Taking Nature in Stride

Service Road 206 near Payson. In the 1870s, during Arizona's Apache wars, soldiers and Indian guerrillas fought deadly skirmishes up here. The brass casings of old black powder cartridges from their engagements still turn up.

Later, stockmen used the Mazatzal Divide and other trails to bring sheep and cattle up from the heat-dizzy lowlands for cool mountain pasturage. That practice continues today.

At 1.25 miles from the Peeley parking lot trailhead, the Divide Trail crosses the official boundary into the federally protected 252,500-acre Mazatzal Wilderness, where only boots and hooves may tread. The wilderness includes parts of the Tonto and Coconino national forests.

After two brisk hours of hiking-about 5 miles-you'll find the trail skirts Deer Creek Canyon's upper end, then worms upward, passing through an old burn on the southwestern flank of Mazatzal Peak. Ten miles from Mount Peeley, the trail joins popular Barnhardt Trail 43 coming up from Rye and, at 11 miles, arrives at Chilson Spring-in all, a solid day's hike with a pack. But there's no rule that says you have to go that far.

Day-hike the easy part and leave the long-distance haul for another day, and that will leave you time to explore the steep, wooded upper reaches of Deer Creek Trail from the Peeley parking area. Another choice would be an easy 1-mile hike from the parking lot to Thicket Spring.

Thicket Spring Trail 95 is sun-exposed, but the prospect of flowing water makes the sweat getting there in summer seem worth the effort. A large boulder pyramid beside the trail marks where you must turn right into a dense screen of manzanita, past a con-crete stock trough, to find the trickle in a thicket of sycamore and New Mexico locust.

The spring has nurtured life for a very long time. You can tell because the soil is a rich, black humusa cool oasis that attracts wildlife from all over during the six-month dry season. Tracks of bears, deer, coyotes and skunks lead there. Purify the water before you drink it.

When the summer heat gets to you, and Arizona's high country seems just too far away, drive up Mount Peeley. The camping may prove a little challenging, the road a little scary, but you'll have it made in the shade. And that's cool. Al

humo

"The way they keep pushing Jell-O on you, you'd think the head nurse was Bill Cosby." *

HEAT STROKES BY GARY BENNETT Unusual Perspective

By Linda Perret The hottest temperature ever recorded in Arizona was 127 degrees. You could still go outside, but you had to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 1008.

CLEANING CONFUSION

In 1989, I'd owned my small housecleaning service in Tucson for a couple of years. One day, one of my three employees called in sick, and I found myself laboring in my clients' homes.

My first task was the bi-weekly cleaning of a condo owned by a spry elderly couple who had the last name of Tank. Mrs. Tank played a serious game of bridge and Mr. Tank was more than 90 years old and liked to work in his rock garden.

I finished that job and moved on to my second project, the home of the Palmers, first-time clients who were referred to my company by the Tanks. The Palmers were remarkably similar to the Tanks in age, fitness and mental alertness. I also noticed that the layout of their condominium was identical to the Tanks'. When it was time to clean the Palmers' bathroom, I found the door shut. Momentarily forgetting where I was, I asked Mrs. Palmer if Mr. Tank was

EARLY DAY ARIZONA

here," exclaimed a Prescott editor as a bullet came through the window and shattered the inkstand. "I knew that new personal column would be a success."

in the bathroom. Her brow furrowed a trace, but only for an instant. Then, with an almost impish smile and without missing a beat, Mrs. Palmer replied, "Why, yes dear, and Mr. Tub and Mr. Bowl are in there, too."

BRIDAL TRAIL

The daughter of one of Arizona's prominent families was getting married. She had chosen the scenic golf course of one of the state's fivestar resorts for the site of her wedding. The audience would be seated on the first fairway, facing the minister and a chamber trio in formal attire positioned on the first green. The bride would arrive in a white limousine and take her vows at sunset, as the sheer cliffs above reflected the fading sunlight.

At the resort's catering meeting, plans were progressing smoothly until the attending golf pro discovered that the groom had been married once before.

"We'll have to move the ceremony to the second hole," he suggested.

WEATHER WATCH

After moving to Lake Havasu City from a California beach area where the fog burned off at 11 A.M. and rolled back in at 4 P.M., our 3-year-old son, Bill, couldn't get used to theconstancy of bright, clear desert days. As he lived through the four seasons of our first year here and started choosing his own clothes, Bill devised his own weather prediction: "Is it hot sunny or sunny cold?"

SWISS TRAVELERS

Two Swiss teenagers who had just finished one semester in English decided to spend their school holidays in the western United States. Their first stop was Phoenix. They went on a morning stroll and decided to show off what little English they knew. Fritz exclaimed, "What a fine climate here in Arizona; the sky is blue, the sun is shining" and, breathing in the crisp morning air, he added, "just spring in the air." To which his friend replied, "Why should I?"

