It's Summer in Arizona

It's SUMMER IN ARIZONA by Carlos Elmer

"Let's go to Arizona this summer!" This cry is being heard increasingly throughout our land, although I must confess we old "desert rats" are still just a little surprised whenever we hear it, for we remember the old days before air conditioning.

Now, with the end of school in late May or during June, the highways leading into our state are filled with cars bringing families to enjoy the deluxe facilities and recreational features of Phoenix and Tucson at bargain summer rates. (We've even provided our own "ocean" now in Tempe's Big Surf, Clairol's exciting new two-million-dollar inland sea described in the April, 1970 issue of this modest publication, as well as by our somewhat larger sister publication, Life Magazine.) It was not always so, as shown by the words of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS' first editor, who admonished Arizona residents to "See Arizona First" and stop their headlong rush to the beaches of California. "Why not spend your summer vacation in Arizona?" pleaded Vincent J. Keating. "With all that Arizona has to offer, why should her sons and daughters strew $2,000,000 along the beaches of our sister state?" The year was 1925, and this was Volume I, Number 2 of Arizona's brave new publication. There was Nature's air conditioning aplenty in the pine forests of Arizona's high country, and this is what Mr. Keating was pushing. Getting there was another matter, though, and the relatively modern highways leading west to the Pacific Ocean beckoned us. Strew we did, and with great relish. I still yield to no man in my admiration of a cool August fog at Fisherman's Wharf or an evening stroll past La Jolla's rocky coves, but I do find that with modern refrigerated air conditioning I tend to stay put in Arizona now during the summer months.

In fact, most of our residents find they are "at home" during the summer, taking advantage of the fine network of broad superhighways linking Phoenix and Tucson with Arizona's high country to enjoy pine-rimmed mountain lakes on weekend trips from their lowlands home bases. And the visitors from other states are increasingly doing exactly the same thing moving into swank motor hotels and resorts built in the lowlands for the winter trade, and then exploring the state's cool highlands in a series of two-or three-day trips.

This trend got into high gear just last summer, as famed winter resorts such as Camelback Inn took the great gamble and stayed open all summer. The experiment worked remarkably well, even to the extent that many motorists visiting the Grand Canyon en route to California were diverted to spend a few extra days at Camelback before continuing their trip to California! I like to think that Mr. Keating would be pleased by this sort of news.The change was certainly noticeable in the fashionable shops of Scottsdale, where nearly all of the stores remained open with such a good volume of business that many winter season employees were recalled to help with the unexpected rush. The customers were primarily motoring families, who had come

here to spend a few days “unwinding” in the swimming, shop-ping, and entertainment pattern of the desert resort cities before starting their series of side trips to Arizona’s cool country.

Recent improvements in the network of highways radiating from Phoenix and Tucson have made it easy for a summer vacationer to get in an early round of golf at Phoenix or Scotts-dale (5 A. M. is a beautiful starting time in the summer!), load up the family bus around 10 o’clock, and tee off again in the Flagstaff area before noon. It’s just a matter of picking out one of Arizona’s “islands in the sky” and then traveling the broad U.S. or Interstate highway that leads to it.

To locate these cool “islands,” I make use of the excellent book, Arizona Climate, whose 503 pages are filled with detailed and authoritative facts on this most important subject affecting the success of a summer vacation trip. Daily observa-tions made by unpaid volunteer and corporate stations for more than seventy years have provided us with patterns that point the way towards those areas in Arizona which have July average temperatures well below the 70° level. Some are broad upland plains covering vast distances, while others are isolated peaks rising abruptly from the surrounding desert floors.

My favorite of them all belongs in the latter category. The Hualapai Mountains near Kingman were once described by writer-photographer Martin Litton as “Alps in the Desert.”3 The Hualapais (pronounced WALL-A-PIES) do rise sharply from the 3,200-foot level of Kingman to a peak of 8,266 feet, all in a distance of less than fifteen miles by road. This is the spot where I spent each summer of my youth, enjoying the rustle of the wind in pine needles, the sparkling waters of Wheeler Creek, and the incomparable views seen from the hiking trail leading to the Potato Patch and upwards to the top of Hualapai Peak, itself. Here there are rustic housekeeping cabins owned and managed by Mohave County, a lovely camp-ground and picnic area, and Pine Lake Lodge, with its motel, restaurant, and private trout lake. It’s an easy drive from King-man on a paved road, and a welcome respite from a trip along U.S. 66. Improvements in U.S. 93 from Phoenix to Kingman, including some thirty miles of interstate caliber highway near Kingman, make this an easy four-hour drive from downtown Phoenix to a spot under a pine tree at Pine Lake Lodge.

