Of the three photos I’ve copied below, which would you think represents an Arizona backroads guidebook? Keep in mind that I’m writing about places you won’t see in Arizona, unless you get on some back roads to get there.

If you’ll help me pick this final choice, I’ll put your name in a drawing to win a free bottle of aromatherapy pillow spray from The Westin Kierland Resort. The lavender scent comes in a little blue bottle with a copper satin pouch.

To respond, post your comment as follows (photos are in a-b-c order):

a) Aravaipa Canyon Trail

b) Prescott Lake Trail

c) Young Windmill 

Thanks for your help.

(Photos used with permission by Jackie Dishner.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

I wanted to talk to Bitler about her travels during the research of her book, because if there was ever a time to think about escape, it’s now. I met up with Bitler at a recent art fair, where I purchased her book, and she agreed to e-mail me with a few suggestions on where you might want to take your next Arizona escape.

Rather than run the whole series of questions I asked, along with her answers, here are the highlights.

In bullet format, you can quickly scan them for ideas:

• Her favorite place: Kitt Peak National Observatory.
• A place she loves: Grand Canyon.
• The place where she’d love to return: Canyon de Chelly.
• Her favorite Arizona activity: Horseback or trail ride at one of

Arizona’s dude ranches.

• Two things she finally get around to doing because of the book: See fireworks over Lake Havasu and the Civil War re-enactments at Picacho Peak.
• Three places she writes about in her book that she thinks you shouldn’t miss: Gallery in the Sun (the late Ted DeGrazia’s art studio/gallery in Tucson); Cochise Stronghold (pictured above); and the Olive Mill and Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek
• Trips she’d like to take now because of what she learned during her research: Take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon; and spend a week on a houseboat at Lake Powell.
• If you want to experience the diversity Arizona offers, she suggests an “escape” to the White Mountains.

To learn more from other Arizona authors who specialize in travel, click on the names below:

_Christine Bailey.

_Michael Engelhard.

_Sam Lowe.

If you’ve visited any of the above named places and would like to share your experiences, good or bad, please post a comment.

(Photo of Cochise Stronghold used with permission by the Cochise County Tourism Council.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

I’m not talking Bisbee or Tombstone. I’m talking about the real ghost towns, the ones where no one, or practically no one, lives anymore. There was once a brochure called “Arizona Ghost Towns” available through some state visitor centers that listed about 30 different historic ghost and mining towns throughout Arizona, but here’s a list of three in Cochise County:

_Fairbank, located in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area south of Benson, just off State Route (SR) 82, was once a mill town and still includes faint evidence from its days as a stagecoach stop and railroad hub for people traveling to Tombstone. Fairbank was the closest stop to Tombstone and once had three railroads passing through. If you go, you’ll see the newly restored schoolhouse (a Bureau of Land Management project) with a museum and gift shop, a few other building remains, and a graveyard.

_Just a few r esidents keep the post office open in Dos Cabezas, a Spanish word meaning two heads. Located on SR 186, 15 miles southeast of Willcox (home of the legendary singing cowboy Rex Allen), it was once an active supply center for the surrounding silver and gold mines and cattle ranches. Today you’ll see only the stage coach station, circa 1885, the post office, and crumbling adobe buildings.

_Indians mined turquoise here at Gleeson, about 15 miles east of Tombstone, long before the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s. The town was named after a miner named John Gleeson who came in the 1880s to prospect. Its rich ground gave us not only turquoise but also copper, lead and zinc. Via an unpaved road, you’ll find ruins of the jail, school, bank, local residences, and a cemetery. Most of the buried names you’ll see are Asian.

TIP: If you go to Gleeson, watch out for abandoned mine shafts. And plan on taking a side trip to nearby Rattlesnake Crafts in Elfrida. You’ll see what appears to be a junk yard, but inside the old trailer, the owners sell items (cowboy hat bands, for example) made out the skin of rattlesnakes they’ve caught. To get there, drive to the south end of town and turn left onto Gleeson Road. After 13 miles, look for the Rattlesnake Crafts sign and turn right onto N. Double U Ranch Road for another two miles. Call before you go: 520-642-9207

You can learn more about the towns and map your route online.

(Photos of ghost towns used with permission by Cochise County Tourism Council.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

It’s all lit up in Prescott for the holidays. The Yavapai County Courthouse (pictured above), Whiskey Row behind it, the gift shops, boutiques and restaurants downtown–they all take part in the holiday festivities that have helped turn this former territorial town into Arizona’s official “Christmas City.”

