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ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 2005 CALENDAR

Classic Wall Calendar Best seller for more than 35 years, with 30 full-color photographs. 12" x 9" #CAL05 was $7.99 on the new 2005 calendars

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS SCENIC ARIZONA LITE CALENDAR Make a Date with Arizona Highways

Scenic Arizona Calendar 14 full-color photographs with descriptive text and "when you go" information. 14" x 12" #CALSA5 was $13.99 The new 2005 collection of Arizona Highways calendars is here, and we've got a special offer just for Arizona Highways magazine readers! Featuring spectacular photography of Arizona's abundant scenic wonders, Arizona Highways calendars make a perfect holiday, housewarming or any occasion gift - you can even treat yourself and take a virtual vacation every month next year. As an Arizona Highways magazine reader, you may order up to 20 of each style and save $2 off the regular price of each calendar! Shipping and handling are extra. But don't delay - this offer expires October 31, 2004, when the calendars go back to regular price.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 2001

Engagement Calendar 60 full-color photographs delivered to you in a mailable gift box. 6" x 9" #ENG05 was $11.99

THREE EASY WAYS TO ORDER

Log on to arizonahighways.com. Use Promo Code CALM-NET4 Call toll-free 1-800-543-5432 (in the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., call 602-712-2000) -orComplete & mail the attached order card

{back road adventure} Mount Ord Once Concealed Outlaws and Hosted Indian Battles

ROWS OF MOUNTAIN ranges ripple into the distance until the far ridge is just a dark blue haze on a dim horizon. Mount Ord rises in the center of the state and, from its top, I can look northeast to the Mogollon Rim or turn around and gaze toward the Phoenix valley. Nearby lie the Tonto Basin, Theodore Roosevelt Lake and Four Peaks Wilderness. With sun shining and wind blowing gently

and Yavapai Indians against the U.S. Army. The Army operated a heliograph station on top of Mount Ord in 1890. The mirrored device sent messages in Morse code by flashing reflected sunrays. Today, travelers on State Route 87 between Mesa and Payson can identify Mount Ord by the modern communication towers on its summit. To reach Mount Ord from the Phoenix area, drive northeast on SR 87 (Beeline Highway), and turn east near Milepost 223, where a small green sign announces Mount Ord. The route is paved for a short distance before turning to dirt. The approximately 10-mile road is used by the Forest Service, cattlemen and outdoor hikers, and for access to the communication towers. It's a steep single lane that can be impassable in wet weather. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended. The road starts climbing immediately, and cacti soon intermingle with scrub oak, manzanita and cedar trees along the road. Dead stalks of agave, also known as century plants or mescal, reach more than 6 feet high. In earlier times, Apache Indians used agaves as a food source. The agave flowers were boiled, then eaten or dried. Seeds were ground into flower, while leaves and stalks were roasted several days in large pits. The resulting sweet pulp tasted something like molasses and was either used immediately or dried. Agave fibers furnished material for baskets, snares, sandals and other necessities. I pass a Forest Service green metal corral with a water trough and loading chute. Mount Ord is popular with horseback riders who enjoy riding all day without meeting other people. Looking through the ponderosa pine trees, Mount Ord stands as a majestic example of Mother Nature's handiwork in progress. While wind and rain are smoothing this peak, it remains rugged, slashed and raw looking. Mount Ord, 7,128 feet high, is a part of the Mazatzal Mountains that extend nearly 50 miles along the Verde River, running north to south right up the middle of the state. With steep hillsides and deep ravines, the Mazatzals are wild and remote. During the late 1800s, the canyonslice mountains provided convenient hideouts for outlaws and battleground sites for Apache