ARIZONA’S NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARKS 2015 10 NOVEMBER

ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE SALT

— HELEN KELLER— RIVER CANYON It’s a Grand Canyon, Too! “Life is adventure“Life either a great or nothing.” PHANTOM RANCH: Hunker Down ... Way Down!

plus: SAVING THE SANTA CRUZ • VAIL’S OLD POST OFFICE • WILLIS PETERSON SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK • SCENIC OAK CREEK CANYON • JIM THOMPSON TRAIL CONTENTS 11.15 Grand Canyon National Park Phantom Ranch Oak Creek Canyon

Cornville Salome Salt River Canyon PHOENIX

Saguaro National Park

Vail Santa Cruz River

POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE

2 EDITOR’S LETTER > 3 CONTRIBUTORS > 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR > 56 WHERE IS THIS? GET MORE ONLINE www.arizonahighways.com 5 34 52 THE JOURNAL DESERT OASIS SCENIC DRIVE /azhighways People, places and things from around the state, including a look There are some great places to spend the night in Arizona. One of Oak Creek Canyon: Despite a fire that burned the area in 2014, @azhighways back at iconic photographer Willis Peterson; Saguaro National Park; the best is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Although it the drive through Oak Creek Canyon — a National Scenic @arizonahighways and loggerhead shrikes, the mercenaries of the songbird world. takes some work to get down there, a night at Phantom Ranch is Byway — still ranks as one of the best in America. anything but a hardship. Thanks to the impressive crew of 17 who 16 ANOTHER GRAND CANYON run the ranch, hikers, river runners and mule riders get to enjoy a 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH ◗ An American avocet rests in calm water Some say the view from U.S. Route 60, where the steep road soft bed, a hot shower and a cold beer in one of the world’s most Jim Thompson Trail: Of the many trails in Red Rock Country, in Gilbert, a Phoenix suburb. crosses Salt River Canyon, is the most dramatic in the state — keep unforgiving environments. the Jim Thompson is one of the easiest. It’s easy to hike, | JOHN SHERMAN CAMERA: NIKON D600; in mind, Arizona is home to another canyon, one that can be seen BY ANNETTE MCGIVNEY and it’s easy to get to. SHUTTER: 1/1000 SEC; APERTURE: F/7.1; PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN BURCHAM from outer space. Whether it’s best or not is debatable, but there’s ISO: 1000; FOCAL LENGTH: 700 MM no doubt the state’s lesser-known gorge is spectacular. That’s why FRONT COVER The water of Cibecue we gave our photographer more than a year to capture its beauty. 40 NATURAL SELECTIONS Creek pours over Cibecue Falls as it

A PORTFOLIO BY SHANE MCDERMOTT After 90 years of publishing, it’s rare to stumble upon something approaches the Salt River. For more pho- big that hasn’t been featured in our magazine, but the National tos of Salt River canyon, see page 16. | SHANE MCDERMOTT 28 CRUZ CONTROL Natural Landmarks Program is new to us. In fact, until recently, we CAMERA: NIKON D800E; For more than 11,000 years, people have lived along the watershed hadn’t even heard of it. We’re guessing it’s news to you, too. SHUTTER: 4 SEC; APERTURE: F/14; ISO: 50; FOCAL LENGTH: 24 MM of the Santa Cruz River. However, climate change, agriculture, min- BY ROBERT STIEVE BACK COVER Sprucetop grama grass ing, groundwater-pumping and drought have left much of the river 48 LOCAL FLAVOR (Bouteloua chondrosioides) grows at dry. That’s where Claire Zugmeyer comes in. The 36-year-old ecol- Canelo Hills Cienega, a National Natural ogist is working to protect and restore the river’s watershed, with An excerpt from our new cookbook. Landmark southeast of Sonoita. the help of wastewater-treatment plants in and around Tucson. EDITED BY KELLY VAUGHN | EIRINI PAJAK

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL MARKOW CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MARK II; BY KATHY MONTGOMERY SHUTTER: 1/200 SEC; APERTURE: F/5; PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN BURCHAM ISO: 320; FOCAL LENGTH: 100 MM

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

JOHN BURCHAM The Coolest Squirrel in the World Photographer John Burcham has been in Flagstaff for 20 years and hiked “a fair amount” in the Grand Can- NOVEMBER 2015 VOL. 91, NO. 11 ray squirrels, red squirrels, fox an option. Too remote. of Historic Places. But yon, but he’d never been to Phantom Ranch before 800-543-5432 going there to photograph the ranch staff (seeDesert squirrels ... the backyard of my Too rugged. don’t equate history www.arizonahighways.com G boyhood home was ruled by Salt River Canyon is with hardship. Oasis, page 34). “A lot of visitors just see them in the PUBLISHER Win Holden squirrels. There were a lot of blue jays, rugged, too. Although “Compared to the background,” Burcham says, “so it was cool to hang too, and cardinals, but the backyard it’s not a designated primitive camping EDITOR Robert Stieve out with the people behind the scenes and see how was a legion of squirrels. Cartel might be landmark, by any required anywhere ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, they keep things running.” Burcham’s other assign-

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero CHRIS TATUM a better word, because of the way the other measure, it’s else below the rim,” ment for this issue took him down south, where he MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn squirrels tyrannized the birds on our spectacular. Some Annette McGivney helped document restoration efforts along the Santa Cruz River (seeCruz Control, page ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin bird feeders. No matter what deterrents even say the view of writes in Desert Oasis, 28). “We went to four different sections of the river, in places like Tucson and Tubac,” Bur- EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel were put in place, they were always tor- the canyon from U.S. “a night at the lodge cham says. “A lot of it is really pretty, and I enjoyed tagging along with these biologists PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida menting the chickadees and nuthatches. Route 60 is the most is hardly roughing it. and watching them do their stuff.” Burcham is a regular contributor toArizona Highways, CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney It was survival of the fittest, I get it, but dramatic in the state. Here, in a place that is and when we spoke to him, he was preparing for a shoot on the Grand Canyon’s North I never had much affection for squirrels. For all its majesty, the only accessible by foot, ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney Rim for a story in the magazine next year. Not until I saw a Kaibab squirrel on the canyon doesn’t draw mule or raft, you can DESIGN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Diana Benzel-Rice MAP DESIGNER North Rim of the Grand Canyon. a crowd. Most people MARKOW PAUL sleep in a soft bed with Kevin Kibsey PAUL MARKOW Its big tufted ears caught my eye. And just drive through on their way to the clean sheets, take a hot shower, fill your PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi Paul Markow admits he’s not much of a foodie: “My so did its fluffy white tail. It looked so White Mountains. But not Shane McDer- ice bucket and enjoy a cold beer after a WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow favorite restaurants have drive-up windows,” he jokes. different from the oppressors I grew up mott. He spent almost a year in the can- steak dinner.” CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman But that didn’t stop him from driving nearly 6,000 with. It was cool. And I was intrigued. yon shooting this month’s portfolio. What’s even more impressive is that FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen miles over a five-month period in 2014 to make all of It would be another 25 years before I’d “I never realized how big the place is,” the entire operation is run by only OPERATIONS/IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis the photographs in Arizona’s Best Recipes, our new learn that Kaibab squirrels aren’t just he says. “I could have used a couple of 17 people. You’ll meet some of them in cookbook. You can see some of those photos, along cool, they’re also protected as a National years to photograph it.” our story, which offers a glimpse into CORPORATE OR TRADE SALES 602-712-2019 with a few recipes from the book, in this issue (see Natural Landmark. Before this assignment, Shane had their secluded world. “It takes a spe- SPONSORSHIP SALES Local Flavor, page 48). Markow grew up working REPRESENTATION On Media Publications If you’re scratching your head, you’re never been to Salt River Canyon. He cial person to fit in here,” says Joseph Lesley Bennett for his father, Robert, who founded Phoenix’s first not alone. Until recently, no one at the hadn’t even looked at photos of it. Moullet, one of the staff members. “You 602-445-7160 custom photo lab and has been called the “Dean of JACQUES BARBEY magazine had ever heard of that pro- “I wanted to discover it for myself and have to be flexible with your living and Arizona Photographers.” From there, the younger Markow says, the family business grew gram, either. Turns out, it’s been around have it be fresh,” he says. “My goal for working conditions.” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] into his passion. He first photographed forArizona Highways in the mid-1970s and is a 2039 W. Lewis Avenue regular contributor today, in addition to being a successful commercial photographer. since 1962, and its mission is “to encour- the whole project was to be adventurous. The trade-off, of course, is that you get Phoenix, AZ 85009 age the preservation of sites illustrating I used Google Earth a lot and put my to live and work in the heart of a natural Shooting a book, though, is a “bucket list” item that he hopes will stand the test of time. “Ad campaigns come and go,” Markow says, “but a book will always be around.” the geological and ecological character of four-wheel-drive to the test.” For one wonder — a World Heritage site that can GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey the United States.” There are 597 National shot, he even hacked through tamarisks be seen from outer space. And if that’s DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT Natural Landmarks across the country, with a machete to get the right angle. not enough, the coolest squirrel in the OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski SHANE McDERMOTT

including 10 in Arizona. As you’ll see in Another Grand Canyon, world lives just a few miles away. Right ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION Shane McDermott’s portfolio in this issue (see Another Grand Canyon, page 16) began as Kaibab squirrels were added to the list his efforts paid off. Shane bushwhacked up there on the North Rim. BOARD CHAIRMAN Kelly O. Anderson a conversation with Photo Editor Jeff Kida in June 2014. “Jeff said he and Robert [Stieve] in 1965 because they represent “a classic to places no other photographers have VICE CHAIRMAN Joseph E. La Rue had been pondering a portfolio of Salt River Canyon for a while, but they couldn’t find a example of evolution through geographic been, and came back with a collection MEMBERS William Cuthbertson photographer who was the right fit,” McDermott says. “The more Jeff and I talked, the isolation.” Here’s the short version of of images that mesmerized an editorial Deanna Beaver more it became obvious he felt I was the right fit.” McDermott does most of his work in what happened: At one time, Kaibab team that isn’t easily wowed. But wow. Jack W. Sellers Northern Arizona and had never been to the canyon, but he quickly became acquainted squirrels and Abert’s squirrels were one Enjoy the photos, because unless you’ve Michael S. Hammond with its sprawling geography and relatively unexplored nature. He visited the canyon species on the South Rim of the Canyon. been trained as a Navy SEAL, seeing it Pliny M. Draper seven times between September 2014 and May of this year, photographing a different Then, at some point, some of the squir- like he did isn’t really an option. It’s too area each time. “By going there in Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published monthly by different seasons, I got to see it in rels wandered to the North Rim and took rugged. Instead, you might want to fol- the Arizona Department of Transportation. Subscription price: on a new identity. Today, they’re recog- low in the footsteps of John Burcham. $24 a year in the U.S., $44 outside the U.S. Single copy: $4.99 U.S. different conditions,” McDermott Call 800-543-5432. Subscription cor­respon­dence and change says. “But I never realized just how nized as a unique species. John recently hiked into the Grand of address information: Arizona Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big DAVID MUENCH DAVID In Natural Selections, you’ll learn more Canyon for us. He was there to shoot Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ, big the place is. I could have used about Kaibab squirrels, along with the Phantom Ranch, which is arguably the COMING IN DECEMBER ... and at additional mailing office. CANADA POST INTERNATIONAL a couple of years to photograph PUBLICATIONS MAIL PRODUCT (CANADIAN­ DISTRIBUTION) other nine landmarks, including Comb best place in the world to spend a night. Our annual “postcard to the world,” fea- SALES AGREEMENT NO. 41220511. SEND RETURNS TO QUAD/ it.” Salt River isn’t the only canyon Ridge, which is home to the only known Unlike El Tovar, Old Faithful Inn and the turing the remarkable work of legendary GRAPHICS, P.O. BOX 875, WINDSOR, ON N9A 6P2. POST­MASTER: close to McDermott’s heart: He’s in Send address changes to Arizona Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big tritylodont fossils in North America. Of other iconic park lodges, Phantom sits photographer and longtime Arizona High- Sandy, TX 75755-8521. Copy­right © 2015 by the Ari­zona Depart- the process of donating photos to all the places on the list, Comb Ridge is in isolation in the middle of one of the ways contributor David Muench. ment of Trans­­por­­tation. Repro­duc­tion in whole or in part with­­out the Grand Canyon Trust for use in permission is prohibited. The magazine does not accept and is not the most remote. On paper, it’s open to Seven Natural Wonders of the World. responsible for unsolicited­ mater­ ials.­ a campaign against the proposed the public, with proper permits from the The views are breathtaking, and the ROBERT STIEVE, EDITOR Grand Canyon Escalade project. PRODUCED IN THE USA