Extensive work on Interstate Highway 17, the Phoenix to Flagstaff freeway, has brought Coconino County’s pine forests next door to the state capital. The 7,000-foot level is reached about thirty miles before Flagstaff, so that the high pine country is less than two hours from Phoenix. This is a vast area of cool highlands, with Flagstaff at its hub. Thousands of visitors first see this area when visiting visiting Flagstaff around the Fourth of July for the annual Indian Pow-Wow festivities. Most of them are so impressed by sweater weather in July that they stay after Pow-Wow time and come back in following years.

Flagstaff is the one exception to the twoor three-day excursion concept, for there is so much to see and do in this area that a full week should be allowed. This is big country, and Coconino County is not only Arizona's largest but is also second only to California's San Bernardino County in the entire United States excepting Alaska. For a more definitive description of Coconino's many and varied attractions, see the entire February 1961 issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS. Some of my favorite spots in and around Flagstaff are:

More National Parks and Monuments Than Any Other State — Plus Nine State Parks

1. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK. Nowhere else in the world is there another canyon so deep for so great a distance as the Grand Canyon. It is a mile deep, 4 to 18 miles wide, and for almost 400 miles there is no automobile crossing of the Colorado River. If you feel awestruck, don't be surprised. Nature has been preparing the Grand Canyon for you for 7,000,000 years. The South Rim is open the year 'round and can be reached by automobile, railroad, bus and airplane. Accommodations range from hotel suites to campgrounds and all modern services are available. Enjoy bus tours, mule and horseback trips. Reservations should be made in advance. Write: Fred Harvey, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Campground sites cannot be reserved.

The North Rim roads are usually blocked by snow from November 1 to early May. Accommodations are available only during the summer. For reservations, write: Utah Parks Co., North Rim Rural Route, Fredonia, Arizona. Rates and descriptive folders will be sent upon request.

2. PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK. The most wondrous display of petrified wood known in the world and some of the most colorful parts of the Painted Desert are included in this 94,000 acre National Park. Puerco Indian Ruin, an ancient pueblo, and Newspaper Rock, a massive sandstone block with petroglyphs (picture-writing) pecked in its surface, are among the many points of interest. The park is open all year. Small picnic areas are maintained, but camping is not allowed. Motels and restaurants are located along the highways that cross the park.

3. CANYON DE CHELLY National Monument. Three great canyons carved in the red sandstone of northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, and Monument Canyon, make up this National Monument in the heart of Navajoland.

4. NAVAJO National Monument. Home of Inscription House, Betatakin, and Keet Seel, the most extensive pueblo ruins in Arizona. Designated picnic and camp areas within the grounds.

5. PIPE SPRING National Monument. Historic Mormon fort in the Arizona Strip, cut off from the rest of the state by the Grand Canyon.

6. WUPATKI National Monument. Scene of Arizona's first real estate boom 900 years ago when the eruption of Sunset Crater spread a fertile blanket of ash across the plateau and multi-storied villages sprang up in the new farmland.

7. SUNSET CRATER National Monument. The top of an extinct volcano, made colorful by red, orange and yellow cinders. Modern spacemen explore this crater in training for visits to the moon.

8. WALNUT CANYON National Monument. More than 300 cliff dwellings and a museum of Indian relics preserve a record of the lives of ancient inhabitants in this beautiful part of the Arizona Northlands.

9. TUZIGOOT National Monument. Atop a knoll within view of Jerome and Clarkdale, sits a stone dwelling that once boasted 110 rooms. It lay forgotten and undisturbed for five centuries. Its museum contains many artifacts unearthed during the modern excavations.

10. MONTEZUMA Castle National Monument. Twelfth-century apartment houses built in a limestone cliff above the farmlands along Beaver Creek. Seven miles north is Montezuma Well, a dramatic sink that holds a huge, deep pool of water in an otherwise dry plateau.

11. TONTO National Monument. A well-preserved cliff dwelling perched dramatically above Roosevelt Lake on the scenic Apache Trail.

12. CASA GRANDE National Monument. Four-story fort and apartment house built 600 years ago by Hohokam farmers in the Gila Valley. Evidence of their irrigation canals and walled-in village can still be seen.

