LETTERS AND E-MAIL

and e-mail

Funny Stuff Gene Perret's humor in the January issue [on poor penmanship] made us laugh until tears ran down our cheeks.

Bicycling the Peavine I found "Trail of the Past" (January '02) fascinating. I was especially impressed by the reference to the late Rob Bates and his "ordinary" bicycle. It was quite a feat for him to ride that contraption. In England, where I'm from, they were known as "penny-farthing" bicycles because of the disparity in size between the huge front wheel (like a large English penny coin) and the small rear wheel (compared to the much smaller farthing coin, a quarter of a penny). As a faithful reader of your magazine, I enjoy the quality of your articles and, in particular, the photography.

I thoroughly enjoyed your article "Trail of the Past." Riding the Peavine in 1958 was indeed an adventure. The train conductor entertained everyone with stories of the areas we were passing through. We left Phoenix around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The tracks were very bumpy and uneven once we left Congress. Before we reached Prescott, we stopped for an hour so that the train crew could remove a boulder from the tracks. We arrived at Ashfork Junction at 1 A.M., too late to board the Chief heading east, and had to wait for the next train around 3 A.M. But the ride was unforgettable. How I wish that there were passenger service from Phoenix to Ashfork today.

Suggestion I think anyone who loves nature, beautiful photography and all Arizona has to offer should take your magazine.

Wow. What a great idea. Pass it on.

Suspect Syntax In "Weekend Getaway: Yuma" (January '02), the author writes: "A final suggestion, sure to please military buffs, is watching Marine pilots take off and land from the parking lot of the Yuma County Fairgrounds on 32nd Street." Now that must be one heck of a parking lot!

Blame this one on the poor old editor. He must not have had much sleep the night before he read that sentence.

Havasupai Village Your wonderfully evocative article "Havasupai Life" (January '02) made me positively ache with longing to go there. It is a settlement that has always fascinated me by its comparative isolation. The glorious photographs of the waterfalls, particularly the high shot of Mooney Falls, gave it the air of being a true Shangri-la. I travel by proxy every time your magazine arrives in my mailbox.

Such a treat to see your cover story devoted to the Havasupai village. My three brothers and I (ages 46 to 56) hiked to Mooney Falls last spring and had the time of our lives. The wonderful memories came flooding back, making me want to do it all over again. I've suggested we make it an annual event and hope that your "advertisement" of that paradise doesn't draw huge crowds. I want it for myself.

British Airplane The "Life In Arizona" item (January '02) about Amelia Earhart landing in McNeal, Arizona, on her transcontinental flight in 1928 incorrectly identified her aircraft as French. In fact, the biplane was an Avro "Avian." The "Avian" name does sound French, but it was manufactured in 1927 by A.V. Roe and Company, which was founded in 1910 in Brooklands, England.

Returning Subscriber We took Arizona Highways from the mid '50s through the '80s. Friends sent me the December '01 issue and I had to take the magazine again. I had forgotten how great it was.

50-state Issue The other night at Toastmaster's, one of the members recalled an Arizona Highways article that showed how different parts of Arizona were like the states and compared each state to Arizona. Do you remember which issue that might be?

In December 1984 we ran a portfolio showing how parts of Arizona resembled parts of each of the other 49 states. We plan to expand the December 2002 issue and run a similar portfolio. Hope you will look for it.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

JUNE 2002 VOL. 78, NO. 6

Publisher WIN HOLDEN

Editor ROBERT J. EARLY Senior Editor REBECCA MONG Managing Editor BETH DEVENY Research Editor MARY PRATT Editorial Administrator CONNIE BOCH Administrative Assistant NIKKI KIMBEL Director of Photography PETER ENSENBERGER Photography Editor RICHARD MAACK Art Director MARY WINKELMAN VELGOS Deputy Art Director BARBARA GLYNN DENNEY Deputy Art Director BILLIE JO BISHOP Associate Art Director BETH ANDERSON Art Assistant PAULY HELLER Map Designer KEVIN KIBSEY Arizona Highways Books WitWorks Books Editor BOB ALBANO Associate Editor EVELYN HOWELL Associate Editor PK PERKIN MCMAHON Production Director CINDY MACKEY Production Coordinator KIM ENSENBERGER Promotions Art Director RONDA JOHNSON Webmaster VICKY SNOW

Marketing Director PATRICIA POWERS-ZERMEÑO

Circulation Director LEE FRANKLIN

Finance Director ROBERT M. STEELE

Fulfillment Director VALERIE J. BECKETT FOR CUSTOMER INQUIRIES OR TO ORDER BY PHONE: Call toll-free: (800) 543-5432 In the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., Call (602) 712-2000 Or visit us online at: arizonahighways.com For Corporate or Trade Sales Call (602) 712-2050 E-MAIL "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR": [email protected] Regular Mail: Editor 2039 W. Lewis Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85009 Governor Jane Dee Hull Director, Department of Transportation Victor M. Mendez ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION BOARD Chairman Katie Dusenberry, Tucson Vice Chairman Ingo Radicke, Globe Members Dallas "Rusty" Gant, Wickenburg Richard "Dick" Hileman, Lake Havasu City Bill Jeffers, Holbrook Joe Lane, Phoenix James W. Martin, Willcox INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION 2000, 1998, 1992, 1990 Magazine of the Year WESTERN PUBLICATIONS ASSOCIATION 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1992 Best Regional & State Magazine SOCIETY OF AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITERS FOUNDATION 2000, 1997 Gold Awards Best Monthly Travel Magazine Arizona Highways (ISSN 0004-1521) is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Subscription price: $21 a year in the US., $31 in Canada, $34 elsewhere outside the U.S. Single copy: $3.99 US Send subscription correspondence and change of address information to Arizona Highways, 2039 W Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, AZ and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Arizona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Copyright © 2002 by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The magazine does not accept and is not responsible for unsolicited materials provided for editorial consideration.

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