Navajo Nation, but, realistically, it’s not ranch itself is on the National Register Follow me on Twitter: @azhighways — NOAH AUSTIN RICK GOLDWASSER

2 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 3 letters to the editor [email protected] THE JOURNAL 11.15 very month, when the mailman delivers Arizona Highways to my home here in Illinois, my first BEST national parks centennial > history > photography thoughts are: Why do I still subscribe? What is left for PICTURE iconic photographers > dining > nature > lodging > things to do E your photographers to chase down in Arizona after all these years? And then, as I thumbed through my September 2015 And the winner is ... Peter Coskun of Phoenix. It’s not the first time we’ve been impressed 2015 issue, I found out why. Words cannot describe those with his work. Peter was an honorable- mention winner in 2013, and last year, his photo of Lost Dutchman State Park was our remaining “wonders” yet to be photographed. I used to Facebook Fan Favorite. Narrowing thousands of entries to a single image isn’t easy, but when the final vote was tallied, he was the live in Southern Arizona, but World War II interrupted winner of our seventh annual photo contest. EDITED BY JEFF KIDA & KEITH WHITNEY my lifestyle and changed my life forever. I am still a “des- GRAND-PRIZE WINNER Mountain Minions, by Peter Coskun Sunrise illuminates teddy bear chollas and ocotillos in the rugged Kofa Mountains of Western Arizona. “This is one of the nicest photos I’ve seen from the Kofas,” says Photo Editor Jeff Kida. “There’s plenty of detail and texture in the foreground and background, and the dead ocotillo in the foreground forms a triangle that leads the viewer up into the payoff: the ert rat,” though, and return every year. rising sun behind the mountain. It’s a well-framed and complete photograph that tells a story.” Camera: Canon EOS 6D; Shutter: 1/15 sec; Aperture: f/16; ISO: 100; Focal Length: 19 mm Bob Howell, Washington, Illinois 30 SEPTEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 31 September 2015

’ve been thoroughly engrossed in your your having to select a winner. Great diately thought to write when the beauti- I current Photo Issue [September 2015]. work on two beautiful issues that will ful Salt River wild horses’ fate came into Sedona Rocks I do have a question: In the magnifi- remain in our home for quite a while. question, but you had already started The placid water of Oak Creek cent portfolio by Bill Hatcher and Tyler Keith Godshall, Souderton, Pennsylvania to bring their story to light. The e-book mirrors Sedona’s iconic Williams [The Mighty Colorado: It’s Not What is a beautiful tribute to the horses, and Cathedral Rock. “I wanted to do You’re Thinking], a mention was made of wanted to thank you for a poignant I hope it will make people realize that something a bit different from the proposed development at the con- I piece titled The Blue [July 2015], a place we cannot just get rid of these amazing the normal take on this iconic fluence of the Little Colorado with the near to our hearts (we ranch on its south- animals. location,” photographer Adam Grand Canyon’s Colorado River. I have ern periphery). While I politely reject Brenda Rentuma, San Tan Valley, Arizona Schallau says. “Once I found the not heard anything about it lately, and your political conclusions, I commend boulders, I knew I had my shot.” I’m wondering what the status is. This is you for capturing the aura and mystique he article Sky Marshal [July 2015] | ADAM SCHALLAU an affront and totally outrageous to the of a wild and evocative place. Federal T brought back recollections of my To learn more about Sedona, call special place, solitude, beauty, peace ... “protection” is certainly one of many first assignment after weather-observer 928-282-7722 or visit www.visit well, I could go on and on, but you know possible tools to maintain a landscape in training at Luke Air Force Base in July sedona.com. what I mean. Is there anything one can status quo. I’m not at all convinced, how- 1953. Shortly before my arrival at Luke, CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MARK II; do to keep this from happening: peti- ever, that it is the only — let alone most the Thunderbirds aerobatic team was SHUTTER: 6 SEC; APERTURE: F/16; ISO: 100; tions, letters to someone, anything at all? effective — option we can muster. formed. They practiced on Saturday FOCAL LENGTH: 55 MM Marylee Peterson, Tucson I invite you to come visit our distant part mornings to avoid flight conflicts with of the state and see what coalitions of training flights. Often, Thunderbirds EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you for your kind words, ranchers, environmentalists, capitalists flew overhead repeatedly until their con- Marylee. A good place to look for updates on and conservationists have done to pro- trails covered the sky, which required the proposed development is www.savethe mote the conservation and stewardship me to file weather observations every confluence.com. of our state’s stunning working landscapes. 15 minutes. That group’s pilots were vet- Paul Schwennesen, Clifton, Arizona erans of combat missions over Korea. As he Photo Issue [September 2015] and they filed flight plans at the base weather T photo contest [Best Picture 2015] were like your Hike of the Month department. station, they teased duty forecasters fantastic. There’s nothing like a profes- I I lived in Flagstaff in the ’60s and ’70s. about expected weather for the duration sional photo straight from the camera. In those days, a bus ran up to O’Leary of their flights. Our forecasters were fre- It’s a stark contrast to other publica- Peak [August 2015] several times a day. quently called, among other expressions, tions that glorify images modified with We would ride up, and most of us would “weather guessers.” Ninety-nine percent Photoshop. Keep up the good work! hike back down. of the time, the weather on their practice Jim Murphy, Highlands Ranch, Colorado Al Wheelock, Peoria, Arizona days was clear with unlimited visibility. It must have been a sad day when the our August and September issues have lived in Arizona now six years and Thunderbirds were moved to Las Vegas. Ydelivered a magnificent one-two I subscribed as soon as I discovered your Skip White, Portland, Oregon punch of stunning photography. I was magazine. Arizona Highways is more than still reveling in the Best of Arizona issue just an ordinary magazine covering the contact us If you have thoughts or com- [August 2015] when the Photo Issue sights of our state. It’s also breathtaking ments about anything in Arizona Highways, we’d [September 2015] arrived to match it photos and heartwarming stories honor- love to hear from you. We can be reached at editor@ arizonahighways.com, or by mail at 2039 W. Lewis in content. While I envy your work of ing those who have made an impact in Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. For more information, scouring through photos, I don’t envy their community and our state. I imme- visit www.arizonahighways.com.

4 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 5 national parks centennial � �

EDITOR’S NOTE: In August 2016, the National Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Leading up to that milestone, we’ll be spotlighting some of Arizona’s wonderful national parks. ARIZONA STATE LIBRARY, ARCHIVESARIZONA AND PUBLIC STATE RECORDS Tourists admire a cluster of mature saguaros at Saguaro National Monument — now a national park — in the 1940s. SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

n March 1, 1933, in the last days of his presidency, Herbert Hoover signed a proclamation establishing THE JOURNAL Saguaro National Monument in the nearly empty desert O 15 miles east of the sleepy town of Tucson. Wrenched by the Great Depression and awaiting a new administration, few in Washington paid any attention to Hoover’s action. But it was a vic- tory for botanists and boosters in Arizona who’d worked for years to protect the Sonoran Desert’s premier stand of saguaros. Today, Saguaro National Park protects approximately 1.6 million saguaros in its two zones — the park is bisected by the city of Tucson. The best way to see the saguaros is to hike along the park’s 165 miles of trails. While you’re out there, watch your step — under- foot might be young saguaros, which grow a mere inch and a half during their first eight years. Only when saguaros reach 50 years old (or older, depending on precipitation) do they begin to sprout the spindly limbs that make them a worldwide icon of the American West. In general, saguaros can reach 50 feet tall, weigh more than 6 tons and live for 175 years or longer. — KAYLA FROST

YEAR DESIGNATED: 1933 (national monument), 1961 (western zone added), 1994 (national park) AREA: 91,442 acres Along with leafy ocotillos, the name- WILDERNESS ACREAGE: 70,905 acres sake cactuses of Saguaro National ANNUAL VISITATION: 673,572 (2014) Park frame a distant monsoon storm AVERAGE ELEVATION: 4,767 feet in the park’s western section. | GEORGE STOCKING www.nps.gov/sagu

6 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 7 history photography � � � �

Vail Post Office Once part of the national Railway Mail Service, the Vail post office sold stamps and served customers from 1901 to 1973. Today, a group of citizens is hoping to restore the old building.

humble adobe building on national Railway Mail Service. A tal- attended the Territory’s Democratic Colossal Cave Road in Vail ented postal clerk aboard the train convention in Tucson. Schley rebuilt the stands as a reminder of its would snag outgoing mail from a crane store using sturdier stuff: adobe bricks, A community’s pre-statehood with a hook and hurl incoming mail stone rubble, shipping crates and mate- days. The former post office served as from the moving train. rial salvaged from the original. It has a general store, stage stop and water- The rugged board-and-batten build- stood for more than 100 years. ing hole at what once was an important ing — by then a store, post office and Mary Jane Warner, the longest-serv- crossroads. tavern — burned in a 1908 fire while ing postmaster, held that position from Originally called Vail’s Siding, the Vail’s second postmaster, Otto Schley, 1934 until the U.S. Postal Service decom- unincorporated community missioned the building in owes its existence to the South- 1973. Warner was the daugh- ern Pacific Railroad. “Siding” ter of the previous postmas- referred to the siding track ter, Dovie Woolsey, who came built alongside the main line to Vail when her car, loaded to allow east-west trains to with her four children and all pass. Walter and Edward Vail the family’s possessions, ran deeded the Southern Pacific a out of gas at the post office. right of way through their land Warner took over after Wool- in the 1880s. sey’s death. The original store stood mid- When the post office way on the stage line between closed, it was used for a time Tucson and the mining town as a feed store and general The Salt River flows between verdant hills and jagged rocks. |SHANE McDERMOTT of Helvetia in the Santa Rita store, then for storage. The THE JOURNAL Mountains. The railroad built Vail Preservation Society a passenger station at Vail in hopes to buy, restore and Vantage Points 1900, and in 1901, it became return the building to its Photo Editor Jeff Kida and photographer Shane McDermott discuss a rail post office, part of the place as a gathering spot at the heart of the community. this month’s stunning portfolio of Salt River Canyon. Mary Jane Warner, Vail’s longtime — KATHY MONTGOMERY postmaster, works at the Vail post JK: You had never visited Salt River SM: This was about 12 miles in from U.S. JK: This was shot in March, and the office in the 1940s or ’50s. Warner succeeded her mother as postmaster. To learn more, visit Canyon before this assignment (see Route 60, but the last 3 miles were a seri- green hills juxtapose beautifully with | VAIL PRESERVATION SOCIETY www.vailpreservationsociety.org. Another Grand Canyon, page 16). How ous drop into the canyon. It’s a very rough the rock in the foreground. Was that did you get ready for it? and steep road; you need a high-clearance intentional? SM: When I started preparing, I intention- vehicle to get in there, and I ended up SM: Yes. That was a huge slab of rock, ally didn’t look up photos of the canyon. having to lock the differential to get out. probably 40 feet high — it goes up a lot ARIZONA HIGHWAYS this ■ On November 5, burglars ransack 1928, putting an end In November 1965, I wanted to discover it for myself and have Additionally, I had to climb a steep scree farther than what I showed here — and 1915, Arizona receives the Modern Store in to a six-year fight and 50 Years Ago Arizona Highways it be fresh and new. My goal for the whole slope to get to this vantage point. 25 feet across. It was so beautifully its first airmail as avia- Nogales. The thieves saving the “A” on the featured the Sonoran project was to be adventurous. I used textured, almost like a polished granite month Desert, taking readers tor Katherine Stinson make off with plenty side of the mountain. Google Earth a lot and put my four- JK: What made you think there was a countertop. I love the composition. drops letters near the of clothes, including ■ Red Cross volun- on a journey to Organ in history wheel-drive to the test. worthwhile shot down there? Tucson post office. 72 silk petticoats and teers give out 5,000 Pipe Cactus National SM: From the highway, I could see a tiny ■ Two Tucson televi- 10 union suits (long masks on November Monument with JK: How did you use Google Earth? piece of the river. I knew it had potential, so sion stations, KVOA underwear). 23, 1918, after the Tuc- photos of its stately SM: It’s a useful tool. It gives me a crude rep- I just kept working my way down toward and KOPO, receive ■ The Department of son Board of Health, blooming cactuses. approval to operate the Interior recogniz- facing an influenza The issue also intro- resentation of what I might see. For example, it. Also, it’s such a sketchy road. I know I’m on November 13, 1952. es Tucson’s claim to epidemic, orders that duced readers to the when I found Horseshoe Bend, I had scouted not the only one who’s gone back there, ADDITIONAL READING ■ On the night of ownership of Sentinel no one go out in pub- proposed Sonoran that vantage point on Google Earth. but it’s not well traveled. It just led me to Look for our book Arizona Highways Photography Guide, available at believe there was a unique part of the can- November 15, 1915, Peak on November 18, lic without a mask. Desert National Park. bookstores and www.shoparizona JK: Tell me about the photo above. yon that hadn’t been photographed much. highways.com/books.

