JUNE 2017 explore THE SANTA CATALINAS

ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE

special Collector's issue North Rim Grand Canyon National Park

Window Rock Flagstaff

PHOENIX Greer

Santa Catalina Gila Bend Mountains

Tucson Bisbee

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June /azhighways @arizonahighways 2017 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 3 CONTRIBUTORS 4 LETTERS 5 THE JOURNAL People, places and things from around the state, including a brief history of the Cop- per Queen Mine in Bisbee; Western patch- nosed snakes; and an Italian restaurant in Gila Bend that’s so good, even Prince Harry says it serves “the best pizza in the world.” 16 THE BIG PICTURES: 42 MOUNT LEMMON A story originally published in our SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS November 1945 issue. A Portfolio Edited by Jeff Kida By Clifton Abbott 28 MY LADY OF THE DESERT 46 THE SANTA CATALINAS: An Essay by Kelly Vaughn TUCSON’S NEARBY WILDERNESS 32 IDENTIFYING FLYING OBJECTS An essay originally published in our September 1985 issue. The facility is modest — a small control By Charles Bowden room in the upper elevations of the Santa Catalina Mountains — but the research being done by the Catalina Sky Survey is 52 SCENIC DRIVE out of this world. Literally. Its mission is to Cape Royal Road: Cape Royal offers one discover asteroids and comets that pass of the best overlooks in Grand Canyon within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. National Park. It’s impressive, and so is the And since its start nearly 20 years ago, the narrow, winding road that takes you there. NASA-funded lab has identified almost By Noah Austin half of the 15,000 known near-Earth objects. Photograph by Adam Schallau By Matt Jaffe 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH 38 PITCH A TENT & HIT THE TRAIL Baldy Crossover Trail: Although it’s over- ◗ A Calleta silkmoth (Eupackardia calleta) caterpillar climbs an ocotillo branch shadowed by its celebrated neighbors, the Lewis and Clark, Simon and Garfunkel, pea- in Oracle, north of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Bruce D. Taubert nut butter and chocolate ... there’s a long Mount Baldy Crossover Trail is the epitome CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/20 SEC, F/5.6, ISO 200, 100 MM LENS, 10 IMAGES STACKED of a gorgeous walk in the woods. list of great combinations. In the summer FRONT COVER: Santa Catalina Mountains illustration by Chris Gall in the Santa Catalina Mountains, the best By Robert Stieve BACK COVER: The water of Bear Creek cascades over Seven Falls in the Santa Catalina combo might be hiking and camping. Mountains’ Bear Canyon. Jeff Maltzman By Robert Stieve & Kelly Vaughn 56 WHERE IS THIS? CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/4 SEC, F/16, ISO 50, 28 MM LENS

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

EMILY BALLI the decay with blue-green tendrils. That is one “I love writing, but I feel like journalism is JUNE 2017 VOL. 93 NO. 6 square foot in the Cañada del Oro.” where my writing can make a differ- Those words are from Frog Mountain Blues, 800-543-5432 ence,” says Emily Balli, one of Arizona Chuck Bowden’s incomparable book about the www.arizonahighways.com Highways’ two editorial interns in the Catalinas. He wrote many beautiful things about GIFT SHOP: 602-712-2200 spring of 2017. You’ve probably seen her his beloved mountain, including an early piece work in The Journal and elsewhere in the for us in September 1985. In it, he described an PUBLISHER Win Holden magazine, and on our blog. Like many adventure on the north side of the mountain. He EDITOR Robert Stieve of our interns, Balli came to us via her The old tree was still alive in was with photographer Jack Dykinga. “We have ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, Arizona State University magazine writing class, which was taught by our managing DIRECTOR OF 1945. Back then, the rangers figured it was about come to the peaks tracking a man and a woman SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero editor, Kelly Vaughn. “I’ve always loved the magazine,” she says. “I was born and raised

400 years old. That was before the desperate who sought the summit in 1881. Botanists, their MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn in Arizona, and my dad collected issues of Arizona Highways. Every assignment I do, I learn more about something I didn’t know before — whether it’s paddleboarding on souls of Tucson began the ritual exodus up the strange journey offers a way to know the beauty ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin Lake Powell or any of the other interesting things about our state.” Balli previously mountain to escape the oppression of triple dig- of the marvelous Santa Catalina Mountains.” EDITORIAL its down below. The scientists were John Gill Lemmon and his ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel interned on the breaking news desk at The Arizona Republic. She graduated from ASU’s In November 1945, we told the world about that venerable old tree. It was bride, Sarah Plummer Lemmon — Mount Lem- PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May and isn’t sure

revealed by Clifton Abbott in a piece about a “new road” to the summit of mon is named for her. As you’ll see in The Santa CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney where she’ll take her journalism career next, but she hopes to travel, “see new things,

the Santa Catalinas. “The brush begins to give way to scrub oak and cedar, Catalinas: Tucson’s Nearby Wilderness, the couple’s ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney learn new things and grow as a writer and a person.” and the bottoms of the gorges are filled with small fir and pine,” he wrote in journey was rugged. “Day by day they probed an MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey Mount Lemmon. “For a mile or two this kind of scenery is prevalent and then imaginary mountain. And day by day, they found PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi the road is widened, and here a trail leads off to the General Hitchcock Pine. the real mountain, one full of hard miles, cliffs, SEAN PARKER WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow The trail leads up a colorful little wash replete with boulders, a stream in steep slopes, and a botany undreamed of in the Sean Parker has been photographing the night sky for several years, and he conducts winter, moss, fern and flowers and towering pines. The General Hitchcock ivy towers of Eastern academies.” CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman astrophotography workshops with the Catalina Sky Survey, so his photos were a itself is a huge Ponderosa pine almost four hundred years old.” Eventually, the mountain’s battalion of FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen natural fit for Matt Jaffe’s story on the facility (seeIdentifying Flying Objects, page 32). When I first read that, I was curious. I’ve looked up at the General Sher- shindaggers and catsclaw forced the Lemmons OPERATIONS/ But shooting the stars can be a challenge in Tucson, where Parker lives. “Living in IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis man and the General Grant many times — they’re in Sequoia — but I’d to surrender their attempt of the front range. bigger cities makes it very difficult to see the stars,” he says. “Fortunately, it’s only a never heard of the General Hitchcock. Also, I’d hiked in that same spot, and However, they regrouped and moved to the more 30- to 45-minute drive out of town to escape the light pollution, and a little more than CORPORATE OR couldn’t remember ever seeing anything that old. Especially a ponderosa. accessible north side, where, with the help of a TRADE SALES 602-712-2018 an hour to get to the CSS.” In fact, one of Parker’s earlier night sky photos, a landscape shot that featured the Milky Way galaxy, was picked up by Smithsonian magazine to Although some have lived to be almost a thousand years old, a 400-year-old local rancher, they finally made the summit. SPONSORSHIP SALES in the Catalinas seemed unlikely. So, I did what I usually do when I have Today, you can drive to the top of the moun- REPRESENTATION On Media Publications accompany a story about light pollution. Parker has been a full-time photographer for Todd Bresnahan questions like that: I walked down the hall to see Noah. tain from either side. Ironically, the back side 602-445-7169 the past three years, and his recent work includes a project for the electronics Noah Austin is our associate editor. I don’t have enough space to spell — via Forest Road 38 — is now the rugged route. company LG in Iceland, where he photographed the northern lights for three months. out everything he does for us, but one of the things he does is solve myster- The easier drive is the Catalina Highway, the This is his first assignment forArizona Highways. “I’m very proud to finally be featured,” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] ies. Like the unexplained disappearance of Darwin Van Campen, one of our road we wrote about in 1945. It’s since been 2039 W. Lewis Avenue he says. “I’ve been finding inspiration in the magazine for years.” — NOAH AUSTIN photographers in the 1960s. After months of research, and a lot of dead ends, named a National Scenic Byway, and in its Phoenix, AZ 85009 Noah finally figured out that Mr. Van Campen had died in Central Phoenix. 27.2 miles, it passes through five life zones and Turns out, the General Hitchcock died, too, but its demise was less mysteri- offers easy access to some of the best hikes and GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey ous. It took Noah less than an hour to solve that one. campgrounds in the Coronado National Forest. DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT The answer came from an article in the Yearbook of Agriculture. “A quarter In Pitch a Tent & Hit the Trail, we’ll tell you about a OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski mile up the canyon from the picnic ground we see the decaying remains of few of them.

the General Hitchcock Tree,” Clyde W. Doran wrote in 1967. “This massive One of our favorite hikes is the Green Moun- Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published month- Douglas-fir was rooted in a seep or spring which probably accounted for its tain Trail, which begins at the San Pedro Vista ly by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Subscrip- tion price: $24 a year in the U.S., $44 outside the U.S. large size. When the tree was blown down by high winds in 1952, it was and drops 1,300 feet to the General Hitchcock Single copy: $4.99 U.S. Call 800-543-5432. Subscription nearly 8 feet in diameter and over 320 years old.” Campground. It’s a beautiful route that winds cor­respon­dence and change of address information: Ari- It’s still not clear whether the tree — a Douglas fir, not a ponderosa — around the mountain for which it’s named and zona Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ, and at additional came down in ’51 or ’52, but it’s definitely gone. In its day, though, it must through a lush forest of ponderosa pines and mailing office.CANADA POST INTERNATIONAL PUBLI- have been quite a sight. As so many things are in the Santa Catalinas. From Douglas firs. The latter, perhaps, descendants CATIONS MAIL PRODUCT (CANA­DIAN DISTRIBUTION) the broad vistas and towering rock formations to the natural wonders at of another Douglas fir. A venerable old tree that SALES AGREE­MENT NO. 40732015. SEND RETURNS TO QUAD/GRAPHICS, P.O. BOX 456, NIAGARA FALLS ON L2E your feet. grew in a seep along the trail and lived to be 6V2. POSTMASTER­ : Send address changes to Arizona “Twigs from oak, sycamore and ash lace the forest floor, tree bones of steel 320 years old. Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Copy­ right © 2017 by the Ari­zona Department of Trans­­por­­tation. gray, gunmetal blue, and black. Leaves mat underfoot with sharp angles Repro­duc­tion in whole or in part with­­out permission is pro- and gentle curves: brown leaves, russet leaves, tan, beige, black, gray, pale ROBERT STIEVE, EDITOR hibited. The magazine does not accept and is not respon- green, dark brown, silver. Six inches from my right boot, new shoots caress Follow me on Instagram: @arizonahighways sible for un­solicited ma­ter­ials.

