Autumn Adventures 2012 by Payson Roundup

Autumn Adventures COMPLETE GUIDE TO RIM COUNTRY

Hikes Bikes Drives Hunting Antiquing Restaurants Fishing Holes Cabins in the woods

A PUBLICATION OF THE PAYSON ROUNDUP, FALL 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

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Hidden in the scenery’s seams View from the edge of the world inspires editor BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

I’m perched: Feet dangling, eyes roving, mind wandering. I’m right on the edge of the world. I can see 100 miles into the misty distance: Absolutely the edge of the world. Well: All right. Technically, it’s the edge of the Colorado Plateau — but that’s the world to me. I’m sitting on a ledge of Kaibab limestone, my feet hanging over a 1,000foot cliff at the crisp boundary of fall — with a view out across the whole of Rim Country. Composed mostly of the fused skeletons of the microscopic critters that floated in the waters of an ocean that vanished 300 million years ago, these rocks formed on the brink of the age of the dinosaurs. The rocks beneath me include traces of two mass extinctions, when mysterious cataclysms wiped out 90 percent of the Earth’s species. When first I came to Rim Country and sat in this very spot, I paid attention mostly to the rocks and the view. Easy enough to do, seeing as how the Rim forms the southern edge of the uplift that created the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon. The 40-mile meander of Forest Road 300 hugs the edge of the Rim, offering a concentration of views matched in few places on the planet. I came to Rim Country seeking refuge, along a washboarded Jeep trail of washed out expectations. Thankfully, she welcomed me, starting with that first view from the Rim. Sitting here now, I see that the view from this edge has changed me. Once, I focused on the misty horizon, the dramatic pile of clouds. The blanket of forest stretching to the horizon seemed featureless. It’s different now, after years spent exploring those canyons and fissures. Now my eye goes beneath the undulations of the landscape. I can trace the path of Tonto Creek, where I in one brilliant day caught four, one-pound trout. I can pick out the meadow where I stood beneath the golden sycamores and listened to the sea serpent bugling of the elk. I can discern the tracery of the East Verde River, where my granddaughter started her swimming lessons. I can mark the path of the historic Crook Trail, triangulate on the cozy creekside cabins of Kohl’s Ranch, take a bearing on Fossil Creek. I know where the seemingly indestructible Scotsman who hid three days from Apache raiders in the caverns of Tonto Natural Bridge died alone, his boots set unaccountably to the side. I can summon

Perched on the edge of the Mogollon Rim, with feet hanging over a 1,000-foot cliff at the crisp boundary of fall — with a view out across the whole of Rim Country — made Roundup editor Pete Aleshire feel like he was at the edge of the world.

memories of paddleboarding on Roosevelt Lake, riding along the Highline Trail, two-stepping in the Buffalo Bar and Grill. That’s the Rim Country we want to share in this special edition, hidden beneath the canopy. Inside we ramble on about our favorite places, hiking trails, fishing holes, mountain biking treks, hidden splashes of fall color,

treasure-trove of antique stores, history tours, haunted graveyards and cabins in the woods. Hopefully, we’ll inspire you to do a little exploring yourself. No rush. You can spend a lifetime at it only to find that every fall on the banks of the East Verde looks different. Maybe that’s because Rim Country changes with the seasons. Maybe it’s because every

time you find the edge, you’ve changed and so see it afresh. I don’t know — way above my pay grade. I do know that every time I have found my way here to the edge of the world and sat with my feet dangling I see something different. It has changed — and changes me — all over again.

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Roundup writers reveal their favorite things What do the folks who know Rim Country best do when their tyrannical boss gives them the weekend off?

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

The East Verde River above the Control Road offers splashes of fall color and places to fish for holdover fall and winter trout — making it one of our favorite places.

Wait: I have it. My favorite thing: Making lists of my favorite things to do next.

SMEARING FALL COLOR ALL OVER A CAMERA COMPUTER CARD Each year the colors of fall, so stunning yet fleeting, beg me to grab my camera to head out and freeze the moment in bits and bytes. But I did not always feel that thrill. Instead, I used to dread the end of summer as my mood dimmed with the days. Then, I took a photography class. My camera focused me to look at the world from a different point of view - to capture the emotional Michele Nelson rerush of light across a subject. Education porter, harried Through my lens I fell in love with mother, biker, two-stepper, the season I used to shun. My camera helped me to see the recovering perfectionist yellows, reds and oranges of the riparian trees — cottonwood, sycamore, willow, ash, oak, and walnut — that burst into flame at the height of their color. On that day my whole attitude toward the season changed our photography class drove to the East Verde and turned off on Flowing Springs Road. As we parked, I immediately saw the colors and felt drawn to their sharpness. We wandered up the edge of the sluggish river, snapping a photo here and there. “Make this your own vision,” said Tom Brossart, the former Roundup editor, who each semester changes the viewpoint of another batch of students at Gila Community College. Some took shots close up of the texture of bark, others used the leading line of the river to add depth to their photos. I focused on the play of color in the trees.

“See that tree? Try shooting it with your ISO set a bit higher and the shutter quicker — you might find the colors sharper,” said Tom. That photo shoot eternally changed my perspective and every fall on the East Verde River offers a refresher course on light and beauty.

PERFECT DAY: PADDLEBOARD AND PIE I’ve rock climbed routes that don’t exist in any climbing book, I’ve visited places I had only ever ogled over in travel magazines, I’ve learned to mountain bike on some of the best single track and I’ve splash in crystal clear creeks. With so much to do in Rim Country, my favorite thing really isn’t a thing at all, but a whole host of activities. Living in Rim Country I’ve tried so many new things — like paddleboarding my your dog (FYI: not a good idea if your dog is afraid Alexis Bechman of water). Reporter, If I had to mash it all up into one ambulance chaser, climber, perfect weekend, it would go some- rock paddleboarder, thing like this: mountain biker, Start on the Rim where Highway toenail painter ex260 tops out, my Subaru weighed traordinaire down with camping gear, bike and dog in tow. Proceed through the ponderosa pine forest to Forest Road 300 and Willow Springs Lake. Here, Jimmy Carson with Jimmy’s Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) first coaxed me into trying paddleboarding. After a few wobbly minutes on the board, I found my groove and floated happily to parts of the lake rarely seen. Every time I return, I recall what Jimmy promised on that first outing, “Your mind L

SNORKELING FOSSIL CREEK — AND … AND … AND ... What kind of a question is that: What’s your favorite thing to do in Rim Country? That’s like insisting I pick my favorite son — or choose between eating, sleeping and breathing. What kind of knucklehead would even ask a perfectly sensible newsroom staff to make such an impossible choice. (cutaway: Editor presses earpiece with forefinger, listing to voice from control room. Look back at camera with an abashed Jon Stewart expression.) Oh. Good point. That was me. So, all right. Now that I think about it. This should make a great story. Get people who know every limestone crevice and historic bar in Rim Country to reveal their favorite Peter Aleshire places. Editor, So, no question about it — my fa- Jeep dude, vorite thing is to snorkel in Fossil fishing wannabe, Creek. For starters, the spring that huffer-puffer hiker feeds the crystal clear, travertinetinted turquoise stream gushes out at a constant 72 degrees year round — so you can even splash about in the fall. Secondly, the creek’s all a glimmer with native fish like headwater chub, Verde Trout and Sonoran suckers. So if you don a facemask and paddle about, you feel like you’re in the Caribbean — minus the airfare. If you’re all buff and macho, you can hike down the Fossil Springs Trail (see our hiking guide). Otherwise, you can come in to the stream from the Camp Verde side on the only road still open. But then, now that I think on it — you can do that all summer long. Why not do something unusual and seasonal — like wait for the first big snowfall (could be December), then grab a pair of cross country skis and head for Forest Road 300. Once the snow hits, the road makes the best snowmobile or cross-country ski track in the country — level, secluded and nothing but views. But then, that means waiting for snow. Why wait? Grab a camera as soon as you read this blurb and head for the East Verde River for the last flare of fall. If you’ve already missed it, then take the Apache Trail down toward the Superstition Mountains when you’re tooing or frooing from Rim Country and catch the final flameout of fall in Fish Creek Canyon between Canyon Lake and Apache Lake. But wait: What about paddleboarding Roosevelt Lake? How about sampling the hand-brewed beers at THAT Brewery in Pine? How about fishing for holdover rainbows in the East Verde above Whispering Pines? How about catching any stormy sunset with your legs dangling over the Mogollon Rim? How about two-stepping during Junction 87’s Sunday night jam session at the Buffalo Bar and Grill in Payson? How about dirt biking as far as you can go down Crackerjack Road? How about sitting on top of the waterfall at Water Wheel on the East Verde River near Beaver Valley? Just ridiculous — picking one thing. What a dumb assignment.

See There’s an adventure, page 5

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

There’s an adventure at every turn in Rim Country FROM PAGE 4

mind will go into a different world. You’ll forget your work, everything, and if you don’t forget, you fall in the water.” After paddling back to shore, I would make my way to Forest Road 9350 — which I hate to disclose because all my favorite sites will get taken — but this road has the best panoramic spots anywhere. In the morning, I would travel west on Forest Road 300 all the bumpy way to Pine-Strawberry, diverting unpredictably onto the numerous trailheads, bike routes and pocket lakes — each offering a mini adventure. Back on Highway 87, and paved ground, I would finish the weekend’s journey with a decadent piece of pie from the Strawberry Lodge. Now I get no money from this endorsement (but hopefully free pie), but the Lodge has the best pie ever. Once, I tried an apple caramel pie with homemade crust and vanilla ice cream. I still remember how the ice cream melted into the caramel — it was gone in all of two bites.

CASINO DELIGHTS: GOOD FOOD AND ONE-ARMED BANDITS Visitors in town? What to do? Well, my family and I have been in Payson since it was only a little bigger than Star Valley. We moved here when the population was just around 3,000. Over the years when we have had company, it has usually been family members. Mostly we gather and gossip over big meals at home. L

See Fun, food and lots of friendly folks, page 6

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Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Writer Alexis Bechman paddleboards across Roosevelt Lake, one of her favorite things. In the winter, paddleboarding remains a year-round sport.