TO SUBMIT HUMOR

Send your jokes and humorous Arizona anecdotes to Humor, Arizona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009 or e-mail us at [email protected]. We'll pay $50 for each item used. Please enclose your name, address and telephone number with each submission.

Reader's Corner

Playing golf in the desert in July is really tough. The water hazards are even more frightening when they're boiling.

This month's topic is: golf.

Send us your best original golf jokes and if they make us laugh, we'll print them and pay you for them.

WE CALL IT 'PRESKIT' COOL OFF IN EVERYBODY'S HOMETOWN

We Call It 'Preskit' is an insider's guide to the historic mile-high city of Prescott: Discover ever-changing activities in the town square ... Victorian homes... a superabundance of antiques shops ... pine-strewn hiking trails ... scenic back road drives... and great museums. This is a must-have reference when traveling through central Arizona.

5 EASY WAYS TO ORDER

destination RED SETTER INN A log cabin with style in the eastern mountains

As IF THROUGH SOME MYSTERIOUS DESIGN beyond the usual scope of highway planning, State Route 373 leads only to the mountain hamlet of Greer in the White Mountains of central eastern Arizona. After turning off State Route 260, leaving all traffic behind, travelers are warned by signs to slow to 35 mph, perhaps to give folks a chance to observe the terrain around them, known to locals as "God's Country." Here, distance is calculated by lakes or creeks passed, and time is measured by the number of trout caught. The road goes to and through Greer, population about 1,000, and nowhere else. After about 5 miles, the last sign on State 373 announces the road's end in 1,000 feet and provides space there for a lazy U-turn. But savvy travelers will plan ahead and ease into the parking area to the left of that sign, pulling up to the Red Setter Inn and Cottages, a bed and breakfast inn set smack dab at the end of that slowly traveled road and hugged all around by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.

At our mid-afternoon arrival in the front yard of the Adirondack-style log inn, Jim Sankey greeted my husband, Matt, and me like family he'd been waiting for. He showed us around the little patch of grass to point out the clover planted especially for the deer to graze and the columbine, which invites rabbits and squirrels to dine regularly. The edge of the lawn eases into native grasses, as though the forest and the inn had agreed to a partnership.

Designed and built by Sankey and his partner Ken Conant in 1994, the Red Setter nestles on the downhill side of the road. Escaping the hectic corporate lifestyle of California, Sankey and Conant set out to find a spot where they could listen to bird songs instead of traffic and count trees instead of cars. Greer offered the location they decided was meant just for them.

Respecting the forest, Sankey and Conant insisted that their inn and cottages have the slightest footprint possible. Construction crews had to work around the trees even a few feet from the building, and carpenters cut holes through the two levels of decking in order to accommodate ponderosa pines that had staked their claim decades earlier. The effort to preserve the land's nurturing quality carries to the inside of the inn, which feels as natural a home as the forest surrounding it.

The cozy living room drew me in with its river-rock fireplace and shelves of books that called me to curl up on the couch and read. I browsed through journals in which contented guests record accolades and thank-you notes at the close of their visits.

The huge dining room, with its 18-foot ceiling, holds antique tables and chairs, each with its own history and design, to seat a full house of 12 couples at familystyle breakfasts. Every afternoon, on the sideboard by the kitchen door, an earthen platter with warm cookies joins the teas and coffee always offered there.

Wandering to our room downstairs took me a while each time because something different would capture my interest along the way. Sankey and Conant have graced the walls with mementos and photos of loved ones from generations back. One photo of six strong young men relaxing on a lawn hangs above a picture of six elderly men in exactly the same poses. They are Conant's father and uncles, in 1941 at home in Illinois and in 1999 on the lawn at the Red Setter. Farther down the hall, past pictures of weddings and graduations, hangs a portrait of a young woman, Ken's mother, Ana, as dazzling as a Hollywood starlet of the 1930s.

Our room offered space enough to dance in, a fireplace and a jetted spa tub, but the best part was the private redwood deck with rocking chairs where I could listen to the Little Colorado River and watch wind in the pines.

At dinnertime, we walked the half-mile to Cattle Kate's restaurant, cherishing the crisp mountain air. The meal we consumed with gusto would rate plenty of stars, even in a city [OPPOSITE PAGE] At a cool 8,500 feet in the White Mountains, the Red Setter Inn and Cottages sits on 10 acres of pristine forest. [TOP] Three campgrounds, a store, boat rentals, guided nature walks and a lot of trout attract visitors to nearby Big Lake Recreation Area. [ABOVE] One of the inn's comfortable spots for visiting or relaxing, the Gathering Room opens to redwood decks overlooking the Little Colorado River.