PRODUCED IN THE USA

2 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP AMY AGUIRRE ABOVE, RIGHT SEAN PARKER www.arizonahighways.com 3 LETTERS [email protected] THE JOURNAL

“Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from which he draws his faith together with his life.” WE LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY — JOSEPH CONRAD issue of Arizona Highways. But we took a special “Each blade of grass has its spot on earth whence it draws its life, its strength; and so is man rooted to the land from interest in the April 2017 issue. Several years ago, which he draws his faith together with his life.” my wife took the same exact photo of that wind- — JOSEPH CONRAD mill north of Sonoita [The Big Pictures: Sonoita- Patagonia]. In our framed rendition, the blades were idle and a couple of Brahma bulls were ambling toward us. As a retired Iowa county vet- erinarian, I have always been impressed with the The blades of a windmill blur together just north of Sonoita. In the distance, to the quality grassland and cattle in the Sonoita area. northeast, are the Whetstone Mountains. Derek von Briesen Dr. William D. Blohm, Carroll, Iowa 20 APRIL 2017

April 2017

y wife and I have been subscribers or years I’ve wanted to say thank you Cherry Lodge for out-of-towners, trips of Arizona Highways for so long that to you and your entire talented staff to Mormon Lake for a month of sum- M only the Petrified Forest probably F for providing us with a superb maga- mer camp. The Coronado Trail is part knows. We enjoy every single, solitary zine. We have learned so much from of the DNA for those of us who grew up issue. However, your February 2017 reading the interesting articles, reading in Clifton and Morenci. In the 1940s, issue was special to me. I lost my father the fine print that accompanies each braving that narrow road — parts of it when I was a junior at the University outstanding photo and even reading no better than a dirt washboard — was of Arizona. He had worked for 30-plus the letters that others have shared. We always an adventure, but our family years for Lily Ice Cream. An annual chest think this year will be special because never shied from it. On one particular X-ray required by the health department each issue will feature an in-depth look trip, the usual time to traverse the trail to handle ice cream revealed terminal at a specific place. We may never get was doubled because of two flat tires lung cancer. On page 37 of the February to see some of them, but we will learn and a busted water hose. There were issue, I spotted a menu of Lily products. something new and be rewarded with no service stations on the trail then, It was as if I was sitting at the counter, informative essays and exquisite photos. so Daddy always packed away a well- a young man, waiting for my dad to put Ann Sands, Hopewell Junction, New York stocked mini service station. Before the ice cream products in the freezer. we reached the pines, we would pass I doubt if anyone in the world looked EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you, Ann, for the kind through the ruins of Metcalf, the skel- at that page and recognized the signifi- words. I am, indeed, privileged to work with etal remains of the giant incline and the cance, even your publishing staff. Thank an extremely talented team — the best in the abandoned narrow gauge railway. Today you for the very special issue. business. the trail is a car-friendly trip through John P. Lewis, Tucson a magnificent wonderland bypassing the f “cacti” is correct [Editor’s Letter, ghosts that haunted that historic min- hile I was delighted to see your April March 2017], why do you insist on ing town in those wonder years. I miss 2017 issue on Sonoita-Patagonia, an I using incorrect verbiage? We moved them. Thank you for opening the flood- W area that offers so much history, to Phoenix in 1959 and learned that the gates of so many wonderful memories beauty, geology and wine, I was amazed plural of cactus is cacti. Your excuses with your shot of the juncture outside of (and disappointed) that your dining for writing “cactuses” don’t hold water. Clifton, inviting all who dared to brave feature [The Journal: Dining] was for Cacti do. After about 57 years I’ll con- that road as it wound its way to Rose a pizza parlor outside the area. Those of tinue to say and write cacti. Maybe Peak and beyond. They didn’t call it A Little Birdie us in Santa Cruz County are well aware you will again, too, like you used to. “The Devil’s Highway” for naught. An orange-crowned warbler (Oreothlypis celata) that the best, tastiest, healthiest, most Otherwise, keep up the good work. Christina Gabusi Angle, Tucson searches for food in a flower in Flagstaff. These birds creative pizzas can be found at the Velvet Skip Clark, Peoria, Arizona are known for piercing the base of a flower to get at the nectar; they also eat insects, spiders, fruit and Elvis in Patagonia. This is not intended contact us If you have thoughts or com- seeds. For more information about Arizona’s birds, to take anything away from Humble Pie oing “up the trail” was a regular ments about anything in Arizona Highways, we’d call Audubon Arizona at 602-468-6470 or visit in Duncan, but, truly, Velvet Elvis should event for our family [The Journal: love to hear from you. We can be reached at editor@ arizonahighways.com, or by mail at 2039 W. Lewis http://az.audubon.org. have been your feature in this issue. From Our Archives, April 2017]. Picnics G Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. For more information, NIKON D4S, 1/1000 SEC, F/8, ISO 2000, 600 MM LENS Sharie Shute, Tubac, Arizona at Hannagan Meadow, day trips to visit www.arizonahighways.com.

4 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN SHERMAN around arizona J

Navajo Nation Council Chamber

NOAH AUSTIN

The early 1930s marked a turning point in American Indian tribes’ relationship with the U.S. government. Gone was a decades-long push to assimilate Native people; in its place was a focus on tribal organization and preserving Indian cultures. Among the reminders of that change is the Navajo Nation

Scrub oaks and Council Chamber, which has been the ponderosa pines shade centerpiece of the Navajo government the Green Mountain since shortly after it was completed Trail, which can be in 1935. The building, constructed by done as a one-way hike using a car shuttle. the Office of Indian Affairs using funds Randy Prentice from the New Deal’s Public Works Administration, is made of native Dakota sandstone, and its exposed roof beams are ponderosa pines harvested from the nearby Chuska Mountains. The octagonal structure is meant to evoke a traditional hogan, and inside, murals by Navajo artist Gerald Nailor depict the tribe’s history. And with the tribe’s place in history now secure, the chamber’s is, too: In 2004, it was named a National Historic Landmark, with officials calling it “the most significant single building in the United States symbolizing the New Deal revolution in federal Indian policy.”

WINDOW ROCK Navajo Nation, www.navajo-nsn.gov

6 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BURCHAM www.arizonahighways.com 7 J history photography J

THIS MONTH Copper Queen Mine IN HISTORY

Over the course of nearly 100 years, the Copper Queen Mine produced billions ■ On June 4, 1989, down- of pounds of copper. The mining operation closed in 1975, but the mine itself town Phoenix hosts the is still open to tourists who aren’t afraid to take a train 1,500 feet into the Earth. Formula One U.S. Grand Prix, won by France’s Alain NOAH AUSTIN Prost. The course included stretches of Washington oday, tourists flock to Bisbee’s shops mining district is named for Warren, who and Jefferson streets. and restaurants, but the Southeastern later gambled away his share of the Copper ■ On June 6, 1941, the Arizona city’s roots are much deeper Queen and died penniless.) first 45 students begin T— literally. And there’s a reminder just The mine started producing copper in 1880, advanced flight training southeast of downtown: the Copper Queen and a few years later, it became the property of at what is now Luke Air Mine, which once was among the most pro- a subsidiary of Phelps, Dodge & Co. — which Force Base northwest of ductive copper mines in present-day Arizona. also built the nearby Copper Queen Hotel in Phoenix. The mine’s story begins in the late 1870s, the early 1900s. The Bisbee area boomed, and ■ John B. “Pie” Allen, who when Army scout Jack Dunn discovered some more than 2,500 miles of tunnels were dug at came to Arizona as a gold interesting stones near a spring in the Mule the city’s underground mines, which operated miner and later served in Mountains. He and two others staked the for nearly a century. the Territorial Legislature area’s first mining claim, then hired prospec- Although Bisbee is best known for its cop- and as Tucson’s mayor, tor George Warren to find more. But according per production — about 8 billion pounds, dies in Tucson on June 15, to legend, Warren squandered his grubstake according to city documents — it also pro- 1899, at age 80. in saloons in Tombstone, then found new duced gold, silver, lead and zinc. The mines ■ St. Mary’s Basilica in partners and staked his own claims — one of were so profitable that Bisbee’s population Phoenix is dedicated by which became the Copper Queen. (Bisbee’s once was more than 20,000. That’s true. Bishop John B. Salpointe What’s not is an enduring urban on June 24, 1881. legend that suggests Bisbee, at the height of the boom, was the larg- These two photos of wildflowers show the difference between a larger aperture (left) and a smaller one (right). est American city between St. Louis and San Francisco. Understanding Aperture Bisbee’s underground mines 50 YEARS AGO PHOTO closed in 1975, unplugging the IN ARIZONA HIGHWAYS RICK BURRESS WORKSHOP town’s main economic engine. Thanks to a push from then-Mayor y definition, an aperture application. DOF is the amount a larger aperture reduced the George Eads, Bisbee turned its is a hole or an opening. of sharpness (focus) your photo depth of field and rendered the shuttered centerpiece, the Copper In the world of photog- carries on either side of your foliage in the background as a Queen, into a tourist attraction B raphy, it describes the subject. Landscape photogra- blur, while a smaller one provided that opened in February 1976. opening inside a lens that admits phers often choose a large depth more depth of field and made Summer Today, Queen Mine Tours has more or less light onto the sensor. of field, because it allows them that foliage more clear. The more Storms welcomed more than 1 million The mechanism is a set of blades to carry focus from the closest to automatic this concept becomes and High visitors from all 50 states and that form a diaphragm, which the most distant objects within for you, the more you can use this Country more than 30 countries. Tour can be adjusted to regulate the a frame. Portrait photographers technical knowledge as creative Wildflowers August 18-20, participants don hard hats and amount of light that passes will go the opposite direction, technique. Flagstaff yellow vests, then take a train ride through the lens. The lens purposely using larger lens open- Monsoon storms and 1,500 feet into the old mine. Along In our June 1967 issue, aperture is measured in f-stops: ings. By doing this, they’re able to This text is an excerpt from our delicate blooms are on display in this work- the way, the retired miners who we explored the Petrified A smaller number, such as f/1.4 blur the background, separating new e-book, Digital Photography shop led by Arizona lead the tours demonstrate mining Forest, which had become or f/2, indicates a large aper- the subject from the background Basics, which includes all the Highways contributor techniques and recount the Cop- a national park just five ture, while larger numbers, such and making it more prominent in infor­mation a beginning photogra- Shane McDermott, whose classroom and years earlier. “Strewn over as f/22 or f/32, mean a small the scene. pher needs to get great images out per Queen’s history. Who better field techniques will to share the story of the place that the face of the desert are aperture. Take a look at these two of his or her camera. To buy a copy help you take your put Bisbee on the map? the remains of a great Aperture also controls depth photos (above). The one on the for your iPad, tablet, e-book reader images to the next level. Information: forest which began 200 of field (DOF). And this is where left was made with an aperture or computer, visit our online store, 888-790-7042 Miners adjust equipment in million years ago,” author the technical aspects of pho- of f/5.6, while the one on the right www.shoparizonahighways.com, or www.ahpw.org the Copper Queen Mine in 1910. Jo Jeffers wrote. Wayne tography morph into artistic was at f/22. You can see how and click on “ePubs.” Davis made the cover BISBEE Queen Mine Tours, 478 Dart Road, 520-432-2071, www.queenminetour.com photograph. To learn more about photography, visit www.arizonahighways.com/photography.