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Fun, food and lots of friendly folks FROM PAGE 5

On occasion though we have trotted them out to the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino. Since they don’t have access to this sort of entertainment where they live, they always have a blast. It is also a favorite of my family when it is just us. It is only as expensive as you want it to be – play pennies, nickels, quarters, a dollar, five or more. We really like the slots, but the table games are so good our dad wanted to get out of the hospital early to make his regular game. The Teresa McQuerrey bingo is fun too. Reporter, newsroom wheel And what can be horse, community more entertaining advocate, peerless copyeditor than winning? The casino offers a variety of dining options, from a hamburger and fries or a bowl of soup at your slot machine. Actually, I think the great wait staff on the floor will bring you just about anything on the menu. You can take a break and enjoy The Grill where you place your order, take a number and pick it up when it’s ready. If you want a more traditional dining experience, check out the Cedar Ridge Restaurant. It has one of the best salad bars and good, reasonably priced entrees. With the coming holidays there will be special buffets for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus a great New Year’s Eve Party, which last year featured all the crab legs you could eat. Even if you don’t come out ahead with the games, you will meet some really friendly people at Mazatzal Hotel and Casino. The wait staff is wonderful and your fellow players are always friendly and glad for you when you do hit a good spin.

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

The spring that feeds Fossil Creek gushes at a constant 72 degrees year-round and the stream in the fall offers a unique, catch-and-release native fish fishery, making it one of Roundup editor Pete Aleshire’s favorite places.

UNFOLDING LIFE AS A BOAT After buying a used, foldable, boat I thought about changing my name from Andy to Atlas. You know, ‘Atlas’, the mythic god so strong he can hold up the world and other unbelievable feats. I’d just like to see him put the cen- Andy Towle ter seat into my Photographer, foldable boat with- curmudgeon, prose in-house out breaking a poet, character, moussweat. Ha! tache model

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A foldable boat — a neat, unsinkable, quiet, conveyance for use on lakes, streams, rivers and even the ocean, if you’ve a mind to. You can remove the seats and stabilizer plate and fold it up so it looks like a surfboard. Lash it to the top of your car and stash it in the garage; never to be seen again. The first time I put it together, I had help from the seller; someone who had done this task so many times his forearms were huge, like a cartoon Popeye. His face was suspiciously drawn and scarred and for a man who was only 25 years old when he sold me the

contraption. His hair was completely, solidly, bright white; as if bleached with stress and worry and struggle from unfolding that boat. It looked easy when he did it. Piece a cake. But then that’s only if you consider putting Lake Michigan into a coffee cup with a teaspoon a piece of cake. Unfolding this boat is more like throwing the space shuttle into orbit with a group of friends. Good luck with that. Anyway, being a determined (stubborn) person, I slipped the back plate into position with ease, and the back seat and the front seat and securely latched them with the included pins. No problem. The middle seat; Not. So. Much. I managed to secure one side and slip the pin into the slot, but after struggling for most of the afternoon, acquiring a blistering sunburn and losing my patience so badly that my wife filed for a Las Vegas divorce; I finally disregarded my long standing motto of ‘Never give up, never surrender.’ I threw my hands in the air, seeking some justice from God. All I got was a busted oar and a ripped life jacket. In my delirious state, I accidentally hurled an oar into the air. It splintered upon landing. As I ran to recover it, I tangled my feet in a life jacket, which spewed its innards into the water. The sun was low in the sky by the time I pushed off from the dock and paddled this gloriously seaworthy craft out onto Bear Canyon Lake. My freshly divorced ex made an obscene gesture from the car and drove away. I’m glad I didn’t change my name to Atlas. I’m not built for it. I’ve never been back to Bear Canyon Lake either. However, if you ever go there and cast your line into the middle of the lake hoping for a great catch, be careful; somewhere resting on the bottom, in the middle of the lake is a supposedly unsinkable, undeniably, unfoldable, boat.

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On a fall color contact high Punch drunk on the stream’s babble and shades of yellow, a writer wanders through a riot of cottonwoods BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

The East Verde River offers a brilliant flare of fall color in October and sometimes into November. Once fitful, the stream is now augmented with water from the Blue Ridge Reservoir.

Every year, I marvel and need and wonder at this extravagant display. But this year, I’m determined to sit right here until I figure it out. Why does fall always make me feel half drunk and twice alive? Why can’t I feel like this all the time? ’Cause I’ll confess it to you right now: If fall was a

drug, I’d mainline it. I’d hock my grandmother’s jewelry and my grown kid’s collectable Star Wars toys so I could get another fix and fall down in a stupor outside the rescue mission. Like any addict, I can’t explain myself. It’s just, so, well, yellow (and red and gold and sometimes purple — oh,

So I’m just sitting here on the banks of the East Verde, my brain sparking from a contact high with yellow. And brown. And gold. And orange. And the faintest flush of red. All somehow conjured from a background of fading green. Fall has burst out on every hand, like some gaudy, sequined drag queen shedding his tear-away three-piece suit. I’m perched on my rock on the edge of the creek’s babble, punch drunk on shades of yellow. The sycamores and willows have already rioted now flutter with exhaustion. The great-turned cottonwoods have watched the revelries for a week, but have finally lost their restraint.

Lord, save me from leaves with a whiff of purple.) A barely chilled wind rustles through the trees, stirring a chromatic flutter. I want to confess my sins, give away my worldly goods, study at the feet of a druid, roll naked in the damp brown earth until I am covered with yellow sycamore leaves. I’m utterly lost. Color. Must be color, something in the transition from summer’s green to fall’s yellow/orange/red must account for my fits and trembling. So to prove it, I looked up “color + psychology” on the Internet: I think we’re on to something here. So, start with summer green, the sly hat trick of chlorophyll, the compound that makes it possible for leaves to produce energy from sunlight. The tree pumps chlorophyll into its leaves all summer long, constantly replacing that vital element as sunlight breaks it down. The leaves get so loaded with chlorophyll in the heady days of summer that everything looks green. Come fall, the dwindling day length prompts the tree to seal off the leaves. Once the careless chlorophyll breaks down, compounds tinted yellow, orange, red

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Ablaze with bliss FROM PAGE 7

and brown dominate. Now, green’s very easy on the brain, calming all those excitable neurotransmitters. That accounts for the “green rooms” in which talk show guests linger and the reassuring green medical gowns donned by surgeons. Western cultures associate green with fertility, intelligence, luck, wealth and generosity. So now, let’s say I’ve been strolling along the East Verde River through luminous, leafy green all summer and bingo, everything turns yellow/orange. What’s the psychological effect? Well, psychologists (and color consultants) say yellow provokes feeling of happiness — cheerful optimism. It symbolizes joy, sunlight, happiness, earth, optimism, intelligence and idealism. Yellow improves concentration, hence the yellow tint on legal pads. Also speeds up the metabolism. But this is odd: too much yellow makes you irritable. Babies cry more in yellow rooms. People get more short-tempered. Go figure. Now add a dash of orange. A favorite hue of the Buddhists, orange evokes energy, enthusiasm, playfulness, aggression, arrogance, gaudiness, danger and desire. Finally, slip in a hint of red, the prima

donna of colors. Love. Danger. Red boosts heart rate, respiration and blood pressure. So people supposedly have more confrontations in red rooms. Red things look bigger. The color is associated with passion, strength, sex, speed, heat, ambition, courage, masculinity, power, danger, blood, war, communism, martyrs and states that vote Republican. Does that account for it then — the emotional shift from green-room summer leaves to a blaze of joyfully irritating yellow? Doesn’t seem sufficient, somehow. But then, happiness has always mystified me. I’ve never really understood why it sometimes sweeps me up like an amorous supermodel only to suddenly cast me aside. Best, I suppose, to simply sit and wallow when she turns her golden eyes on you. Don’t move — just memorize the feeling as best you can for the bare limbs of winter. So I shall, sit a while longer, although this piece was due hours ago. I shall simply let myself be calmed by the verdant cottonwoods, energized by the orange shifted sycamores and rendered happy just short of crying by the yellow willows. Settling in, I look up and note the startling blue of the sky. Blue. My, oh my. Don’t get me started.

“It does not matter whether medicine be old or new, so long as it brings about a cure. It matters not whether theories be eastern or western, so long as they prove to be true.”

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Sycamores like this youngster captured on the banks of the East Verde blaze yellow in the fall, as the tree seals off the doomed leaves and the green chlorophyll breaks down, leaving behind colorful compounds like xanthophyl.

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A scramble up the steep slope of solitude Rim Country hikes offer lots of opportunities for even a woman alone to test her limits BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

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Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Rim Country offers hundreds of miles of hiking trails, some of which either top out on the Mogollon Rim or wander along its edge. This overlook near Bear Canyon Lake offers one of the best places on the planet to watch the sun set.

I find it difficult to pretend to be upbeat when I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel it. I needed alone time to allow nature the chance to seep into my spirit and lift me out of my depths, just as it has done throughout my life. So I took the Houston Mesa Road. I remembered hearing about Washing-

ton Park from friends. They said it had a creek and beautiful trail that offered views of the area around Payson. I quickly found even the road to reach Washington Park offered an escape.

Fall mornings greet me with an edgy crispness that clearly signals winter looms around the corner, but as the day wears on, the brisk early air gives way to afternoons perfect for a bracing dip in a creek or lake after a long hike. I thought of that one morning when I awoke to a long weekend of solitude stretching before me. Both of my children had plans with friends that took them out of the house for a couple of days, leaving me to entertain myself. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d had a tough week. I felt empty, depleted and yet strangely restless at the same time. The walls of my house pressed upon me and my heart ached from feelings of abandonment. I had to change my surroundings, but I hesitated. I was new to the Rim Country and

did not know many hikes. I have this rule about never exploring a hike for the first time by myself, well; maybe if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m honest, what I really fear is the unknown â&#x20AC;&#x201D; lurking lions and tigers and bears. But this time fear wrestled with anxiety â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and lost. I decided to gamble on an attitude adjustment. I packed a lunch with fresh tomatoes and veggies from my summer garden that was quickly fading as the frosty temperatures of winter loomed. Plucking the bruised tomatoes off the dying vine only added to gloom. I had to get out quickly. Fortunately, I had Ginger, who weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recently adopted from the animal shelter. This would be my first hike with her on a trail away from our home. I popped Ginger and my day pack into the car and headed out. Knowing it would warm up in the afternoon, I decided to find a trail near water. The East Verde was out, because I thought I would not be able to wander far. I now know my knowledge of the East Verde was limited. I only knew of Flowing Springs and East Verde Road off of Highway 87 that have places near the highway. In my state I did not care to pull people down with me since

See Nature, page 11

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

Nature soothes writer’s soul

1: Horton Creek Trail Easy: 4 miles. Popular trail along the creek starts at Upper Tonto Creek Campground. 2: Horton Springs Trail Most Difficult: 1.5 miles. Steep, rocky switchbacks – not recommended for horses. Best access of FR 300, 15.7 miles west of Highway 260. 9: Railroad Tunnel & Col. Devin Trail Most Difficult: 2.25 miles. The historic trail takes hikers past the sites of skirmishes fought during the Apache wars and into a pipe dream of a railroad tunnel. Take FR 300 12.2 miles from Hwy. 87 to Battle Monument and take the Col. Devin trail south. The Railroad Tunnel starts in 1/2 mile. You can also access the trail from the base of the Rim east of Washington Park Trailhead.

