BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

On a hilltop, it occurred to me that the desert offers a grander, more inspiring silence than a forest of pines.

For a side trip along the Florence-Kelvin Highway, I drove Cochran Road, which begins at the boulders and goes north some 13 miles to the Gila River.

An ordinary passenger car works here, despite the road's washboardy and sandy spots. It might be more prudent to take a high-clearance vehicle, especially if rain seems likely.

The drive was simply beautiful. The road dipped into washes and curled around mountain shelves. It passed hillsides covered with yellow, purple and white wildflowers, thick green grasses from strong winter rains and sixand seven-armed saguaros as tall as I've ever seen, standing under stately rock cliffs.

As I went along, two massive landmarks-called North Butte and South Butte - were my signposts. Just below them on the north side of the river stand five charcoal kilns, also called coke ovens, the most visible reminders of the mining and railroad town of Cochran, built in 1882. They're on private land, however, and best viewed through binoculars from a distance.

Ghost town expert Philip Varney says that a post office opened there in 1904 and closed in 1915, and he speculates the population never surpassed a hundred. But Cochran had a rooming house, mercantile and other businesses, although nothing remains of them except some foundation remnants. The kilns, used to burn mesquite in the silver mining process, are holding well against the elements.

Cochran Road ends at the east west tracks of the Copper Basin Railroad. The Gila River flows a few hundred yards beyond, through a thicket of brush and cottonwood trees. To get to the river, I walked a narrow, badly rutted lane fully shaded by the heavy growth, even though it was midday. At its end, the lane opened to a small beach on the Gila and the always surprising, wonderful and exhilarating sound of water flowing in the desert. Bank to bank, it burbled along, brown and muddy, little waves jumping. It'd be hard to find a more unexpected site for an afternoon picnic.

After 25 years in Arizona, and much time in the backcountry, I finally had my first rattlesnake experience. As I drove back to the boulders, I passed a spot where wildflowers lined both sides of the road and stopped to examine them closely.

Returning to the car, I saw him-stretched out on the ground proud as could be, measuring ing about 2 feet long and colored light and dark brown in an alternating diamond pattern. In my excitement I inched closer to get a better look, and he cooperated for a while, although the way he worked his black tongue in and out, I knew it wouldn't be long.

Sure enough, after a moment he shook his tail and lunged at me. I leaped in the air, churned my legs and arms and skedaddled, cartoon-style, back to the car.

Something had told me I'd be calmer about this inevitable encounter. But at least now, when ever the subject is rattlers in Arizona, I'll think of Cochran Road and have a little story to tell.

The latter half of the Florence-Kelvin High way curves in a northerly direction and becomes more mountainous. At 10 miles from its end, Icould turn around and see all the way back to North and South buttes on the Gila, and ahead to the old open-pit mine at Ray. The final few miles of the trip blazed with more wildflowers. In some cases, the purple lupines and yellow brittlebushes formed a blan ket of color over entire hillsides.

There, I passed several cars, and saw four small children darting off the road to pick flowers. The little ones squealed with delight as they ran through the fields. Then I spotted their mom, trying to catch them. The pleasant sounds of their noisy play seemed an appropriate way to end a day of beauty and precious silence in a picturesque desert. AH

PHOTOGRAPH THE MISSIONS OF OLD MEXICO

Join one of Arizona Highways' favorite photographers, Jeff Kida, as he journeys to the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico to photograph seven 17th-century adobe missions originally built by Father Kino.

Our journey begins with a morning at the elegant Mission San Xavier del Bac located just south of Tucson. We continue across the border to the missions of Cocospera, San Ignacio and Pitiquito near the charming town of Magdalena. The missions of Oquitoa and Tubutama highlight the area surrounding Caborca.

This photo workshop offers the rare opportunity to travel with the Friends of Arizona Highways as well as a historian from the Southwest Mission Research Center, who will enrich our tour with his knowledge of this region.

Come along for this scenic adventure below the border, April 16-20.