8 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH: BISBEE MINING & HISTORICAL MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP JEFF KIDA (2) ABOVE, RIGHT STEPHANOS ANTONIADES www.arizonahighways.com 9 J from our archives [August 1965]

The August 1965 issue of Arizona Highways took a look at Santa Gertrudis cattle, one of the first cattle breeds developed in the United States. Photographs by Western Ways accompanied a story by Vivien B. Shoe­maker, who noted that the largest concentration of the breed west of Texas was on several ranches between Tumacacori and Nogales. “Here in Arizona, Santa Gertrudis cattle find the good life,” Editor Raymond Carlson wrote. “That is true, of course, for many people.”

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

Little Italy Authentic Italian cuisine is among the last things you’d expect to find in At Little Italy, there’s plenty of cool air and a lot more space to enjoy Buccellato’s Gila Bend, but Little Italy is the real deal. Even Prince Harry says it serves expansive menu, which includes hand- “the best pizza in the world.” tossed pizzas, subs, salads and classic Italian dishes, all made from scratch. NOAH AUSTIN The Gourmet pizza — with mozzarella, ground tomatoes, oregano, Parmesan, HOW GOOD IS THE FOOD at Little ing among locals — despite not having fresh basil and olive oil — is a fan favor- Italy? Consider this: Before Nino Buccel- air conditioning. And if a Central Ari- ite. Others rave about the spaghetti with lato opened this Gila Bend spot, he was zona restaurant can make it without A/C, clams, in a garlic and white wine sauce, running Nick & Nino’s Pizza up the road the chef must be serving up something and the calzones, which come in medium in Maricopa. That tiny restaurant piled special — although, as Buccellato notes, (12 inches) and extra large (16 inches). up awards and developed a loyal follow- “most of the orders were to-go or delivery.” The food is authentic, and so is the chef. Buccellato, a Sicily native, went to culinary school in Palermo and came to the U.S. to work in his family’s restau- rants in Pennsylvania, then the Phoenix area — where he met his wife, Antonella, another Italian chef. The two opened Nick & Nino’s in 2003, then headed down State Route 238 to Gila Bend a few years later. In March, they celebrated 11 years at Little Italy. Buccellato made the move in anticipa- tion of Gila Bend’s growth, but the reces- sion put the town’s expansion on hold. Luckily, word of mouth has led to regular customers from as far away as Yuma and Phoenix. And with the town being just off Interstate 8, the restaurant draws plenty of international travelers explor- ing the state. That includes Italians, who’ve told Buccellato that his food is as good as what they get back home. Little Italy has even hosted royalty: Western In 2011, Prince Harry stopped in for din- ner while he was in the area for military Patch-Nosed training. He ordered a 14-inch Meat Lov- ers pizza, with pepperoni, sausage, bacon Snakes and ham — and ate the whole thing, tell- Western patch-nosed snakes (Salvadora hexalepis) get their ing a staff member it was “the best pizza name from the enlarged scale on their noses, which helps them in the world.” The menu now proudly burrow into rocky terrain when searching for food. They are non- notes that the Meat Lovers is “Prince venomous and typically yellow, tan or peach-colored, with two Harry’s favorite.” black or brown stripes along their backs. On average, they grow The royal visit aside, Buccellato has to be more than 3 feet long. Their diet consists of lizards, reptile embraced the underdog role: He knows eggs, birds, mice and other small rodents. These fast-moving people don’t expect to find an authentic reptiles slither in deserts across the American Southwest and Italian restaurant in Gila Bend. “I like Mexico. In Arizona, they’re found south of the Mogollon Rim and to surprise them,” he says. “They come in the northwestern corner of the state. — Emily Balli in, and they’re a little bit skeptical. And then: ‘Wow! What was I thinking?’ That’s satisfaction for me.”

GILA BEND Little Italy, 502 E. Pima Street, 928-683-2221, www.littleitaliapizza.com

12 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL MARKOW PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN CANCALOSI www.arizonahighways.com 13 212236A01

J lodging

Scrub oaks and ponderosa pines shade the Green Mountain Trail, which can be done as a one-way hike using a car shuttle. Randy Prentice

a table and chairs are provided inside the Arizona Nordic Village yurts, along with a wood stove, firewood Yurts are cool. Period. But they’re even better when they’re located in an and a propane grill. You’ll need to take alpine meadow that’s alive with wildflowers, songbirds and browsing elk. your own bedding and drinking water. Portable toilets are nearby. ANNETTE McGIVNEY “We equip each yurt with the bare necessities, because we aim to give our VENETIAN MERCHANT and explorer daytime temperatures at this 8,000-foot guests the most authentic outdoor experi- Marco Polo journeyed through the Mon- elevation typically remain in the 70s, and ence possible,” White adds. gol Empire in the 13th century. He wrote alpine meadows are alive with wildflow- You’re close enough to the car that that he observed many wondrous things, ers and songbirds. you can pull a wheeled cooler to camp including the “neatly and skillfully con- “For being so simple, yurts really do if you desire, but you’re also far enough structed” portable structures dotting provide a lot of comfort,” says Nordic Vil- removed from all things electrical that the countryside. These circular houses lage manager Tuesdé White. “Even those entertainment comes from the simpler — called yurts in the English language — who aren’t big on camping in the out- things in life: watching elk browse among had a domed roof, with an opening at the doors find that sleeping in a yurt is the lush ferns in the forest, telling stories top, and walls made of collapsible slats. perfect in-between.” around the fire pit, making morning cof- Many Mongolians still live in yurts today. The facility’s backcountry shelters are fee on the propane grill and playing cards PU SMOKEY But you don’t have to travel to Mongolia nestled on the edge of grassy meadows while a summer monsoon shower pep- THE BAEAR to experience the peaceful ambience that and accessed via a 1- to 3-mile walk from pers the yurt’s canvas roof. PSA FROM comes from camping in the round. the parking lot. A 35-mile trail network However, the most magical part of the JUNE OR JULY Arizona Nordic Village, located in the maintained by the Nordic Village offers yurt experience — and perhaps what Coconino National Forest 16 miles north- not only an easy route to the yurts, but mesmerized Marco Polo during his first west of Flagstaff, offers five backcountry also plenty of options for moonlit hikes night in a round house — is the portal to yurts for overnight rental. In winter, or biking through mature aspen stands in the stars. When you stare up through the the cozy, tent-like structures shed snow the foothills of the San Francisco Peaks. Plexiglas-covered skylight as you doze easily and are enjoyed by cross-country The 20-foot-diameter yurts accommodate off, there is comfort in knowing your skiers, but the prime time for yurt living up to eight people each, while the 12-foot place. You’re encircled by the yurt, and is summer. During June, July and August, yurts sleep four per unit. Mattresses and also by the universe.

NEAR FLAGSTAFF Arizona Nordic Village, 16848 U.S. Route 180, 928-220-0550, www.arizonanordicvillage.com

14 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BURCHAM NOTE TO PUB: DO NOT PRINT INFO BELOW, FOR ID ONLY. NO ALTERING OF AD COUNCIL PSAs. Wildfire Prevention - Magazine - 4/C - WFPA03-M-01264-C “Your Name Here” 7 x 10 120 line screen digital files at Schawk: (212) 689-8585 Ref#: 212236 The Big Pictures: SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

Late light illuminates the rocky Santa Catalina Mountains behind stately saguaros. This view is from Honey Bee Canyon, located in Oro Valley north of Tucson. Gurinder Singh

16 JUNE 2017 ABOVE: An ephemeral stream feeds a variety of plant life in the Santa Catalinas. The “sky island” range harbors plant and animal life starkly different from that of the surrounding Sonoran Desert. Jack Dykinga

RIGHT: An escarpment of greenery near Molino Canyon contrasts with the Catalinas’ jagged rock formations. Randy Prentice

18 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 19 LEFT: Sabino Creek cascades between boulders in Sabino Canyon at dusk. The canyon is a popular destination for hiking and wildlife watching. Randy Prentice

RIGHT: An Abert’s squirrel (Sciurus aberti) grabs a meal on Mount Lemmon, the Catalinas’ highest peak (9,130 feet). Though the squirrels are not native to the Catalinas, a stable population has been established there. Doris Evans

FRIENDS OF SABINO CANYON Mother Nature blessed Southern in partnership with the U.S. Forest Arizona with some of the state’s most Service and other key stakeholders to spectacular landscapes. Sabino protect, preserve and enhance Canyon is high on the list, for a couple Sabino Canyon by funding and of reasons. The most obvious is supporting projects, and inspiring ecology — the canyon’s nearly and educating the public. Founded in year-round creek flow feeds a diverse 1993, FOSC has since supported collection of plant and wild­life facilities enhancements, educational species. Another reason is accessibil- activities, trail maintenance and ity. The canyon is easy to get to, and invasive species management, along once there, visitors can enjoy hiking, with funding repairs of flood and fire cycling, picnicking and cooling off in damage. the creek. It’s a remark­able place, one that’s being preserved, in part, by For more information, contact Friends of Sabino Canyon at 520-760-2319 or the Friends of Sabino Canyon. [email protected], or visit The nonprofit organization works www.sabinocanyon.org.