FROM PAGE 10

The park sits at the end of the Houston Mesa Road. The drive curves up and over mesas and dips down to cross the East Verde in a few places. The communities of Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines have cute mountain cabins to ogle and envision happy family getaways. Ginger sat by my side, wagging her tail as we drove. She knew an adventure waited at the end of the drive. I followed the signs to Washington Park. After turning off of Houston Mesa, the road narrows and passes by little camping pads alongside the creek. The dirt track ends in a parking lot. The trail starts at one end. Even though it was a Saturday, the parking lot had no cars. I would see no other hikers, unless they came later than I did. I felt a surprising lift of relief. As I opened my door, Ginger leaped across my lap to race around outside my car. She wanted to go. I smiled at her enthusiasm and started to take it on as my own. “Yes! We’re going on an adventure,” I said to her. I quickly grabbed my backpack, locked up and set out. The trail had a steady uphill climb from the start then threaded along a little stream, the unlikely headwaters of the East Verde. At any time, we could head off the trail to sit on hillocks cushioned by spring grass and moss. I felt the stirrings of contentment, but the best was yet to come. The trail actually climbs the face of the Rim. It’s steep and strewn with soft soil and scree, but the views took my breath away. Eroded spires of rock reared up to each side, while views of undeveloped wilderness fell away on every side. At length, I stopped to catch my breath and look behind me. I should have checked the weather, because the clouds had turned an ominous gray, heavy with rain. But I couldn’t stop, I had to reach the top — wherever that led me. The trail became steeper, so that even Ginger struggled. After a section that left me gasping, the struggle ended and I found myself on a road!

10: Red Rock Trail More difficult: 1.5 miles. The trail leads to a spring used by the Apaches and the settlers more than 100 years ago. Access from FR 64 about 2.4 miles east of Hwy. 87 on the north side of the road. 11: Pine View Trail Easiest: 1 mile. This short trail connects the difficult 8-mile-long Pine Canyon Trail (26) and the 51-mile-long Highline Trail. 12: Oak Trail More Difficult: 3.2 miles. This trail descends into Oak Springs Canyon to Oak Springs. Easiest access from the Pine Trailhead. 3: Derrick Spur Trail 32 More Difficult: 1 mile. Spur trail connects to the 2.5-mile-long Derrick Trail. From Highway 260 turn north past the cattle guard on east side of the road. 4: Derrick Trail 33 More Difficult: 2.5 miles. Start on Derrick Spur Trail, transition onto the Derrick Trail then add FR Combine FR 289 to create a day-long loop. Can also access back of Upper Tonto Creek Campground. 5: See Canyon & See Spring Trail Most Difficult: 4 miles. A challenging hike that produces great views in the fall. Starts half mile north of the Highline Trail, with access from FR 300 on top of the Rim about 12.3 miles from Highway 260. 6: Highline Trail 31 More difficult: 51 miles. This trail runs for miles along the base of the Mogollon Rim, connecting many other trail systems and climbing in and out of the drainages of the creeks that flow off the 1,500-foot-high cliffs of the Rim. You can access the west end of the trail at the Pine Trailhead on the east side of Highway 87. Access the east end of the trail at the 260 Trail- head 23 miles east of Payson on the north side of Highway 87. 7: Sink Hole Trail 179 Most Difficult: 2.5 miles. Starts on the Rim off Historic Forest Road 300, built by General George Crook in the 1800s during his war with the Apache. Starts 1.9 miles west of Highway 260 at a scenic overlook. Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Wind and drought have turned some of the centuries-old ponderosa pines on the edge of the Mogollon Rim into twisted bonsai versions of the stately pine. Rim Country includes a stretch of the largest ponderosa pine forest on the planet.

Later I realized I had walked to Forest Road 300, which runs along the Rim connecting the Highways 260 and 87. On the east end, Forest Road 300 leads to Woods, Bear, Black Canyon, and Knoll Lakes. On the west end, the road passes by the devastation left from the Dude Fire, while offering breathtaking vistas of the forest surrounding Payson. The spot had a marker commemorating a battle between the Apache and General Crook. History! I sat on the edge of the world and munched my lunch in complete content. I had forgotten I was alone.

8: Pump Station Trail 296 Easiest: 1 mile. Starts near the Phelps Dodge pump station on the Blue Ridge Pipeline and ends at the Highline Trail. Access from FR 33A 1/8th of a mile north of FR 32 near the Washington Park Trailhead.interesting hiking, biking and horseback riding trails in Arizona. For starters, the area boasts hundreds of miles of trails through the national forests, along streams, lakes and along cliff tops. 9. Fossil Springs Trail Most Difficult: This steep trail down to the spring at the head of Fossil Creek spurs more summertime rescues than any trail in Rim Country. Allow four to six hours to hike down and back, wear good shoes and bring plenty of water. If you’re careful and conditioned, however, the trail offers one of the richest payoffs in Rim Country – the paradise of Fossil Creek. The water gushes from a spring at a constant 72 degrees, making a dip still plausible even in the late fall. Reach the trail head off FR 708 about 10 miles outside of Strawberry. You can drive to the creek from Camp Verde, but the Forest Service has closed the road from the Strawberry side. 10. Payson Area Trails System (PATS) Payson also has developed an extensive network of trails that through town and connect to the wealth of Forest Service trails just outside of town. So far, the town has completed 30 miles of the 50-mile system, which lead through town and out into the forest. Those town trails include the Boulders, Houston and Monument Peak loop trails. For a map of the Payson trails system go to: http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/MountainRecreation/HikingTrails/Payson AreaTrailsSystem.aspx

PAYSON ROUNDUP

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Fishing’s life lessons Writer reflects on battle of wits with a wary trout and woebegone angler BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

So I’m working on some kinda karma here on the East Verde River, as I conduct my little experiment in fish intelligence. So far, the little buggers are doing pretty well. Fall and winter present certain challenges for duffer anglers like me once the lovely folks at the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery cease from stocking streams and lakes. Normally, I like to cast a fly or some kind of day-glow orange goop into the middle of a milling school of plump trout a day after they’ve been dumped in the stream. But it’s fall. They’ve long since stopped stocking except in the Green Valley Lakes in the middle of Payson. Good news: The hoards of Valley anglers that descend on every good fishing hole on the path of the stocking truck have given up. Bad news: The trout in there now were either hatchery trout smart enough to survive the summer or offspring of holdovers from years past. Of course, I hail from the species with the most elaborately folded cortex on

the planet and I am matching wits here with a critter with a smooth-surfaced brain the size of a peanut. I’ve been casting flies and torturing worms longer than any living trout has been alive. So, you gotta figure the odds are in my favor. Besides, trout can’t remember anything longer than about three seconds. That’s what I heard, anyhow. Of course, Culum Brown from Macquare University (do you suppose that’s a real place?) managed to complete a study that proved carp and paradise fish, at any rate, have great memories. If they survive an attack by a predator, they’ll avoid the site of the attack for at least five months. Other researchers have demonstrated that lots of fish species can outthink mice and rats when it comes to things like learning mazes and assorted other fishy tricks. I’m not sure how to feel about this information. It could explain why I’ve been flailing the water for the last hour without so much as a nibble. You gotta figure most the trout left in this stream had some bad experiences with hooks. Heck, I caught a couple of fish right around here somewhere — and put them back in the darn stream. They’ve probably been running hook avoidance classes for the young’uns ever since — you know how meticulous fish are about going to school.

Roundup editor Peter Aleshire proves that he once actually caught a fish. The trout looks suitably astonished, right before his return to Bear Canyon Lake. Photo by Alexis Bechman

So them trout have gotten smart, apparently much better at learning from getting caught than I have been at learning from not catching. Guess I might as well switch to something that involves a bobber, so’s I can just sit and listen to the rustle of the ﬂoppy, golden sycamore leaves. Just about then, Frank comes galumphing down the stream. I bump into him surprisingly often out here, considering how rarely I manage to escape the guilded cage of the Roundup newsroom. Well, it ain’t guilded, exactly. But it’s hard to escape. “Hey you,” I says. “Hey-yuh,” he returns. “I miss that stocking truck,” I says. “Hey-yuh,” he nods. “Any luck?” says I. “Nah,” he says in disgust. “Eight of

’em — all small.” I gulp. Not audibly. But a sure-enough gulp. “Oh, yeah,” says I, recovering quickly. “Darned small ones.” “Hey-yuh,” he agrees, without a trace of mockery. “Enough for dinner, anyhow,” I say. “Oh, no. I put ’em all back,” he says, before wandering on off downstream. Great. He just schooled every fish left in the stream on hooks and lures. So I let the silence settle back in, except for the little snicker of the sycamore leaves. Then I flick my fly on the water, with hardly a ripple of optimism. Still, I got light left and the cottonwood leaves are all trembling yellow. The stream’s getting all musical, splashing over the rocks and riffles. When it comes to fishing: I’m a slow learner, but a pretty good listener.

Rim Country’s fishing holes of fall GREEN VALLEY LAKES The most reliable place to catch ﬁsh all winter remains Payson’s Green Valley Lakes, stocked regularly with trout through the winter. Fishing the urban lakes requires a special ﬁshing license.

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

Fishing holes of fall FROM PAGE 12

The release of some 11,000 acre-feet of water from the Blue Ridge Reservoir have made the East Verde a much better stream for anglers, but Salt River Project shuts off the extra flow with the first snow atop the Rim.

TONTO CREEK Game and Fish also stops stocking Tonto Creek in the fall, but many fish remain hidden in the deep pools and isolated stretches all winter. Fishermen will also find holdover and wild trout in the stretch of Tonto Creek accessible from Bear Flat, at the end of a steep, five-mile dirt road off Highway 260. FOSSIL CREEK You can enjoy a unique catch-andrelease fishery for native fish like the headwater and roundtail chub in the Fall in this remarkable stream. The U.S. Forest Service shut down the road from Strawberry into the canyon, but you can still access the creek from the steep, demanding Fossil Springs Trail about 10 miles outside of Strawberry.

