TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

{taking the off-ramp} Welcome, Condor Babies

Oh, my, we're so proud. Our magnificently ugly lovebird condors have been reproducing enthusiastically of late.

Swatting Flies and Lies in Sulphur Springs

Maybe the sulfur poisoned the water supply. According to the May 17, 1890, edition of The Tombstone Epitaph newspaper, a farmer in Sulphur Springs, located just this side of the U.S.-Mexico border, was reported to be the proud owner of a calf with two tails-one on the tail end and another growing out of its nose. The farmer claimed that the extra tail was already 2 feet long at the time of the report, and claimed it could swat flies as well as the one bringing up the rear.

Despite the possible offers of monetary gain, the unnamed farmer insisted that the calf would never be put up for sale. Instead, he intended to try breeding more like it. Perhaps someday all animal lovers could have their very own double-tailed calf. Thank goodness it didn't happen. That surely would have meant the demise of the flyswatter business.

Since their 1996 reintroduction in the Vermilion Cliffs area north of the Grand Canyon, the Arizona flock of California condors has grown to 53. The 26-pound scavengers with 9-foot wingspans started reproducing in the wild in 2003. Alas, the first chick born starved to death. But two born in 2004 have joined their elders. This spring, three more nesting pairs produced eggs. At press time, one nest had failed, but two had produced chicks. A second reintroduced condor flock in California has grown to 56, but hasn't produced as many chicks.

In Arizona, the condors have nested in Grand Canyon caves occupied by Ice Age condors 10,000 years ago. They also like hanging out around the South Rim.

Condors vanished from Arizona in 1924, and by 1982 the California flock had dwindled to 22. But a captive breeding program has pushed the population to 130 captive birds and 113 wild birds. So we're hanging on for word from the Grand Canyon nursery. Maybe if the happy Arizona flock keeps out-reproducing those California laggards, we can change their name to Arizona condors. After all, the Grand Canyon State is happy to welcome newcomers-so long as we can assume bragging rights.

Flagstaff Rider Joins Tour of Hope

Flagstaff resident Scott Perelstein has a beautiful family, a nice home and a successful business - all things he wouldn't have without the help of legendary bicyclist Lance Armstrong. During the 1999 coverage of the Tour de France bicycle race, Armstrong promoted early detection of testicular cancer by challenging men to conduct immediate selfexaminations. Perelstein accepted the challenge, expecting to find nothing more than peace of mind. Instead he found three malignant lumps - just in time.

Perelstein's cancer required outpatient surgery and careful monitoring. Six years and two children later, he is cancer-free and grateful to Armstrong. In September, Perelstein will get to thank Armstrong in person. The Flagstaff cyclist is one of 24 men and women chosen to participate in the 3rd Annual Tour of Hope, sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The weeklong journey promotes the necessity for clinical trials in cancer research.

Starting September 29, the cyclists will ride from San Diego to Washington, D.C. The tour, with Armstrong joining at select intervals, is expected to pass through Phoenix and southern Arizona on October 1. Information: www.tourofhope.org.

EVENTS 9/05

Gunfighters shoot it out in the streets at the O.K. Corral during the Rendezvous of Gunfighters September 3-5 in Tombstone. You can join in the 1880s fun by donning a costume for the Western parade. Information: (520) 457-3548.

Get in the groove at the Grand Canyon's South Rim with a series of chamber concerts at the Grand Canyon Music Festival. Planned for September 7, 9-11, 13, 16-17, 23-24 at the Shrine of Ages, this melodic adventure features an eclectic selection of music. Information: (800) 997-8285; www.grandcanyonmusicfest.org.

Join the flock at Bye, Bye Buzzards on September 17 at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and bid farewell to the local turkey vultures as they pack up for their seasonal migration. Information: (520) 689-2811.

For many more events, go to arizonahighways. com and click on Experience Arizona.

Global Optimism

"Pretty lively times in Globe as of late. Two men murdered, two lynched, one suicide, one death from natural causes and a first-class flood. These are all good signs of prosperity and the only thing now needed for complete happiness is a fire, which in the present condition of Globe would destroy half the town."