20 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 21 BELOW: A tuber anemone (Anemone tuberosa) blooms at Catalina State Park north of Tucson. The spring-blooming flowers typically are found on rocky slopes and stream banks. Eirini Pajak

RIGHT: Columbines and ferns grow along the Green Mountain Trail, one of many hiking options in the Catalinas. This moderately difficult hike has two trailheads along the Catalina Highway: an upper one, at San Pedro Vista, and a lower one, at General Hitchcock Campground. Jack Dykinga

22 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 23 A rainstorm leaves the Catalinas’ ponderosa pine forest shrouded in fog. On average, high temperatures atop Mount Lemmon are 15 to 25 degrees lower than in Tucson. Jack Dykinga

24 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 25 “By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage, mountains refute our excessive trust in the man made. They pose profound questions about our durability and the importance of our schemes. They induce, I suppose, a modesty in us.” ROBERT MACFARLANE, British writer

Morning light strikes a granite formation atop Cathedral Rock (7,831 feet). Hiking to the summit of Cathedral Rock requires technical climbing, but the reward is exceptional views of surrounding mountain ranges and the Tucson area below. Jack Dykinga

26 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 27 As rain shrouds the Santa Catalina Mountains, a bolt of lightning appears to strike one of their peaks. Michael Jennings

MY LADY OF THE DESERT

An Essay by KELLY VAUGHN

28 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 29 ALL THE SAINTS WERE LOST TO ME IN PAROCHIAL SCHOOL. way women do when they’re not entirely sure they want to do Except for St. Catherine of Alexandria. She was both a prin- it, but know that they might earn the beers they’ll drink in the cess and a scholar. bars afterward. I don’t remember the hike itself, but I remem- As the story goes. ber the crowds. It must have been spring or fall, and the park- A fourth century lightning bolt of a girl, she denounced the ing areas dripped with people. cruelty of Emperor Maxentius’ persecution of Christians. But A longer, more deliberate hike into the canyon sits near rather than execute Catherine — also noted for her beauty — the middle of my adventure list for this year, and maybe that and rid the region of her loose tongue, the emperor sent pagan friend will join me. She lives in Washington, D.C., now, but the scholars to debate her. She converted several of them right call of the mountains might be enough to lure her back. there. I believe these to be my only experiences anywhere near Eventually, though, she was beheaded, martyred. She was 18. Babad Do’ag. But, as with the stories of St. Catherine and the So there was something about her fire that made me want to other saints, it’s possible I’ve lost older memories to age and study her. the filling-up of experience. In the years since, I’ve forgotten much of what I learned. Three times in the past three months, though, I’ve been But it’s for her that the Santa Catalina Mountains are named. to Tucson. On one trip, I drove into the foothills beneath the They are among the Madrean “sky islands,” those rare ecore- Catalinas as a full moon surfed the horizon. It seemed bigger gions that convert desert to pine-oak woodland. there, somehow. As though the desert launched the moon into As the story goes. the darkness because it knew that its beauty would be high- In 1697, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino baptized the moun- lighted beneath her silver light. tains in honor of his sister’s patron saint. Catherine. Caterina. Much later, that moonglow woke a bird that nested in the Catalina. In these pages, Charles Bowden writes more beauti- curve of a palo verde branch outside. It was 2 o’clock — morn- fully about the naming of the range than I ever could. And ing then to the two of us. Those insomniac hours are the times I although I’m drawn to the Catalinas because of their name- think most of the saints, about the places I’ll travel and whether sake, part of me wishes they were still known by the name I’ll encounter any spirits there. About the places and people I the Tohono O’odhams gave them. Babad Do’ag. Frog Mountain. wish I could shake, about the others I wish I could cling to. Instead, one of the few places it’s used is at the first signed And although I was at their base, I wouldn’t climb into the vista point along the Catalina Highway. Catalinas that day, that night. Other responsibilities would Still, there must be something sacred about a sky island. carry me deep into the city. No moonlight. Only traffic and heat and the crush of people who had too many places to scut- I’ve ridden the curves of the Catalina Highway just once, tle to in too little time. I think, in search of sky. I went to research the campgrounds that line the road up Mount Lemmon, ate a cookie as big as As I write this, I’ve taken another run through Saguaro a dinner plate in the village of Summerhaven and drove back National Park, hitting the western swath of it to swallow Gates down the mountain the same day. Pass and the brittlebush and ocotillos that bloom inside the Years earlier, I had taken a weekend trip to Tucson to visit saguaro forest. I am looking at the Catalinas through the wind- my friend. We drove to Sabino Canyon and hiked a bit — the shield as we wind our way back toward the interstate. It is just after midday, dusty. The too-loud buzz of coming Saguaros and ocotillos thrive in Sabino Canyon. Tim Fitzharris summer. I’ve traveled here with people who live a little more than 1,400 miles away, at a wide spot in the road outside Salem, Oregon. They are drawn to the desert because of all the rain and cold back home. In turn, I’ll go to Oregon in July, when the dryness here will push me toward waterfalls and cape and cool mountain places I’ve never been. I don’t believe there to be sky islands there. That’s the balance, I suppose. Finding ways into the desert, finding ways out. The Catalinas are bright against the backdrop of blue sky, and it’s funny how different they look when they’re not bathed in cool moonlight. But this trip has been long. The range will, once more, be out of the way. It’s likely that’s a gift in some way. I should study The still water of Bear the mountains more before I go, trace a route along Creek mirrors saguaros a map, find the places where water might be — this and rocks in the Catalinas’ Bear Canyon. desert is a thirsty place. Plan for the moonlight and David Muench the rain. And pray for lightning.

30 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 31 The University of Arizona’s facility on Mount Lemmon includes telescopes operated by the Catalina Sky Survey, which has been scanning the night skies for near-Earth objects since 1998. Sean Parker

The facility is modest — a small control room in the upper elevations of the Santa Catalina Mountains — but the research being done by the Catalina Sky Survey is out of this world. Literally. Its mission is to discover asteroids and comets that pass within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. And since its start nearly 20 years ago, the NASA-funded lab has identified almost half of the 15,000 known near-Earth objects. BY MATT JAFFE

32 JUNE 2017 T CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. A LONG TIME AGO. “We think of the solar system as infinite. But any given rock, Star trails form over Bright gold and shedding glowing debris, a small aster- any given asteroid, often has an end state. On that day, at that a creek in the Santa oid surged across the violet afternoon sky. I was hiking moment, you were able to witness the end of this particular Catalina Mountains’ near Northern New Mexico’s Brazos Cliffs, and I remem- asteroid. After maybe four and a half billion years.” Sabino Canyon in a long- ber the tail as a mix of pink and green light in those long exposure photograph. seconds that it etched a nearly horizontal streak above Jeff Maltzman the granite ridge. Then, nothing. Gone. This was a time before smartphone cameras. There INDEED, THEY’RE OUT THERE: comets and asteroids. Some were no dashcams to record the moment in living color, are tiny, while others are large enough that in the unlikely no social media to tweet my wonder in 140 characters or scenario of striking Earth, they could trigger extinction-level fewer. Hiking alone, I didn’t even bother with a “Did you events, such as 65 million years ago, when a roughly 6-mile- see that?” after witnessing the daylight fireball. wide asteroid gouged the 110-mile-wide Chicxulub Crater I’m in the Santa Catalina Mountains, describing this along Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. moment to Eric Christensen, director of the University of A fireball spread out hundreds of miles, as did a towering Arizona’s Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), one of a handful of NASA- tsunami. A massive earthquake rocked the planet. Ash and funded programs with the mission of discovering asteroids debris from the impact, roughly equal to 100 million megatons and comets that pass within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. of TNT, eventually obstructed sunlight and led to a global win- We’re in the chilly control room for the survey’s Schmidt ter that killed off the dinosaurs, as well as most life on Earth. telescope, up an icy forest road off the Catalina Highway, at Talk about your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. 8,200 feet, on Mount Bigelow. Senior research specialist Greg- Nor do asteroids have to be nearly that big to leave their ory Leonard sits at a bank of monitors where, just the night mark. Just detour off Interstate 40 west of Winslow, to Meteor before, he found 10 new near-Earth objects (NEOs). Since its Crater. The object that created that 1-mile-diameter, 550-foot- start nearly 20 years ago, the survey has identified 45 percent deep impact crater was only about 130 feet wide. Then again, of the 15,000 known NEOs, including a record 930 in 2016. it weighed 300,000 tons and slammed into the ground at The CSS is part of the university’s esteemed Lunar and Plan- 26,000 mph. etary Laboratory (LPL), founded in 1960 by Gerard P. Kuiper So the prospect of a collision with an asteroid or comet stirs — for whom the Kuiper Belt, the vast area of frozen objects and a certain morbid fascination — if not apocalypse now, then rocks on the edge of the solar system, is named. The LPL is apocalypse maybe, someday. Hollywood, for one, loves a good also leading the OSIRIS-REx project, which in September 2016, end-of-the-world scenario, and in 1998, two hit movies — Deep at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, launched a satel- Impact (the better of the two) and Armageddon (the more profit- lite that in 2020 will intercept and later gather rock from the able) — explored the idea of an NEO clobbering us. asteroid Bennu. That was also the year that the Catalina Sky Survey began Christensen grew up in Boise, Idaho, and came to the uni- operations. Four years earlier, the world watched with a versity as a fine arts major specializing in ceramics. Growing measure of planetary schadenfreude as Comet Shoemaker- up, he also had a deep interest in astronomy, and after first Levy 9 smashed into Jupiter. Inspired by that event and hop- working on infrastructure and telescope maintenance on ing to identify threats to Earth, the LPL’s Steven Larson wrote Mount Lemmon, Christensen began observing for the survey a proposal to launch the survey, then received NASA funding. in 2003. That May, he made his first discovery: a comet that The CSS joined Spacewatch, the LPL’s existing NEO project; it now bears his name. Since then, he’s found 23 more. observes from Kitt Peak National Observatory, which is located Christensen tells me he’s never seen a daylight fireball, southwest of Tucson. then puts my sighting into perspective. Asteroids like the one Although the CSS expanded from its modest beginnings I observed, probably the size of a baseball or basketball, are and now operates three telescopes on Mount Lemmon, the nothing unusual. Ten-foot asteroids strike Earth monthly. Mount Bigelow control room feels a bit like a basement where Nor was Chicken Little just crying wolf: According to NASA, my geeky buddies and I played Risk in junior high, albeit with 100 tons of space material reaches Earth every day. The sky a bank of powerful computers humming in the background. really is falling. Posted on the cheap wall paneling, there’s a National Geographic But this chunk of rock was big enough and bright enough Milky Way map and a photo of Comet Skunk, the survey’s to be visible during daylight. And Christensen says it briefly mascot. According to the caption, this Western spotted skunk connected me, over an almost unfathomable chasm of time and earned the name for his comet-like traits: fuzzy white tail, events, to the very origins of the solar system. occasional outgassing and tendency to stir panic during close “Your history and its history converged,” he says. “You were encounters. Larson arrives in the control room and further born when and where you were born, then led a life that explains that Comet Skunk, forever seeking warmth, had an brought you to that place at that specific time. Meanwhile, on uncanny ability to find ways into the observatory before set- the other side, back at the beginning of the solar system, this tling contentedly on the control-room couch. Yet no outgassing object was created or came off another object in a collision. Its incidents occurred prior to Comet Skunk’s successful reloca- orbit evolved over time, or changed; then, it maybe suffered tion to nearby Bear Canyon. more collisions. If the control room looks like a clubhouse, then the domed

