HRIZONHHIGHWAYS FEBRUARY • 1951 . THIRTY-FIVE CENTS , l /jJI I\fj Spring has a good press. The poets make much ado about birds, bees, flowers and the sprightliness of the season. They neglect such mundane subjects as spring house cleaning and overlook the melancholy fact that armies with evil intentions march when the snow melts. We hope our only concern is with flowers, bees and birds and things like that. As for spring house cleaning, just open the doors and let the house air out. Why joust with vacuum cleaners and mops when spring beckons? Spring does a good job of beckoning in the desert land. It is our pleasure to show you some panoramas of the desert and desert plateau country when nature's fashion calls for spring dress. We wish we could promise the most colorful spring ever but the effiorescence of spring depends on the rainfall. We have had a darned dry "dry spell" hereabouts, broken only by a good rain in late January. If the rains keep on, then we can predict a real pretty March, April and May, but who the heck is going to be silly enough to try to tell whether it'll rain. Anyway, we'll promise you grand weather. An Arizona spring can't be beat. The weather had better be perfect! Sometime this month a group of wonderfully agile and extremely well paid young men who answer to the roll call of the Cleveland Indians, and another group of even more agile and even better paid young men who form the New York Yankees baseball team arrive in Tucson and Phoenix for spring training, the latter to get ready to defend the World's Championship, the former to try to bring it to Cleveland. Is it any wonder that we are baseball-minded out here in Arizona with two major league clubs our guests in the middle of the sunny desert? Our congenial colleague, Jerry McLain, gives us some news of spring training in this state and tells us about our good neighbor, Del Webb of Phoenix, co-owner of the Yankees, and how come the Yanks came West this year instead of going to Florida. We might add one more adjective to spring in the desert: lively. An air-minded young man by the name of Al Leach, who re­ ports air news for the Arizona Republic, Phoenix, brings to these pages an account of air travel in Arizona under the title of "Vaga­ bond Wings." This is about the small plane ownei:s who flit about ( flit may not quite be the word) where their fancy wills, to see a lot and do a lot without too much trouble. They say that air travel conquers distance. In this land of big and dreamy distances the air traveler, or vagabond if you wish, has the distance and the weather tailored for his needs, and not only for his needs but for his most vagrant whim. We devote some space herein to a community development of which Arizona is justly proud: the Crippled Children's Clinic in Tucson. We think this story illustrates the kind of town and kind of people you'll find in Tucson: good neighborly, willing to work together for the common good, accepting responsibilities of others as their own to make their community a better place for all. This chapter in the Tucson story is one all communities could study with profit. What has been done in Tucson could be done in any community, if it were done in the Tucson manner and with the Tucson spirit.-R. C. OPPOSITE PAGE "PmcKLY PEAR" BY JosEF MUENCH. The Prickly Pear is one of the Opuntia genus of Cactacea. There are 260 species of Opimtia (oh-PUN-she-a), of which 88 are found in the United States. Many of these are found in Arizona. The familiar Cholla is included in the genus. Englemann's Prickly Pear, shown here, is one of the large Opuntias found in this state. The plant is a large shrub, six to twelve feet across and from three to fiv e feet tall. Flowers appear in April and May, which turn in July to purple or maroon-purple fruit, much used by Indians in the making of very delectable jams and preserves. where in the area, including Agua Prieta in Sonora, Mexico. Let us go west after Douglas, possibly stopping in at Fort Huachuca. The 40,000 acre reservation, now belonging to the State of Arizona, and the beautiful Huachuca mountain region was being developed as a recreational area with ex­ cellent housing facilities, until the Air Force took over. Then we can go on west to the Nogales International Air­ port, managed by George Oberdorf. With a little advance notice, George can clear us into Mexico in minutes instead of hours, and explain that private fliers can go all the way to Mexico City if they like in any kind of a small airplane for a $10 fee on the plane, and $2.10 per person for a tem­ porary turista permit good for thirty days. Flying possibili­ ties in Old Mexico is a big story in itself. Instead of going into Mexico, let us fly west again across the wonderful desert country to Ajo, which has a fine war­ time air base as an airport, and we can get a good look at a large copper mine operation. • Central Arizona is only a short hop north across Gila Bend's landing strip in completing the tour. Colorado airniinded d to the find toond, Some other day, let us consider the possibilities of a trip erland I. Navajolart iere. west to enjoy the Colorado River country from Yuma to fro1')1, Boulder City, Lake Mead, and the Grand Canyon. En route to Yuma with 5,000 feet of altitude again, we cross the edge of the Estrella mountains, south of Buckeye, and pick up the Southern Pacific railroad tracks if we fly the "iron compass." Few people know about it, but if we like we can turn north from the Hyder area and in about five minutes be able to land most anyplace right in the desert because during the war the army held maneuvers here and long, smooth Desert picnic areas are of easy access to plane owners. gravel stretches can be found easily. BY AL LEACH This is ideal for rock hounds for here is nearly virgin mineral territory, or for a desert picnic where privacy is as­ Phoenix and fields of Salt River Valley are pretty from air. PHOTOGRAPHS BY HERB MCLAUGHLIN sured. There isn't a soul within miles. We go on to Yuma-it's the marrying town that has many airborne elopers because of no waiting period-there is the Try a pair of wings and really enjoy Arizona's scenic Tombstone, Bisbee-Douglas, Nogales, Ajo, and the country~ big county airport or the Marsh strip along the river and wonders. side in between. Quickly we realize we could spend several within walking distance of the business section. Wings will open vistas of beauties beyond the compre­ days on 'this junket alone-there are so many things we But let us go fishing on the Colorado, instead. Jess Fisher hension of earthbound souls. They bring snow-clad moun­ can do. has cut a landing strip along Martinez Lake a few miles tains, cool pine forests, deep canyons, and the sun-warmed With 5,000 feet of altitude we will enjoy the perfect north of Yuma, and it is possible to hook big bass weighing desert land into incomparable focus. checkerboard of Central Arizona irrigated farmlands, and as much as nine pounds while casting from the airplane. Wings make seconds of miles from the big bass of the notice the many Flying Farmers, who have their own flight Jess has boat and overnight accommodations, or we can Colorado River to the fighting trout in the north and eastern strips. The welcome mat is rolled out always on every one, go up to Cibola where there is another dirt landing spot. uplands of the state, and from the wild game of Old Mexico and it is difficult to fly anywhere in the state without being Cibola is a section of the Colorado which some fishermen to deer on the North Rim. in gliding distance of a farm or a ranch private airport. claim is the best of all. And wings will provide fleet access to wonderful lodges, There are the San Tan mountains to the southeast along One of the best places along the Colorado where an air­ dude ranches, working cattle spreads, or even a lonely desert the path of flight, then Coolidge, the strange Picacho Peak, plane really pays off is at Site Six on Lake Havasu above spot in such pleasant fashion that only the "have-to-be" re­ which is a famed landmark for aerial travelers, and why Parker Dam. It requires nearly a day of hard automobile sponsibilities of life like work and home will keep one from don't we dog-leg and climb over to the 8,000 foot high driving to reach Site Six, yet it is only two hours in the becoming a perpetual vagabond. Catalina mountains, north of Tucson, to see a pine tree be­ slowest airplane from Central Arizona. It is so easy to satisfy the biggest whim imaginable with fore setting down at any of Tucson's several excellent air­ Mr. and Mrs. Vic Spratt own the former air force rest a little airplane in Arizona where the flying weather carries ports for serv(ce and food.