HAIGLER, CANYON CREEKS Six miles north of the town of Young, Highway 288 crosses Haigler Creek, which eventually dumps into Tonto Creek at Bear Flat, near the boundary of the Hellsgate Wilderness. Haigler offers rainbows and browns all year long. Farther east down highway 260, past the turnoff for the town of Young, Canyon Creek is another fine fishery. To find it, head south on Forest Road 288, then turn east on Forest Road 33, and continue to a left turn on Forest Road 34. BEAR CANYON LAKE Fishing is fair to good for stocked trout, according to the Game and Fish fishing report. The Rim Country lakes generally harbor a good supply of holdover trout from the heavy summer stocking. Snowstorms often close Forest Road 300. Even then, hardy fishermen can always take to ice fishing and dream of Minnesota. BLACK CANYON LAKE Fishing is poor to fair, according to recent reports. Anglers have been catching a few trout, sunfish and bass on worms. The water level is extremely

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CHEVELON LAKE Fishing is fair to good. Anglers are catching trout on spinners (Panther Martin and Rooster tails), Z-Rays and Kastmaster spoons. Trout are active in the evening, so fly-fishermen should try dry flies such as Parachute Adams and caddis patterns in sizes 16-18. WILLOW SPRINGS LAKE Fishing is fair for shore anglers and fair to good for boat anglers. The lake was stocked the last week in September with rainbow trout. Anglers are catching trout near the lake bottom on nightcrawlers. WOODS CANYON LAKE Fishing is fair to good. The lake was

stocked in September with rainbow trout. Anglers have been catching trout on orange and rainbow-colored Power Bait in deep water. Boat anglers should try trolling slowly with cowbells with an attached nightcrawler, fly or small lure.

ROOSEVELT LAKE The lake is less than half full, which makes it feel like a completely new lake even for veterans of the Roosevelt layout. Try fishing in the shallows (1 to 4 feet) with surface lures in the backs of coves and over rock piles. Drop shot works pretty well on the outside points, flats and backs of coves in 30 to 10 feet of water, but altering the drop shot technique to a Texas nose hook and whacky style setup is productive. This is still a good time to try for channel catfish using stink bait.

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

An epic good time Rim Country offers unexpected wealth of mountain biking trails year-round

Outdoor recreation facts • 79 percent of outdoor participants either have jobs or attend school, just 4 percent are unemployed. • In 2011, outdoor recreation reached the highest participation level in five years.

BY ALEXIS BECHMAN

Nearly half of the U.S. population enjoyed various forms of outdoor recreation. That

ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

equates to a total of 141.1 million Americans. • 87 percent of hikers participate in one or more other outdoor activities.

I’ll admit it. I don’t have a cool nickname, like Grasshopper, Hill Killer or Skid Kid. I have never ridden a trail that is “epic” and I have never gone over my handlebars, preferring instead to dismount and walk around anything larger than I can throw (which is most everything). I don’t know how to use clip-in shoes and have no idea why bikers wear funny ankle socks. Still, on a good weekend, you will find me on a trail somewhere in Rim Country, steering my hand-me-down Trek. And I am usually alone. It seems the area’s single-track trails are its bestkept secret. Recreation officials have tried for years to bring more bikers to the area and it seems like they are starting to trickle in. This year’s Fire on the Rim Mountain Bike Race had twice as many riders as last year’s race and most riders said they would be back. One rider, who goes by Taco Bell for unexplained reasons, said he had no idea there were so many trails in the area, especially challenging ones with “epic” potential. Riders that tackle Fire on the Rim’s 15-mile loop are the types that look for trails that put their brawn and bravery to the test. Luckily, the Rim Country is full of such trails and easy ones too.

• 66 percent of outdoor participants are married. • Biking is the most popular outdoor activity for youth ages 6 to 17. • In 2011, the average cyclists went on 56 rides, while hikers averaged 16 outings. • Nearly 40 million Americans mountain bike annually. Source: The Outdoor Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) established by Outdoor Industry Assoc.

Trail and back around to the cabin on Forest Road 300. The long loop, a difficult 30 to 40 miles of hiking and biking, starts on the Fred Haught Trail, connects with the U-Bar Trail, Barbershop Trail, Houston Brothers Trail and back to the cabin on FR 300. Highlights: Awesome scenery, wildlife Length: Varies from 12 miles to 40 miles Rating: Beginning to intermediate Getting there: To find General Springs Cabin, take Highway 87 north from Strawberry to Forest Road 300. Turn right (east) onto 300 and drive approximately 10 miles. Look for a war monument at the junction. The General Springs Cabin is about a half mile down the dirt road to the north. Info: Mogollon Rim Ranger District, HC 31, Box 300, Happy Jack AZ 86024, (928) 477-2255

PAYSON 3. Rim Vista Trail/Willow Springs loop This ride is great for beginners new to mountain bike riding. The Rim Vista Trail follows Forest Road 300 most of the way and includes stunning views of the Mogollon Rim. For added adventure, riders can swoop down to Woods Canyon Lake on a mostly paved road. Advanced riders can take the Meadow Trail to the lake and ride around the lake. The shortest and easiest ride at 1213 miles, is on the Rim Vista Loop to Woods Canyon Lake and then returns to the parking lot. The medium loop, a 16- to 18-mile ride, also starts on the Rim Vista Trail then links with the Meadow Trail, Woods Canyon Lake Trail, around Woods Canyon Lake, back on Meadow Trail to the Rim Vista Trail and back to the parking lot. The medium loop can be extended to 25 miles by going west on the Rim

Tom Brossart/Special to the Roundup

Former Hike, Bike & Run owner Mic Wolf (left) and his dog Taco head down the trail with Payson High School physics teacher Andrew Fiala.

Vista Trail, riding to the Mogollon Campground then taking the General Crook Trail to the Carr Lake trailhead, riding the Boulder Hop Trail, then riding back to the parking lot. The long loop, 30-35 miles, includes the extended medium route trails, but after the Boulder Hop Trail, riders take the Drew Trail and ride down the face of the Rim. Once down the Rim, riders will take the Highline Trail to See Canyon, then ride back to Christopher Creek where you would need to have someone pick you up and shuttle back to the parking lot on the Rim. Highlights: largest stand of Ponderosa Pines, views, cool temperatures Length: varies depending on which trails taken/ 2-4 hours Rating: beginning to intermediate

Getting there: Head east on Highway 260 out of Payson roughly 30 miles to the top of the Rim. Take a left on FR 300 (heading toward Woods Canyon Lake) and park in the first parking lot on the right. Info: Mogollon Rim Ranger District, HC 31, Box 300, Happy Jack AZ 86024, (928) 477-2255

4. Cabin Loop This great trail system offers riders of all skill levels a chance to test their ability. The ride starts at the General Springs Cabin and connects with a several trails for an awesome ride on the Cabin Loop trail system. From the cabin, riders can take one of three loop options, varying in distance and difficulty. The short loop, out and back on the Fred Haught Trail, is 12-miles round trip. The standard loop is a difficult 20 miles and includes the Fred Haught

Stewart Pocket If you don’t want a long drive, the boulders ride is perfect because it is practically within town limits. The single-track trail weaves its way across a stream several times and over several boulders. Offers great views of the area’s granite monoliths. Getting there: Head down Granite Dells Road to the intersection of Sutton Road. Ride down Sutton Road or Roller Costar Road a ways until the roadway takes a right. Look for a trail behind a gate here and take it. The trail crosses the creek several times before winding its way back around to Granite Dells Road. Head northwest back up the road until you reach Sutton.

Forest Road 235 This is also an easy ride to reach by vehicle and an overall easy, fun ride. The level trail winds its way 5.5 miles from Forest Road 300, Rim Road, back to an area between Chevelon Canyon and Willow Springs Canyon. The mountain bike-designated trail is well marked and only takes a few hours to complete. Getting there: From Payson, head east on Highway 260, passing through Star Valley and Christopher Creek. Head up the Rim until you reach Forest Service Road 300. Head left, parking in the first parking lot off to the right. The trail is on the north end of the parking lot.

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

The drip, drip, drip of time Tonto Natural Bridge State Park blends history, geology, the pensive awe of the old and the reckless splash of the young BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

I’m a sitting and a thinking, as the water’s a dripping drip dripping and the tourists are a slip, slip, slipping away. I have positioned myself close by the chief tourist trap deep beneath the vast arch of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, whose cavernous span of dissolved travertine soars 183 feet overhead. Overawed wanderers from at least three continents have made their way past my position in the past half hour, their footing unsteady on the damp calcium carbonate rocks. They come inevitably to this smooth slide down a five-foot-tall ledge, where they must face the deep choice between safety and dignity. Most sensibly drop to their bottoms and ooch down the incline, making last-minute adjustments to avoid plopping ankle deep in Pine Creek, which so patiently and implausibly created this natural wonder. Some – mostly young men yearning to ride motorcycles and risk organ donation – dash down the incline upright, thrilling the teeny boppers present and making wise women sigh and wonder how men survive at all. I savor the frail foolishness of young men, the damp calm of the vast, dark cavern, and the understated history of rocks made from the shells of longextinct creatures floating in long-vanished oceans. Something about the intersection of all these things in the cool echoes of the world’s largest natural travertine arch satisfies some deep need to feel humbled and daring all at the same time. Studying the drip-castle decorations on the vast, curved walls of the 400-foot-long tunnel through this curiously ephemeral stone, my eye drifts to a row of shallow caves. Settler, sheepherder, Civil War sailor, stubborn immigrant, undrownable fisherman Richard Gowan made the first documented report of this place. Reportedly, he hid in limestone caves from a band of roving Apache, who took a dim view of the invasion for which Gowan proved the inconspicuous vanguard. The sole survivor of a fishing boat he built in San Francisco, the Scotsman invested all his remaining money in a sheep herd after hearing reports of rich pasture-land from some cavalry officers returned from the mostly futile pursuit of the Apache. Gowan settled near the bridge but then gave the homestead to an immigrating relative. He then started a mine near Payson and ended up dying alone leaning back against a rock along Deer Creek, with his boots inexplicably set to one side. But that’s what’s I love here – the juxtaposition of biology and geology. The cavern reduces the life and death of oceans and continents to an almost comprehensible scale. The soaring 150-foot-wide arch bears witnesses to the breakup of continents, the evaporation of whole oceans, the restless gasps and sighs of the planet. At the base of the cavern, you can put your hand on volcanic rhyolite, which formed 1.6 billion years ago – when life was limited to blind, single-celled

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

The soaring arch of the world’s largest travertine bridge dwarfs visitors (photo above). For an added adventure, scramble through and meander up the stream above the bridge (photo below).

creatures groping in the vast oceans. Whole mountains, continents and oceans buried and revealed that ancient reddish, volcanic rock, leaving not a trace behind. Finally, a few million years ago, some shallow sea lay down layers of mud rich with the calcium carbonate skeletons of plankton and sea shells. The drift of death to the sea floor created deep layers of sediment, which sank until heat and pressure fused them into limestone. And because Earth is as restless as a teenaged boy on a slide of travertine if you squint just right, the heave of the planet hoisted that new-minted limestone back into the sunlight. Capped by a nice hard layer of lava, the limestone layers were fractured by faults then cut into by water, including patient little Pine Creek. A mere 5,000 years ago, snowmelt and rain seeping down through these thick remnants of extinct creatures and oceans found fractures in the walls of Pine Creek Canyon. Emerging from the pressure of the overlying rock, the water gave up the dissolved calcium carbonate it had collected on its long sojourn in the rock. The minerals crystallized and fizzed, like carbon dioxide from a flipped-off bottle top. The minerals formed layers on layers on layers of travertine – drip by drip by drip by drip. The travertine formed a great dam across Pine Creek Canyon. But water is patient and persistent and impossible to intimidate. So it set to work on the great dam of stone, wriggling into every crack, prying it apart when it expanded into ice, dissolving those ancient marine skeletons. Eventually, the cheerful little creek chewed through the dam of travertine, added by its wet allies dripping down from above through the smallest of cracks. It continues to this day, the droplets emerging from the fissures in the ceiling to free fall in joy. The droplets plop at my feet, like the teenager who just landed with a yelp and a splash in a pool deeper than he calculated.