34 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 35 telescope room currently resembles a do-it-yourselfer’s garage. Christensen says even though the computers rapidly process “What we do is like Coast Guard work,” Leonard adds. deploy an 11-foot robotic arm, known as TAGSAM (Touch-and- Maxwell House coffee cans, filled with washers, screws and massive amounts of data, astronomers still must filter out false “There’s stuff literally falling down on us all the time. Rocks Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism), near the asteroid’s surface. bolts, are lined up on a table. Across the room, a red Sears detections — sometimes hundreds of them. Then, Christensen from space. In this job, it’s as if we get to touch space.” A five-second blast of nitrogen gas will then dislodge material Craftsman workbench stashes drill bits, sandpaper, wire and and Leonard show me an actual NEO discovered the previous for collection. If it all works, in 2023, a capsule will deliver to socket wrenches. night. Seen in a sequence of photos, the object’s trajectory is Earth between 2 ounces and 4.5 pounds of dust and gravel — As part of ongoing improvements designed to allow observ- unmistakable as it races against a fixed backdrop of stars. the most material returned from space since the Apollo lunar ers to both cast a wider galactic net and observe the sky in This is astronomy for the rest of us. Deep-space astronomy IF THE SKY SURVEY is our first line of defense against poten- missions more than 50 years earlier. greater detail, the survey is upgrading the Schmidt telescope’s observes an incomprehensibly distant past, the light from tial space invaders, then the OSIRIS-REx mission is a discovery So, with only enough nitrogen for three attempts, this seven- camera and optics. While a crew from the university performs events that took place billions of years ago. The collected data expedition, the 21st century counterpart to the trailblazing year mission, first conceptualized in 2004, comes down to just more complicated work, survey astronomers handle much of might not be analyzed for months, or even years. But the sur- explorations of Lewis and Clark. 15 critical seconds. the upgrade, as well as ongoing maintenance. vey’s work is near Earth and virtually in real time. “We’re often It’s an audacious effort that will span seven years as the satel- For OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dante Lauretta, the “If it’s out of alignment, you get to align it,” Christensen analyzing within five minutes of the last image being taken,” lite first travels to and then explores the asteroid Bennu, which close encounter with Bennu — which he calls “the moment of says. “The telescope needs grease? Then you grease it. We’re says Christensen. “It’s an unusual way to run a telescope.” orbits the sun at 63,000 miles per hour. Nor is Bennu just some truth, the moment of terror” — is a culmination not only of the all involved at more than one level, with observing, writing One morning in October 2008, survey observer Richard random asteroid. Out of 500,000 contenders, only five satisfied mission, but of a boyhood dream. Growing up in New River software and adjusting the optics. We wear different hats on Kowalski identified a small NEO, maybe 10 feet in diameter, the mission’s criteria, which included size, distance from Earth north of Phoenix, Lauretta aspired to be an explorer — hardly different nights.” and reported it to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mas- and composition. With a diameter of a third of a mile, a thick a promising career path in the waning decades of the 20th Observers typically drive up the mountain for three-night sachusetts. Researchers calculated that the object would enter middle and the stout build of an NFL nose tackle, Bennu con- century. shifts. After choosing a section of the sky, telescopes make the Earth’s atmosphere above northern Sudan the next day. sists of carbon-rich material that scientists anticipate is rich in Undaunted, Lauretta still hoped to boldly go where no man pictures of that area every five to 10 minutes. Typically, Less than 21 hours after the discovery, the asteroid exploded organic compounds present in the solar system 4.5 billion years had gone before. He backpacked in the desert for days, certain 200 different fields are photographed, generating as many as about 25 miles above the Earth as it traveled nearly 8 miles per ago, when Earth was forming. Those compounds could help he could reach a pristine place, only to notice a beer can on 1,000 images some nights. second. The incident marked the first time the location and explain how early life on Earth developed. the ground nearby. So Lauretta concluded he would have to Computers conduct an initial screening to identify potential time of a potential NEO impact were accurately predicted. After spending two years mapping Bennu’s surface and explore the solar system instead. NEOs, which range from 1 yard to more than 2 miles across. “So we’re one up on the dinosaurs,” Larson says. examining its composition, in July 2020, the satellite will Referring to the fragments of asteroids and other space objects that survive entry into Earth’s atmosphere, Lauretta says: “Meteorites were a way for me to be an explorer. Because that’s where the true firsts are still available to us. You can Comet Lovejoy, which have the experience — when you’re holding an ancient fossil lit up the night sky that’s billions of years old and then cut it open — that you’re in late 2014 and going to see something that nobody has ever seen before. A early 2015, makes an great scientific discovery.” appearance near the The operations center for OSIRIS-REx is not on campus, but Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, star cluster. in a low-slung contemporary building west of the university, Sean Parker surrounded by streets of older houses with low stone walls and prickly pear thickets in their yards. The building is named for Michael J. Drake, the late planetary scientist and LPL direc- tor who championed OSIRIS-REx and worked on the project until his final days. Drake was Lauretta’s mentor and inspiration. “He was a very big thinker. He asked the big questions, and he went after them,” Lauretta says. “He wasn’t intimidated. He always said to me, ‘If you’re going to make an impact in science, you have to ask the right questions. That’s where it all starts.’ ” Lauretta says asteroids just may offer the big answers to those big questions: Why is the Earth unique? Why is this a habitable planet? How did life begin? “They tell the story of how our solar system came to be,” he says. “I was just fascinated by that whole idea that you could hold a rock in your hand that’s older than the Earth itself, that represents the dawn of our solar system. With the organic mol- ecules that may be our ultimate ancestors.” I’ll admit to a measure of envy as I listen to Lauretta describe what it might be like to truly touch both space and time. As I think back to the daylight fireball, I’m intrigued by the conver- gence of the spiritual and the scientific that it and other aster- oids represent, as well as their inherent contradictions. They are the deliverers of life and potentially the destroyers of worlds, both solid and ephemeral — objects that have endured forever, only to arrive on Earth and sometimes disappear in a flash.

www.arizonahighways.com 37 PITCH A TENT & HIT THE TRAIL Scrub oaks and ponderosa pines shade Lewis and Clark, Simon and Garfunkel, peanut butter and the Green Mountain Trail, which can be chocolate ... there’s a long list of great combinations. In the done as a one-way hike using a car shuttle. summer in the Santa Catalina Mountains, the best combo Randy Prentice might be hiking and camping. Here’s a little something to get you started. • BY ROBERT STIEVE & KELLY VAUGHN

Scrub oaks and ponderosa pines shade the Green Mountain Trail, which can be done as a one-way hike using a car shuttle. Randy Prentice

38 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 39 trail leads downhill and offers tremen- dous panoramic views, both east and west. Unfortunately, you’ll also see rem- nants of the Aspen Fire, which burned CAMP HIKE thousands of acres in the Catalinas in 2003. Eventually, about halfway through the hike, you’ll head into a valley thick HERE HERE with maples and oaks. This is probably the most beautiful part of the trail. The rest of the route climbs gradually, past an expansive garden of ferns, to an old jeep road that leads to the hike's upper trailhead.

TRAIL GUIDE GENERAL HITCHCOCK BUTTERFLY TRAIL LENGTH: 11.4 miles round-trip CAMPGROUND DIFFICULTY: Moderate Like the Green Mountain Trail (see ELEVATION: 6,505 to 8,263 feet When the Aspen Fire consumed parts of Ponderosa pines guard a hillside near General Hitchcock Campground. Randy Prentice below), there are two places to start TRAILHEAD GPS: N 32˚24.664', Mount Lemmon in 2003, it didn’t spare this hike: the Palisades Visitor Center or W 110˚42 .919' picnic areas or campgrounds. Today, and picnic tables — you’ll find plenty a trailhead 4 miles up the highway, near DIRECTIONS: From Tanque Verde Road in signs at General Hitchcock Campground of both. Protect them by extinguishing ROSE CANYON the access road that leads to Soldier Tucson, go north on the Catalina Highway for warn of wildfire damage and the poten- your campfire completely. CAMPGROUND Camp. From the visitors center, the 23.2 miles to the Palisades Visitor Center. tial for flash foods, falling trees, and Butterfly Trail begins by overlapping the SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: A $5 day loose and rolling rocks. But while the CAMP NOTES Rose Canyon Campground has a beau- Bigelow Trail. It’s a nice stretch through pass (per vehicle) is required. campground has its dangers, it’s also ELEVATION: 6,000 feet tiful name, and it’s well deserved. On ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. From VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None one of the finest in the area. Small but DIRECTIONS: From Tucson, go north on the the banks of both Rose Creek and the point where the Butterfly and DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) beautiful, General Hitchcock features Catalina Highway for 16.5 miles to the camp- Rose Canyon Lake, the campground is the Bigelow split, it’s 5.2 miles to the HORSES ALLOWED: Yes bountiful trees, boulder-lined campsites ground, which will be on your right. a riparian oasis, especially after heavy Butterfly’s upper trailhead. In between USGS MAP: Mount Bigelow and big rocks to scramble up and lounge INFORMATION: Santa Catalina Ranger rain. Popular among anglers, it features the two points, you’ll be treated to not INFORMATION: Santa Catalina Ranger on. The Green Mountain Trail (see District, 520-749-8700 or www.fs.usda.gov/ 74 individual sites and two group areas. only evergreens, but also boxelders, big- District, 520-749-8700 or www.fs.usda.gov/ Morning light warms granite formations visible from opposite page) originates or ends here, coronado It’s big, but not so big that a true out- tooth maples, alligator junipers, various coronado the Green Mountain Trail. Randy Prentice depending on which way you look at it, SEASON: May through October doors experience gets lost in a sea of species of oaks and even yuccas in the and after a heavy rain or a particularly FEE: $10 per night RVs and pavement. Trout are prevalent drier areas. For the first hour or so, the stretch is probably the most beautiful wet and snowy winter, Bear Creek runs RESERVATIONS: No in the lake, which lures a variety of bird GREEN MOUNTAIN part of the trail. The scenic vistas that through the campground. Pine trees AMENITIES: Toilets, pet-friendly species. Take your binoculars and while TRAIL you get at the higher elevation will have away the afternoon with a little bird- disappeared, but you’ll be surrounded, ing. Take a walk through the woods. Sit Vermont has the Green Mountains. once again, by ponderosas and Douglas lakeside with a book. No matter what The Santa Catalinas have the Green firs, as well as Arizona cypresses. you do, you’ll want to keep coming back Mountain Trail. Like other nearby trails, to Rose Canyon Campground — partly this one can be done as a one-way hike TRAIL GUIDE for its proximity to Tucson, partly for using a car-shuttle system, or as a round- LENGTH: 7.8 miles round-trip its beauty. tripper. The upper trailhead is located at DIFFICULTY: Moderate San Pedro Vista, and the lower trailhead ELEVATION: 6,000 to 7,300 feet CAMP NOTES is at General Hitchcock Campground TRAILHEAD GPS: N 32˚24.007', ELEVATION: 7,000 feet (see opposite page). Starting at the top, W 110˚41.404' DIRECTIONS: From Tucson, go north on the route winds around the mountain DIRECTIONS: From Tanque Verde Road in the Catalina Highway for 18 miles to the for which it’s named and through a for- Tucson, go north on the Catalina Highway for campground. est of ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. 21.7 miles to San Pedro Vista. INFORMATION: Santa Catalina Ranger Moving on, the evergreens are replaced SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: A $5 day District, 520-749-8700 or www.fs.usda.gov/ by oaks, manzanitas, yuccas and bear- pass (per vehicle) is required. coronado grass. Continuing downhill, you’ll come VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None SEASON: Mid-April through October to a formation known as Bear Saddle, DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) FEE: $22 per night which sits at an elevation of 6,950 feet HORSES ALLOWED: Yes RESERVATIONS: Yes, via www.reserve​ and serves as the head of Bear Canyon. USGS MAP: Mount Bigelow america.com From there, the trail follows Bear INFORMATION: Santa Catalina Ranger Columbines seem to twinkle like stars along the AMENITIES: Toilets, pet-friendly, potable Butterfly Trail near Crystal Springs. Canyon for just under 2 miles to General District, 520-749-8700 or www.fs.usda.gov/ Fishing at Rose Canyon Lake draws many visitors to Rose Canyon Campground. Edward McCain water Randy Prentice Hitchcock Campground. This home- coronado