For more information about this or other exciting photo workshops, contact the Friends of Arizona Highways at (602) 712-2004, toll-free at (888) 7907042 or visit their Web site at www.friendsofazhighways.com.

OTHER WORKSHOPS

May 10-18 Raft the Grand Canyon with Jack Dykinga

June 26-30 Explore the World of Digital with Nikon

July 26-30 Chase Storms Along the North Rim with Peter Ensenberger Sept. 6-10 Visit the Navajo Nation Fair with LeRoy DeJolie Sept. 24-28 Enter the Exotic Slot Canyons with Jerry Sieve DAMSEL DAYS AND MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS February 2-March 24; Apache Junction Beginning in the 14th century, Italy transformed European history with a renewed interest in the arts. By the 16th and 17th centuries, the Renaissance had spread through Europe, changing the fragmented feudal society of the Middle Ages into a culture dominated by central political institutions and an intense patronage of the arts and music. The Renaissance, meaning "rebirth," is defined as the period of humanistic and artistic development occurring between the lives of Italian master painters Giotto and Michelangelo.

The 14th Annual Renaissance Festival celebrates this historical period of enlightenment with period-based theater, comedy, music, crafts and jousting exhibitions in a re-created 16th-century European village. Information: (520) 463-2700.

STEP IN TIME February 23-24; Phoenix In the 1940s, singer and mandolin player Bill Monroe started a musical movement in Kentucky now known as bluegrass. Characterized by the acoustic string-band sound of the Southeast, the bluegrass style usually features a banjo, fiddle and mandolin in lead parts, while a guitar and string bass provide accompaniment.

To hear some of the best bluegrass music, stop by for Pioneer Bluegrass Days at the Pioneer Living History Museum, where national and regional bluegrass bands present jam sessions and music workshops. On-site camping is available. Information: (623) 842-1102 or (623) 465-1052.

BYE BYE BLACKBIRD February 15-16; Tucson Although the SR-71 Blackbird was developed for the United States Air Force as reconnaissance aircraft more than 30 years ago, it remains the world's fastest and highest-flying production jet aircraft. The SR-71 can fly faster than 2,200 mph or Mach 3+, which is more than three times the speed of sound, at altitudes higher than 85,000 feet. Although it was retired in 1998, the SR-71 has recently been used by NASA in tests of structures, thermal protection materials, aerodynamics, propulsion, atmospheric studies, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation and sonic boom characterization.

During the SR-71 Blackbird Symposium at the Pima Air and Space Museum, you'll be able to learn more about the aircraft and speak to the pilots and crew who worked with the Blackbird. Information: (520) 618-4821.

SUPERSTITIONS AND LEGENDS February 22-24; Apache Junction German immigrant Jacob von Walzer, later known as Jacob Walz, reputedly discovered the abandoned Peralta mine hidden deep in the rocky labyrinth of the Superstition Mountains. The legendary outcropping of gold lies somewhere on the sacred ground of the Apaches, who drove off or massacred any who attempted to desecrate the domain of their Thunder God by mining the ore. The 38th Annual Lost Dutchman Days celebrates the legend of this lost cache and the surly Old Dutchman's claim to fame. Highlights of the event include a rodeo, carnival and a wild horse auction. Information: (480) 983-4888.

Other Events

Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering; February 2-4; Sierra Vista; (520) 459-3868. Storytellers, singers and musicians celebrating the American cowboy.

Gold Rush Days; February 8-10; Wickenburg; (928) 6845479. Gold-panning, parade, arts and crafts, rides.

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show; February 14-17; Tucson; (520) 322-5773. Museum and private exhibits, lapidary, demonstrations, jewelry and specialty books.

Great Arizona Outback Chili Cook-Off; February 16; Salome; (928) 859-3846. Chili and salsa contest, aircraft exhibitions and classic car show.

An Evening Under Western Skies; February 22; Yuma; (928) 782-3127. Chuck-wagon barbecue, gunfights and other live entertainment.

Arizona Scottish Highland Games; February 23-24; Mesa; (602) 431-0095. Highland dancers, clan booths, re-enactment groups, live music and ancient athletic events.