TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

Walls Came Tumblin' Down

ON MAY 18, 2006, the erosive effects of wind and weather caused exfoliation of a huge slab of sandstone, creating a cataclysmic landslide on East Mitten butte in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The photographs above show the sequence of the rockslide and ensuing dust plume captured by Roylene Garrett, an amateur photographer from Madison, Wisconsin, visiting Monument Valley with her husband, Craig. “The ground shook and the sound was like thunder,” she said. “We had witnessed an event that may not have happened to this rock formation for a thousand years. Truly awesome.” -Peter Ensenberger

Prince and a Pauper

HE WAS KNOWN AS The Prince of Tombstone, for he owned quite a bit of where that city now stands, plus mines said to be worth a halfmillion dollars. His income was $4,000 a month, which was not at all bad during the years 1879 to 1882 for Edwin Fields, an entrepreneur who made millions selling mining claims in Tombstone. Alas, he lost it all speculating on grain prices at the St. Louis Board of Trade. He spent the rest of his life working menial hotel jobs and died in the poorhouse-a pauper indeed. To make things worse, according to the Arizona Sentinel of February 22, 1896, on that date the body of the former "prince" was lying on a dissecting table in the school of anatomy in Chicago. -Ruth Burke

Hacienda Hospitality

AT THE RANCHO DE LA OSA, (Ranch of the She Bear) you can hold a Mexican cannonball, a relic of the Mexican Revolution found in the stucco walls of the hacienda dining room. Nestled under large eucalyptus trees along the Mexican border, the ranch borders the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. Its gracious hacienda, furnished with Mexican antiques, recalls a time when the Ortiz brothers, Ignacio and Tomás, received this land grant from the King of Spain in 1812. Today, guests take meals in the hacienda dining room, in a secluded courtyard or at a cookout under the stars, and enjoy the pool, horseback riding, biking and bird-watching. Over the years, Rancho de la Osa has hosted many famous people, including Lyndon B. Johnson, Adlai Stevenson, Tom Mix and Zane Grey. Other guests included the drafters of the Marshall Plan after World War II. In 1935, six men, including Secretary of State William Clayton, an active drafter of the Marshall Plan, and Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, staked Dick Jenkins to the purchase of the ranch. Information: (800) 872-6240 or (520) 8234257; www.ranchodelaosa.com. -Jane Eppinga

off-ramp

Peaceful Ponderosa Pathway

TAKE A 2-MILE WALK across America. Little America, that is. Situated on 500 secluded acres of ponderosa forest, Flagstaff's oldest and largest resort features its own recreational trail. Though the landmark property has undergone several spectacular renovations to accommodate the needs and wants of today's traveler, visitors and locals seem to appreciate that the decor has stayed the same since the hotel opened in 1974.The little-known loop trail is located behind the hotel's four lodges and main building and is suitable for hiking, walking, jogging, biking or horseback-riding. Starting just west of the pool, the path meanders along the southern end of the scenic greenbelt acreage for 1 mile before circling back, making it ideal for sheltered strolls, brisk sprints, breathtaking mountain views or just a breath of fresh air. Information: (800) 352-4386; www.littleamerica.com/flagstaff.

Rebuilding Leo the Lion's Plane

IT WAS A PUBLICITY STUNT gone haywire when a plane crashed in the forest near Payson in September 1927. Its cargo? A lion that movie mogul Louis Mayer, head of MGM, planned to unveil in New York City as his corporate logo. Charles Lindbergh had just completed his groundbreaking trans-Atlantic flight, and everyone in America was airplane crazy. Mayer's idea: Hire a pilot to fly Leo the lion from L.A. to New York-the first to go from coast to coast nonstop-in a plane built by the same company that built Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.

The seeming glitch came when engine trouble forced pilot Marty Jensen to put down in Hell's Canyon, later renamed Leo's Canyon. It took three days for Jensen to walk to Payson to alert the world.Rather than sinking Mayer's idea, the wreck garnered extensive coverage. But the publicity went worldwide when the shrewd Mayer, learning that the caged lion had survived, announced that he'd spare no expense to save it. The lion, rescued seven days after the crash, lived.

Now, Prescott resident Scott Gifford, owner of NostalgAire, an aircraft restoration firm, is rebuilding Jensen's plane, in part with items retrieved from the site, including fuel tank and landing gear.

Gifford calls his plan to restore the original plane a lifelong dream. "It's expensive and time-consuming, and I work on it when I can," says Gifford, who's also seeking corporate sponsorship for the project. "But someday this airplane will be returned to flying condition, and we'll complete the original flight to New York." Information: (928) 777-8195; www. nostalgaire.com