13. SAGUARO National Monument. One of the world's most unusual leafless forests: 54,971 acres of giant saguaro cacti. Especially beautiful in Spring when the cactus blossoms, Arizona's state flower, are in bloom.

14. ORGAN PIPE CACTUS National Monument. Home of the cactus whose upright stems resemble the pipes of a giant organ. It is also rich in other types of cactus and in desert wildlife.

15. TUMACACORI National Monument. Mission founded in 1697 by Padre Kino. Its exhibits enfold much of the history of the Spanish missions.

16. CHIRICAHUA National Monument. Forested mountains pierce the high desert valleys of southeastern Arizona and feature the Wonderland of Rocks. Here, strange formations create an amazing conglomeration of balanced rocks and lifelike figures.

17. LAKE MEAD National Recreation Area. A paradise for fishermen, naturalists, boating enthusiasts, explorers. This huge lake behind Hoover Dam has opened up a fascinating new world to thousands of vacationers.

18. GLEN CANYON National Recreation Area. Arizona's newest playground. Lake Powell, with its hundreds of miles of scenic shoreline behind giant Glen Canyon Dam, has created another water wonderland for fishermen, boating enthusiasts, explorers and naturalists.

Detailed information on all National Parks, Monuments, and Recreation Areas is available from United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Museums are maintained at most National Parks and Monuments to help visitors better enjoy and understand them. The history and the unusual plant, animal and bird life of Arizona can also be enjoyed in many other places in Arizona, such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Sharlot Hall Museum, housed in the state's first capitol, in Prescott.

19. JEROME STATE HISTORIC PARK. Clinging precariously to a mountainside, Jerome once flourished as the locale of exciting mining activities. Museum tells the story from aboriginal times to the present through dioramas, displays, mining equipment. Visitors may also tour an abandoned mining complex. 8 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Picnicking. No overnight camping.

20. LAKE HAVASU STATE PARK. 45 miles of recreation waters and shoreline behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River. Year-round boat access. Motel, marina, transient trailer court, camping.

21. BUCKSKIN MOUNTAIN STATE PARK. Another Colorado River site for water sports, with scenic mountain backdrop. Boating facilities, overnight cabanas, tent and trailer camping.

22. TUBAC PRESIDIO STATE HISTORIC PARK. Established in 1752, the Presidio has flown 3 flags in its 300 years of occupation: Spanish, Mexican, United States. A museum traces its colorful history. Picnicking. No overnight camping.

23. PAINTED ROCKS STATE HISTORIC PARK. Follow paths for selfconducted tour of one of the Southwest's most interesting collections of Indian writings, pre-historic rock paintings. Picnicking. Overnight camping only for self-contained.camping units.

24. YUMA TERRITORIAL PRISON STATE HISTORIC PARK. Many a badman of the old West languished here, on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River. Visitors may tour the cell blocks and dungeons and an interesting museum. Open 8 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Picnic grounds but no overnight camping.

25. PICACHO PEAK STATE PARK. Rising spectacularly more than 3,000 feet from the desert floor, the peak is visible for 40 miles in any direction. Battle of Picacho Pass was the only recorded Civil War clash in Arizona. Limited camping facilities.

26. TOMBSTONE COURTHOUSE STATE HISTORICAL MONUMENT. You've seen the counterpart of this symbol for frontier justice in television and movie westerns. Built in 1882, it houses a museum that highlights the lively heyday of Tombstone. Museum open daily from 8 A.M. until 5:30P.M.

27. LYMAN LAKE STATE PARK. 1500 surface-acre lake in plateau country, a favorite year-round recreation area. Power boating, water skiing, swimming in the warm months, ideal fishing the other 3 seasons. Pic-nicking. Camping facilities Boat rentals, supplies available from concessionaire.

For further information on any state park, write Arizona State Parks Board, Room 431, State Capitol Building, Phoenix, Arizona 85007.

Reference Map for SUMMER IN ARIZONA

AVERAGE DEGREE TEMPERATURES SHOWN ARE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

Than an hour or so, and then the bright sun shines once more. The Grand Canyon has a special lure all of its own, and the nicest place to enjoy it is on the North Rim, 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim, where most of the tourists congregate. The North Rim country is Kaibab National Forest country, home of the unique Kaibab squirrel, and one of the most beautiful forest settings in the United States. The forest of pines and aspens is alive with deer, turkey, and other game, and there's always the grand bonus of the Grandest Canyon of Them All waiting at the end of the highway! It is a bit out of the way as compared to the easy trip to the South Rim from Flagstaff, but the Kaibab and North Rim are Arizona's cool highlands at their best.