40 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 41 FROM OUR ARCHIVES: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER 1945 MOUNT LEMMON BY CLIFTON ABBOTT

hen a detachment of soldiers uniformed in Civil War blue set up a summer camp on Mt. Lemmon in the late 1880s they started a chain of events that today is culminating in an exciting playground prospect for the postwar G.I.’s of the TwentiethW Century. Mt. Lemmon is in the Santa Catalinas, and the center of its wonderland is only sixteen air miles from the City of Tucson, a fact both Arizonians and their visitors are savoring with a pleasant anticipation. For twelve long years people around Tucson have been watch- ing the snail-like progress of a road — a broad, paved highway — as it crawled up the mountain side. Not yet entirely open for travel, it is nevertheless nearing completion, and this is a preview of what the streams of travelers will see.

Leaving Tucson at the start of a fifty-minute drive, the country is brushed with all of the color that is the desert’s. Over a long stretch of the flat desert floor, cacti of countless vari- ety give an interesting foreground to views that are in every direction spectacular. North (to the left) is the lofty range of mountains topped by Mt. Lemmon. Ahead and a little to the right is a softer, more rolling range, the Santa Ritas. Scarcely any direction is without its range of mountains in the background. It is an intriguing fact that from the Tucson region — generally supposed to be, and called, desert — can be seen sixteen ranges of mountains. And each range has its own per- sonality. The Catalinas are profound and dominating. The Santa Ritas gentle and inviting; the Rincons mysterious and always faraway; the Tucsons harsh and unbound. And so on and on, every range has a fascination and a different story of its own. The Catalinas with their weighty contour — scarred by deep gullies and canyons — The Catalina Highway and their varicolored hues of pastel shades have enhanced and graced the canvasses [sic] curves and overlooks the of many well-known artists. Tucson area as it climbs into the Santa Catalina Continuing our pre-view tour along the new highway, we soon leave the scenic desert Mountains. This Western country and are into the foothills which form the edge of an immense cactus forest. This, Ways photo from the incidentally, is the boundary of the Coronado National Forest area wherein lies Mt. Lem- 1950s was made near mon. The road winds through an abundance of the gigantic saguaro and this part, while Windy Point, a popular neither boring nor tiresome, is more familiar, being much like the country for miles vista on the highway. around Tucson. The saguaro and the hills are soon behind, however, and the highway Arizona Highways Archives begins its ascent into the mountains proper. It is a gentle climb and has none of the hair-

42 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 43 M n L”m S–— Vl˜ Mes 2 .8 pin curves and terrifying sheer drops of many other mountain- miles from the charming little mountain settlement of Sum- T¤n¹ t S‘” A a ous roads. Its route has been carefully surveyed with an eye merhaven — is another stopping place and one with a view 7,8± ft more to the comfort of its traffic than to the saving of feet. All that almost rivals that at Windy Point. Here the country seen the grading and banking tricks of modern highway engineer- through the gap from the road is wild and untamed and for ing have been employed and the car almost seems to drive hundreds of square miles is without fence, road or human itself, following as planned the contour of the road. being. Across the broad San Pedro Valley in the far distance As the desert begins to drop away, pictorial scenes of is the long, wooded extent of the sparsely populated Galiuro unparalleled beauty are framed by the edge of the mountain range. The highway here is blocked with a gate, and beyond Mes 2“.4 and the shoulder of the highway. At about four thousand feet the gate unauthorized traffic is not permitted, this portion of Ip¤a ”o RŸk the curtain is drawn on these because the road is well into the the road being still under construction. From the gate it is five 7,9· ft mountains, but more and even grander views soon will be seen miles to Soldiers Camp. farther on as the route goes higher and more of the valleys are At Soldiers Camp, site of the original camping ground made Mes 2.2 visible below. In a little while the buildings and homes of the by soldiers from Fort Lowell — now ruins on the outskirts of MŠs™l‡ Gc™ B r W„l³ R d Federal Bureau of Prisons are in sight. Built of rock natural to Tucson — is the center of the Forest Service activities in the 7,8˜ ft the mountain, they are impressive and comfortable. Here, for those whose business makes it necessary S‘n’‘r M n Be‡w for them to traverse the unfinished portion of the Cy FŠe Lk t road, permission must be obtained. Mes 1ƒ.8 From this camp on up you are into the moun- P„i° d Vi r Ct¤ tains proper and the brush begins to give way to 7,9±² ft scrub oak and cedar, and the bottoms of the gorges are filled with small fir and pine. For a mile or two Mes 1€.6 this kind of scenery is prevalent and then the road S P®r Vt is widened, and here a trail leads off to the General 7,3ª ft Hitchcock Pine. Although it is possible to drive part of the way, most of the half-mile to the pine must be made afoot; but it is well worth the effort, and the exercise in the invigorating air is not at all R e Cy Mes 1 unwelcome. The trail leads up a colorful little wash Ge l H›cžŸo¡¢ replete with boulders, a stream in winter, moss, M›œNŸ C€p£¤od fern and flowers and towering pines. The General 6,0 ft Hitchcock itself is a huge Ponderosa pine almost four hundred years old. L¡¢M›£ Mes 1 Br Cy From here on you are definitely in the big tim- Wd¨ P”n Vt ber, some of it measuring twenty feet or more in H¥¦H§¨Y 6,6ª« ft circumference — miles upon miles of solid stands Gly V t of virgin forest, uncut because it has always been “The thrilling road reveals distance and sweeping space,” Arizona Highways Arizona Highways Archives inaccessible. noted of this Western Ways photo in 1955. For the next few miles, geologic action is the center of attraction. Centuries of erosion have been at work on Coronado National Forest. The Forest Service has arranged the ponderous rock formations and they are as striking as any for accommodations for campers by building fire places and Mes 7.2 Mes 5.5 to be found in the famed Wonderland of Rocks. Many of them camp sites with running water and shelters. In this area many P ”s C€p M„i Bi have been named and are well identified with signs to point people have leased land from the Forest Service and have built 4,8˜ ft 4,3‰ ft them out. Among many others, they bear such names as Punch cozy and comfortable little log and frame cabins. Here the and Judy, the Stogie Smoker, the Lizard, Toothless Old Man forest rangers have cleared away the underbrush and made an and the Window. artificial lake. At the outside of a wide, sweeping curve is a parking area. Following the ridge between Soldiers Camp and Summer- Mes 0 Mes 4.5 This is Windy Point. From here can be seen what is probably haven, wildlife is abundant, particularly deer, wild turkey and 2,9 ft M„i Cy one of the most interesting views in this part of the country. squirrel. The ridge is heavily timbered and at night the lights (G u bo  Or o‘ Visibility is excellent, with little ground haze, and Tucson, of Tucson are easily visible and entrancing. l vg; n fl 4,0 ft now about twenty-five miles away, seems much nearer, but is Summerhaven, itself, is a collection of lodges and summer a i b o only in the foreground of the vast eyeful of country stretched cabins established around a small general store. Following the Mn L€m) out in front. At this altitude, about six thousand feet, the air existing long, circuitous road by way of Oracle, a few enterpris- t TŸs Ba Dg V t has taken on a very definite snap and, if the trip is made in the ing citizens of Tucson have made summer homes there for the summer, the difference between the climate below and here is past twenty-five years, and some of the cabins are luxurious. quite refreshing. Huge boulders are at the edge of the road and By next year the new road will have been completed, offer- from them sprout queer-shaped pine trees. ing easy access to a veritable summer paradise to residents and Tq V¤d R¼. At the end of the completed portion of the road — only five visitors in Southern Arizona.

www.arizonahighways.com 45 FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Originally published in September 1985

THE SANTA CATALINAS: Tucson’sNearby

The lights of the Tucson area glow Wilderness beneath the summit of the Santa AN ESSAY BY CHARLES BOWDEN Catalina Mountains’ Cathedral Rock. Jack Dykinga