Cochise's Name and Profile Live On

The legendary leader of the Chiricahua Apaches in the mid1800s was a fierce, bold warrior called Cochise. His name struck terror into many of southeastern Arizona's settlers and soldiers. After being wrongly accused of a kidnapping and having some of his family killed, Cochise began an often bloody 11-year guerilla waragainst the United States in 1861. Yet the name Cochise that was so terrifying was not a tribute to his skills in battle, but came rather from the word Goci meaning "his nose," a reference to the leader's most prominent feature. In the Chiricahua Mountains, the formation Cochise Head (above) resembles a reclining face, complete with forehead, lips and a somewhat prominent schnoz. Look closely enough and you'll even see thetree that forms the eyelash. Every few years, Arizona Highways Photo Workshops goes to the Chiricahuas to take pictures of Cochise Head and the other rock formations in nearby Chiricahua National Monument. The next Chiricahua photo trip runs November 5-9, and is led by Arizona Highways Director of Photography Peter Ensenberger Information: (602) 712-2004; www.friendsofazhighways.com.

Crawfish Bad for Ecology, Good for the Pot

Although crawfish (also called crawdads and crayfish in some circles) aren't a native Arizona species, they thrive in the state's lakes and streams-much to the dismay of biologists at the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Introduced by anglers as bait, these small crustaceans are decimating aquatic plants and wildlife throughout Arizona. But this ecological misfortune creates at least one beneficial side effectcrawfishing. Catching crawfish not only provides hours of entertainment and some tasty eating, but also doubles as a way to help save the environment. To learn more about crawfishing, pick up a pamphlet and a free 25-minute video, "Arizona Lobster: Tips on Catching and Cooking Crayfish" at the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The video takes potential crawfish anglers into the wild for a quick biology lesson on Arizona's lake and river ecosystems and provides inside tips on crawfishing along with cooking demonstrations. You can also download the brochure at http://gf. state.az.us/pdfs/i_e/Crayfish_ Brochure.pdf.

Yuma Theatre Finds New Life

A patch of derelict buildings in downtown Yuma has been transformed into a spiffy arts center where you can cheer on a senior citizens' beauty pageant, view contemporary art and see a ballet, all in one day. At the center of it all is the Yuma Theatre, a 1911 movie and vaudeville house. Workers dodged mummified cats, uncovered unopened beer bottles from the 1930s and hauled out 22 tons of dirt in 5-gallon buckets in the course of restoring the place to its 1926 glory, when it was last remodeled.

They took great care to save the lobby's Works Progress Administration-era bas relief celebrating manly agricultural workers. But in the audience chamber, they hardly had to touch the two large Anthony Heinsbergen murals of figures that resemble something between mermaids and the Columbia Pictures logo. Two new visual-art facilities straddle the theater, reopened in early 2004. The one to the left, the United Building, is a 1940s retail store, gutted and refitted with

industrial, loft-style workspaces for artists and pot throwers. To the right rises a new, two-story building that houses four art galleries, plus classrooms and other facilities. Information: (928) 373-5202.

LIFE IN ARIZONA 1 8 8 0 s YOUNG PREACHER IN SIN TOWN

A young ministerial student named Endicott Peabody (nicknamed "Cotty") from Salem, Massachusetts, arrived in Tombstone in January 1882 to see about building the first Episcopal church in Arizona. Cotty, who was reared in England, found Tombstone different than what he was accustomed to, but he wrote that he was surprised to find so many educated people there. His congregation met in the courthouse at first, and he collected money for the new church building from gamblers. He also helped bury the dead and was there when the great fire wiped out three blocks, just a week before his 25th birthday. You can read more about Peabody and how he returned to Massachusetts to found Groton School for Boys (now coeducational), in Frank Davis Ashburn's book Peabody of Groton: A Portrait.

Spend a Night in the Slammer

Bisbee's OK Street Jailhouse, the town's first jail, built in 1907, is now a vacation or business suite. The downstairs jailer's office serves as the entry area, the drunk tank makes the living room and the heavily barred upstairs cell is the bedroom. Furnishings include early mining memorabilia. The $100 per night or $175 for two nights allows kids or friends to sleep in the downstairs foldaway couch for $5 extra. Call (520) 432-7435 for reservations. Leave your credit card number and pick up the key at the nearby OK Realty Co., 39 Howell Ave. Don't worry about tipping the bellhops. There aren't any.

Question of the Month

What is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States?

Established around A.D. 1150, Oraibi, located on the Hopi Indian Reservation in northern Arizona, vies with Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, for the distinction, according to Byrd H. Granger's Arizona's Names: X Marks the Place.

Arizona's six national forests celebrate a century of protection and recreation

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