8 NOVEMBER 2015 To learn more about photography, visit www.arizonahighways.com/photography. www.arizonahighways.com 9 iconic photographers � � THE JOURNAL ARIZONA HIGHWAYS ARCHIVES HIGHWAYS ARIZONA WILLIS PETERSON

any kids catch bugs or lizards, but never tired of photographing animals in their Willis Peterson, who grew up in natural environments. His works have appeared Colorado in the 1920s and ’30s, went in exhibits around the U.S. and in London, and in M for the big creatures: rabbits, squir- magazines such as National Geographic, Audu- rels, skunks and, once, a badger. He kept them bon and, of course, Arizona Highways. For 13 years, all in his backyard. Not surprisingly, Peterson’s Peterson was a photojournalist for The Arizona mother tried to nudge him into a new hobby, so Republic. He also started the photography pro- she bought him a camera for his 14th birthday. He gram at Glendale Community College, where he immediately took to photographing the wildlife loved working with his students on their photo- he caught, unwittingly beginning his decades- graphs as much as he loved making his own art. long career as a nature photographer. Peterson is now in his 90s. He lives in Clarkdale Peterson, who moved to Arizona in 1943, has with his wife. — KAYLA FROST

ABOVE: Willis Peterson wrote in 1961 that being a successful wildlife photographer requires “a three-way mixture of technical skill, desire and an innate zeal to portray life.”

RIGHT: Peterson’s photograph of a bighorn sheep in the Kofa Mountains appeared in the April 1977 issue of Arizona Highways. In an accompanying essay, Peterson

called the sheep “one of nature’s great symbols of freedom.” WILLIS PETERSON

10 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 11 dining nature � � � �

Harry’s Hideaway Loggerhead There’s a reason Harry’s Hideaway is a local favorite in Cornville. Shrikes Actually, there are many reasons, including the pulled-pork sandwiches, The “logger- ou might call loggerhead shrikes head” name the shoestring fries and the chocolate salad. comes from (Lanius ludovicianus) the merce- the unusually naries of the songbird world. They large size of Y scan the ground for prey from the birds’ A PATCH ON HARRY OLSON’S UNIFORM READS, Hideaway in the out-of-the-way commu- and served on a brioche bun. Order elevated perches, and when they spot their heads. “Have Chef, Will Travel.” And Olson nity of Cornville, southwest of Sedona. it with the shoestring fries; you won’t prey, they dive in, using the built-in points certainly has. He and his wife, Adele, It’s quickly become a local favorite, not regret it. on their beaks to jab the prey in the nape met as computer programmers in their just among Cornville residents, but also Other popular items include rata- of its neck, at the spinal cord, and paralyze native Chicago and later for those in Sedona, Prescott and even touille (“I have to offer something for it. They can carry animals their own size in cornville opened Burgundy Bistro Flagstaff. That’s by design: Harry says those vegetarians,” Harry says), the New their feet — they transport smaller prey in in a Windy City suburb. the menu, which features few items more Orleans-style crab cake and the shrimp their beaks — and will impale larger prey on They ran the restaurant for 16 years, but than $20, is “priced for locals, and if we Albear appetizer. The latter — sautéed thorns or barbed wire to immobilize it. They after one of their customers relocated to get tourists, that’s just icing on the cake.” shrimp in olive oil, with garlic, paprika, also impale poisonous prey in this way, waiting up to three days before eating it to Arizona, “when he came back to visit, it But the food is the real key to the self- chile de árbol and a Cuban seasoning allow the toxins to break down. was all he talked about,” Adele says. taught chef’s success. Take the pulled- Harry buys in Miami — is named after a Their wings During mating season, the males court are black, The Olsons decided to check out the pork sandwich: Harry dry-rubs a pork Cuban exile who was an anesthesiologist females by feeding them and performing with white at state for themselves. Ultimately, they shoulder with his own spice blend, then in Chicago and a regular customer at the a flight display. Once nesting starts, both the bases of left behind Chicago’s gray skies and slowly roasts it for at least six hours. The Olsons’ restaurant there. “He was miss- the primary sexes gather materials to construct the feathers. settled in the Village of Oak Creek, and sandwich is a half-pound of pork covered ing Cuban food, so we collaborated with nest, but the females build the nests on in September 2010, they opened Harry’s with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce him on this dish,” Harry says. their own, which often takes about a week. There’s also a stable of rotating spe- They’ll build their nests in areas with thorny cials, one of which, the chocolate salad, vegetation, ranging from trees and shrubs has been making a compelling case for to piles of brush or tumbleweeds. the everyday menu. It’s mixed greens, Thorns are characteristic of loggerhead strawberries, mandarin oranges, goat shrikes’ territory, as the birds often live in cheese and walnuts, drizzled with choc- open areas that have short, spiny, well- olate vinaigrette made with olive oil from spaced vegetation. Those include agricul- THE JOURNAL tural fields, pastures, orchards, savannas, Queen Creek Olive Mill. And don’t leave prairies, golf courses and even cemeteries. without ordering a local beer or glass of The birds are common throughout Arizona wine, or without trying the chocolate- and the southern half of the United States, mousse cups, ice cream or other desserts, and can often be seen on fence posts, all of which are made from scratch. power lines and other elevated perches. While Burgundy Bistro was all about — MOLLY BILKER BRUCE (2) D. TAUBERT fine dining, the Olsons aimed for a more casual feel with Harry’s. The small, homey restaurant is warm and inviting, from the comfortable indoor booths to nature factoid the shaded patio. And Adele and a server keep drinks flowing and diners satisfied. SPADEFOOT TOADS As Harry talks about his labor of love, Aptly named, spadefoot toads he’s interrupted by a regular customer spend the majority of the year in who congratulates him on his recent underground burrows they dig with their hind legs and bony, shovel-like weight loss. So how does he keep the feet. Four species live in Arizona: weight off while cooking up all this the Couch’s (pictured), Great Basin, mouthwatering food? “A lot of willpower,” southern and plains spadefoots. They are characterized by their he says, laughing. “And sometimes I call stocky, round bodies; their smooth Adele over to taste the stuff.” — NOAH AUSTIN skin; and their uniquely vertical pu- pils, which set them apart from most other toad species. Spadefoot toads Harry’s Hideaway is located at 10990 E. Cornville can be found in desert-scrub and Road, Suite C, in Cornville. It’s open Tuesdays through grassland environments throughout Saturdays for lunch and dinner. For more information, Arizona. — MOLLY BILKER

PAUL MARKOW PAUL call 928-639-2222 or visit www.harryshideaway.com.

12 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 13 lodging � � PAUL MARKOW PAUL Westward Motel

RANDE WOLTERS SPENT 25 YEARS OF HIS LIFE Historic Route 66. He’s since completed a the McMullen Valley’s desert views. The on the road, working for rock bands and massive renovation of the entire property Westward isn’t what you’d expect to find living in hotels. After he and turned one of the rooms into a common in a tiny Western Arizona town, and that’s THE JOURNAL salome left that line of work, he area with a full kitchen for guests to use. exactly how Wolters likes it: “We don’t do says, “I wanted something The four remaining guest rooms feature gas anything normal. That’s our goal.” that was totally different.” In the mid-2000s, fireplaces for chilly Sonoran Desert winters, — NOAH AUSTIN Wolters bought Salome’s five-room West- along with plush beds, antique furniture and The Westward Motel is located at 66915 Avenue C in ward Motel, which dates to 1942, because Wi-Fi. But visitors often spend much of their Salome. For more information, call 208-610-3516 or it reminded him of the iconic spots along time relaxing on the veranda and enjoying visit www.thewestwardmotel.com.

things to do in arizona � � Arts and Crafts Festival Bluegrass Festival features rides of varying length Events include ice-skating, live November 6-8, Tubac November 13-15, Wickenburg (the longest is 104 miles) and entertainment and carriage More than 100 juried artists This event at the Everett is open to novice, intermediate, rides. Information: www. and crafters from around the Bowman Rodeo Grounds advanced and professional glendaleaz.com/glitters country will exhibit their work includes continuous music by cyclists. Routes show off the — just in time for holiday shop- noted bluegrass bands and city’s beautiful views of the Photo Workshop: ping. Information: 520-398- contestants competing in Sonoran Desert. Information: Balloon Festival 2704 or www.tubacaz.com 13 categories for prizes and 520-745-2033 or www. January 15-17, Lake Havasu City cash awards. Limited reserved perimeterbicycling.com Join Arizona Highways contribu- Beer Festival camping is available. Informa- tor Kerrick James to photograph November 7, Lake Havasu City tion: 928-684-5479 or www. Glendale Glitters a three-day hot-air-balloon The 11th annual Chillin ’N Swillin facebook.com/wickenburgaz November 28-January 10, festival over picturesque Lake event at Rotary Community Park bluegrass Glendale Havasu, along with skydiv- features more than 40 hand- This multi-weekend event is ers, neon lights and the lake’s crafted and premium beers. El Tour de Tucson centered on downtown Glen- reflections of historic London Information: www.golake November 21, Tucson dale, where 1.5 million holiday Bridge. Information: 888-790- havasu.com This massive cycling event lights will cover a 16-block area. 7042 or www.ahpw.org

14 NOVEMBER 2015 For more events, visit www.arizonahighways.com/events. Some say the view from U.S. Route 60, where the steep road crosses Salt River Canyon, is the most dramatic in the state — keep in mind, Arizona is home to another canyon, one that can be seen from outer space. Whether it’s best or not is debatable, but there’s no doubt the state’s lesser-known gorge is spectacular. That’s why we gave our photographer more than a year to ANOTHER capture its beauty. GRAND CANYON A portfolio by SHANE McDERMOTT

16 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 17 Preceding panel: Cibecue Creek, a major Salt River tributary, joins the river at the bottom of Salt River Canyon. “I made this photo in early spring,” photographer Shane McDermott says, “but I didn’t know it was Cibecue Creek at the time. I wanted to hike up the creek, but the debris from the spring runoff was too big and the water was too deep and fast. I got about two-thirds of the way to Cibecue Falls before turning back.”

