BACK ROAD ADVENTURE: Sedona's Red Rocks

In its wake. Eons turned, continents drifted and coastal deserts advanced on the creeping sea. Those deserts left behind crisscrossing tracks of shifting sands as a shallow sea once more inundated the land, only to be smothered by lava spewed from violent volcanic eruptions. Once the earth yielded this iron-oxide-tinged masterwork during a period of dramatic uplift, weathering and erosion chiseled red-cloaked pinnacles and buttes. Scarlet, carmine, vermilion, cerise, ruby, claret, magenta, bittersweet-the color never quite stays the same. It shifts with the sun and shade and the blink of an eye-just out of reach. As we jolted up the mountain, the wide road twisted and turned, each yard giving us something new to look at. When we pulled our eyes away from the iconic red terrain, we could look up the steep slope at rising spires of yellowish stone or look over the lip of a canyon down into a rugged streambed. At one shady pullout near Mile 3, I crossed the road and climbed down the rocks to the dry bed where a sandstone shelf would form a lovely waterfall the next time water flowed.

Although humans have lived in the area for more than 8,000 years, the first Anglo settlers didn't arrive until 1876. The only route to Flagstaff was by way of Beaver Head Station, 11 miles south of Oak Creek, and then north up the mountain along a route that roughly parallels today's Interstate 17.

In 1896, John Loy began working on a wagon trail that followed pioneer Jim Mund's cattle trail up the hill. Loy had scratched out a rough route, then called the Verde Cut-off Road, by 1901. A year later, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors awarded Civil War veteran J.J. Thompson the $600 contract to complete the thoroughfare. Men hacked the road out of the mountain 12 hours a day for the daily wage of $1. In six months, they completed Munds Road, and the new route from the Upper Verde River and Upper Oak Creek to Flagstaff cut the fourday trip to two days.

Carl Schnebly, settling at Oak Creek in 1901, hauled lumber from Flagstaff down the road to build a two-story, 11-room home (on the site where Los Abrigados Resort now stands). He freighted produce to Flagstaff and returned with goods for his small general store. When he petitioned for a post office, he named the new town after his wife, Sedona.

Travelers coming down the mountain on their way to the Verde Valley often stopped at the Schnebly home, which Sedona transformed into an inn. People soon associated the road with the Schneblys, and the route took on its current name. Traffic on this steep trail subsided in 1914 when road crews finished the even shorter Oak Creek Canyon Road (State Route 89).

Although the region was 330 million often-tumultuous years in the making, the happy flood of 4 million visitors each year easily upsets the fragile ecosystem. Fortunately, legislation protects much of the area as wilderness.

Schnebly Hill Road runs just outside the northern border of Munds Mountain Wilderness. We stopped to gaze out over magnificent panoramic views that included Red-Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness to the northwest and glimpses of the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness beyond.

Today, Schnebly Hill Road moseys through these overlapping layers of history. As the rough-cut path moved away from the high-desert terrain of agaves and junipers, we enjoyed the shade of ponderosa pines. With luck, keen observers might glimpse black bears, cougars, white-tail deer, rattlesnakes and canyon wrens.

Once the rustic trail left Red Rock Country at the 6.2-mile point, we kept eastward along a typical forest road lined with historic ranches; grassy cienegas, or hillside marshes; and Foxboro Lake. Seven miles past Schnebly Hill Vista, the road joins I-17 at Exit 320 near Munds Park. AHWARNING: Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions. Make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape, and carry plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: In August, Sedona's average high is 93°, the average low is 62°.

FEES: The Forest Service requires a $5 Red Rock Pass to park in Red Rock Country. Passes are sold by local vendors and at kiosks; (928) 282-7722.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Coconino National Forest, Sedona Ranger District, (928) 282-4119.

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arizona Festivals, powwows and get-togethers / by CARRIE M. MINER RIDE AND PHOTOGRAPH THE RAILS TO GRAND CANYON

Participants in this three-day event, September 8-10, will spend one night in Williams, then take a special behind-the-scenes tour of the locomotive shop in the railroad yard for the Grand Canyon Railway. The next morning, board this historic steam train for a leisurely trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The second night will be spent at the Canyon, offering opportunities to enjoy and photograph scenic vistas from Mather Point or other sites along the South Rim. Participants will receive photographic instruction from Kerrick James, whose work frequently appears in Arizona Highways magazine.