46 JUNE 2017 E BED DOWN IN DAN SADDLE where the world into the Age of the Computer. of oak meets the world of pine. A big alligator juni- Until the late nineteenth century, maps guessed at the gen- per anchors the camp. At 6,000 feet a soft breeze eral shape of the range. Only after World War I was a road slips through the slot between the big canyons completed on the back side. A thrill for automobile drivers. that rake the north flanks of the Santa Catalinas. At midnight a deer minces across the moonstruck “Some of the early big touring cars had to run ahead and back before they Wmeadow. Just over the main ridge of the range, a half-million could make some of the curves. ... Mud and washing too were a problem people live — sprawling across the Santa Cruz Valley in the during the summer storms, cars would get sideways across the road or, city of Tucson. That does not matter here. We have walked hung in the many drainage gutters against the inside bank. The road was more than ten miles since dawn and have seen no one. too narrow in many places for safe passing, and so a control system was put The mountain offers a loneliness of form. At sunset the range into effect on the last seven miles. ... Vehicles waited until time to start up sinks into blades of color. Light pours across the slopes; the the grade. It was a cozy affair, gave the various drivers time to discuss the greens bite the golds; the blues seep into a growing blackness. affairs of the day, the previous trip, and what they figured the chances of On the ground near my head a bird thrashes, its rust sides making it this time were. ...” throbbing against the carpet of brown oak leaves. The failing — Recollection of Glenton G. Sykes rays caress Cañada del Oro just to the west as the green gouge slides off the peaks and into the brown desert below. The big The mountains stand next to a city founded in 1776 yet, for hole looks inviting, a simple walk from side to side. a long time, no one was quite sure how the peaks could be I remember this verdant world as the night blankets the reached. In part, the Apaches scared off some strangers; others camp with the fury of the stars. For most of my life, the Cata- the mountain itself sent packing. linas have greeted me at sunrise and beckoned with canyons We have come to the peaks tracking a man and a woman and ridges. who sought the summit in 1881. Botanists, their strange journey They make an easy offer, but they drive a hard bargain. offers a way to know the beauty of the marvelous Santa Cata- lina Mountains. In 1871 Isaac Goldberg meets a former Apache captive in The first naming came easily enough. In 1697 Father Euse- Tucson who tells him big chunks of gold are scattered at the bio Kino visited a Papago village near present-day Tucson head of the Cañada del Oro. Goldberg organizes a party of and named it Santa Catalina Cuitchibaque, perhaps because a dozen or more and follows the man to the bonanza. They his arrival coincided with the feast day of St. Catherine. The find chunks of mica. Goldberg decides he wants to go home to neighboring mountains got the same name, spelled variously as Tucson. Eight days later, the starving party stumbles out of the Caterina and Catalina until the present usage in the late nine- Storm clouds drift over saguaros Lemmon was not a mountaineer. A survivor of Andersonville range. He writes, “almost incredible hardships attended and teenth century. and other desert plants in the Prison in the Civil War, he came home a wreck. After a long encumbered our progress homeward — narrow steep trails John Gill Lemmon and his bride, Sarah Plummer Lemmon, Santa Catalina Mountains at sunset. twelve months of recovery, he still weighed ninety pounds. between dreadful abysses, exhausting tracts of rocky steril- arrived in Tucson in March 1881, looked at the 9,000-foot range, Gurinder Singh “I first groped about the yard,” he wrote later, “upheld by the ity, and patches of brush so thick and thorny that our weary and laid immediate plans to uncover its botanical secrets. fence rail. The next day I was able to walk a little way alone, bodies lost their coverings, and our blistered feet their leather being greatly stimulated by unrecognizable plants. In a few protectors. We were nearly naked, barefoot, and on the very At dawn the sky burns red; cool air hugs the saddle. In the steep slopes, and a botany undreamed of in the ivy towers of days, I could go further, assisted by my aged mother. ...” An brink of starvation, for we had not food except a small quantity valley it will be 105 today. While eating breakfast, we stare Eastern academies. acquaintance pegged him as “nervous and excitable in a very of pinole and some wild grapes. ...” down the hard slope of Oracle Ridge. We know the Lemmons Saguaro, mesquite, paloverde, and agave dominated the unfortunate way. ...” came this way, and we are almost certain they camped here in mountain’s lower reaches. Then a bit higher, amole, a fierce Botany pulled him back into the real world. Soon he was In the dark night I sip cocoa and eye the frenzy of energy in Dan Saddle. We sense from our experiences they had no easy small agave known to all human beings on foot as shindaggers, wandering the Sierra Nevada in California and snaring new the sky. The breeze whispers in the trees, and the deer walk time of it. and catsclaw drew blood for every half-mile of advance. They species for Professor Asa Gray of Harvard. By the time he between our sleeping forms. crept higher, every ridge presenting yet another ridge, and the showed up at Stratton’s ranch just below Oracle Ridge in 1881, We are alone; we are surrounded. Three miles up the ridge, A vulture waits on a rock for the sun to roast the air and cre- high ridges, sheer cliffs, until finally they surrendered and he was forty-nine years old, his wife, forty-six. Stratton led a paved road slices through the forest and ends in the resort ate thermals to ride. The trail snakes through manzanita and struggled back to Tucson. There they learned of Emerson Oli- them to the mountain of their botanical dreams. village of Summerhaven. Nearby a sawmill eats trees. Just clumps of cactus flowers flaming red and lavender in a sea of ver Stratton, a rancher and mine owner living on the slopes of below my camp a man once told me of treeing three bears on a dusty green. Oracle Ridge stretches before us, a natural high- the mountain’s north side. Lemmon arrived at Stratton’s ranch We walk the same trail they probably took, overgrown now lion hunt. To the east bighorn sheep keep watch above a resort way to the summit. The desert floor bakes, and the heat climbs riding a horse, his wife walking behind him. with manzanita and higher up, oak. A wall of branches six feet complex. the mountain to slap us in the face. Stratton, a Western pioneer, was a man on the move, an high rips at our arms and legs. The path climbs and falls as the The Catalinas are an island in a growing urban sea. The John Gill Lemmon and his bride of six months struggled on optimist with dreams of a big strike. He tried bookkeeping ridge rises and buckles beneath us. We pound steadily toward mountains are the prisoners of the world that feeds me. The the front range of the Catalinas seeking a route to the green in California, moved to Lima, Peru, and opened a roller rink, the green peaks ahead. island flings back casual efforts to know it and probe it and forests high above. Thorns ripped their bodies; heat and lack helped build a railroad in the Andes, manned the stage stop at The birds have gone to ground; the deer rest under trees; the take it. From the road it is views; from the trail, hard miles. of water startled them. At night they slept in rock cavities and Maricopa Wells, served as undersheriff of Pinal County, grub- heat of day comes on. By 11:00 a.m. we too collapse under an But this night it is rich and complicated and beckoning. The built fires to keep dreaded snakes, scorpions, and Gila mon- staked prospectors, homesteaded and failed, mined and went oak on the shoulder of Apache Peak. We each have drunk three Catalinas are Tucson’s best idea of itself. The range abuts the sters at bay. Day by day they probed an imaginary mountain bust, bagged political appointments, and just generally kept to four quarts of water, and there are still fifteen miles to go. city, and the city looks at the rock walls and remembers and — one that seemed just minutes away from the train depot, one an eye peeled for the big rock candy mountain. By the time the Below us in an oak valley cottonwoods cluster near the dreams all the ancient thoughts of freedom. The mountain reputed to be infested with venomous dangers. And day by Lemmons arrived, Stratton had gotten the drift of his life. He abandoned mining site of Camp Bonito. Here Stratton and the offers 200 square miles of wilderness next to a city plunging day, they found the real mountain, one full of hard miles, cliffs, called his Southern Arizona ranch Pandora. Lemmons spent their first night.

48 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 49 Finally, the slope ebbs, the path wandering down to Dan Windy Point Vista, along the Catalina the ground, lime green. We have come twenty miles and, out- John P. Zimmerman and Sam Parkinson loved the Apache Saddle, a spot on the ridge between Rice Peak and the top of Highway, offers a view of the Catalinas’ side of Summerhaven, we have been alone. We make a cup of Girl, a mine at Camp Bonito they figured would put them the range. It’s here on a level patch under the oaks where John ridges and the distant Tucson Mountains. cocoa and look north down the big cut of the Cañada del Oro. on Easy Street. They were part of a wave of prospectors who Gill Lemmon and Sarah Plummer Lemmon came alive in the Jack Dykinga For almost a century rumors have persisted of an ancient Jesuit slammed against Oracle Ridge in the 1880s and 1890s believing late spring of 1881. gold mine in the canyon. a rock pile that big had to hold a bonanza. They gouged out the vein but soon found their gold mine was little more than a very “I seized a branch and shouted, ‘All hats off!’ The leaves are in fascicles of In 1923 Harold Bell Wright drafts a novel entitled The Mine small gold pocket. five, instead of the threes of the yellow pine, and this character distinguishes After breakfast we walk up Carter Canyon then bushwhack with the Iron Door. In 1933 another writer says an old Opata When Fate delivered them a visitor interested in their prop- the new Pinus Arizonica for which I have so long been in search.” toward the summit. The cabins fall behind, and the mountain Indian named Calistro, who lives in Tumacacori, knows of erty, they showed him their dump, liberally salted with gold — John Gill Lemmon at Dan Saddle, 1881 takes us into the shadow of pine and fir and spruce. the mine. Maps float around giving the location. In the 1950s, specimens. Then they led him crashing through the dense oak Our feet slip; we grab tree trunks as we climb upward. a Spanish forge is said to be found in the canyon. Like similar thickets to a second dump, then a third. Naturally, the three Now the mountain of the scenic calendars begins. The oaks legends, no fact will ever stop the story. dumps were all the same. But the visitor huffing and puffing are replaced by pine, and everywhere grass carpets the slopes. When Stratton and the Lemmons clambered to the summit, The air is thin at 9,000 feet, and the body becomes lazy. I up the mountain was too busy to notice. He bought the gold Penstemon erupts from the green floor with spikes of red flow- they carved their names into a big tree. Stratton christened the drift into a kind of half-sleep and watch time move slowly mine. And Zimmerman and Parkinson hit the road. ers. Alligator junipers, three to six feet thick, line the ridge. 9,157 foot peak Mount Lemmon after Mrs. Lemmon. The name across the Cañada del Oro. The Catalinas have been named, Squirrels scurry underfoot, and the eye absorbs the 100-mile stuck. mapped, grazed, prospected. No one has ever found the heart By 3:00 p.m. we’re on the trail again. We trace the ridge line views. In minutes we arrive at Summerhaven, a village of sum- The two botanists found over 100 plants new to science in of gold. through oak groves punctuated with huge junipers and then mer cabins at an altitude of 7,500 feet. Dogs sleep in front of the the Catalinas and later other Arizona ranges. Stratton finally In the late nineteenth century, an old hermit named Dan hightail it up Rice Peak on endless switchbacks, only to plunge general store, and Steller’s jays holler among the big pines. The got lucky and peddled a mine site off Oracle Ridge that still Tierney lived in a dugout under Oracle Ridge. He had a mine back into the oak thickets, the branches flailing us into a kind cafe serves us steak and eggs as we look upon the first people bears his name. He built a fine house in San Francisco. he never seemed to work. Stratton would drop by from time to of green serenity. To the right the mountain falls away, the trail since Oracle, fifteen miles and 3,000 feet below. The tree the Lemmons carved their names on went down time to check on the old man. He always found him sitting on a at times edging along outcrops. We can see the Cañada del Oro Hitchcock Highway zips people up in an hour. Summer- in the 1920s. In the 1950s, the Air Force put a radar station on rock, just staring off at the mountain. Stratton figured this was sweeping up to the peaks, a blanket of pine daubed with light- haven has a store, restaurant, and cabins; just up the slopes a the peak, and now this facility houses scientists studying the a damned peculiar way to live. green blaze of aspen. Stratton and the Lemmons dismounted ski lodge offers the southernmost runs in the United States. Yet, heavens. I watch the vultures swing idly across the Cañada, and I and led their horses on this stretch. just 100 yards off the road, the mountain remains wild. We walk onto the summit at noon. The sky is white light; think of Dan Tierney.