Above: The brown water of the Salt River winds around one of the river’s many bends. “This was my very first trip to the canyon, in the fall of 2014,” McDermott says. “This vantage point isn’t far from U.S. Route 60, but it’s tricky to get to. That whole trip, the skies were just awesome, and I photographed numerous nice rainbows.”

Right: Lichen-covered hoodoos rise from a hillside overlooking the river. “I found these using Google Earth,” McDermott says. “To reach them, I had to go past the hoodoos, then back up and around, before following a tiny dirt track to a mesa where I could access them. I camped up there for a couple of nights.”

18 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 19 The Colorado isn’t the only Arizona river with a Horseshoe Bend, as McDermott discovered. “I consider this one of the ‘gem’ finds from this project,” he says. “This was at sunrise, and the light made it so dynamic. I explored this whole area, including beating my way through tamarisks with a machete to get to the orange cliffs on the left side of the photo.”

20 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 21 A placid pool along a small Salt River tributary reflects surrounding saguaros and rocks. “I think this creek runs year-round,” McDermott says, “because I photographed it in late spring, when it was very hot. I stayed there for two days, swimming and making photos.”

22 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 23 “I’m a sucker for big vistas,” McDermott says. “I made this shot about 7 miles from U.S. 60. I liked how the dirt road followed the river around the bend.”

24 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 25 Left: McDermott made this photo while he was on his way to the canyon from Globe. “I was going down U.S. 60, watching the clouds and hoping for a rainbow,” he says. “When I saw this, I stopped and ran across the highway. The saguaro in the foreground caught my eye, so I backed up a little to adjust the shot and incorporate the saguaro into the composition.”

Above: On McDermott’s final trip to the canyon, in May of this year, he finally made it to Cibecue Falls. “I’m so glad I didn’t see photos of this before I visited it,” he says. “I wanted to discover it for myself — not just set up my tripod in everyone else’s holes. The big overhangs close to the waterfall give a sense of being deep in the canyon. I’d love to do it again when the water is clearer, but I still think it’s really cool.”

26 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 27 Cruz Control For more than 11,000 years, people have lived along the watershed of the Santa Cruz River. However, climate change, agriculture, mining, groundwater-pumping and drought have left much of the river dry. That’s where Claire Zugmeyer comes in. The 36-year-old ecologist is working to protect and restore the river’s watershed, with the help of wastewater- treatment plants in and around Tucson.

BY KATHY MONTGOMERY PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN BURCHAM

N A WARM FALL MORNING, two teams of biologists creep slowly along the Ecologists Scott Bonar ankle-deep water of the Santa Cruz River in Marana, just north of Tucson. Mid- and Claire Zugmeyer use a large net to catch fish morning sun glints off the ripples of the braided stream as an electronic whine during a Santa Cruz River pulses through the air like a car alarm. fish survey, which provides Along the river’s banks, one member of each team probes the water under the a snapshot of the river’s overhanging grasses with a long wand attached to an electroshocking unit — a ongoing recovery. Olarge, square backpack with a slender tail that drags behind in the water. Two “netters” flank each operator, with a fourth person following behind, carrying a bucket. The electronic pulses lure tiny mosquitofish toward the anode, which temporarily paralyzes them so they can be netted, placed into buckets and counted.

28 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 29 So begins the Sonoran Institute’s annual fish survey of the lower Santa Cruz River. Lean and fresh-faced, wearing hip-high waders and a wide-brimmed hat, 36-year-old ecologist Claire Zugmeyer leads the group, assembled from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Pima County and the University of Arizona. Over the next few months, Zugmeyer will analyze and incorporate data from the survey into the institute’s Living River report series. The annual report documents the river’s health along a 23-mile stretch of the lower Santa Cruz using 16 indicators, the presence and types of fish being among them. For more than 11,000 years, people have lived, farmed, mined and “We’re so linked to ranched along the watershed of the Santa Cruz, one of the continent’s longest-inhabited regions. They’ve pumped the groundwater that feeds water, wherever there the river and diverted its flow. Stretches that once flowed year-round have long since run dry, except during storms. But in a surprising way, the people who live along the river are beginning to give back some of was water you’re what’s been lost. Three wastewater-treatment plants discharge as much as 60 million going to find people. gallons of effluent into the river each day, supporting about 40 miles of precious riparian habitat and its fish, birds and other species. Thinking about that More than 46 organizations have worked to protect and restore the river’s watershed. The Tucson-based Sonoran

Institute, which has been working in the OPPOSITE PAGE: Sonoran has been the biggest watershed for 25 years, is documenting the Institute ecologist Claire Zugmeyer river’s comeback and leading some pioneer- says protecting the Santa Cruz comes down to how humans surprise: how much ing efforts to help that process along. manage and conserve water. RIGHT, ABOVE: A member of the ROM THE AIR, the Santa Cruz resem- survey team uses an instrument to we’re part of the bles a fishhook. From its headwaters measure the river’s pH levels. in Southern Arizona’s San Rafael Val- RIGHT, BELOW: Recent F efforts have allowed the longfin ley, the river flows south into Mexico, pass- landscape in our dace, a native fish species, to ing the village that gave the river its name, thrive in the river’s upper section. history, how before making a U-turn and flowing north into the United States, past Nogales, Rio Rico, Mission San José de Tumacácori and Tubac Presidio, all of them we shaped it.” located where they are because of the river. From Green Valley, the Santa Cruz once flowed through the Great — Claire Zugmeyer Mesquite Forest, the largest known mesquite bosque in the country, before reaching Mission San Xavier del Bac. The forest is gone — likely the victim of overharvesting, groundwater-pumping, mining, agricul- ture and the deepening of the river channel, thanks in part to a Welsh immigrant named Sam Hughes. In the 1880s, Hughes cut a ditch perpendicular to the river near what is now St. Mary’s Road in Tucson, intending to tap into the water table to irrigate farmland. But after a series of storms, the ditch eroded 9 miles to San Xavier del Bac, taking with it prime agricultural land and deepening the river channel. That helped lower the water table, decreasing the river’s flow. As a result, the river no longer flows near the mission or downtown Tucson. A dike south of Martinez Hill, built in 1915, channeled the river into its present course. But Hughes wasn’t the first to use this method for irrigation. Archaeologists believe the Hohokam people may have done something similar long before. From Martinez Hill, located on Tohono O’odham land, the river now continues downstream through Tucson, past where ancient Hohokam

30 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 31 Montana; Glenwood Springs, Colorado; and Mexicali, and enhances the washes that feed the river. Another 800 households Mexico, in addition to Phoenix and its headquarters donate via their water bills. in Tucson. One of the institute’s first projects was The improved washes filter pollutants before they end up in the river to help conserve land along the headwaters of the and create green areas where people can enjoy the visible results of Santa Cruz in the San Rafael Valley. It also worked to their donations. Participants have saved more than 6 million gallons of establish Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, water and raised more than $40,000, funding seven projects. protecting another of the river’s tributaries. Finally, the Sonoran Institute co-sponsors Research Days, an annual These days, the institute focuses on the effluent- event that grew out of research at Tumacácori National Historical Park. dependent stretches of the river and its tributaries, The two-day event allows people and organizations doing research which include the upper Santa Cruz, between Rio along the river to share their findings. Rico and Amado, and the lower Santa Cruz, between It was during one of those events that Pima County learned of the northwest Tucson and Marana. It started the Living institute’s Living River series, which happened to record conditions River series after trees began dying along an 8-mile along the upper Santa Cruz just before upgrades to the Nogales treat- section of the river in 2005. ment plant. “It surprised a lot of people,” Zugmeyer says. “The second report was during the upgrades, and the third report “Because it seemed to happen overnight. At that point was a full year after,” Zugmeyer says. “So we had this really nice they started thinking, If we keep track of things on a regu- ‘before,’ ‘during’ and ‘after.’ ” lar basis, we might be more prepared for these kinds of things Pima County planned a $600 million upgrade to its own two facili- or avoid them altogether.” ties and wanted to apply the same model to the lower Santa Cruz. So with a grant from the Environmental Protec- tion Agency, the Sonoran Institute developed the HE MORE THAN 23 MILES the Santa Cruz River courses report series to document the health of the effluent- through northwest Tucson is Arizona’s longest stretch of river dependent stretch of the upper Santa Cruz below the Tdominated by effluent, according to a 2007 mapping. A million Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant. county residents turning on their showers each morning add a daily “The first time we did [a fish survey], we literally ebb and flow to fluctuations that occur seasonally. found one individual fish, a mosquitofish,” Zugmeyer Effluent from the Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility also recalls. “They upgraded [the water treatment plant] feeds the Sweetwater Wetlands before percolating through the soil to halfway through 2009, and almost immediately, we replenish the local aquifer. Opened in 1998, the wetlands have become were finding fish again,” including the longfin dace, a important bird and wildlife habitat. Bird sightings there include elegant native species. trogons and other species rarely seen in Arizona. The Sonoran Institute’s approach considers human At press time, the citizen-science database eBird (www.ebird.org), culture as well as nature. “They’re really hard to managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, listed 294 species spotted separate, especially in this area,” Zugmeyer says. in the wetlands, one of the highest counts in Arizona. The influx of “We’re so linked to water, wherever there was water birders gives a boost to the local economy. Pima County is also con- From left, Scott Bonar, villages once dotted its banks, and Marana, Hill and Tucson’s Sentinel Peak (commonly known you’re going to find people. Thinking about that has structing trails along the river to enhance recreation. Christina Perez and Brian where the fish survey begins that fall day. as “A” Mountain). Tucson’s very name was derived been the biggest surprise: how much we’re part of the During the fall fish survey, teams net about 200 pollution-tolerant Powell catch and count fish in the Santa Cruz. In the early 1900s, the Santa Cruz Reser- from an O’odham word meaning “springs at the foot landscape in our history, how we shaped it.” mosquitofish on the lower Santa Cruz, but not the hoped-for longfin Perez uses an electro- voir Co. hoped to manage the seasonal runoff of Black Mountain.” But climate change, agriculture, As human culture contributed to the river’s daces seen in the river’s upper section. Nor do they find the catfish and shocking unit to stun the on the lower Santa Cruz for agriculture. mining, groundwater-pumping and drought have left decline, it must also be a factor in its recovery. So, in carp that have been reported. Zugmeyer suspects they were flushed out fish, which then are caught, counted and As part of the project, Colonel William them dry. addition to tracking natural conditions, the institute during heavy monsoon flooding. released unharmed. C. Greene designed a 13-mile canal southeast When Zugmeyer moved to Tucson, she had no idea is trying to find innovative ways the community can And while the survey finds fewer fish than the year before, it finds of Picacho Peak to connect the Santa Cruz the river used to flow there year-round: “I thought, use water differently to ensure that the river flows them at more sites. That may be thanks to significantly reduced ammo- with a reservoir to the west. All the rivers here are dry most of the year. That’s just the during dry months. nia levels after the upgrades, improving conditions for fish. Nitrogen Floods in 1914 and 1915 destroyed Greene’s diver- way it is in the desert.” “In arid environments, it comes down to how we levels also have decreased, accelerating the rate at which river water sion dam and reservoir. As a result, rather than flow- manage and conserve water,” Zugmeyer explains. percolates into the aquifer. The improvements have also nearly elimi- ing past Eloy, Toltec and Casa Grande, the river now N A SENSE, concern about the Santa Cruz inspired “The Santa Cruz work is trying to look at the system nated effluent-related odor. takes a more westerly course, eventually emptying the formation of the Sonoran Institute. Troubled by as a whole.” “The effluent isn’t exactly a natural system,” Zugmeyer explains. into the Gila River near the village of Santa Cruz, a Idevelopment near a Santa Cruz tributary, founder Those strategies include the Conserve to Enhance “But it’s maintaining a lot of benefit the wildlife and the community are tiny census-designated place on the Gila River Indian Luther Propst helped negotiate an agreement with a program, launched in 2011. The program was the first getting.” Community. major housing developer in the 1980s, then organized a in the nation to link personal water use to environ- And while she wishes the treatment plants were built south of down- In recorded history, water has flowed along the broad coalition to protect and care for the area’s natu- mental benefits. town, where the results would be more visible, she adds, “It’s still great river’s entire 200-mile course only during heavy ral resources. He founded the Sonoran Institute in 1990 More than 150 Tucson-area participants save water, to have a flowing river, no matter where it is.” floods, with year-round flows marking places where to extend this collaborative approach to conservation through methods such as installing water-efficient underlying bedrock forces water to the surface. efforts all over the West. fixtures or harvesting rainwater for landscaping, To learn more about the Sonoran Institute’s work on the Santa Cruz River, call 520-290-0828 or Springs and marshes once flowed around Martinez Today, the institute maintains offices in Bozeman, and donate their savings to a fund that restores visit www.sonoraninstitute.org.