Once, my spot in the damp, soaring cavern was a volcano, a supercontinent, an ocean, a desert, an ocean, a mountain, a desert again. Once it was a great wall of rock, then an alcove, then a tunnel 1,000 feet long and a hiding place for a hard-to-kill Scotsman. Now it is the best-known tourist attraction in Rim Country. Ah, yes – it is also the place I like to go to listen to the drip, drip, drip of time and ruefully recall when I would have run reckless down that slick incline of limestone, landing with a splash and a cry.

PAYSON ROUNDUP

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Lobo’s life lessons A meandering writer and a wolf-dog discover life’s great secret on the edge of a continent and a view to forever BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Lobo romps through a transient pond left over from monsoon rains on the Rim.

White Mountains with Camp Verde in the Verde Valley and Fort Whipple near Prescott. Forest Road 300 comprises a roughly 70-mile chunk of the Gen. Crook’s wagon road. Snows close the road in the winter, but the splash of fall color make the road a wonder in the late fall. The wellmaintained road, which even a passenger car can handle so long as the road isn’t wet or frosted with snow, offers a fascinating glimpse of the ecology of a ponderosa pine forest, especially if you head toward Pine through the scar of the Dude Fire. When Crook arrived to make war on the Apaches in the 1870s, these ponderosa pine forests were dominated by gigantic, widely-spaced, 400-year-old trees and tall grass. Low intensity ground fires burned through every five to seven years, clearing out the dead wood and seedlings. These fires merely scarred the fire-resistant, thick-barked bases of the mature trees, whose lowest branches were 20 or 30 feet above the flames.

But once Crook and his military successors broke the resistance of the Apache, settlers moved in and transformed the ponderosa pine ecosystem. Loggers went to work and soon cut down most of the fire-resistant, oldgrowth trees, and forest managers devoted themselves energetically to preventing fires. As a result, the forest of towering, widely spaced giants was replaced by thickets of smaller, stunted trees. When the inevitable fires finally got loose, they had a devastating effect — as the Dude Fire demonstrated. Decades of accumulated undergrowth and downed wood provided the fuel for a holocaust, climbing up into the mature trees and sterilizing the topsoil. The result is a haunted forest along one stretch of Forest Road 300, dominated by the towering, blackened skeletons of the trees scourged by the Dude Fire. But Forest Road 300 also offers a route through history, threading through the heart of a terrain that the Apache defended against all odds for

Lobo sat in the co-pilot seat of my dinged and dented Jeep, staring alertly out into the forest for chaseable elk as we emerged from the forest and bounced right up to the edge of the world. Historic Forest Road 300 had delivered us to a 1,000-foot cliff on the edge of 20-year-old scar of the Dude Fire, with a 200-mile view out across Rim Country. I always stop here, blown away by the view every time — no matter how I brace myself. Lobo knows this. He’s my buddy. My constant companion, in this bruised and untethered state, he’s the one to whom I comment on the sunset. We jerk to a halt. I fling open the jeep door and hop out. He bursts past me, like a show horse practicing hurdles. I turn and let my jaw drop, looking out over the pine-draped undulations of Rim Country, with its corrugation of canyons on into the blue-misted distance. I don’t know why the view from anywhere along the 40-mile marvel of Forest Road 300 still surprises me. Maybe it’s early Alzheimers. I always stop and strive to memorize the vista, like a old guy at a cocktail party. But ever time I face it anew, I can’t remember it’s name. “Awe,” I think. The wind rises up from the lowlands, funneled through the canyon, pressing against my face, threatening to lift my dusty black felt hat from my head. Forest Road 300 remains the single most artful blend of scenery and history in Arizona, an historic supply route between Camp Verde and Fort Apache in General George Crook’s tragic war of attrition with the Apache in the 1870s and 1880s. I discovered the road years ago as I researched a series of books on that awful conflict, with the Apache fighting for survival with an ancient and unrelenting ferocity. The well-graded Forest Service road offers linked lessons in history and ecology, threaded together by some of the most sweeping vistas in the state, lessons in ecology and a journey through time. Just outside of Payson where Highway 260 tops out on the Mogollon Rim or in the western end above Strawberry, you can connect with the 250-mile long General Crook Trail, which links Fort Apache in the

three centuries before falling to Crook’s war of attrition in the 1870s. The Apache fought the Spanish and the Mexicans to a standstill, partly because they could always retreat into the wilderness of present-day Arizona and New Mexico. But the arrival of the Americans in the 1840s and 1850s forced the Apache into a hopeless, twofront war. Ironically, Crook respected and admired the Apache more than any other commander — which made the bearded, unconventional Crook their most effective enemy. He relied heavily on Apache scouts, the only ones who could hold to the faint trail of a band of fleeing warriors. The Crook Trail played a crucial strategic role, as it supplied the network of forts from which Crook dispatched roving patrols of soldiers and Indian scouts that could remain on patrol for months at a time. Although the Apache resisters remained expert at eluding the soldiers, the constant hunt kept them from accumulating the supplies they needed to survive. This war of attrition eventually broke their resistance, thanks largely to the logistics of the Crook trail. A drive along Forest Road 300 these days mostly stirs up a deep sense of peace rather than memories of war. Certainly, I felt all mellowed out perched on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, with the wind in my face. I’d had need of surcease in the past few months, as my life frayed and my expectations floundered. I’d consoled myself with a deliberate wallow in my ever-latent workaholism. But spurred by the need for a backroad drive for the visitor’s guide, I’d collected Lobo and invested the afternoon. Looking about, I realized I’d lost Lobo. “Lobo,” I hollered, heading inland from the cliff edge where the view broke like a line of ocean waves. Lobo has the best of intentions — but low impulse control. He’s loyal to a fault, except when overwhelmed by a whiff of elk. I have labored to live up to his example — his stoicism, his enthusiasm, his persistence. I have by and large fallen short, but he does not seem to hold this against me. So I trudged away from the view, through a grassy meadow — hedged by saplings grown in since the fire and rotting logs left in its wake. I called his name from time to time, more for form’s sake than out of any genuine concern. Lobo always shows up. I have come to rely on this. I topped a small rise and looked down on a shallow pond, the gathering of the last rain — not yet absorbed by the stingy limestone soil. See Forest Road 300, page 17

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

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Forest Road 300 follows history’s path forests, with Bourke usually sitting atop his “faithful mule” Malaria, a beast he described with the blend of humor and animosity affected by anyone who has plumbed the mind of a mule. “Malaria had been born a first-class mule, but a fairy godmother, or some other mysterious cause, had carried the good mule away, and left in its place a lop-eared, mangy specimen, which enjoyed the proud distinction of being considered, without dissent, the meanest mule in the whole Department of Arizona.”

FROM PAGE 16

Lobo bounded through the pond, drunk on the joy of the splash, the edge in the air, the shatter of the reflected clouds. He didn’t care a bit about the chill in the air, the mud on his legs, the thought of the cold, damp drive. The pond lay before him, full of possibility and splash. He tore through it in unfettered joy, for no good reason besides its presence there in this fleeting moment. I pulled out my camera and recorded his discovery, the way juniper roots suck up rain after a sixmonth dry spell. And at least for the half-hour of his frolic as the clouds piled up on the edge of forever, all every single thing on this madly spinning globe made perfect sense.

A VIEW OF HISTORY Meandering along the Rim-hugging Forest Road 300 offers many spots to stop and appreciate the backdrop of history. One vivid encounter in the Apache Wars along FR 300 took place as General George Crook and Captain John Bourke rode in the lead of a detachment of soldiers. Several arrows flashed suddenly past, launched by about 15 Apache warriors, who immediately took flight. The soldiers spurred their horses and cut off two of the warriors, forcing them to take shelter behind several boulders. “There they stood; almost entirely concealed behind great boulders on the very edge of the precipice,” wrote Bourke, “their bows drawn to a semicircle, eyes gleaming with a snaky black fire, long unkempt hair flowing down over their shoulders, bodies almost completely naked, faces streaked with the juice of the baked mescal and the blood of the deer or antelope ... with not the slightest suggestion of cowardice,” Bourke wrote.

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Forest Road 300 offers unlimited chances to stop and dangle legs over the edge of the world on top of the Mogollon Rim.

“They seemed to know their doom, but not to fear it in the slightest degree.” Seeing the soldiers closing on them, the warriors fired a final volley of arrows and then seemingly jumped from the cliff at their backs. “We were all so horrified at the sight, that for a moment or more it did not occur to anyone to look over the crest, but when we did it was seen that the two savages were rapidly following

down the merest thread of a trail outlined in the vertical face of the basalt, and jumping from rock to rock like mountain sheep. General Crook drew bead, aimed quickly and fired; the arm of one of the fugitives hung limp by his side, and the red stream gushing out showed that he had been badly hurt; but he did not relax his speed a particle.” Bourke and Crook rode for hundreds of miles through those ancient

GETTING THERE Take the Beeline Highway from Phoenix to Payson. In Payson, you can take Highway 260 past Kohl’s Ranch to where the road tops out on the Mogollon Rim. The well-graded gravel and dirt Forest Road 300 crosses Highway 260 here. If you go east on Forest Road 300, you will pass the trout-stocked but smallish Willow Springs Lake after a few miles and then run along the edge of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation toward Show Low — about 40 miles distant. If you go west, you will pass Woods Canyon Lake, a popular boating and fishing spot. Forest Road 300 continues along the Rim past the turnoff to Bear Canyon Lake, Knoll Lake and several other small lakes for about 35 miles before rejoining the pavement at Highway 87 outside Pine and Strawberry. Going northward, you will reach the junction of Highway 87 and West Highway 260. Turning west onto this portion of 260 you will begin dropping down into the Verde Valley. The community of Camp Verde is the site of the Fort Verde State Historic Park, where Crook was headquartered during the Indian Wars in Arizona Territory. The park has several well-preserved structures built and occupied by the Army starting in the late 1860s.