For more information on this or other workshops, contact the Friends of Arizona Highways, (602) 712-2004 or toll-free (888) 790-7042. Images taken by workshop leaders and past participants, as well as additional information on trips and other programs, can be found on the Web site at www.friendsofazhighways.com.

OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

September 6-10 Spirits of the Navajo September 24-28 Slot Canyons October 14-18 Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly October 22-26 Best of the West Arizona Sampler

HIGH NOON

August 31-September 2; Tombstone Old Tombstone's reputation for having "a man for breakfast every morning" might be an exaggeration, but dramatic violence and sensational headlines left their mark on this rowdy mining camp. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral, between the Earps and the Clantons, has been immortalized most, but gunslingers like Buckskin Frank Leslie, Johnny Ringo and Black Jack Ketchum also once walked Tombstone's dusty streets. Today, visitors stroll in their footsteps, reliving wilder days.

Although actors re-create the O.K. Corral shoot-out daily, the ante ups at the annual Rendezvous of Gunfighters. Some of the nation's best Western re-enactment groups show off their skills at this three-day event, which stages a period costume parade on Sunday. Information: (800) 457-3423.

GRASSROOTS MUSIC

August 10-11; Pinetop-Lakeside Bluegrass music originated in the Southeast, under the guidance of musician Bill Monroe, known internationally as the father of this innovative style. The genre takes its basic structure from Appalachian mountain music and adds the flavor of the blues, a driving rhythm and the staccato sounds of a banjo or mandolin. Arizona's picturesque eastern peaks set the scene for this homespun musical style. The 12th Annual White Mountain Bluegrass Music Festival twangs with concerts, jam sessions, arts and crafts booths and food. Information: (928) 367-4290 or toll-free (800) 573-4031.

INDIAN FAIR

August 28-September 2; Whiteriver The stories say Apache mountain spirits come down to mingle with the people during ceremonies to heal the sick, control the weather or celebrate a girl's transition to womanhood. Crown dancers, wearing black buckskin hoods and colorful crowns of flat wooden horns, represent the ghostly spirits. To see the crown dancers, visit the 77th Annual White Mountain Apache Tribal Fair and Rodeo. Other events include an all-Indian rodeo, Indian music, a parade, exhibits and a carnival. Information: (928) 338-4346.

GET YOUR KICKS

August 17; Williams For 3,000 years, people have played with wooden hoops, rolling them across the ground with sticks or twirling them around their middles. In 1958, American entrepreneurs Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin took the age-old idea and created a hollow plastic prototype. The next year, the hula hoop, named for the Hawaiian dance its users appear to imitate, hit the market and a fad swept the nation. Haul out your hula hoop and take a competitive twirl at the Cool Country Cruise-in and Route 66 Festival 2002. A battle of the bands, classic car show, limbo and a sock hop add to this trip down memory lane. Information: (928) 635-1418.

Other Events

Eagar Daze; August 2-3; Eagar; (928) 333-1639. Live entertainment, arts and crafts, triathlon, timber sports and children's activities. August Fest; August 3-4; Elgin; (520) 455-5893. Winetasting, grape-stomping, tours, entertainment and food. AJRA Rodeo; August 3-4; Douglas; (520) 364-2477. Kids ages 5 to 18 compete in barrel racing, team roping and other events at this junior rodeo. Southwest Wings Birding Festival; August 7-11; Bisbee; (520) 378-0233 or toll-free (800) 946-4777. Field trips, lectures, displays, bat stalks, owl prowls and arts and crafts. Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering; August 15-17; Prescott; (928) 445-3122. Traditional and contemporary poetry, Western music and yodeling. Norteño Music Festival and Street Fair; August 23-24; Tucson; (520) 622-2801. Live entertainment, arts and crafts, ethnic food and children's activities. Railroad Days; August 23-25; Williams; (928) 635-1418. Entertainment, train rides, exhibits and arts and crafts. Coconino County Fair; August 30-September 2; Flagstaff; (928) 774-5139. Demolition derby, livestock auction, exhibits, petting zoo and carnival rides. Native American Arts Auction; August 31; Ganado; (928) 755-3475. Authentic Indian baskets, rugs, kachinas, jewelry and fine art at the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.