50 JUNE 2017 www.arizonahighways.com 51 scenic DRIVE

CAPE ROYAL ROAD Cape Royal offers one of the best overlooks Road, which dates to the 1920s and itself is worth a trip if you’ve got the time. route to Angels Window, a natural arch. was one of the National Park Service’s For now, though, bear right to stay on Cape Royal is the North Rim’s south- in Grand Canyon National Park. It’s impressive, and so is the narrow, first major projects on the north side Cape Royal Road. Two and a half miles ernmost overlook, so the panorama you’ll of the Canyon. It’s lined with aspens, later, you’ll reach an easy-to-miss sign, on see there is hard to beat. Among nearby BY NOAH AUSTIN / PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM SCHALLAU winding road that takes you there. ponderosa pines, spruce and firs, and in the right, for Greenland Lake, an ephem- sights are Vishnu Temple and Wotans places, you’ll see the effects of forest fires, eral pond formed from a sinkhole. Follow Throne. And at twilight, you can make including the lightning-caused Fuller a narrow, 200-yard trail counterclock- out the lights of buildings on the South he North Rim of Grand Canyon tance from Flagstaff. It’s hard to believe for parking at Grand Canyon Lodge and Fire, which scorched an area to the north wise around the lake to reach a cabin Rim. The people over there are enjoying National Park has a short season, but — until you look at a road map. There chucking your car keys. in 2016. But those areas are brief and built in the 1890s to store salt for cattle. themselves, to be sure. But you put in the T there’s another reason it sees about are no shortcuts to the North Rim. No Don’t. Because just north of the lodge don’t detract from the beauty of the drive. Now, finally, it’s time to see the Can- mileage to get to this side of the Canyon, as much vehicle traffic in an average interstates. Just a long trip up U.S. routes is Cape Royal Road, an easy, paved route About 5 miles in, you’ll come to a “Y” yon, at a series of vistas — starting with and at Cape Royal, surely you’ll conclude year as the South Rim sees in an average 89 and 89A, across Navajo Bridge, past offering incredible Canyon views that intersection. To the left is the road to Vista Encantada, about 2 miles ahead. it was worth it. month. Actually, there are 130 reasons. the Vermilion Cliffs and down State even fewer people have seen — plus a Point Imperial, the park’s highest over- From there, you can see Nankoweap Just keep a grip on those car keys. It’s a That’s the difference, in miles, between Route 67. And even though it’s a gorgeous little history along the way. look (8,803 feet). That route was heavily Creek and the distant Vermilion Cliffs. long way back. North Rim and South Rim driving dis- drive, by the end of it, you’d be forgiven From SR 67, head east on Cape Royal impacted by the 2016 blaze, but the point Roosevelt Point, a mile and a half later, offers a look at the confluence of the SCENIC Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. DRIVES of Arizona’s Best Back There are other gorgeous stops along the 40 Roads ADDITIONAL READING: For more adventure, pick up way, but they’re all appetizers for the a copy of our book Scenic main course at the end of the road. From Drives, which features 40 of the state’s most beautiful back a gravel parking lot, a short, paved walk roads. To order, visit www.shop Edited by Robert Stieve leads to the road’s namesake, plus a side and Kelly Vaughn Kramer arizonahighways.com/books.

TOUR GUIDE Note: Mileages are approximate.

LENGTH: 23 miles one way (from Grand Canyon Lodge) apply. The North Rim is open from mid-May to mid- October. DIRECTIONS: From Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim, go north on State Route 67 (North Rim Parkway) VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None for 3 miles to Cape Royal Road. Turn right (east) onto INFORMATION: Grand Canyon National Park, 928- Angels Window, a natural arch, Cape Royal Road and continue 20 miles to the Cape 638-7888 or www.nps.gov/grca is one of many spectacular Royal parking area. From there, a half-mile paved trail Travelers in Arizona can visit www.az511.gov or dial views along the North leads to Cape Royal. 511 to get infor­ma­tion on road closures, construc­tion, Rim’s Cape Royal Road. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: National Park Service fees delays, weather and more.

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

MOUNT BALDY

CROSSOVER No doubt, seeing a wolf would be thrilling, but it’s probably not going to TRAIL Although it’s happen. However, you might see black overshadowed by bears, elk and mule deer. And you’ll definitely see a massive, old-growth fir its celebrated neigh- after about 10 minutes on the trail. After another 10 minutes, you’ll hit the high bors, the Mount Baldy point (9,580 feet) of the hike. Ferns and a Crossover Trail is the few aspens start showing up, too. The rest of the route is a moderate epitome of a gorgeous descent that winds past an impressive, two-trunk Douglas fir and some large walk in the woods. boulders. Beyond the rocks and trees, BY ROBERT STIEVE and to the right, you’ll get a glimpse of PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAURENCE PARENT one of the many meadows along the trail. A few minutes later, you’ll be standing in the meadow, thinking: If I were a home- f East Baldy and West Baldy are Lennon steader, this is where I’d sink some roots. and McCartney, then Baldy Crossover Continuing on, the trail crosses the I is George Harrison. It’s the quiet trail long meadow, which is about 75 yards — the trail that lives in the shadow of wide and maybe a half-mile long, and re- the White Mountains’ marquee hikes. enters the woods. There’s a slight uphill, Baldy Trail. The trailhead is about a switchbacks. There’s something in the While the first two offer a distant sum- and then it’s downhill again to another quarter-mile to the east, near the Gabaldon way it woos you. You’ll see. mit and the subsequent notch in the belt, meadow that’s split by a small stream. Campground. With a car-shuttle system, the Mount Baldy Crossover Trail is less From there, the pattern repeats itself — you could be done at this point. It’s not ADDITIONAL READING: ornamental. No big vistas. No ancient forest, meadow, forest, meadow — until, a hardship, though, to retrace your steps For more hikes, pick up a copy ruins. No unlikely waterfalls. But it woos after more than an hour of hiking on the back to the other side. Although it’s of Arizona Highways Hiking Guide, which features 52 of the you, nonetheless, with its alpine nature Crossover Trail, you’ll end up in a nice overshadowed by its celebrated neighbors, state’s best trails — one for each and its standing offer of solitude. It’s the grove of aspens. the Mount Baldy Crossover Trail is every weekend of the year, sorted by seasons. To order a copy, visit epitome of a gorgeous walk in the woods. After the grove, the trail passes bit as scenic. And it’s quiet, too, without www.shoparizonahighways Unlike most hikes, this one doesn’t through a gate and intersects the East the pressure of long distances and steep .com/books. have a traditional trailhead. Instead, you have to access it from either the East Baldy Trail or the West Baldy Trail. The east side makes for a shorter overall route; however, the approach from the west is more scenic. What’s more, you’ll TRAIL GUIDE want as many miles as you can get in the LENGTH: 9 miles round-trip White Mountains — the climate is cool DIFFICULTY: Moderate and wet, and the summertime tempera- ELEVATION: 9,287 to 9,580 feet TRAILHEAD GPS: N 33˚57.888', W 109˚30.071' tures are usually in the 70s. declared off-limits to “human habitation.” you run into Julie, Jeff or one of the other DIRECTIONS: From Eagar, go west on State Route From the trailhead, the West Baldy Just beyond the wilderness boundary, wildlife experts at the Arizona Game and 260 for 18.7 miles to State Route 273. Turn left (south) begins with a slight uphill climb through after about a mile of hiking, the West Fish Department. In recent years, Mexican onto SR 273 and continue 8.6 miles to the trailhead at Sheeps Crossing. some pines and aspens before heading Baldy Trail intersects the Crossover Trail. wolves have been traced to this area. While VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None downhill through a series of wide mead- From the junction, it’s 3.56 miles to East encounters are rare, wolves (and other large DOGS ALLOWED: Yes ows. After about 15 minutes, the West Baldy. mammals) can be dangerous if startled, or HORSES ALLOWED: Yes Fork of the Little Colorado River makes Almost immediately, the Crossover if they feel you’re a threat to their young or USGS MAPS: Mount Baldy, Big Lake North its first appearance. The river, which is Trail jumps the Little Colorado, leaves their food. Sing, whistle, whatever ... it’s a INFORMATION: Springerville Ranger District, 928- dotted with beaver dams, parallels the the meadow and enters a thick forest of good idea to make some noise. 333-6200 or www.fs.usda.gov/asnf trail at this point. Five minutes later, corkbark firs, ponderosa pines, white firs LEAVE-NO-TRACE PRINCIPLES: • Plan ahead and be out all of your trash. you’ll enter the Mount Baldy Wilderness. and Engelmann spruce. The route also prepared. • Leave what you find. Looking around, you’ll understand why begins a gradual uphill with the help of ABOVE: The West Fork of the Little Colorado River • Travel and camp on • Respect wildlife. is a highlight of the Mount Baldy Crossover Trail. durable surfaces. • Minimize campfire impact. this area was granted the ultimate pro- some moderate switchbacks. As you wind OPPOSITE PAGE: Aspens and evergreens are • Dispose of waste • Be considerate of tection. In all, 6,814 acres have been through the woods, don’t be surprised if plentiful along the trail. properly and pack others.

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

WHERE IS THIS?

Class Dismissed This one-room schoolhouse in a small town near the U.S.-Mexico border has been so much better than wallpaper ... around for more than a century, but it hasn’t always looked this nice. It closed in the 1970s and fell into disrepair before volunteers recently renovated it. Now, it’s in better shape than the town — which, at last count, had nine residents or so. the Vintage Poster collection by arizona highways

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SONOITA-PATAGONIA LAKE POWELL SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS 18 x 24 inches #ASPP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #ALPP7 $19.99 18 x 24 inches #ASCP7 $19.99 April 2017 Answer & Winner Win a collection of our can also be sent to 2039 W. qualified entries. Entries most popular books! Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ must be postmarked by Mission San José To order, visit www.shoparizonahighways.com or call 800-543-5432. To enter, correctly identify 85009 (write “Where Is June 15, 2017. Only the winner de Tumacácori. the location pictured above This?” on the envelope). will be notified. The correct *Pricing does not include shipping and handling charges. Use code P7F5CP when ordering. Congratulations to and email your answer to Please include your name, answer will be posted in our our winner, Barbara editor@arizonahighways address and phone number. August issue and online at Bergquist of .com — type “Where Is This?” One winner will be chosen www.­ arizonahighways.com­ THEARIZONA St. Maries, Idaho. in the subject line. Entries in a random drawing of beginning July 15. HIGHWAYS �LLECTION 56 JUNE 2017 PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP DEREK VON BRIESEN ABOVE, LEFT GEORGE H.H. HUEY