The other large highland area in Arizona is located in the east-central portion of the state. This is the White Mountain country, topped by 11,590-foot Mount Baldy and containing plenty of land above 8,000 feet in altitude. Main access from Phoenix is U.S. 60 through Globe and Show Low, passing through the gorge of the Salt River en route in one of the West's most impressive examples of highway design. Nearing Show Low, the highway climbs steadily and then tops out on the Mogollon Rim, which marks the major dividing line between Northern and Southern Arizona. The Rim Road west of Show Low offers majestic views of the Tonto Basin, made famous by the writings of Zane Grey, who lived just under the rim. North of Show Low is the town of Snowflake, named not for the familiar sight of winter, but for the Snow and Flake families who settled here. This is the location of a large paper mill which manufactures newsprint and kraft board from timber that is harvested in the forests of the White Mountains.

Beyond Show Low, which serves as a major tourist center and entry point to the White Mountain area, are the communities of Lakeside and Pinetop, popular summer vacation spots and location of two excellent golf courses. Still further is McNary, site of a large sawmill that offers impressive guided tours of its very frenzied operations. McNary is also the starting point and terminus of the White Mountain Railway's daily steam engine tours which are a highlight of family enjoyment.

As state highway 73 climbs beyond McNary to its 9,000foot summit, it passes several trout lakes and then enters graceful groves of quaking aspen. This has always impressed me as being one of Arizona's most beautiful drives, as the road goes over the mountain and down into a broad plain containing the towns of Eagar and Springerville. I've always enjoyed Eagar, where my sister has maintained a summer home for many years. It remains small and peaceful, an oasis in a bustling world.

From here the route turns south to Alpine, near the New Mexico border and site of my favorite country club, a nine-hole grass course at an altitude of 8,500 feet. Alpine Country Club is informal and usually uncrowded, a real pleasure in the warm summer months when light sweaters are the rule rather than the exception on July and August afternoons. Alpine is also the gateway to the canyon of the Blue River, one of Arizona's most scenic out-of-the-way places, if you're the type who enjoys a secluded dirt road trip now and then. Alpine also marks the start of the Coronado Trail, U.S. 666, which heads due south through majestic pine and aspen forests, reaching altitudes in excess of 9,000 feet. Past KP Cienega the forest opens out on spectacular vistas, where one can see more than 150 miles, far into New Mexico and Old Mexico. If you're at Hannagan Meadows at dusk, you are likely to have the thrill of observing some large elk come into the meadow for water, and these woods are full of other game.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR SUMMERTIME PHOTOGRAPHERS

One man's photographic data may be another photographer's poison. This is especially true with summertime exposures throughout Arizona. It is very seldom indeed that a meter reading will repeat in any given scene on successive days. Another strong factor in differentials is the gradual differences in elevation from sea level. The higher one goes the higher will be the meter reading. An accurate exposure meter is a must in our Southwest, be it built-in to your camera, or hand held. When photographing scenes of extreme contrast range, the sure way for a correct exposure is to bracket exposures. Since most meters will record more of the light areas in the scene, two exposures should result in a balanced picture. The second exposure should be a full stop under the original meter setting. These situations will prevail on the desert and on highly reflective water surfaces, especially where surrounded by trees and shrubbery. If the scene is one of those once-in-alifetime happenings and you may not be coming back for a while, give yourself the benefit of the doubt and shoot a four stop bracket. You'll find that the satisfaction is more than worth the price of the film, and you needn't feel like a novice, because that is the way the top professionals do it.

Unless one is concerned in the stark beauty of black and white, where the mood and the lighting permits, most photographs of Arizona scenery will justify the use of color film. The brand name, the film speed, nor the price will guarantee plus or minus results. Whatever film the photographer has had previous good results with is the logical film to use. The same can be said for the camera. The difference is the eye and the imagination of the photographer and the steadiness of the hand.

Any scene requiring a longer exposure than 1/100th second should be made from a tripod held camera. And of course no tripod held shot should be made without a cable release, and the most supple one at that.

