Jackie Dishner - Backroads & Byways of Arizona: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions

Aravaipa Canyon saguaros

Drives, Day Trips
& Weekend Excursions

Jackie Dishner

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Woodstock, VT 05091
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Text copyright 2010 by Jackie Dishner

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any way by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages.

ISBN 978-0-88150-815-4

Book design by Hespenheide Design
Map by Paul Woodward
Line art by Chuck Forsman
Interior photos by the author unless otherwise specified
Composition by Chelsea Cloeter

Published by The Countryman Press, P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091

Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Printed in the United States of America

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I thank God for providing me with the talent, strength, and tenacity to complete this project, which I dedicate to my best buds and biggest fans, Rob and Celia, and also to my sister Bonnie, who should not be slighted, though I know shes felt that way since I got this contract. Promise. Ill call you. Tomorrow. And if it werent for Rick, this guide to Arizona adventures would be nothing more than the piles of notes, books, and brochures that just kept adding up. Thank goodness for coffee... and lots of road trips.

Paul Woodward, The Countryman Press

I never knew how much Id grow to love Arizona when my mother moved my sister, brother, and me out here from the Midwest the year I turned 13. It was mid-August 1977. We drove through Memphis the weekend Elvis died. A few days later, we crossed the Arizona state line outside Gallup, New Mexico, facing for the first time that dry heata phrase Arizonans use to rationalize extremely hot summers.

That same afternoon, we rolled into Yumaour new hometownand I remember the breeze that came in through the back window of my moms old Buick. I had to beg her to roll up the windowsthe air was cooler inside our non-air-conditioned car.

It was well over 110 degrees outside by then, not a cloud in the sky, and wed stopped at nearby Martinez Lake for a look-see. Thats when I was introduced to our new neighborsfire ants. Id stepped on a pile of them. Their welcome sent my flip-flopped feet jumping up and down and my hands slapping at my left ankle, my right, and then my left again to squelch the stinging sensation. Those tiny critters wouldnt stop biting! Then someone told me to listen for rattlesnakes and watch out for scorpions....

Nope, I didnt think I was going to like this place at all. At 13, I could not imagine why anyone would want to live here, let alone visit.

But by the time I moved to Flagstaff to attend college at Northern Arizona University, I was learning to appreciate the beauty of the desert, its landscape, the wildlife, and the hazards that came with it. For one thing, I got my first long look at the Grand Canyonthat deep and wide, multilayered, gigantic fissure in the earth that Teddy Roosevelt said was the one great sight which every American... should see. I have the souvenir mug to prove it.

Then it was day trip after day trip: to play in the cool waters of Slide Rock at Oak Creek Canyon; to browse the galleries and hike red rock mountains in Sedona; to walk up and down the hilly streets of the historic mining town of Jerome; to trek through aspens and ponderosa pines in the Coconino National Forest. I adored the fresh scent after a summer rain and the deep quiet after the first snowfall in winter. It was nothing like the brittle cold of East Chicago I once knew.

I even recall my first trip to Prescott. It was there that a friend told me how to pronounce the name of her hometown. It sounds more like biscuit, she said in between bites of cheese pizza at the Pizza Hut off SR 89.

Ive since visited the parks where pottery shards from the Ancient Ones are displayed atop ruins that appear to be nothing more than gravel pits. Ive bartered over handcrafted Navajo jewelry inside national monuments. Ive walked with historians through old mining towns. And thats barely scratching the surface of Arizonas landscape, staying on the paths familiar to tourists. So I started doing what I do naturally: I veered off the direct route and started taking the long way around, the roads less well traveled. I wanted to see more, do more, and know more.

Thats where this book comes in. Researching it gave me the opportunity to peer deeper into Arizonas grandeur. To do that, I learned, you have to get out there on the back roads and byways, exploring with your feet and hands what you see. If you arent charmed, youll at least be humbled.

Before the economy fell on its face in 2008, Arizona had been one of the fastest-growing states in the country. Its still the fifth largest; its population soared past 6 million in 2006. So theres nothing quite like driving the paths I take in Backroads & Byways of Arizona to get away from the crowds. On the open road, with this book in hand, youll see what continues to draw not only the newcomers but also the 30 million folks who visit each year. You can begin your journey across deserts, over mountains, through forests, and everything in between: Arizona has 114,000 square feet of eye-catching beauty.

From the time of the earliest inhabitantsancestors of the Havasupai Indianswho believe they sprang out of the canyons up north, to the Spanish explorers who brought their horses in from the south, Arizona has captured the hearts, minds, and souls of the people who step inside its borders. In Prescott, they rolled in on wagons and stayed because of Granite Creek. In Yuma, they relied on the Colorado River crossing. In southeastern Arizona, it was the hot springs. In the center of it allSedona, the majestic red rocks, and surrounding Verde Valleytheres a spiritual calling that continues to lure folks to pick a place to unpack.

Join me as I guide you off the beaten path. Well use Phoenixa major international and domestic flight destinationas the starting point. Then, skipping, or skimming, the urban crowds, Ill steer you toward sites considered authentic... with quirky mixed in for good measure.

Well go to the mining towns, the ghost towns, and the farming communities. Well visit ranches and wineries. Ill lead you to the diners and cafs where food is made fresh daily from scratch.

Well see the Sonoran Desert from its mountaintops to catch the wide-angle view. But well also move in for the close-up to stand face-to-face with a stately saguaro or prickly pear. When we pass by landmarks and historic buildings, Ill explain what makes them noteworthy. Ill suggest museums that might be worth a visit. Ill let you know where to get a good burger, the best salsa, or where to buy a fresh-baked piece of pie. And Ill make sure Im keeping you on track by letting you know what road were on, where to exit next, and which detours to take for off-road adventures or additional drives you might choose to do later, add on to a present trip, or refer to a friend.