TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

taking the off-ramp Piece of Cake

THE ONCE-BITTER TALE of Tovrea Castle and the surrounding Carraro Cactus Garden, located near Phoenix's Papago Park, is getting sweeter every year. Completed in 1930, the historic “wedding cake castle” resort and its sprawling 277 acres quickly sold as a private residence. In 1969, twicewidowed owner and occupant Dell Tovrea passed away leaving the splendid estate to die a slow death while the surrounding acreage fell victim to a thriving metropolis. Between 1993 and 2003, the city of Phoenix purchased the castle and a remaining 44 acres. Restoration is currently under way and the area is scheduled to open as a multiuse public park in 2009.

Though the castle is currently closed to the public, curious “cake” lovers can get a taste of it from the road. 5041 E. Van Buren St.; (602) 262-6862; www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/ tovhist.html. - JoBeth Jamison

Eaglets vs. Africanized Bees

WHEN A RAMBUNCTIOUS raptor attempted to take flight from a branch that housed a hive of Africanized bees, the situation got ugly. The young bald eagle that prompted the attack, as well as another eaglet, received stings from the angry swarm. One eaglet died.

Arizona Game and Fish Department staff found the surviving eaglet in the Bartlett Dam area of the Verde River and handed her over to Scottsdale's Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation. While there, volunteers taught the feisty female how to "fly, hunt for food, avoid predators and carry out other behaviors of an adult bald eagle." The eaglet was eventually returned to the wild after rehabilitation.

The 2005 bald eagle breeding season produced 37 nestlings from the 39 known breeding pairs that call Arizona home. Due to the hard work and dedication to preserving our national emblem by Arizona Game and Fish and Liberty Wildlife Rehabilitation, another bald eagle may one day produce eaglets of her own.

Cocopah Museum Preserves a Tiny Tribe's Heritage

LEARN HOW Lower Colorado River Indian tribes lived and thrived at the Kwapa Nawee U'as Ilusaaw, or Cocopah Museum. Located 10 miles south of Yuma, the museum illustrates the traditions and ancient lifestyle of the Cocopah people. Outside the museum stands a model of a traditional Cocopah home. The ramada-style dwelling is constructed from arrowweed, mesquite and other local materials. Inside the museum's exhibit room, visitors see professionally curated dioramas depicting traditional tribal life handcrafted by local tribal members. The exhibits detail the daily activities of a people defined by their relationship to the cycles of the Colorado River and the natural environment, including the Sonoran Desert and the river delta.

The museum also showcases recent tribal history, including a prominent display by the small tribe's U.S. military veterans.

A gift shop features beadwork, including intricately beaded capes, other tribal arts and crafts, Native American music CDs and cassettes, and souvenirs.

The Cocopah Museum is open Monday through Friday. Admission is free.

Information: (928) 627-1992.

off-ramp I Love You, Eeyore

SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS interact with animals that have been neglected, abandoned or have physical abnormalities at Whispering Hope Ranch in the ponderosa pines east of Payson. The result, according to founder Diane Reid, is a special kind of healing.

"I know the power of human-animal interaction because I've experienced it in my life," says Reid. "Studies have shown that animals enhance the immune system, lower blood pressure and produce a general calming."

One example: Reid tells of an autistic girl who could speak only five phrases her parents taught her. After interacting with a ranch donkey, she suddenly blurted out, "I love you, Eeyore"-the first words she'd spoken spontaneously in 10 years.

Today, Whispering Hope is home to more than 100 animals-emus, llamas, peacocks and more, and has expanded to create a year-round "Arizonastyle" retreat for kids sent by children's health organizations throughout the state.

"This is about serenity, unconditional love and changing lives," says Reid. The ranch is open to visitors by appointment.

Information: (877) 478-0339.

Next Stop, Willcox No Britches Allowed

In the days when even the legs of chairs and pianos were draped, Victorian-era Tucsonans passed a prim and proper law making it illegal for women to wear pants. Even though times have changed since then, this obscure prohibition still sits on the books-proving that some laws are meant to be broken.

WHEN THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD rolled into Willcox in 1880, it changed the sleepy tent city of Maley's Camp into the busy town of Willcox. Ranchers could then easily ship cattle to market, and Willcox quickly became the "Cattle Capital of the Nation."

Today, the railroad depot has been restored and is the only remaining Arizona depot built between 1871 and 1880 on the southern transcontinental railroad route. It is the only known, original, on-site passenger depot still existing on this route between Los Angeles and Chicago. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the stick-style woodframed building is covered with redwood.

Two Railway Express Agency wagons, original to the station, are outside; inside, visitors can watch a video on the railroad narrated by Rex Allen, singing cowboy movie star from Willcox. Children will enjoy pulling the rope to make the train whistle blow. Part of the building serves as city offices.

Located at 101 S. Railroad Ave., open Monday through Friday, 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. except holidays.

Information: (520) 384-4271.

Best of Burden

SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD to be a burden. If you're Dana Burden, Arizona's top trail maven, it's even better. Throughout his life, the Wickenburg native has juggled many job titles, including caballero, congressional aide, counselor, "Arizona Culturekeeper," ranch owner, manager and entrepreneur. So beloved is Burden by the people of his hometown that they have officially, proclaimed November 21 as Dana Burden Day, and they even named a local hill in his honor. But Burden's true identity rests in the trails and tributaries of his home state.Raised on Remuda Ranch, the former dude ranch established by his father in 1926, Burden learned the lay of the land as a child, how to maneuver canyons, run rivers and plot desert passage, how to "know you're okay on your own," he says.

Burden's exploring expertise led to successful business ventures such as Wickenburg Jeep Tours, Adventure Trails of Arizona and Wickenburg Clean and Beautiful, Inc. Now the footpath aficionado has taken on the role of author, putting his decades of desert know-how in a new guidebook entitled Desert Hiking Out Wickenburg Way. The hiker handbook features no-nonsense, detailed trails and directions, and includes a CD with topo maps, points of interest, GPS coordinates, colorful photos and equally colorful legends and lore.

While wandering out Wickenburg way, this is a Burden you'll definitely want to carry. www.adventuretrailsofarizona.com.