The size of camera and film depends upon the purpose of the end product. If the photographer's end is slides for projection viewing, nothing is better than a 35mm. Here the choice depends mainly upon the individual's financial status. At today's prices anything priced from $39.95 will deliver near-professional results under ideal conditions. If you can afford one, the sooner you begin to use one of the new "automatics" the sooner you will convince yourself that modern picture taking can be ajoy forever. It's just one of those things no camera salesman can do entirely by himself. You've got to do it yourself to be amazed how many boo-boos you can pull and still come back with a beautiful roll of memories.

joy forever. It's just one of those things no camera salesman can do entirely by himself. You've got to do it yourself to be amazed how many boo-boos you can pull and still come back with a beautiful roll of memories.

If you are one of an increasing number of photographers who aspire to joining the ranks of photo-journalists, part or full time, and dream of the day when every picture editor will be waiting for your stuff - don't come to Arizona armed only with a 35mm weapon. To get the picture across to photographic buyers, who in turn must read your picture in the language of four color reproduction - the format must be 2% x 2½ inches or larger. On the other hand there is no need to carry anything larger than 4 x 5 equipment.

Naturally folks who come to Arizona come primarily for the sun and its benefits, and we guarantee there'll be many many more sunny days than a person really needs. On the other hand don't start cussing the Lord for overcast days. If it's masterful photographs one wants there's nothing like an overcast for equalizing contrast ranges to result in the soft delicately balanced gems everyone ohs and ahs about. If you're shooting on the lakes or shimmering rivers consider yourself heaven-blessed for an overcast sun.

Folks ask, "what's the best time of day for shooting pictures?" For conventional and normal purposes the best time for photographing anything is explained in the instruction sheet that comes with every roll or box of film. This little document is the most dependable source of information obtainable anywhere at any price. If you continue to use the same film you will find yourself doing the right thing at the right time automatically by just having read and memorized the instructions. Try to standardize what responds to your equipment and your style.

For the non-conformist and the trail-cutter there is no limit to the strange, interesting, sometimes weird, and most of the time pleasing effects that can be attained by straining the film's latitude at both ends of the scale. These photographers are seen about in the early morning hours, or just before the sunset when the shadows are the longest and the contrasts wider, striving for the moody backlighted silhouettes and off-color variations that result in conversation pieces.

Whatever your tastes or your purpose in photography, Arizona has many exotic and unique marvels to top the most enjoyable picture-taking banquet any photographic gourmet ever satisfied his tasteś on.

These are the major high country areas of Northern and Northeastern Arizona, Arizona, frequented primarily by visitors from the Phoenix area, although the White Mountains are also popular with people from Tucson. The latter city, however, has several of these "islands in the sky" much closer at hand, including the Catalina Mountains right at the city's borders. The winding road up Mount Lemmon leads to a pleasant summer vacation spot dotted with cabins and picnic grounds. Not far away by excellent superhighways are other lofty mountain ranges in Southern Arizona that are frequented by those living in Tucson and other cities in our state's southern part. Of special interest are the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona's southeastern corner, site of Chiricahua National Monument, "The Wonderland of Rocks." An especially pleasant backroad trip is that over the mountain from the National Monument to the town of Portal on the eastern slope. This route parallels Cave Creek, a beautiful little stream surrounded by impressive red cliffs. Other summer vacation spots in Southern Arizona include Mount Graham near Safford, Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains between Tucson and Nogales, and Miller Peak near Coronado National Memorial at the Mexican border. We must not forget the good folks up Prescott way, either. While their city, like Denver, carries the Mile-High designation, there are higher elevations within easy driving distance of the city that boast a July average temperature reading of a cool 65°. This is also true on the Mogollon Rim northeast of Payson, adding still further to the list of Arizona places where one can cool off. There's a brief guide to summer fun in Arizona, a way to combine the best of the two worlds family enjoyment of outstanding winter resorts at moderate summer rates during an initial "unwinding" process, followed by several exploratory trips over Arizona's modern highway system to our areas of cool breezes and pine fragrance. Yes, Editor Keating, we've come a long ways in forty-five years. We Arizonans now enjoy our state's summer pleasures to the hilt, and we're joined by an ever-increasing number of visitors. It's a big state, with room enough for all.

1 The quotation is taken from Wilma Elmer's extra copy of Vol. I, No. 2, which she would be delighted to exchange for that one elusive copy of February, 1926 required to complete her collection! 2 ARIZONA CLIMATE, edited by Christine R. Green and William D. Sellers, was published by the University of Arizona Press, Box 3398, College Station, Tucson, Arizona 85700 in 1964, and is available from that source at $10.00. 3 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, February, 1950.