32 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 33 There are some great places to spend the night in Arizona. One of the best is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Although it takes some work to get down there, a night at Phantom Ranch is anything but a hardship. Thanks to the impressive crew of 17 who run the ranch, hikers, river runners and mule riders get to enjoy a soft bed, a hot shower and a cold beer in one of the world’s most unforgiving environments.

BY ANNETTE McGIVNEY PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN BURCHAM

34 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 35 every time I could.” After nine months, Moullet applied for a been working as a packer for three years. “I love doing this,” job at Phantom and was hired. That was two years ago. Moullet he says. “Every day on the trail is a new adventure because the still intends to get his college degree, but he’s no longer in such mules all have different personalities.” a hurry. Badley is standing by with a clipboard, checking off the “Working here has made me slow down,” Moullet says as incoming inventory and feeding carrots to the mules, while he sits at a picnic table in front of Phantom’s dining hall. He’s another employee, Robert Nance, 40, carries the cargo to the taking a break from running the cash register at the canteen, kitchen in a wheelbarrow. Badley, 51, has been working at where he’s been selling candy and postcards all morning. In Phantom off and on since the mid-1980s and was appointed addition, a steady stream of hikers have been limping in, ask- general manager four years ago. ing for ice to nurse their swollen knees and ankles. “We can’t run out of steak or toilet paper,” she says, noting “This job has made me think about what I want to do with that Phantom keeps a constant 10-day stock of food and sup- my life and how I want to enjoy my time between high school plies. “From the moment people check in, everything has to and college,” Moullet adds. run very smoothly. We are prepared for anything and operate with maximum efficiency. We recycle and compost. We fold ven though a relaxed atmosphere prevails at Phantom, our sheets a certain way and our towels a certain way.” The very afternoon at about 2:30 p.m., Joni Badley walks to have to be flexible with your living Preceding panel: The the work isn’t easy. The staff rotates between various sheet technique is called the “Phantom fold” and enables two the Phantom Ranch corral carrying a sweating pitcher and working conditions. And you Phantom Ranch canteen job duties, working morning, midday or evening shifts employees assigned to make 92 beds in a few hours to function welcomes more than of ice water in each hand. And the afternoon of March 7, have to love hiking in the Canyon.” 80 diners a day for that focus on running the kitchen and 2015, is no different. The employees live in a small breakfast and dinner. dining hall and maintaining 11 guest “Hello, Phantom Ranch mule riders!” Badley says as she sets bunkhouse located in the middle of Above, left: Tom Hagan, cabins. The well-oiled Phantom Ranch the pitchers down on a covered picnic table and turns with Phantom’s cluster of cabins. They one of 17 Phantom Ranch machine usually serves breakfast and a big smile toward the dust-covered group. “Welcome to the work shifts of 10 days on and four employees, prepares to open the canteen for dinner. dinner to more than 80 people, while bottom of the Grand Canyon!” She pours water into cups and days off. Although hiking to and the resort, with room for 92 guests, Above: Mule packer Steve hands them to 10 guests who gingerly dismount from their from work is a job requirement, the Trent arrives with supplies is booked solid years in advance. The steeds and duck into the shade. After more than five hours connection to the Grand Canyon, for from the South Rim. off-the-grid location, combined with in the saddle while descending from the South Rim, they are Phantom employees, goes beyond Below: Dan Trenchard rings the demands of constantly operating tired, thirsty and ready to relax. the bimonthly commute. “This is a the historic Phantom Ranch at capacity, leaves little room for error dinner bell. As the general manager for Phantom Ranch, Badley is in minimum-wage job, so it’s not about among the staff. charge of everything from supervising employees to keep- the money,” Moullet says. “I do it for The breakfast cook arrives at the ing the kitchen stocked, but she says greeting the guests who the scenery.” kitchen at 1:30 a.m. to make bacon, arrive by mule every day is her favorite part of the job. Badley, After graduating from high school in his hometown of eggs and pancakes, as well as bake two female wranglers and the guests go over cabin assign- Portland, Oregon, Moullet, 23, took a job at Maswik Lodge in cakes and cornbread for dinner. The ments, when to eat dinner and where the bathhouse is located. Grand Canyon Village. He planned to attend the University of dining-room wait staff reports by Between now and when they ride back up to the rim tomorrow Arizona as soon as he gained in-state residency. But then he 4:15 a.m. to serve two breakfasts, at morning, the group will experience the rustic beauty of Phan- hiked to Phantom his first week at the South Rim. “This place 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. After the cabin tom Ranch in much the same way guests did in 1922, when the was like a sanctuary,” he says. “I started hiking down here guests check out at 7:30 a.m., the rooms resort first opened. are cleaned and beds are made in “We don’t have TV or access to Wi-Fi down time for the next round of guests that here,” Badley warns. “But you can do old-fashioned afternoon. Mule packers arrive from things for fun, like skip stones in the creek and the rim by about 9 a.m. with supplies write postcards.” — including approximately 2.5 tons of Compared to the primitive camping required food per week — and carry out trash anywhere else below the rim, a stay at Phantom and duffels. Ranch is hardly roughing it. Here, in a place that is On this morning in March, one of only accessible by foot, mule or raft, you can sleep the packers is Steve Trent, who goes by in a soft bed with clean sheets, take a hot shower, the trail name of “Captain Howdy.” He fill your ice bucket and enjoy a cold beer after a looks straight out of central casting for steak dinner. This rare oasis of creature comforts is a Hollywood Western. Trent, 46, grew made possible by a crew of 17 dedicated Phantom up in Montana, where he honed his Ranch employees who run a finely tuned operation, skills as a rancher, but he’s also worked one that’s been perfected over the decades for max- as a banker in the mortgage industry. imum efficiency in one of the world’s most unfor- “I still do financial consulting on the giving environments. Largely invisible to guests, side,” he says as he pulls crates of food the Phantom Ranch machine operates almost and duffels out of saddlebags. He’s 24 hours a day, and often without a hitch, powered not by technology but by people. “It takes a special person to fit in here,” says Bright Angel Creek runs Joseph Moullet, one of the staff members. “You through Phantom Ranch.

36 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 37 at lightning speed by yanking the sheet from either end and to go to restaurants on a whim. Above, left: Two suspension tucking it around the mattress in one fluid motion. Willie Nelson craves gummy bears bridges cross the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. Just about everyone working at Phantom is what the staff and his king-size mattress in storage This is Silver Bridge, also calls a “maid,” as employees cycle into and out of various jobs back home in Tampa, Florida. “I miss known as Bright Angel on a weekly basis. On this March morning, Brandy Upton is that bed,” he says after his morn- Bridge. the maid. She has stripped all the beds and is now in the laun- ing waiter shift is done. Nelson, 32, Above: Mary Jane Colter designed Phantom Ranch dry room, loading sheets into the washing machine and put- applied to work at Phantom three in what became known ting towels into the dryer. Due to limited storage space in the years ago, when he was living in Flor- as “National Park Service historic facility, Phantom does not have room for extra linens. ida. Badley insisted that she interview Rustic” style. Everything must be laundered each morning in time for the him in person before offering him next round of guests. The towels are washed first because they the job, but he didn’t have the funds to visit Arizona before take the longest to dry. making the move. “The first time I hiked in Grand Canyon Upton, 42, is from Louisville, Kentucky, and first came to was for the job interview,” he says. “I sublet my apartment, work at Phantom in 2008 to join friends who were employees at put all my stuff in storage and bought a one-way ticket to the ranch. She stayed until 2010, when she thought it was time Arizona. Fortunately, things worked out.” to move on and take a better-paying office job in Louisville. setting up for the 5 p.m. steak dinner. land all the way to the Little Colorado Tom Hagan (foreground) “I really missed the Canyon when I was away,” she says as she lthough Phantom employees seem to rarely stop mov- This afternoon, Nelson, along with Tom Hagan and Dan River. “On that trip, my thought pro- and Dan Trenchard set the canteen’s tables for dinner rapidly folds towels coming out of the dryer. She moved back ing, there’s a brief period in the afternoon when many Trenchard, is sweeping the floors of the dining hall and laying cesses slowed down and everything service. to Phantom in 2013 when a position opened up. “Hiking in kick back before the dinner shift begins. As hikers, down 44 place settings. Hagan will also serve as the evening began to make sense for the first time and out to get to work has given me a sense of independence,” trail runners and river runners mill around in front of the waiter, and Trenchard as the dishwasher. One of numerous in my life,” he says. “The answers she says. “Last week, I was hiking down the South Kaibab closed dining hall beneath towering cottonwoods, laughter, traditions among Phantom staff is that the dishwasher gets to would just show up.” One of those answers was Phantom Trail during a snowstorm and I heard a rockslide. I was a little singing and guitar-strumming can be heard coming from choose the music played during setup and cleanup. R.E.M. is Ranch, which he visited on Day 27. He was offered a job on freaked out, but I had the confidence to keep going. I wanted to the fenced yard of the bunkhouse. But by 4 p.m., the staff is pulsing in the dining hall as the three move in lockstep with the spot and began working after his trek. Hagan’s routine is get home to Phantom.” plates, silverware and glasses. They complete dinner prepara- to work at Phantom for a few years and save money. Then he However, a home at the bot- tions in a record 12 minutes. travels all over the world and eventually returns to Phantom tom of the Grand Canyon has “I’m the new guy,” Trenchard says. He took the job at Phan- to plug back in. “I don’t own a house or a car. I’m just having its drawbacks, even if they are tom six months ago after graduating from Northern Arizona fun,” he says. negligible. Moullet finds the University’s Parks and Recreation Management Program. At 8 p.m., the dining room is converted into a beer hall. It’s triple-digit summer temperatures Trenchard, 24, plans to pursue a career in outdoor-leadership filled with dozens of hikers telling stories and drinking beer difficult, especially in the laun- education when the right job opportunity opens up. “For now, while donning their headlamps for the dark stumble back to dry room, which isn’t air-condi- being here keeps me close to nature,” he says. “And it is also the campground. Boy Scout Troop 280 from Chandler, Arizona, tioned. Upton misses being able great for networking.” is huddled around a large table and playing checkers and card Other Phantom employees have been at the job for decades, games. Hagan cheerfully rings up a long line of customers buy- coming and going in what the staff jokingly calls the “recycled- ing one more drink. rancher program.” Like the Grand Canyon itself, Phantom At 10 p.m., the hall is supposed to close, but people are hav- Ranch seems immune to the passage of time and is run in much ing such a good time, no one’s getting up to leave. Phantom Ranch employees, including (from left) Robert the same way today as it was 20 years ago. This allows employ- “My priority is to make people smile and laugh,” Hagan says. Nance, Brandy Upton and ees who know the system to leave and then return months — “That is why I work here.” Tom Hagan, come from a or years — later to seamlessly slip back into the workflow. By 10:15 p.m., the crowd finally filters out. Hagan and others variety of backgrounds. Hagan, 46, is one of those who can’t stay away for long. He quickly clean up the dining room and lay down place settings What they have in common is a love for the Canyon started working at Phantom in 2001 after completing his first for tomorrow’s breakfast. The lights turn off at 10:45 p.m. In and the people who visit. Grand Canyon hike, a 52-day traverse from Havasupai Tribe less than three hours, it will start all over again.