With a heritage dating back to Victorian times and earlier, they know how to do Christmas here. Phoenicians drive the 90 miles north to see what’s been billed as the world’s largest Gingerbread Village. This year, more than 100 gingerbread structures decorate the lobby of the Prescott Resort now through December 28. The resort is open 24 hours a day.

You have until December 30 to drive through Fain Park and see the mile-long lighted and animated holiday display. We’re talking thousands and thousands of lights.

And this weekend (December 6), Santa arrives. A festive parade welcomes him on a tour around Courthouse Plaza, followed by a lighting ceremony. Afterward, the Governor’s Mansion at the Sharlot Hall Museum hosts an open house with Charles Dickens-era carolers and hot apple cider.

For more information about upcoming holiday events in Arizona’s Christmas City, visit the Prescott Chamber of Commerce or call 800-266-7534.

(Photo courtesy of Prescott Chamber of Commerce.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

Imagine your name on this brown piece of paper. It’s the ticket to statewide recreational fun. The Arizona State Parks Annual Pass costs just $50, and it’s good for the entire family–all year-long.

This holiday season, it could be the affordable gift that keeps on giving as it’s the economical way to travel and explore Arizona’s 27 state parks. Pictured above, the Standard Day-Use Entrance Pass is good for the family’s non-camping day-use and includes all the Parks except Colorado River Parks on weekends and holidays.

At Kartchner Caverns State Park, the pass is good for the entrance to experience the Discovery Center, picnicking and trails, but does not apply toward the two cave tour opportunities.

Special programs within the parks may have special related fees not covered by this entrance pass; however, most of the nature walks and interpretive programs are included in the day-use pass.

What can you do at Arizona State Parks? Camp, fish, hike, take part in interpretive environmental programs, sign up for a moonlight star gazing walk, ride horseback, watch historic reenactments, picnic with the family, take a guided pontoon boat tour at Sonoita Creek Natural Area, and root for friends in the water skiing tournaments at Lake Havasu or Lyman Lake. The list goes on.

The state park system even celebrates special events, such as Earth Day in April (events scheduled at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Red Rock and Catalina), and the annual “Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival” and “Verde River Days” at Dead Horse Ranch.

If you plan to frequent the park system this year, opt to buy the Premium Annual Day-Use Pass for $125. It adds those weekends in parks along the Colorado River, and more of your family members or friends can go with you.

HOW TO PURCHASE THE PASS?

By mail:

Arizona State Parks
1300 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007

In person: 

State Parks main headquarters, or at any of the Arizona state parks.

By fax:

Visit the Web site to print and fill out the Gift Shop order form.

More Information:

Call 602-542-4174. If out of area, call 800-285-3703 (toll free).

(Photo of pass provided and used with permission by Arizona State Parks.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

For instance, Now that gas prices have dropped below $2.30/gal., how about a road trip? In less than two hours, you can hop in your car, pick east or west, and wind up in small town Arizona where you’ll be able to see the Western lifestyle up close. No need to reserve a room, take the dog to the kennel, or pack the American Express. Just grab a map and go.

Not sure which way? Here are two suggestions:

Wickenburg: Located about an hour’s drive west of Phoenix, True West magazine calls Wickenburg one of the Top 10 Western towns. It’s true for many reasons: gold mining history and a gold mine tour, the old stage coach road, Yavapai Indian massacres, the Western museum, cowboy poets, ghost stories, Western clothes, shopping and quilts, dude ranches–they’re all there. You can also visit a nature preserve and do the historic walking tour downtown, and more.

The most scenic drive: Head north on I-17, then west on SR 74 (Carefree Highway, passing Lake Pleasant) to US 60 West into Wickenburg (US 60/93). Turn right on US 93 at the first light; it turns into the main drag, Tegner Street, which will take you downtown where you can pick up local maps and brochures at the Chamber’s Visitor Center (216 N. Frontier St.).

Globe: Located just less than two hours east of central Phoenix, this is the place of copper mines, silver and now uranium. Like Bisbee and Jerome, Globe was a boom town back in the late 1800s. Today, the mines are coming back. If you go, you’ll see charming boutiques, such as Simply Sarah, and antique stores. You can step inside Bacon’s Boots and Saddles and watch the owner tool custom orders. The historic county courthouse has been renovated into an arts center, and an old bordello is now a bar. You can also drive up a hill to see Indian ruins that date back 800 years.