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Fall is deer season in the Rim Country Conditioning, scouting, binoculars and patience key to hunting success BY DENNIS PIRCH SPECIAL TO THE ROUNDUP

When the leaves start to change and the evening brings “frost on the pumpkin” temperatures, it is a sure sign that the fall hunting seasons for biggame are right around the corner. Thousands of rifle hunters will take to the woods in the many deer units that are within a 30 mile radius of town. Payson is often considered the gateway to the Rim Country, consequently our community’s businesses benefit economically as one of the last places to get supplies before a weeklong deer camp. Those lucky hunters that have been issued a deer tag through a random lottery held in mid-summer have a permit to hunt a whitetail or mule deer. Both of these species of deer inhabit the northern region of Tonto National Forest, with the whitetail choosing the brushier drainages, while the mule deer prefer more of the open hillsides and meadows. Each unit has a specific number of hunters allowed in the field with most seasons lasting a week long for each species of deer. As one season closes, the next hunt begins the following day for the other species of deer. Limiting the number of hunters in the field allows more area to be hunted. Everyone has high expectations of placing their tag on the antler of a deer, but the reality is that there is about a 20 percent success rate. Several variables that increase your odds in the field, especially after the first couple of days when the easier to reach animals have been harvested, include getting in good physical shape and making sure you have a good set of optics. Those two precautions pay big dividends in pursuit of venison for the freezer. As all-terrain vehicles continually improve, every two-track trail is now open to an ever-increasing number of hunters. Areas accessible a few years ago to only the hardiest of hunters now can be reached by many. If you want to put some distance between you and the nearest road or trail, I recommend a pre-season exercise program that prepares you for that rigor. Usually, hiking one major canyon from a road will eliminate most hunters. This normally requires 30 minutes to an hour of hiking in rough terrain and sometimes big elevation changes. Spend time hiking before the season begins and possibly even undertake some weight training. Payson offers plenty of hills in the town limits to build

Provided photos

Rim Country provides some of the best hunting opportunities in Arizona, with the varied habitats providing perfect country for elk, whitetail and mule deer.

endurance. Just outside of the city limits numerous hiking trails offer a taste of the ordeal of a typical hike in deer country. Don’t kill yourself — just 30 minutes daily will do wonders! When the big day comes, get into position before sunrise a mile from the nearest road with a good set of field glasses or maybe even a spotting scope, mounted on a tripod. This will certainly increase your odds of seeing that buck, which blends in so well with the surrounding hillside. Make a mental grid of the hill and cover every foot of real estate, moving from left to right. Try to keep the sun at your back at all times whether at sunrise or at sunset because a small gray object like a deer can be easier to see, and an antler tine of a buck will sometimes shine with the sun’s rays. You have done the walking to get into position, now let your eyes do the work behind a good set of glasses. Don’t be too quick to relocate, because deer have lots of places to hide. A seemingly barren hillside will suddenly produce a buck that has been standing behind a cedar tree or boulder. When you do decide to move a few yards to your left or right, an entirely new vantage point could reveal a hid-

den side canyon or another level of the mountain you are glassing. Remember, look small — a whitetail buck may appear the size of a rabbit at a distance of a half mile. You may also glimpse only a piece of a deer such as a leg, an ear, or antler through the thick brush. Deer are where you find them, so spending time in the preseason hiking

the Arizona mountains will increase your odds for that seven-day rifle hunt. It not only increases the odds of putting your tag on a buck, it will get you outside, off the couch and maybe get a little exercise that most definitely improves your health. This weekend enjoy the fall weather and the Rim Country — God’s creation.

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Golf galore offers duffers year-round pleasure Payson area home to three top-notch courses BY MAX FOSTER ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

A trio of Rim Country golf courses — Chaparral Pines, The Rim Club and Payson Golf Course — are among the most unique in Arizona, offering challenging holes, manicured fairways and wonderful views amidst the natural beauty of the Tonto National Forest. Due to Payson’s mild climate, the courses are available for play most of the year. In addition, the Payson Men’s Golf Association and the Payson Women’s Golf Association host weekly tournaments from March to November, as well as play interclub tournaments around the state. New members are always welcome and fees are reasonable, especially when compared to the more pricey Valley-area courses. Payson Golf Course, built in 1959 in the west part of town near Green Valley Park, is a public, 18-hole, par-71, regulation-length golf course that rewards good shots and provides a fun outing for everyone. Some consider it an ideal course for both leisure and competitive golfers. In the summer, Payson Golf Course hosts a myriad of benefit golf tournaments open to the public almost every weekend. Among the most popular is the Jack Morris Memorial held each summer to earn money for the Payson High School football team and to fund two college scholarships. The local Elks club also hosts a very popular benefit tournament that raises money to purchase school clothes for needy children. While playing PGC, it’s not unusual to see an abundance of wildlife including herds of elk and migrating geese. PGC has a driving range, pro shop, snack bar and is managed by Harry Parsons. Green fees are about $50. Parsons can be reached at (928) 474-2273. Chaparral Pines offers a private championship golf course designed by former U.S. Open and PGA champion Dave Graham and architect Gary Panks. It was named one of Golf Digest’s “Top 10 New Private Golf Courses in the U.S.,” when it opened in 1997. Playing Rim Club’s par-71, championship course is a dream for amateur and pro golfers alike. Golfweek magazine rated it the best course in Arizona, and the No. 17 course in the United States three years in a row. Chaparral Pines is a par-72 course with breathtaking views of the majestic Rim Country landscape. It also has an

Max Foster/Roundup

Three Payson golf courses provide year-round sport for duffers. Payson Golf Course near Green Valley Park provides an 18-hole, par-71 course with ready availability — especially in the winter. The once exclusive Chaparral Pines and The Rim Club courses now also welcome non-members.

assortment of man-made lakes, streams and washes that render it a golfer’s dream course. In addition to the course, the club offers a swimming pool, tennis courts, state-of-the-art fitness center and clubhouse that have been the site for many fun social gatherings and family barbecues. To reach Chaparral Pines call, (928) 472-1430 The Rim Club, once the exclusive hideaway of the well-heeled, opened its doors two years ago to the public. David Bosley, The Rim Club’s general manager, calls the shift in philosophy, “a new business model” where the club, “is now reaching out to the local community in two ways — jobs and golf opportunities.” The new model has most of the club’s facilities — including a fitness center, clubhouse, golf course, restaurant and bar — open and operating under a new budget and membership plan. The plan allows the public to play on a golf course previously off limits to everyone but homeowners in the exclusive enclave. Non-members can set up a tee time by calling, (928) 472-1470. In addition to opening the course, club membership is also available. “Membership is now open to local, Arizona and other non-property owners,” he said.

In doing away with the property ownership criteria, the club also reduced fees. Memberships that once sold for $150,000 under Crescent are now available on a limited basis for $10,000. Those who visit the 29,000-squarefoot clubhouse for the first time will find a magnificent building that is reminiscent of a 1800s baron’s mansion. Most first-timers can’t help but stare in awe at the club. It features a dining

room, pro shop, lounges, locker rooms and extraordinary views of the Mogollon Rim and rural Granite Dells. “The Rim Club is in a world of its own and still just an hour away from the Valley,” Bosley said. For more information or to participate in one of the membership and privilege plans, call The Rim Club at (928) 472-1470. The Rim Club’s director of golf can be reached at (928) 472-1483.

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

History lives in Rim Country A quick tour of 12 spots where the search for history can produce a modern adventure BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

History has layered Rim Country’s landscape like the orderly stacks of limestone in the face of the Mogollon Rim, their sheer face holding clues to revolutions and mass extinctions. The winter months offer a great time to slow down and savor that history, including exploring the traces of civilizations dating back 10,000 years, the tragic conflict of the Apache wars, the hardships and triumphs of the early settlers and the foundations laid down by the pioneers. Here we offer a sampling of places to go with some history behind them.

1. Tonto National Monument The Salado Indians built this impressive cliffhouse beneath a natural arch 700 years ago, but archeological sites excavated in the monument date back nearly 10,000 years, when big game hunters of the Clovis culture hunted the great beasts to roamed what was then an oak woodlands as the last Ice Age waned. No one knows what became of these Ice Age big game hunters, but other people moved through the area as the millennium drifted past. The Salado built extensive irrigation works and settlements of mud brick and stone along the shores of the ancient Salt River. They traded pottery, stones, tools and jewelry with people in linked tradeworks that reached from California to New Mexico. In the 13th Century, some groups moved up to the easily defended cliffhouse they occupied for 300 years, before vanishing mysteriously in the 15th Century. Archaeologists have reconstructed their lifeway, displayed the artifacts they left behind and struggle to solve the mystery of their disappearance. 2. Strawberry School House The 125-year-old Strawberry School House is a treasured landmark and a registered historical site. It has held its ground just outside of town since Geronimo was on the loose in the 1880s. Made of dovetailed logs, it’s slouched but sturdy — complete with some desks, a pot-belly stove, teacher’s chalkboard, organ and a few other touches. Once the focal point of a struggling pioneer community, the building went through several incarnations. It was abandoned and falling apart when a group of residents determined to hold onto their history restored it, recovered some of the original furnishings and turned it into a touchstone of the frontier as tough and resilient as the families who sent their children there more than a century ago. 2. Pine-Strawberry Museum The museum houses prehistoric artifacts found in the area of Pine and Strawberry. Located just off Highway 87 in Pine, the museum offers a glimpse of the lifestyle of the homesteaders who fended off Apache attacks in the 1880s then settled in to raise cattle and crops.

brary started out in a 1920s log cabin still standing nearby, before moving to its current site in 1960. These days, computers mingle with the fine, old books.