38 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 39 NATURAL SELECTIONS After 90 years of publishing, it’s rare to stumble upon something big that hasn’t been featured in our magazine, but the National Natural Landmarks Program is new to us. In fact, until recently, we hadn’t even heard of it. We’re guessing it’s news to you, too. BY ROBERT STIEVE

Willcox Playa | JACK DYKINGA

www.arizonahighways.com 41 1. Willcox Playa EXT YEAR, on August 25, the National If you guessed “sandhill cranes,” guess again. Although thousands of Park Service will celebrate its centennial. the long-legged birds migrate to Willcox Playa every year, the area was Although Ken Burns is usually credited with designated a National Natural Landmark primarily for the rare fossil the quote, it was Wallace Stegner who first pollens that exist in the black mud of the playa. Technically known as Nproclaimed that “national parks are the best idea we ever an endorheic lake, Willcox Playa is a remnant of Lake Cochise, which, had.” If you’ve ever watched a sunset from Point Sublime on about 15,000 years ago, was 40 feet deep and covered 140 square miles. the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, or hiked the Panorama Like every other ice-age lake in the Great Basin — except the Great Salt Trail in Yosemite, or made the drive to Mount McKinley along Lake — Lake Cochise eventually dried up. Today, the “lake” is a wetland Denali Park Road, you get it. Some of the world’s most impres- approximately 8 miles wide by 10 miles long. It’s not very big, compara- sive landscapes are within our national parks. tively, but it’s enough to support a few shallow, ephemeral ponds that But the natural wonder goes beyond the marquee places. form after heavy rains or snows. That water, of course, is what attracts The National Park Service manages and protects more than the cranes, as well as red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, Harris’ hawks, 84 million acres in parks, monuments, battlefields, historic prairie falcons, bald eagles, golden eagles, caracaras and great horned sites, preserves, seashores, lakeshores and more. It also owls. In addition to the wide array of birds and the exceedingly rare fossil administers the National Natural Landmarks Program. pollens, Willcox Playa is home to the greatest diversity of tiger beetles Established in 1962, the little-known program is intended in the United States. It’s the sandhill cranes, however, that draw most of “to encourage the preservation of sites illustrating the the attention. They migrate to Willcox Playa as early as September and geological and ecological character of the United States, to stay as late as March. In the winter, it’s not unusual to see as many as enhance the scientific and educational value of sites thus pre- 8,000 cranes huddled together for the night. served, to strengthen public appreciation of natural history, DIRECTIONS: The Apache Station Wildlife Area is a great place to expe- and to foster a greater concern for the conservation of the rience Willcox Playa. From Willcox, go west on Interstate 10 for 9 miles to nation’s natural heritage.” U.S. Route 191 (Exit 331). Turn left (south) onto U.S. 191 and continue In other words, it does some of what the other park units 9 miles to the viewing area, on the left. It’s open November 1 through do, but it focuses on biology and geology. Another distinc- March 15 from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. tion is that the Park Service doesn’t manage the sites, and YEAR DESIGNATED: 1966 the landmarks aren’t limited to federal land. The program ACRES: 2,369 incorporates almost every form of ownership, including OWNERSHIP: Federal federal, state, local, municipal, tribal and private. Currently, INFORMATION: Bureau of Land Management, Safford Field Office, there are 597 National Natural Landmarks, ranging in size 928-348-4400 or www.blm.gov/az from less than 4 acres to more than 900,000. The first site was designated in 1964. 2. Kaibab Squirrel Area Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve | JACK DYKINGA There are 10 landmarks in Arizona. As you’ll see, some are They’re not an endangered species, familiar. Others are not. Most were added to the list in the ’60s but Kaibab squirrels have something and ’70s. The exception is Barfoot Park, which was designated neither California condors nor Mexi- ghosts of the North Rim” are not an endangered species. That said, they state’s best examples of a Fremont cottonwood-Goodding willow ripar- in June 2011. Eight of the 10 sites are accessible to visitors, but can wolves have: Natural Landmark are timid, so don’t expect to see them running all over the place, like ian forest. Some of the cottonwoods down there are more than 100 feet the protocol varies from place to place, so call ahead for spe- status. Although the site is identified their not-so-distant relatives on the South Rim. tall and 130 years old, ranking them among the largest and oldest in the cifics. And when you get there, please adhere to the principles as the Kaibab Squirrel Area, the DIRECTIONS: From Jacob Lake, go south on State Route 67 toward country. The trees, as the name of the sanctuary suggests, are nourished of Leave No Trace. After all, these are Natural Landmarks. landmark in this case is the squirrel Grand Canyon National Park. Along the way, there are several forest roads by Sonoita Creek. There are very few permanent streams left in Arizona. itself, which represents a classic that branch off from the scenic highway. Any of them will lead to possible This is one of the few, and its first 2 miles are within the preserve. In example of evolution through geo- viewing areas. addition to the cottonwoods and willows, the area supports Arizona 2 graphic isolation. Here’s the short YEAR DESIGNATED: 1965 black walnut, velvet ash and netleaf hackberry trees, as well as rare 10 version of what happened: At one ACRES: 304,594 and sensitive plant species such as Huachuca water-umbels and Santa time, Kaibab squirrels (Sciurus aberti OWNERSHIP: Federal Cruz striped agaves. Rare fish find refuge in the sanctuary, too, including 4 kaibabensis) and Abert’s squirrels INFORMATION: Kaibab National Forest, North Kaibab Ranger District, the endangered Gila topminnow. And then there are the birds. Sonoita 7 (Sciurus aberti) were one species on 928-643-7395 or www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab; Grand Canyon National Park, Creek, along with Ramsey Canyon (see page 45), is considered one of the the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 928-638-7888 or www.nps.gov/grca; Friends of the Kaibab Squirrel, www. best birding areas in North America. It’s the only known nesting site in and beyond. And then, somewhere kaibabsquirrel.org the country for the rare rose-throated becard, but that’s just one of the along the line, some of the squirrels many extraordinary species in the preserve. Kaibab squirrel wandered to the North Rim and took 3. Patagonia-Sonoita DIRECTIONS: From Patagonia, go southwest on Pennsylvania Avenue, | ALLYSON MATHIS on their own identity. Today, Kaibab Creek Preserve which turns into Blue Heaven Road, for 1.5 miles to the Patagonia-Sonoita squirrels are recognized as a unique “No other area in Arizona is more deserving of preservation.” That’s Creek Preserve visitors center, on the left. The best months for birding are 5 1 species. The most notable difference between the two species is their what Joseph Wood Krutch, the distinguished American naturalist, said March through September. 8 9 coloring — Abert’s squirrels are gray with white underbellies, while Kai- about Sonoita Creek. The Arizona chapter of The Nature Conservancy YEAR DESIGNATED: 1970 3 6 bab squirrels have black bellies and white tails. It’s the Canyon, however, felt the same way and made Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve its first ACRES: 314 that separates them the most. Because of geography, Kaibab squirrels purchase in 1966. A few years later, the site was designated a National OWNERSHIP: Private live in isolation on the Kaibab Plateau and the North Rim of the Grand Natural Landmark. There are several reasons it draws so much atten- INFORMATION: Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, 520-394-2400 or Canyon. Thus the landmark status. Although they’re isolated, the “silver tion. The main reason is the streamside habitat, which is one of the www.nature.org/arizona

42 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 43 DIRECTIONS: From Sonoita, go north on State Route 83 for 4 miles to to the awe-inspiring beauty of Mother Nature. Gardner Canyon Road (Forest Road 92). Turn left onto Gardner Canyon DIRECTIONS: From Sierra Vista, go south on State Route 92 for 6 miles Road and continue 6.4 miles to a dirt road, on the right, that leads to the to Ramsey Canyon Road. Turn right onto Ramsey Canyon Road and con- Onyx Cave parking area. From there, a trail leads to the cave. Before mak- tinue 3.5 miles to the parking area. ing the trip, contact Escabrosa Grotto to obtain a permit to enter the cave. YEAR DESIGNATED: 1965 YEAR DESIGNATED: 1974 ACRES: 279 ACRES: 50 OWNERSHIP: Private OWNERSHIP: Federal INFORMATION: Ramsey Canyon Preserve, 520-378-2785 or www. INFORMATION: Coronado National Forest, Nogales Ranger District, nature.org/arizona 520-281-2296 or www.fs.usda.gov/coronado; Escabrosa Grotto, www. escabrosa.org 6. Ramsey Canyon Long before the National Park Service took note of Ramsey Canyon, its namesake, Gardner Ramsey, showed up and staked a claim. That was in the 1880s. Like most early settlers, he was there to strike it rich. He built a 2.5-mile-long road to what became the Hamburg Mine. He never hit the mother lode, but the old road was later converted into a hiking trail, and today it’s one of the highlights of Ramsey Canyon Preserve, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy. When the area was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965, it was just 279 acres, and that’s the number used by the Park Service. However, subsequent acquisitions have expanded Ramsey Canyon Preserve to 380 acres. In addition to being one of the most beautiful places in Southern Arizona, it’s one of the coolest. Literally. That’s because the canyon’s northeast orientation, high walls and spring-fed stream create a microclimate that’s best described as an oasis in the desert. Naturally, that oasis attracts plants and animals. Most notable are the 15 species of hummingbirds — more than any other place in the United States. They’re joined by lesser long- Barringer Meteor Crater | KERRICK JAMES nosed bats, ridge-nosed rattlesnakes, elegant trogons, Chiricahua leopard frogs, coatimundis, black bears and more. As for the flora, Apache and Chihuahua pines, sycamores, maples and columbines line Grapevine Mesa Joshua Trees | TOM BROWNOLD 7. Barringer Meteor Crater the banks of the creek. Although it ranks ninth alphabetically among our Northern Arizona is famous for its big holes. The Grand Canyon is the Natural Landmarks, it’s at the top of so many other lists when it comes biggest — and the most famous — but there’s another big hole up 4. Grapevine Mesa Joshua Trees ACRES: 3,206 there that gets some attention. Tourists know it as Meteor Crater. The This next sentence will surprise you. The Grapevine Mesa Joshua Trees OWNERSHIP: Federal Ramsey Canyon | JACK DYKINGA National Park Service refers to it as Barringer Meteor Crater. Scientists forest is the largest and densest forest of its kind in the world. Although it INFORMATION: Bureau of Land Management, Kingman Field Office, call it the best-preserved meteorite impact crater in the world. It’s doesn’t have the sex appeal of Joshua Tree National Park — the Eagles 928-718-3700 or www.blm.gov/az; Friends of the Joshua Tree Forest, named for Daniel Moreau Barringer, a Philadelphia mining engineer who shot their first album cover there, and rock climbers converge from all www.joshuatreeforest.org was one of the first people to suggest that the crater was created by a over the world — Arizona’s forest of Seuss-like trees is the superlative. At meteorite, contradicting the most eminent scientists of his time. Today, least, in some respects. It’s for the trees, and the overall diversity of flora 5. Onyx Cave it’s generally understood that the crater was formed about 50,000 years in the area, that the site was named a National Natural Landmark. Like When Onyx Cave was designated in 1974, it was “considered to be the ago by an asteroid weighing several hundred thousand tons. Based on saguaros, Joshua trees have a limited range. They’re native to Arizona, finest cave in Arizona.” Although the National Park Service still uses that the size of the hole, scientists believe the meteorite hit the Earth at a California, Utah and Nevada, and they’re typically found in the Mohave language, the subsequent discovery of Kartchner Caverns may have speed of 26,000 miles per hour — that’s a force equivalent to 2.5 million Desert at elevations between 1,300 and 5,900 feet. Contrary to popular outdated the description — Kartchner is home to some of the most tons of TNT. What’s left is a depression nearly 1 mile across, 2.4 miles in belief, Joshua trees are not members of the lily family. Instead, the impressive cave formations in the world. Nevertheless, Onyx Cave is circumference and more than 550 feet deep. Unlike Barfoot Park (see unusual trees (Yucca brevifolia) are members of the agave family. The notable, too. Located in the Santa Rita Mountains, it features a series of page 46), Barringer Meteor Crater is a well-developed tourist mecca, confusion stems from the fact that until recently, they were considered passageways and rooms filled with beautifully developed helictites and with outdoor observation trails, air-conditioned indoor viewing plat- giant members of the lily family. However, DNA studies led to the divi- speleothems, and several outstanding shield formations. No one knows forms, a widescreen movie theater, a gift and rock shop, and a memorial sion of that once-huge family into 40 distinct plant families. Nomen- for sure when the first European settlers discovered the limestone cave, park dedicated to astronauts. It’s the big hole, however, that makes it a clature notwithstanding, Joshua trees are impressive. They can live for but it’s mentioned in the accounts of pioneer ranchers and miners who National Natural Landmark. hundreds of years and reach heights of 70 feet or taller. came to the area in the 1870s and ’80s. Later, in the 1940s and ’50s, the DIRECTIONS: From Flagstaff, go east on Interstate 40 for 35 miles to DIRECTIONS: From Kingman, go north on Stockton Hill Road for cave became a favorite spot for adventurers. Sadly, the vandals showed Meteor Crater Road (Exit 233). Turn right (south) onto Meteor Crater Road 42 miles to Pierce Ferry Road. Turn right onto Pierce Ferry Road and up, too, and the cave was gated in 1963. The gate worked for a while, and continue 6 miles to the visitors center. continue 7 miles to Diamond Bar Road. Turn right onto Diamond Bar Road, until more ambitious vandals used dynamite to blast it away. After that, YEAR DESIGNATED: 1967 which passes through Grapevine Mesa’s Joshua trees before entering the natural wonder was left exposed until 1974, when Escabrosa Grotto ACRES: 1,432 Hualapai Tribe land. Inc. leased the property. Today, the cave is once again gated, and public OWNERSHIP: Private YEAR DESIGNATED: 1967 access is regulated by the leaseholder. INFORMATION: Meteor Crater, 800-289-5898 or www.meteorcrater.com

