BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

Back, I have a spectacular view of the Mazatzals, the highest range in Arizona's Central Highlands. The Apache word mazatzal roughly translates to "bleak-barren," and I can see some of the mountainsides are rock walls, devoid of plant life, but trees flourish in other spots. These ancient mountains, a conglomeration of granite, volcanic rocks and schist, all formed under tremendous heat and pressure, contained mercury mines.

About 2.5 miles from SR 87 stands a wire corral near a road off to the right, but I drive straight ahead, the road climbing steeply now with many switchbacks. Slowing, I creep around blind curves, not wanting to meet another vehicle on this one-lane road. As the elevation increases, so does the size of the trees. Piñons, alligator junipers and much larger manzanitas cling to the hillside. I peer down a deep, narrow canyon on my right and see tall, lanky ponderosa pine trees stretching for sunlight. The agaves are gone - they only grow below 5,000 feet.

I must drive just 10 to 15 mph and keep my eyes on the curvy road, so I don't see any wildlife, but I know it's out there. Deer, coyotes, lions and bears all inhabit these mountains. I stop at pullouts to look at the scenery and admire the unusual rock formations. Layered, then turned on end, the rocks resemble the jagged teeth of some monstrous beast lurking deep in the chasm. The road loops around so much my truck compass fluctuates between north, south and east. I may not know which direction I'm headed, but I'm definitely going up.

This beautiful mountain was named for Maj. Gen. Edward O.C. Ord, a West Point graduate who served prominently in the CivilWar, then was sent west to command the Department of California in 1868, which included Arizona. Fort McDowell stood where Sycamore Creek joins the Verde River southwest of Mount Ord, and Camp Reno, a smaller outpost and fort, was located near Punkin Center to the northeast. The old "Reno Road," skirting the southern edge of Mount Ord, served as a supply line linking the two forts. The road was so steep in places it took two teams of mules to pull the wagons.

General Ord seems to have served admirably back East, but his reputation in Arizona is one of harshness to the Indians. One story tells that he ordered water and food be withheld from Indian prisoners. However unpopular the general, there are two mountains named Mount Ord in Arizona. The other one rises in the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. Also, present-day Fort Ord in California bears his name.

After 10 miles of slow travel, I reach a metal gate blocking the road. For security at the communication towers, vehicles are not allowed past the gate, but hikers may continue up the half mile to the top. The climb is steep but follows the roadway. The trail is closed between 9 P.M. and 6 A.M. At the top, the wind blows harder, but the view offers a sense of infinite distance.

Going back down Mount Ord is as slow as the trip up because of the incline and the curves, but I don't mind. The view of the Mazatzals makes me glad that Mother Nature practiced her handiwork here, and I hope she doesn't get these magnificent peaks smoothed out too soon. Al

Pueblo Grande Museum Demonstrates Hohokam Ingenuity With Water

AT FIRST GLANCE, the mound of earth - 30 feet high and as large as a football field - looks inscrutable. When we walk around it, our perspective shifts hundreds of years. Thick adobe and rock walls that once enclosed ceremonial rooms reveal themselves. My husband chases our 2-year-old son to the mound's top, where the two pause to view the Salt River Valley. Some 700 years ago, you could stand here and monitor the headgates of 10 different canals.

At the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park in Phoenix, the traces of an ancient civilization persist in an area hemmed by railroad tracks, roads and the

airport. These remnants include the channels of a canal system considered one of the greatest technological feats of the ancient world. The museum celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, remarkable considering an entrepreneur once wanted to build a sanatorium here. Only a few of the approximately 50 platform mounds that once graced the Valley have survived. Some archaeologists theorize that the Hohokam people farmed in the Salt River Valley for about 1,500 years until extreme cycles of flooding and drought destroyed their culture. In the museum, I examine a model of the Hohokam canals, which coursed like veins through the valley. The longest canal ran 20 miles, all the way out to present-day Glendale.

"Most scholars agree that the Hohokam canals were the most sophisticated built in the prehistoric world, due to their size and the complexity of the network," notes Roger Lidman, museum director.

The village at Pueblo Grande controlled the headgates of canals that watered approximately 10,000 acres of farmland on the north side of the River. A modern-day demonstration garden showcases ancient crops such as cotton, corn, beans, squash and amaranth, which jostle together behind an ocotillo fence.

The mound itself was built during the heyday of Hohokam canal digging. The maze of rooms, with few doors, wasn't designed for a crowd. Archaeologists believe the mound was used by leaders to oversee work on the canals and perform ceremonies.

Besides canal building, the Hohokam made pottery, etched petroglyphs and played a sport whose rules we can only guess. We walk past one of the excavated ball courts, similar to ones in Mexico. We peer inside at its angled walls, once covered with a hard layer of soil called caliche, now reinforced with concrete. Two goals bookend the court.

Farther down the Ruin Trail, we see how the