4. Pine Cemetery Located on the southeast edge of Pine, the 120year-old graveyard sits at the end of short Cemetery Road east of Highway 87. The three oldest marked graves are John Hough, 1881, Lizzie Lowthian, 1883 and Mary Fuller 1888. You’ll find many of the family names still well represented in the phone book, a measure of the rich personal history and deep roots of Rim Country. 5. Tonto Natural Bridge Tonto Natural Bridge is believed to be the largest travertine bridge in the world, Prospector and settler David Gowan is generally credited as the first white man to stumble upon the soaring arch and once reportedly hid from Apache raiders in secret caves within. Now it’s a state park, with an historic inn doubling as a visitor’s center. The state has reinforced and restored the historic lodge and hopes to also bring back the guest cabins and other amenities that once made it a focal point of frontier social life in the region. Visitors can visit the guest shop in the historic lodge and take the short, steep trail down into the 183-foot-tall tunnel dissolved in a massive wall of travertine by the waters of Pine Creek. 6. Shoofly Ruins Shoofly Village archaeological ruins offers visitors a self-guided tour of the tumbled stones that mark the site of a village occupied between 1,000 and 1,250 A.D. The 79 identified rooms scattered over nearly 4 acres were once enclosed by a low,

rock wall. The residents dry-farmed corn, beans and squash and traded pots, turquoise and other goods in networks extending from California to New Mexico and deep into Mexico. They abandoned their settlements for reasons that remain mysterious in the 1400s. Some archaeologists believe that the scattered settlements of the mountain people who lived in small compounds like Shoofly faced mounting pressure from raising parties sent out from the densely populated settlements of the Hohokam in the Valley, where they build hundreds of miles of irrigation canals and large cities. Overpopulation, drought and perhaps conflicts with outsiders destabilized and ultimately depopulated the vast network of connected settlements and civilizations throughout the southwest in the 1400s.

7. Boardman Exhibit J. W. Boardman and his wife Mary came from San Diego and operated a general merchandise store on historic Main Street in Payson for decades. The building burned down several times. The Boardmans built their store in Payson in 1898, establishing the first building made of stone. The store ultimately housed the town’s first post office and bank. 8. Oxbow Saloon The Oxbow is the cornerstone building of the Main Street District. First built in 1932 alongside the Payson Hotel, the saloon reportedly has ghosts to keep the diners and drinkers entertained. The large logs used in its construction and the nine upstairs rooms made it a towering landmark in the midst of the depression and the owners set up shop just in time for the end of prohibition. Initially, the owners L

3. Isabelle Hunt Memorial Public Library Randall Park, in historic downtown Pine, is the site of the Isabelle Hunt Memorial Library. The li-

Tom Brossart/Special to the Roundup

Community members lovingly restored the Pine-Strawberry Schoolhouse, one of the many stops on a fascinating historybased tour of Rim Country.

See Past preserved, page 21

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

Past preserved around Rim Country FROM PAGE 20

run over by the horse he had bet on. Another occupant is Susan McFarland Gladden, better known as “Grandma Gladden” and a witness to the infamous Pleasant Valley Wars. Nearby, you’ll find Preston Nail who burned to death in a house fire and was buried in a five-gallon coal oil can and his brother, Ben, who died when his horses went wild and ran his wagon into a tree.

charged $2.50 a night for a first rate room and 50 cents for dinner. Named for nearby Oxbow Mountain, which in turn got its moniker from an 1871 incident in which soldiers tracking Apache raiders discovered the oxen yolks the Apaches discarded after eating the oxen.

9. Zane Grey Cabin The original Zane Grey Cabin was lost in the 1990 Dude Fire. Fans of the western author built a replica of that cabin in Green Valley Park. Zane Grey hunted, fished, wandered and wrote all along the rugged face of the Mogollon Rim. His thrilling novels popularized the West all over the world. 10. Rim Country Museum The Rim Country Museum complex consists of the oldest forest ranger station and residence still standing on a grassy hillock overlooking Green Valley Lake. Named one of the top-10 Western Museums by True West Magazine in 2010, the museum contains numerous artifacts and exhibits of pioneer life. The exhibit hall is modeled after the Herron Hotel, known as the Hilton of Payson in the early 1900s. The museum also includes a 1900 pioneer cabin moved to the grounds and the top of a Forest Service fire lookout tower. Peter Aleshire/Roundup

11. Payson Pioneer Cemetery The 1882 Payson Pioneer Cemetery in Green Valley Park is on a little hillside on the west side of town overlooking the Payson Golf Course, five acres shaded by oaks and junipers. Its first occupant was John Meadows, killed on his ranch by Apache raiders in 1882. Those Apache fled the White Mountain Reservation after the Army bungled an attempt to arrest an Apache spiritual

The National Park Service has shored up the 700-year-old ruins of Tonto National Monument overlooking Roosevelt Lake. The ruins and interpretive center offer a fascinating glimpse of a people who vanished mysteriously in the 1400s.

leader. A band of 86 escapees attacked Meadow’s Diamond Valley Ranch near what is now Whispering Pines. Meadows and his 12 children took refuge with other families in a central community building. The next morning he set out to investigate a barking dog and received a fatal wound. Army patrols

led Apache scouts commanded by the famous Al Seiber brought the renegades to bay atop the Mogollon Rim in the battle of Big Dry Wash. Other occupants of the cemetery include John Gray who was so happy about winning a bet on a horse race on July 4, 1892 that he ran out into the street and got

12. General Crook Trail A 40-mile section of this historic military supply route designated as Forest Road 300 connects Highways 260 and 87, hugging the edge of the Mogollon Rim for much of its length. The stretch of road along the Rim runs past the site of the battle of Big Dry Wash, one of the few pitched battles between the US Cavalry and the Apache. The warriors had fled the San Carlos Reservation after a botched Army operation led to the murder of an Apache religious leader who had actually urged the tribes to not fight the whites on the promise that the great chiefs of the past would return from the dead and drive out the settlers. A band of Apache faced the soldiers across a deep canyon, but were outflanked and routed by a detachment that managed to cross the canyon and get behind them. The road ultimately connects Camp Verde in the Verde Valley and Fort Apache in the White Mountains, two of the best preserved cavalry forts in the Southwest. The road proved essential in General George Crook’s successful campaign against the Apache, allowing him to keep patrols constantly in the field. The cavalry relied on Apache scouts to track the bands of resisters, who generally managed to avoid more battles. However, starvation finally forced their surrender, since they could not stay in one place long enough to hunt or plant crops.

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Antiquing — the thrill of the hunt While away an autumn day finding endless treasures and bargains around Rim Country BY TERESA MCQUERREY ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Love a scavenger hunt? Looking for that unique Christmas gift for a loved one? Take a tour of the Rim Country’s antique shops. Some have been around for years — like Payson Antiques on the Beeline Highway, Granny’s Attic on East Highway 260 in Payson and Tymeless Antiques & Treasures up in Pine, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. If it is the hunt that gives you the thrill, start off with Granny’s Attic, Tymeless Antiques and Bootleg Alley Antiques & Art on West Main in Payson, which celebrated its sixth anniversary in August. You can spend a couple of hours exploring all the nooks and crannies in these three shops — a great way to while away a chilly autumn or winter day in the Rim Country. But for a start, check out all these great businesses to get an idea of what they offer. The following is a list of shops in the area (some may have been missed), their locations and telephone numbers. Hours vary, so give them a call first.

PAYSON AREA BIG BEAR ANTIQUES 422 S. Beeline Hwy. (928) 474-5105 BOOTLEG ALLEY ANTIQUES & ART 520 W. Main St. (928) 472-4323

Andy Towle/Roundup

Treasure hunters search the racks at Bootleg Alley in Payson, one of a trove of antique and second-hand stores in Rim Country.

PAYSON ANTIQUES 1001 S. Beeline Hwy. (928) 474-8988 PIONEER VILLAGE TRADING POST 1117 N. Beeline Hwy. (928) 474-3911 SWEET NOSTALGIA 512 S. Beeline Hwy., Suite 6 (928) 595-1265 PINE AREA

THE CARPENTER’S WIFE ANTIQUES 112 W. Wade Lane (928) 472-7343

MOOSE MOUNTAIN / MOOSE MART ANTIQUES 6254 W. Hardscrabble Rd. (928) 476-3044 Pine Station, 3998 N. Hwy. 87 (928) 476-4882

CEDAR LANE ANTIQUES 111 E. Cedar Lane (602) 309-5106 or (602) 885-1903, (appt. only)

TYMELESS ANTIQUES & TREASURES 3716 N. Prince Dr. (928) 476-4618

GRANNY’S ATTIC ANTIQUES 800 E. Hwy. 260 (928) 474-3962

Looking for more hunting fun? Stop by any of the many thrift shops benefiting area non-profit organizations and pick up the aptly named “Treasure Map to Rim Country’s Non-Profit Thrift Stores” for all the details you need to search out more great finds.

MAIN STREET MERCANTILE 216 W. Main Street (928) 468-0526

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

Lots of events during fall and winter Great events abound in the Rim Country this fall and winter. Major events include the 8th Annual Rim Country Quilt Roundup on Nov. 9-11 at the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Event Center, located off Hwy. 87. Dozens of holiday arts and crafts fairs, Christmas concerts, special productions of the Payson Choral Society and the Payson Ministerial Fellowship and First Friday celebrations are held on Payson’s historic Main Street every month. For updated schedules, check the Payson Roundup Web site, payson.com or visit the chamber of commerce site, rimcountrychamber.com.