44 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 45 8. Canelo Hills Cienega Three of the 10 National Natural Land- marks in Arizona are protected by The Nature Conservancy. This one is home to the least disturbed cienega (wetland) in Southern Arizona — cienegas are the most endangered natural community in the state. Among the many plants growing in the wetlands are Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses (Spiranthes delitescens). The extremely rare orchid grows in just five known locations on Earth, in an area that’s less than 200 acres. The Tucson- Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses based Center for Biological Diversity has | RONALD A. COLEMAN been working to protect the plant since 1993. That’s when it first petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species under the Endangered Species Act. Because the agency failed to do so, the center filed suit in 1996, and the species was listed as endangered the following year. Unlike many of the other properties protected by The Nature Conser- vancy, Canelo Hills Cienega is not open to the public. But rest assured, it’s being well protected. DIRECTIONS: Not open to the public. YEAR DESIGNATED: 1974 ACRES: 98 OWNERSHIP: Private INFORMATION: The Nature Conservancy, 520-622-3861 or www.nature. org/arizona; Center for Biological Diversity, www.biologicaldiversity.org

Comb Ridge | MARK FRANK

9. Barfoot Park landmark, the meadow and the surrounding trees made it through between those fossils and the fossils in Arizona supports the theory of The first thing you should know about Barfoot Park is that it’s not a park. mostly unscathed. continental drift. All of which explains why Comb Ridge was named one Not in the traditional sense. It’s a meadow surrounded by trees. Another DIRECTIONS: From Tucson, go east on Interstate 10 for 139 miles (you’ll our country’s National Natural Landmarks. If you’re wondering about thing you should know is that it’s not the kind of place you can Google cross the New Mexico border) to New Mexico State Road 80. Turn right tritylodonts, their skulls and overall skeletal construction resembled and get inundated with information. Compared with most of the other (south) onto New Mexico SR 80 and continue 28 miles to Portal Road. those of modern rodents, but they weren’t mammals. As for Comb Ridge, Natural Landmarks in Arizona, Barfoot Park is off the grid — it’s located Turn right onto Portal Road and continue 7 miles to Portal. At the fork, it’s a monocline that runs for approximately 120 miles from just east near the small town of Portal in the extreme southeastern corner of bear left as Portal Road becomes Forest Road 42, then continue 12 miles of Kayenta to just west of Blanding, Utah. It’s rugged country, even for the state. There’s a lot of beauty down there, but the reason the area to Forest Road 42D. Turn left onto FR 42D and continue 2 miles to a fork. intrepid explorers like David Roberts, who summarized the area in a story was added to the list is because it’s home to one of the best examples The right fork leads 1 mile to Barfoot Park. for National Geographic Adventure: “To hike the Comb is to run a gauntlet of a Madrean-influenced ponderosa-pine forest in the United States. YEAR DESIGNATED: 2011 of up-and-down severities, always at an ankle-wrenching, sideways If you’re not familiar with the type, most of the continent’s Madrean ACRES: 680 pitch. There is not a single mile of established trail in the Comb’s reach, woodlands are located in Mexico. However, several isolated forests OWNERSHIP: Federal which is one reason why no humans, to our knowledge, have ever tra- can be found in the Southwest. They’re located within the region’s “sky INFORMATION: Coronado National Forest, Douglas Ranger District, versed its length.” The point is, this site is not an option for most people. islands,” a term that was coined in 1967 by longtime Arizona Highways 520-364-3468 or www.fs.usda.gov/coronado DIRECTIONS: Not accessible to the public. contributor Weldon Heald. In Arizona, the sky islands range from the YEAR DESIGNATED: 1976 Mogollon Rim to the Chiricahua Mountains, which is where Barfoot Park 10. Comb Ridge ACRES: 11 is located. In addition to the pines, the site supports an unusually large Arizona is one of the newest states in the country, but it’s home to some OWNERSHIP: Indian trust (Navajo Nation) amount of plant diversity and includes one of the largest concentrations of the oldest things in the world. Petrified Forest National Park is a good INFORMATION: Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources, 928-871- of well-developed talus slopes in the region. In 2011, the area was example. It’s also home to the only known tritylodont fossils in North 6953 or www.dnrnavajo.org severely threatened by the Horseshoe 2 Fire, which ultimately burned America. The fossils, which date to between 208 million and 200 million

more than 200,000 acres in the Coronado National Forest and years ago, are embedded in the rocks of Comb Ridge. They’re also found For more information about the National Natural Landmarks Program, visit www. Barfoot Park | PAUL GILL Chiricahua National Monument. Although the fire burned much of this in South Africa, Argentina and eastern China, and the close relationship nature.nps.gov/nnl.

46 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 47 LOCAL AN EXCERPT FROM OUR NEW FLAVOR COOKBOOK.

ince 2008, Arizona Highways has published an annual He calls it his legacy project, and we’re so happy he agreed to Best Restaurants issue, so when it came time to cre- be a part of it. Paul, thank you. ate Arizona’s Best Recipes, our editor had an idea. It Arizona’s Best Recipes is wide-ranging, from Cliff Dwellers’ was natural to cull from the cream of the crop — the New Zealand rack of lamb and the home fries at Matt’s Big Srestaurants featured in the magazine over the years. Build the Breakfast to Garland’s famous apple tart and Blue Buddha’s book from there, he said. yum-yum bombs. As you’ll see, we’ve covered every corner of So we did. the state, as well as flavors for every palate. After a little bit of planning, we reached out to our best res- Our thanks also go to the generous chefs who opened their taurants and their chefs and owners. We told them about our kitchens and culinary brains to us. In the pages that follow, hopes for a cookbook, and we asked for their favorite recipes. you’ll find three of the recipes we included in the book. But we added a few criteria: The recipes need to be delicious, We hope you’ll enjoy creating of course, but they also have to be simple enough for our read- these meals for family and friends ers to prepare in their home kitchens. And we hoped the chefs as much as you enjoy being served would be willing to let us send our 6-foot-4-inch-tall photogra- them in their respective restau- pher into their kitchens to photograph each dish. rants. They agreed, we gathered recipes, and then we sent “Tall Here’s to happy eating. Paul” Markow across Arizona. After more than 6,000 miles, 35 restaurant visits and too many road meals to count, Paul To order a copy of Arizona’s Best Recipes, came back with the images that appear on the book’s pages. visit www.shoparizonahighways.com.

EDITED BY KELLY VAUGHN | PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL MARKOW

Bistro salad, Maynards Market and Kitchen, Tucson

48 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 49 BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS Stables Ranch Grille, Tubac

[serves six]

6 boneless short ribs (about 5 + 3 pounds) Kosher salt Extra-virgin olive oil 1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, smashed 1 + 1/2 cups tomato paste 2 to 3 cups hearty red wine 2 cups water 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string 2 bay leaves

Season each short rib generously with salt. Coat a pot large enough to accommodate all the meat and vegetables with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not over- crowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the short ribs are browning, purée all the vegetables and garlic in a food processor until they form a coarse paste.

Braised beef short ribs, Stables Ranch Grille, Tubac When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Drain the fat, then coat the bottom of the same pan with fresh oil and add the puréed vegetables. Season BISTRO SALAD For the soft egg, add enough cold water in a small sauce- the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are Maynards Market and Kitchen, Tucson pan to cover the egg by ½ inch. Bring the water to a boil, then very dark and a crust has formed on the bottom of the pan,

[makes one salad] reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the egg for 3 minutes. Immedi- approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the crust and let it re- ately place the egg in an ice bath and cool. Carefully peel the form. Scrape the crust again and add the tomato paste. Brown Pumpkin flan, Elote Café, Sedona ¼ cup high-quality applewood bacon slab, uncooked egg and reserve. the tomato paste for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape ¼ cup bacon fat Warm the bacon in a small pan in the oven. Dredge the egg the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat if things start to burn. 1 teaspoon ground canela (cinnamon) 10 bread croutons (use brioche or any loaf bread) in milk and panko, fully coating it. Fry the egg until golden Reduce the mixture by half. 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk 1 soft-boiled egg (method follows) brown and drain on a paper towel. Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 cups water (or 1/2 can pumpkin-pie mix Whole milk for dredging Combine the kale, frisée, onion, herbs, croutons and dressing just enough to almost cover the meat). Add the thyme bundle Pinch of salt Pulverized panko breadcrumbs for dredging in a salad bowl and toss well. Add salt and pepper as desired. and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven Candied pumpkin seeds and fresh whipped cream for garnish ¼ cup baby kale, washed and dried Neatly arrange the salad on a plate or bowl, and top with the for 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and ¼ cup frisée lettuce, washed and dried croutons and warm lardons. Carefully cut the egg in half with a add more water if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through Melt the sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until 1/2 ounce red onion, julienned bread knife, sprinkle with sea salt, add to salad and serve. the cooking time. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes liquefied. Continue cooking and stir with a metal spoon until 1 tablespoon fine herbs (chopped tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, chives, chervil) of cooking to let the ribs brown and to let the sauce reduce. lightly browned and nutty-smelling. Use extreme caution and 2 tablespoons herb vinaigrette (recipe follows) When done, the meat should be very tender but not falling pour enough into individual ramekins to coat the bottom of the Salt and pepper to taste MAYNARDS HERB VINAIGRETTE apart. Serve with the braising liquid, roasted yams, poblano dish; then, quickly, while the caramel is still hot, swirl it to get chiles and caramelized onions. the ramekin coated on the sides as well. Set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the bacon into ½-inch strips. Invert the strips and cut ¼ cup red wine vinegar Mix eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, vanilla, canela, con- ½-inch pieces. Place the bacon fat into a heavy-duty saucepan ¾ cup canola oil PUMPKIN FLAN densed milk, salt and pumpkin-pie mix to make flan mixture. and warm until melted. Add the bacon, bring to a simmer and 2 tablespoons fine herbs (chopped tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, chives, Elote Café, Sedona Once cooled, place the ramekins into a baking pan, then fill turn down the heat right before it is fully sizzling. The bacon fat chervil) [serves four] the pan with water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Fill helps keep the lardons from sticking. Continue cooking until the Fresh cracked pepper to taste the dishes with the flan mixture and bake for approximately bacon is dark in appearance and slightly chewy, but very tender. 2 cups sugar (for flan mold) 45 minutes or until the custard is set. Refrigerate for 4 hours or Reserve the bacon fat to fry the croutons in. Cut the bread Whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a bowl. While 6 eggs up to 3 days. into 1-inch squares, toss in bacon fat and bake until lightly whisking, slowly pour the oil in a light stream to emulsify. 6 egg yolks Unmold by taking a knife around the edge of the custard golden but dry throughout. Reserve for later; reduce oven tem- Whisk in the herbs. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. For best 2 cups half-and-half and inverting it onto a plate. Serve with candied pumpkin perature to 200 degrees. results, allow 1 to 2 hours for the herbs to develop. 1 teaspoon vanilla seeds and fresh whipped cream.