This scenic drive involves US 60 East all the way from Phoenix. After passing Apache Junction, the road is referred to as the Old West Highway. At Milepost 214, it becomes The Gila-Pinal Scenic Road for the next 30 miles. You’ll pass the towns of Superior, Miami and Claypool along the way before entering Globe. Pick up maps and brochures at the Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce on the right-hand side of US 60 East, just before you reach Historic Downtown Globe at the light on Broad Street.

Both of these places offer a unique experience if you want to get out of the big city. Spend as much or as little as you like because it’s really the scenery that makes the drive worth the trip. And that won’t cost you any more than a few gallons of gas.

C’mon, you can afford that.

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

If you’re thinking of taking a New England vacation along the coast, here are a few overall recommendations stemming from my recent trip:

_Sign up for the signature facial at the Cliff House in Ogunquit–a resort and spa located on Maine’s south coast, atop Bald Head Cliff. This unique restorative facial incorporates products from both land and sea. It includes a seashell massage, a seaweed cleansing, and a blueberry mask. Blueberries grow wild in Maine and are a staple in various products, including skin care, pancakes and ice cream. I definitely tried the blueberry-spiked facial and thought it was sea-sational. Plus, at the Cliff House, you get to take home a free gift–the Blueberry Signature Mask, made exclusively for the spa by Spa Technologies. If you have time, take a walk on the labyrinth. It’s outside and overlooks the sea.

_Pay the $30 for the ocean view from the seat of an historic schooner as it makes it way along the Penobscot Bay. We got on Surprise out of the Camden Public Landing. (Note: Above photo was taken while ON Surprise.) It was recommended to us by our hosts at the Windward House B&B, also in Camden; it was a perfect suggestion. Our morning two-hour ride aboard this 57-foot Windjammer, launched originally in 1918, was smooth sailing all the way. We, of course, were lucky to have missed the rain that blew in later that day. A special treat aboard the Surprise: fresh fruit and gingersnap cookies. 

_Plan a few nights’ stay at the Windward House or the Orland House in Orland, two miles east of Bucksport. Both of the owners will help you navigate the coast to make your stay as interesting and enjoyable as possible. Just ask for recommendations. And the breakfasts alone will make you feel like royalty because the service is so all about you. Don’t mind the creaks, cracks and crevices you’ll see inside these historic Victorian mansions–these century-old houses have earned them. For us Southwesterners, we can only marvel that a building can last that long!

_If you happen to be coming from Camden, planning to visit the observatory at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, I suggest driving across the bridge, turning left, and visiting the little town of Bucksport. Head straight to Andy Lacher’s BookStacks bookstore for some small town charm, and a hot cup of coffee. He’s adding a used book section, has comfy seating areas, and it’s just a nice place to hang out and chat with the locals who seem to congregate there all day.

_A tour through the small town of Castine also is worth the off-the-beaten path drive to get there. Pick up a “walking tour” guide and hit the roads. Historic markers fill you in on the details of this town that is one of the oldest communities in North America–occupied continuously, according to the brochure, since the early 1600s. Um, we’re talking Pilgrim days. The French, the British, the Dutch–they all arrived here at some point and tried to take over the region, as well as try to oust the Native Americans. You’ll see some spectacular homes in Castine, as well as a lighthouse and Maritime Academy. Even if you get caught in the rain, as we did, it’s a beautiful walk through a quiet and historic seacoast village.

_If you can manage a week or two, plan on picking a spot and hanging out there. Because there’s so much to see and do, no matter where you wind up, it might be wise to ease up on the driving and plan your travel plans around that one area. You know, take it easy.

_Or, do as we did and pack as much fun in as you can. It’ll be, as they say in Maine, a “wicked good” time.

(Photos by Jackie Dishner and used with her permission. Hold your curser over the photo itself to see what they represent.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

It rained while we were there. It was definitely cooler. I even had to don gloves and a scarf one night. And nothing could be better than the smell of chimney smoke. For me, that’s the first sign of fall. It means it’s time for soup. In New England, that means clam chowder. That creamy sauce with bits of potatoes, clam meat and onions. I ate it almost every day.

When in the Boston area, I recommend a stay in Cambridge. You can find a hotel, an inn or a B&B that’s much cheaper than in the city. And it costs just a few bucks to take the train into Boston a few minutes away. Plus, you’re right there where Harvard is, and it’s worth a walk-through just to see what this prestigious school is all about. Let me tell you, it’s pretty amazing architecturally. We must have walked in and out of at least five red brick or stone and iron gates. Huge, at least 10 feet tall! Very imposing. Made me want to immediately sign up for a class, though.

