51’N, 111°57.44’W), take the left fork onto BLM Road 1105. VERMILION CLIFFS > At 11.5 miles (36°48.82’N, 111°53.40’W), bear right at a fork, NATIONAL MONUMENT continuing on BLM 1105 and begin a long, sandy downhill stretch. n Powell

5 BLM U Monument 6 10 A > At 13.15 miles (36°47.42’N, 111°53.24’W), note a water tank ahead, 0 17 E 1 T A Lee’s Ferry taking a left fork to find a sand track (still on 1105) in front of the tank M Pine Tree L L P B Pockets Joe’s Place heading northeast. Overlook I A R Sa PA nd To Page > At 14.5 miles (36°47.57’N, 111°51.98’W), note a road joining from the H Vermilion ills Cliffs left; continue ahead as 1105 becomes BLM Road 1110. House Rock s H Road f Joe’s Place is at 20.25 miles (36°49.33’N, 111°47.61’W). The sand is very lif > o C u s powdery here, making driving difficult. e House Rock ion mil Ver 89 R o > Continue northeast on BLM 1110 to a sand track “intersection” at 22.8 c k 89A miles (36°51.21’N, 111°46.51’W) and take the right (east) track. V 89A al ley Paria Canyon- > At 24.2 miles (36°51.30’N, 111°45.07’W), bear right at an unmarked Vermilion Cliffs N O junction, continuing through difficult/powdery sand to a “T” Wilderness Y K A IBA B N intersection with a fence line at 26.5 miles (36°51.18’N, 111°43.39’W). A C NATIONAL Turn right (south) and follow the tracks along the fence line.

FOREST E L r > At 28.3 miles (36°50.12’N, 111°42.11’W), stop and enjoy the view of B e R iv 89 A R Marble Canyon, 3,000 feet below. Continue following the sand track M o d Kevin Kibsey northeast toward Powell Monument and Paria Needle, parking at 30.2 ra lo NAVAJO INDIAN o miles (36°51.12’N, 111°40.85’W). C RESERVATION To Flagstaff > To return, backtrack along the same route.

46 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 47 Sand Hill Crack A nontechnical route to the top of the Vermilion Cliffs in Northern Arizona features scenic views, pioneer history and some very large birds. of the month the of

in arizona’s north morning light flushed the to catch my breath. Views KID CONDOR A product of country — far north enormous cliffs in front of me. opened onto Marble Canyon, reintroduction efforts begun in the Vermilion Cliffs area in 1996, juvenile — sandstone flanks the A ravine parallels the trail the snowy North Rim of California condor No. 10 (above) Colorado River like a toward the rainbow-colored the Grand Canyon and flat- perches on a sandstone ledge. One of several hoodoo formations (right) hike misplaced slab of the Great Chinle sandstone swells, topped Shinumo Altar on the Wall of China, forming and, against all expectation, Navajo Indian Reservation. greets hikers who complete the climb through Sand Hill Crack. the centerpiece of one of willows burst from a hillside Swifts whistled by, reeling in the state’s newest national above. Insiders know this updrafts. monuments: the Vermilion oasis as Rachel’s Pools, the I continued up a defile, Cliffs, which is administered homestead of a woman who past petroglyphs pecked into were California condors, by the Bureau of Land lived on the site in a wattle- the desert varnish more than which were released nearby Management. The prospect and-daub shack. The remains 800 years ago — some so in an effort to re-establish the of scaling this 3,000-plus- of the nearby rock corrals, crisp they looked as if they species in its former range. foot-high bulwark can be somehow surviving on the could have been created the The birds flew close enough intimidating — even on a bleached badlands in the day before. for me to see their heads and mild spring day. Fortunately, distance, serve as testimony Piñon pine and juniper to hear the whooshing of any hiker in halfway decent to pioneer resilience that is trees welcomed me to the their feathers. Although their shape can get to the top beyond my imagination. top, where I pitched my tent. eyesight is superb, I doubt through a gap known as the After filling my water While I was making camp, six that the condors’ perspective Sand Hill Crack. bottles at the spring, I tackled gigantic black shapes glided of this landscape could have When you go, park near the gullied slope to the left, along the escarpment’s lip. been more impressive than the fenced ranch house next switchbacking to where the To my surprise, the shapes mine. to the trailhead, which is trail levels off and is marked located off U.S. Route 89A by cairns. It then follows a trail guide in House Rock Valley. The huge sand slide to the base Length: Approximately 4 miles round-trip. home’s rough stone walls of the cliff, hundreds of feet Trailhead Elevation: 3,000 feet. by Michael Engelhard photographs by Elias Butler by Michael Engelhard are decorated with cowboy below a northeasterly notch Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet. Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous. graffiti, and none other than in the rim. The deep sand Payoff: Views, condors. Buffalo Bill Cody watered slowed me down, but I still Getting There: Turn north from U.S. Route 89A between mileposts 557 and 558, near the Escalante-Dominguez marker. Drive this fairly good dirt road about 2 his horses at this place in outpaced some darkling miles toward the Vermilion Cliffs. Park south of the ranch house at Jacobs Pool. 1902. The site also was a beetles that struggled uphill. Travel Advisory: Avoid this hike during summer months or lightning storms. stopover on the Honeymoon From there, a breach Carry water, or treat water from the spring at Rachel’s Pools. Take snacks and a good topographic map. Loose rock and sand might make climbing Trail as Mormon newlyweds opens in the cliff face, steep hazardous. In wet conditions, access might require four-wheel-drive. returning from the temple and boulder-choked. This Information: Bureau of Land Management, 602-417-9200 or 435-688-3200. in St. George, Utah, camped is one of several ancient under stars scattered above routes traveled by Ancestral VERMILION CLIFFS Page n like juniper berries. Puebloans who farmed, NATIONAL MONUMENT My hike began on a faint hunted and gathered wild Paria Canyon- Lee’s Ferry Vermilion Cliffs dirt road that took me into plants on the Paria Plateau. Wilderness r e the foothills. Along the way, At this point, I took a short iv 89 R

Vermilion

U jackrabbits — their ears break to gear up for the A Cliffs o TE d A a PL s r f o drawing attention like trans toughest stretch of the hike, PA RIA lif l C o

lucent pink exclamation marks thankful I wasn’t climbing in ilion Sand Hill Crack Verm N > O NAVAJO INDIAN — zigzagged among yucca June or July. Y Jacobs Pool trailhead RESERVATION N

spikes, saltbushes and bloom Halfway up, I had lunch A 89A

H 89A Kevin Kibsey ing globemallow, while the on a rock ledge and tried ou se E L R B oc k R V alley A online For more hikes in Arizona, visit our hike archive at arizonahighways.com. M 89 To Flagstaff

48 f e b r u a r y 2008 ARIZONAHIGHWAYS.COM 49