50 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 51 scenic drive

Despite a fire that burned the area in 2014, the drive through Oak Creek Oak Creek Canyon — a National Scenic Byway — still ranks as one of the best in Canyon America. BY NOAH AUSTIN

here’s a lot to do in Oak Creek in, you’ll cross 200-foot Midgley Bridge, European settler in the canyon. Canyon, but beyond the resorts, dedicated in 1939 and named for area At Mile 7 is Slide Rock State Park, T hikes, campgrounds and other rancher and businessman W.W. Midgley. where the Slide Fire began in May recreation spots, don’t forget that a sim- Just across the bridge is a parking area 2014. Up ahead, you’ll see a canyon ple road trip on State Route 89A, from that offers good views of the bridge and wall with a patchwork of burned ever- Sedona to Oak Creek Vista, is one of the canyon. But the most spectacular greens — one of the few obvious signs America’s most scenic drives, even after views are yet to come. of the blaze, which burned 21,227 acres a fire that burned the area in 2014. And The canyon’s namesake oaks form a in and around the canyon. There are on most days, you can go round-trip in shaded canopy over much of the road, other signs of the fire along the way, but 90 minutes or less. and this time of year, you’ll get a good they’re not overwhelming. The drive — a National Scenic Byway dose of fall color — autumn usually As you gain altitude, the oaks and — begins amid the iconic red-rock buttes waits until November in the canyon. junipers are joined by ponderosa of Sedona, a city that belongs on the There are several picnic areas along the pines — a particularly tall one, at Mile to-do list of every Arizona visitor (and way, but if you’d rather have a hot lunch, 10.5, towers over the surrounding trees. resident, for that matter). After you’ve stop at Indian Gardens Oak Creek Mar- There’s desert vegetation here, too — visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross or ket at Mile 4. Across the road is a histor- had your aura photographed, head north ical marker noting that Indian Gardens BELOW: State Route 89A meanders through Sedona’s iconic red rocks. | JEFF KIDA on SR 89A, which parallels the cool, was the homesite of Jim Thompson (see RIGHT: Oak Creek cascades over the slick rock of clear water of Oak Creek. About 2 miles page 54), who in the 1870s was the first Slide Rock State Park. | LARRY LINDAHL

it’s a good illustration of Arizona’s eco- logical diversity. A few miles later, the ponderosas take over and dominate the beautiful scene. The drive’s famous switchbacks begin 14 miles in, just after you cross Pump- house Wash. Here’s where views of the canyon’s jagged cliffs and thick ponder- osas really open up, but keep your eyes on the road: Traffic can slow to a crawl here. You’ll have plenty of time to gawk when you reach the scenic overlook above the switchbacks. The popular vista features restrooms, a visitor- information stand and Native American vendors. Get out, stretch your legs and see how many different languages you can identify among the tourists. And, of course, admire the unrivaled view of one of Arizona’s most picturesque canyons. KEVIN KIBSEY

tour guide

Note: Mileages are approximate. if you leave your vehicle unattended along the route. A SCENIC daily pass is $5 and can be purchased online or at various DRIVES LENGTH: 16 miles one way of Arizona’s locations in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona. The pass is Best Back ADDITIONAL READING: 40 Roads DIRECTIONS: From the intersection of state routes 179 not required to park at the vista. For more adventure, pick up a and 89A in Sedona, go north on SR 89A for 16 miles to INFORMATION: Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-2900 copy of our book Scenic Drives, Oak Creek Vista. which features 40 of the state’s or www.fs.usda.gov/coconino most beautiful back roads. To VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None in good weather, but the Travelers in Arizona can visit www.az511.gov or dial order, visit www.shoparizona road can become slippery after a winter storm. 511 to get infor­ma­tion on road closures, construc­tion, Edited by Robert Stieve highways.com/books. and Kelly Vaughn Kramer SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: A Red Rock Pass is required delays, weather and more.

52 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 53 hike of the month

be out, so don’t forget to Of the many trails in Red Rock Country, the Jim Thompson wear sunscreen. Jim Thompson Ten minutes beyond the is one of the easiest. It’s easy to hike, and it’s easy to get to. gate, you’ll arrive at the Trail BY ROBERT STIEVE | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK FRANK western base of Steamboat Rock. If you’ve ever driven north through Oak Creek ad he gotten there a little sooner, his squatter’s rights in what we know try, the Jim Thompson Trail is one of the Canyon, you’ve seen this Jim Thompson might have spent today as Oak Creek Canyon, erosion had easiest. It’s easy to hike, and it’s easy to massive rock formation out H his days nibblin’ on sponge worked its magic and made the Sedona get to. But before you get started, you the driver’s-side window. cake and watchin’ the sun bake. That’s area one of the most recognizable land- should know there are two established From the trail, you get a because 70 million years ago, Sedona was scapes in the world. It’s also one of the trailheads. The best option is the Jim closer look. You’ll also see a coastal landscape beside a tropical sea. best places to take a hike. Thompson Trailhead. It’s just a few uptown Sedona to the south. However, by the time Mr. Thompson took Of the many trails in Red Rock Coun- blocks from the pink jeeps and turquoise And beyond that, Jerome jewelers, and there’s a lot of parking. The and Mingus Mountain. As alternative, which is usually congested, the trail winds around to is at Midgley Bridge, right before State the eastern side of Steam- Route 89A enters Oak Creek Canyon. boat Rock, it reaches the From the Thompson end, the trail high point (4,770 feet) of the begins on the north side of the dirt park- hike, which follows an old ing lot and immediately drops into a road built by Jim Thompson wash. Junipers, piñons and manzanitas to link his home in Oak line the rocky, sandy path. After about Creek Canyon to Sedona. 10 minutes, you’ll intersect the Jordan The trail stays the same for about small creek shaded by oaks and Arizona just up the road. Even without a tropical Trail. Veer left and begin the gradual 15 minutes and then drops into Wilson cypress trees. sea, the views from both ends of this trail ascent through Mormon Canyon. If you Canyon. The trees become more prom- Allow an hour or less for the detour. are pretty spectacular. look up, you’ll see The Fin to your left. inent along this stretch, and the trail Otherwise, continue another 10 minutes (On the way back, The Fin will be to your itself skirts the edge on its way down. to the trailhead at Midgley Bridge. It’s a ADDITIONAL READING: right.) Rising a mile above sea level, The Eventually, after an hour of hiking, you’ll busy place that’s used as a launch pad for For more hikes, pick up a copy Fin is one of many prominent rock forma- arrive at an intersection with the Wilson a few other trails. It also serves as a rest of Arizona Highways Hiking Guide, which features 52 of the tions that can be seen from the trail. Ship Canyon Trail and the eastern boundary stop for the masses making the scenic state’s best trails — one for each Rock (5,667 feet) and Steamboat Rock of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilder- drive through Oak Creek Canyon (see weekend of the year, sorted by seasons. To order a copy, visit (5,228 feet) are two of the others. ness. If you have time, the short trail into page 52). Despite the congestion, it’s easy www.shoparizonahighways. While you’re looking around, you’ll the canyon is a good one that follows a to see why Jim Thompson staked a claim com/books. notice two different colors of rock. The red layer is known as the Schnebly Hill trail guide formation. It was formed when ancient LENGTH: 6 miles round-trip rivers deposited iron oxide from dis- DIFFICULTY: Easy tant mountains. The white layer, the ELEVATION: 4,503 to 4770 feet Coconino formation, comes from wind- TRAILHEAD GPS: N 34˚53.286’, W 111˚46.097’ blown sand that created dunes similar to DIRECTIONS: From the roundabout intersection of state routes 179 and 89A in Sedona, go north on SR 89A for those found in the Sahara Desert. 0.2 miles to Jordan Road. Turn left onto Jordan Road The rocks, of course, are what put and continue 0.7 miles to Park Ridge Drive. Turn left onto Park Ridge Drive and continue 0.1 miles to where the Sedona on the map. And they’re the high- pavement ends. From there, continue 0.5 miles on the light of this trail, which, after 15 minutes, dirt road that leads to the Jim Thompson Trailhead. passes through a small gate. Although SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: A $5 day pass is required. there are a lot of trees along the way, VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: None DOGS ALLOWED: Yes (on a leash) they’re not very tall. Therefore, there’s HORSES ALLOWED: Yes very little shade. That won’t be an issue USGS MAPS: Munds Mountain, Wilson Mountain this time of year — November is a great INFORMATION: Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-2900 time to hike Sedona — but the sun will or www.fs.usda.gov/coconino LEAVE-NO-TRACE PRINCIPLES: • Plan ahead and be out all of your trash. LEFT: The Jim Thompson Trail offers easy-to-access prepared. • Leave what you find. views of many of Sedona’s iconic rock formations. • Travel and camp on • Respect wildlife. OPPOSITE PAGE: Munds Mountain and Mitten Ridge durable surfaces. • Minimize campfire form a backdrop for Midgley Bridge, one of the route’s • Dispose of waste impact.

two trailheads. KEVIN KIBSEY properly and pack • Be considerate of others.

54 NOVEMBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 55 DWH AZ HiwaysD_Layout 1 8/14/15 1:26 PM Page 1 where is this? W E L C O M E T O T H E DAVID WRIGHT HOUSE

September 2015 Answer & Winner Roosevelt Lake Bridge. Congratula- tions to our winner, Adam Hutoron of Vienna, Virginia. PAUL GILL PAUL

Win a collection of our most popular books! To enter, correctly iden- tify the location pictured at left and email your answer to editor@ arizonahighways.com — type “Where Is This?” in the subject line. Entries can also be sent to 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009 (write “Where Is This?” on the envelope). Please include your name, address and phone number. One winner will be chosen in a random drawing of qualified entries. Entries must be postmarked by

JEFF KIDA November 15, 2015. Only the winner will be noti- fied. The correct answer Old School will be posted in our For more information, or to arrange a tour, January issue and online at www.arizonahigh visit or call: The Arizona town where this schoolhouse is located used to be a major Arizona railroad hub, but ways.com beginning www.DavidWrightHouse.org 602-689-6140 today, it’s a ghost town and part of a national conservation area. The school fell into disrepair after it December 15. closed in the 1940s, but it was restored in 2007 and is now a museum and visitors center. DavidWrightHouse WrightHouseAZ

56 NOVEMBER 2015