We walked a lot on this  trip. We walked around Harvard Square. We walked in the neighborhood near our hotel. We walked along the Freedom Trail–all the way across the Charles River to climb up and down the nearly 300 steps at the monument at Bunker Hill. We experienced history on many levels, and it was all so refreshing to get a taste of life as it was before the American Revolution. Such a difference from my home state, Arizona, which won’t even be celebrating its centennial until 2012. That’s still four years away!

Oh, and then there’s Maine–Coastal Maine. I don’t t hink there’s anything more lovely to see in this country than a highway that sweeps past so many seaports. The tall white steeples, the Victorian-era homes, the village streetscapes with their bookstores, lobster shacks and pastry shops ready to serve you with open hospitality, the ships in the harbor.

They may speak funny (Lobstas and Beeyas, says my souvenir t-shirt) but Mainers have to be just about the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. Every time my boyfriend and I looked lost–It happened several times–we were approached by a local who told us how to get to our destination. We never felt out of place, not even when all we had to wear was “urban safari” for the “business casual” dinner we attended. Okay, well, maybe we felt a bit odd about that, but we did follow orders and leave the blue jeans behind. No one said anything about all those pockets on our pants, nor made mention of our muddy Merrells.

Check in tomorrow, and I’ll give you specific travel recommendations.

(Photos taken by and used with permission from Jackie Dishner.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

But that’s changing. Restaurants are moving in. There’s a wine bar and coffee shop. Houses are being renovated. The community is pulling together to rid itself of the blight. And now, there’s even an art gallery. Better yet, that art gallery has spawned something else–Sunnyslope’s very own art walk.

Art is not just for Phoenix and Scottsdale anymore. The creative outdoor fun is now in Sunnyslope, too.

Just look for the big white “S” on the mountain at the top of Central Avenue, and you’ll know you’re there.

To be sure, plan to show up on the evening of October 11. That’s when you’ll get to mix and mingle with more than 100 artists and six different live bands. They’ll set up shop along the east side of Central Avenue, from Dunlap Avenue, south all the way the Canal at Ruth Street. 1,000 Valley residents showed up for the first Sunnyslope Art Walk last April, and this one could draw more.

If you’ve not been to the area in a while–or if you’ve never been–you might want to stop in a littler earlier to check out the coffee shop called Grinder’s, Bombero’s wine bar, Nielsen Galleries, or Corbin’s Bar & Grill–all within easy walking distance of each other. Local businesses are looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there.

What: Sunnyslope Art Walk.

Where: Dunlap and Central Ave., Phoenix.

When: Saturday, Oct. 11, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Parking: The Cowden Center, 9202 N. 2nd St., between Dunlap and Hatcher; Food City parking lot at Dunlap and Central; Sunnyslope High School, 35 W. Dunlap.

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler

Phoenix has 34 of them, according to a publication distributed by The Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition. “The Historic Neighborhoods of Phoenix Self-Guided Driving Tour” takes you to all of them, pointing out historic landmarks and contemporary cultural centers along the way.

You can find your own copy of the tour map at Visitors Centers in town, but I picked mine up at a local breakfast diner I frequent called The Eye Opener (Read reviews here.) in Sunnyslope–a neighborhood which has its own history that is not featured in this guide. (You’ll see mention of Sunnyslope again in this blog very soon. Stay tuned.) I also found this real estate site where you can order a copy as well. It’s free.

A few things you might be interested to know:

Architectural styles have varied considerably in Phoenix since territorial days of the late 1880s, when some people were still living in tent houses. Of course, we went through the Victorian era, and you can see remnants of that at Heritage Square.

Bungalows were popular here in the early 1900s. We had the Classic, Craftsman and California styles. Between 1915 and 1940, an eclectic mix of homes were built, including Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Pueblo Revival and others.

English Tudor homes and cottages, with their gable dormers, leaded glass windows and large chimneys also appeared at that time, as did the Cape Cod.

World War II brought military families to Phoenix, and with them, The Ranch Era. You can find great examples of these ranch homes in more than 15 of the neighborhoods listed, many of the homes now remodeled. The area surrounding Encanto Park is home to many ranch-style houses.

Encanto is west of one of my favorite districts in Phoenix called Willo. Located south of McDowell between Central and 7th Avenue, this historic neighborhood includes a wonderful mix of Tudor style homes, Spanish Revival, Bungalows and Ranch Era homes. The majority of the construction here, according to the driving guide, took place during the 1920s and ’30s. The earliest development happened closest to McDowell Road.

If you’re interested in historic homes, this map might be exactly what you need on your next visit to downtown Phoenix.

(Photo taken by Jackie Dishner.)

Post from: The Phoenix Traveler