THINGS TO DO IN GREER

BIG LAKE RECREATION AREA Bring your own gear to Big Lake, which is stocked with 300,000 trout each fall and spring; Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Springerville Ranger District, 333-4372.

BOB'S FLY FISHING Learn to catch “the big one” at group or private lessons with all equipment provided; Greer, 735-7293.

BUTTERFLY LODGE MUSEUM Built in 1914, the cabin was home to writer James Willard Schultz and his son, artist Hart Merriam Schultz, known as Lone Wolf; Greer, 735-7514.

CASA MALPAIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK A National Historic Landmark protects the remains of one of the largest and most complex ancient Mogollon communities occupied more than 600 years ago. Tours begin at the museum and visitors center; Springerville, 333-5375.

CATTLE KATE'S The spacious dining room of this log cabin serves up some of the finest lunches and dinners in the area; Greer, 735-7744.

GREER ART EMPORIUM OF J.N. MUIR STUDIOS Internationally acclaimed sculptor James Muir makes his home in Greer and offers his exquisitely crafted bronzes through the studio, along with other fine art and antiques; Greer, 735-7212.

LEE VALLEY STABLES Experience from horseback what the White Mountains has to offer in any season, from onehour rides to full-day trips; Greer, 735-7454.

HIKING TRAILS Treks for the hardy and even for the reluctant hiker abound throughout the area. Some trails begin just out the door of the Red Setter Inn; Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Springerville Ranger District, 333-5955.

THE LITTLE HOUSE MUSEUM AT THE X DIAMOND RANCH In a 90-minute guided tour, enjoy the unique collection of local artifacts gathered on the family ranch of John and Molly Butler, settlers from 1879; Springerville, 333-2286.

PIONEER PLAZA & THE GENERAL STORE ANTIQUE MALL A maze of antique furniture and articles at reasonable prices fills a small plaza; Springerville, 333-5955.

of restaurants, and such cooking and service add a gem to the tiny cove of Greer. The walk back to the inn served as dessert. The sun had already burrowed deep behind the peaks of the White Mountains; a black jagged line of pine trees undulated along the horizon. The crunch of our steps and punctuation of our chatter overlaid the quiet of a forest settled down for the night. We walked unhurriedly and spoke softly. Remembering how to slow down delighted me.

At the inn, we greeted other couples who seemed to have found their own means of slowing down. One couple had settled into the couches and books that tempted me earlier. In the downstairs family room, another couple teased each other over a Scrabble board-one of many games and puzzles kept here. The television remained blank and silent. Apparently, no one had requested a movie from the inn's video library. Instead of TV conversations, music played throughout the common rooms, complementing the surroundings like sugar in hot tea.

In our room, I luxuriated in a bath with more bubbles than I'd ever seen in one place, while Matt propped his feet up on a stack of down pillows to finish a spy novel. Before we snuggled into bed, Matt threw on an extra blanket against the evening chill so I could sleep with the porch door open. Desert girls never miss the chance to be lulled to sleep by river water rushing along its way.

You don't sleep late at the Red Setter. The breakfast feast begins at 7:30 A.M. sharp, and the aromas emanating from the kitchen invigorated everyone. “Where are you folks from?” and “How did you hear about theinn?” buzzed around the room, and shortly we were exchanging philosophies on surviving teenage sons or showing off pictures of supremely intelligent grandchildren. Sometime between the steaming [ABOVE] The Turkey Track cottage, a new addition to the inn, offers the ultimate in private accommodations. [LEFT] A short drive from the inn, the X Diamond Ranch and museum nestle in the Little Colorado's south fork canyon.

Cinnamon rolls and the quiche, we all discovered friends at every table.

Some guests changed plans for the day to include new friends in the myriad experiences offered around Greer, from bird-watching to trout fishing, horseback riding, hiking or antiques shopping, and we all looked forward to returning in the evening to a luxurious log cabin as comfortable as an old quilt.

Matt and I spent the twilight hour relaxed to stillness on our back porch, listening to the music of the Little Colorado as it meandered through the yard and the stories of breezes whispering along pine boughs, treasures found these days only along roads less traveled.

According to Robert Frost's poem, taking such a road made all the difference in one man's experience. Though he didn't give it a name, in Arizona the road might be State Route 373 and the experience could be the restorative peace of the Red Setter Inn. AH LOCATION: 218 miles northeast of Phoenix. PHONE NUMBERS: Area codes are 928 unless noted; 800 series numbers are toll-free. LODGING: The Red Setter Inn and Cottages, Greer, (888)-99GREER or 735-7441. www.redsetterinn.com.