NOVEMBER Nov. 4 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents 4 2 Five, an a capella group, Payson High School Auditorium, 2:30 p.m., limited tickets at the door Nov. 9-11 – 8th Annual Rim Country Quilt Roundup, Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Event Center, doors open at 10 a.m. Nov. 17 – Payson Rimstones Gem & Mineral Show, Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Event Center Nov. 23 – Holiday Lighting of Swiss Village, activities start at 10 a.m., lighting is after sundown Nov. 24 – Mazatzal Arts & Crafts Fair, Mazatzal Hotel & Casino Event Center, 9 a.m. Nov. 30 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents Aleron Trio, a chamber music group, Payson High School Auditorium, 7 p.m., limited tickets at the door DECEMBER Dec. 1 – Payson Electric Light Parade, historic West Main, 6 p.m. JANUARY Jan. 22 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents Master of Motown, Payson High School Auditorium, 7 p.m., limited tickets at door Jan. 26 – Black & White Ball

Andy Towle/Roundup

The Hashknife Pony Express (above) gallops through Payson every February, carrying the mail from Holbrook to Scottsdale and raising money for search and rescue teams. The Rim Country Quilt Roundup (below) attracts hundreds of visitors to view the intricate details of the many beautiful quilts on display.

benefitting the Mogollon Health Alliance, Mazatzal Hotel & Casino, call (928) 472-2588 for details and ticket information FEBRUARY Feb. 6 – Hashknife Pony Express rides into Payson from Holbrook on the way to the annual Parada del Sol in Scottsdale, scheduled to arrive at Payson Post Office, at the corner of Hwy. 87 and W. Frontier at 4:45 p.m., followed by dinner and music at location to be announced, leaves 10 a.m., Feb. 7 from post office Feb. 21 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents Legacy of Floyd Cramer, Payson High School Auditorium, 7 p.m., limited tickets at the door

MARCH March 2 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents Ricky Nelson Remembered with sons Mathew and Gunnar Nelson, Payson High School Auditorium, 7 p.m., limited tickets at the door APRIL April 26-27 – Rim Country Cruise In Classic Car Show, Green Valley Park MAY May 6 – Tonto Community Concert Association presents Side Street Strutters, Payson High School Auditorium, 7 p.m., limited tickets at the door May 11 – Wildlife Fair, Green Valley Park, end of West Main, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Shussing through life Savoring a winter day with his brother — having dealt with every one of his issues BY PETE ALESHIRE ROUNDUP EDITOR

I kick at my borrowed cross-country ski with my spiffy borrowed crosscountry ski boot, seeking the confirmation of the click. The ski slides forward, I wobble onelegged, like a square dancer on a slip and slide. My big brother — the source of the skis and boots and the plan for the day — puts his foot down deftly on my escaping ski. “Just click it in,” he says. I hop, step and click. “Good,” he says. I nod confidently. Cross-country skiing — Finally something at which I can keep up with my Type-A, workaholic, over-programmed, ludicrously successful older brother. I mean, I ain’t saying I’ve got issues — just because he has his own law firm and the two ski condos in Mammoth and the ski boat. I mean, heck: I get into the movie theater for free if I write movie reviews. Who needs a ski boat? Of course, Dave also likes to relax by running 10 miles on Sunday mornings. When I go to visit him, I ride alongside him on a bike because you’d have to bury me with my knees in a separate box if I tried to keep up with him on foot. Biking alongside him worked pretty well once I got over the humiliation of the admission I couldn’t keep up. I just have to let him do all the talking on the uphill stretches. But I do have more hair — and absolutely no issues. So, when he said he was coming to visit I told him to bring some crosscountry skis so we could ski along Forest Road 300 that hugs the edge of the Mogollon Rim. Nice, flat trail with the best views available in North America without taxing elevation gains. I figured we’d just be gliding along the snow-covered road, while I displayed my grace, stamina and knowledge of both ponderosa pine ecology and Apache Wars history. Dave hops into his skis and sets off, with an effortless stride I remember from a Clint Eastwood movie where they blew up the heavy water dealy-bob at Telemark. Or maybe it was “The Eiger Sanction.” Anyway — Dave looks good. I lurch along after him, hit a couple of chunks of ice at the edge of the parking area, get out of the track, ski down

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Rim Country winters have it just about right: Beautiful snowfalls rarely so persistent you have to break out the snow shovel. Payson sits at 5,000 feet, which means winter storms generally melt off after a few days. Up on the Rim, the snow remains — offering lots of opportunities for cross country skiing and snowmobiling.

into a little gully and tip over. Nice, soft snow: Very dry. Did you know that each snowflake is comprised of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 water molecules? Each flake starts with a single droplet of water frozen inside a wet cloud chilled to minus 31 degrees. The flake starts off with a couple of molecules, then gloms onto more as it bounces around in the cloud — often converting water vapor directly into ice crystals without going through all the bother of turning it into water. Eventually, the flake gets heavy enough to head earthward so as to be available on short notice to cushion the fall of awkward younger brothers working on their issues. So I bounce up. Well, maybe not bounce. But I got up quickly in case Dave happened to knock off his Olympic telemarking and look back in my general direction. I set off on his backtrail, studying his weird little slide-step-arm-swing thing, falling steadily farther behind. He pauses to let me catch up. By now I have a little rhythm going. I’m looking good. Arms swinging, snow schussing, hardly huffing. I can feel it. He has stopped at the bottom of a little hill. I pick up speed. At this point, I realize I have no idea how to stop these things. I mean, my heels are all flopping around loose. No chance of a stem Christi — nor even a snowplow. So I drag my poles in the snow and kind of

gyrate. This is visually interesting — but functionally ineffectual. I run over the back of his skis and embed myself in a snow bank. I’m impressed by how quiet it seems. Of course, that’s the snow. Melt a foot of snow and you end up with about an inch of water. All the rest of my snowbank is just air — separating each snowflake, which itself is comprised mostly of empty space between the 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 water molecules. All that air sops up sound. So that breathless feeling you get in the snowy woods isn’t psychological — snow really does muffle sound. Dave looks down at me curiously. I laugh, like I am just fooling around. “You OK?” he asks mildly. I think he was probably laughing, but the snow absorbed the chortle. “Oh, yeah, great,” says I. “So did you know that we’re on the historic Crook Trail?” I add, sitting up and batting at my chin to flush the sound-absorbing snowflakes out of my beard. “General Crook developed a wagon route between Camp Verde and Fort Apache during the war of attrition with the Apache and Yavapai in the late 1800s. Very historic.” “Oh,” says Dave, nodding. “Interesting.” He sets off again, which I appreciate. I know he’s giving me privacy to stand up. Already I have decided that it’s best not to have witnesses for that particu-

lar maneuver. And so it goes. We shush for hours along the historic Crook Trail, from one stunning overlook to the next. Well, he shushes, I flounder. I pick up the proper crosscountry ski stride only intermittently. This only leads to a cumulus cloud of overconfidence, often followed by a violent downdraft — and yet another chance to practice my landing technique in the increasingly wet, heavy snow. This gives me lots of time for reflection. I contemplate the ability of snow to reflect three times as much heat as water and fret that the shrinking snow cover at the poles will hasten global warming. I appreciate how the insulating layer of snow keeps the ground from a hard freeze — so all those plants and critters can go busting out all over in the spring. I congratulate snow on the way in which it stores up moisture and releases it gradually and so feeds the springs and streams that make it possible for so many potential money-generating tourists to live in the Valley. I especially contemplate the happy serendipity of H20, one of the rare liquids that expands when it turns to ice, which prevents streams, lakes and oceans from freezing solid. I also gain a profound admiration for the Cavalry soldiers — and the Apache — who traveled along this road all those years ago. And in between falls, I huff out to the extravagant treasure of viewpoints along the edge of the Mogollon Rim, which forms the southernmost edge of the uplifted Colorado Plateau. The 1,500-foot-tall escarpment exposes layers of ancient sea bottom limestones, whose sequences include at least two mass extinctions when 80 to 90 percent of the Earth’s living species disappeared in a geologic eye blink. But mostly, I just try to keep up with Dave, who never falls and never tires. We cover maybe nine miles before getting back to the van as the spin of the planet angles sunlight through the atmosphere, turning the sky red, then purple. We pause at a final outlook. His outfit never contacted snow: I have that Frosty the Snowman look. “Man. That’s something,” he says, gazing out across 100 miles of snowshrouded forest. “What a great day.” I feel absurdly gratified. Only part of that is the view: I got the whole day with my brother. Showed him a good time. Granted. He looks good — Clint Eastwoodish. I look more like comic relief. But that would matter only if I had issues. Which I don’t. Really.

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Single mother of two faces her fears Horton Creek Trail provides a scenic setting for a woman and her daughters to explore their relationships and roles BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Horton Creek gushes from a spring below the Mogollon Rim and rushes over limestone ledges on its way to Tonto Creek. The stream usually goes underground before it reaches Tonto Creek, but until then, splashes happily alongside one of the most popular hiking trails in Rim Country.

hiker’s ankle. Trail building requires engineering expertise. One must think of the numerous ways the one natural enemy to trails — rushing monsoon runoff — affects trail maintenance. We rerouted the trail to avoid the water runoff and the reroute remains today. The day warmed quickly as we headed up the hill on the other side of the dry creek bed. As with many other Arizona streams, Horton Creek takes a dive underground for part of its travels before meeting up with Tonto Creek. For about a half mile before the two creeks diverge, the creek goes dry except after a big rain. The complete Horton Creek Trail runs for three and a half miles until it dead ends at the Highline Trail, mixing a dip near and far from the chattering water with pathways through meadows of grass. Because of the numerous ponderosa pines, the trail often offers stretches covered in shade. A blessed relief during hot days. In the fall, the stream offers a rare Arizona splash of seasonal color. In any season, hikers have numerous chances to hop off the trail to sit near the creek and enjoy waterfalls and pools. Our group stopped for lunch near a five-foot cascade of water. As we adults fueled up, the kids enjoyed blocking the flow of water by sitting in the middle of the waterfall. Others wandered up the brook to find shady arbors and enjoy pristine patches of solitude. The trail has a moderate elevation change of 1,200 feet. The well-maintained and marked trail entices families with children as young as toddlers. We passed half a dozen groups that had wandered up into the woods to set up a camping site. A hiker is never alone on the Horton Creek Trail, although changes of a little solitude brighten in the fall. Wait for a little snow — and you’ll have the place to yourself.

After a long day of intense trail work, the girls and I separated from Davidson and the boys to take switchbacks at the top of the trail up to the spring source. I kept up a cheerful banter, covering the nagging anxiety about starting that evil stove. The last bit of trail before the spring source is steep and full of the classic Arizona limestone ankletwisters. Undeterred, we marched up to the top. “Mom! Come see!” said Brooke. She had raced ahead of Crystal and me to stand at the foot of the spring where it gathers into a pool. We all dropped our packs and cooled off in the chilly water. We then struggled up the last, steep bit of trail to

The bubbles slowly drifted to the surface as I stared incredulously into the pot of water. I had done it. It was early evening at a camping spot near the spring source of Horton Creek. My daughters played in the creek while I boiled water for dinner on the camp stove I’d managed to light — for the first time in my life. And I didn’t even set myself on fire — well, not quite. Miraculously, I had started the MSR white fuel stove without any help. Previously, I had delegated that duty to my ex, or any friend I hiked with, until this very first backpacking trip alone with my girls. The journey had started as a work project. “Mom! Mr. Davidson asked us to come help fix up the Horton Creek Trail!” said my oldest daughter Brooke, “Can we go?” My daughters and I enjoy sprucing up trails in the Rim Country with some local friends — with permission from the Forest Service, of course. When called to help, we pull together our pick axes, shovels and saws to fix trails damaged by water runoff, overgrown branches and years of neglect to help hikers and mountain bike riders enjoy their time on the trail. “Sure, why not?” I said — then blurted out before thinking, “Hey, and how about we turn this into an overnight? Doesn’t the end of the trail have a spring we can drink right out of?” Horton Creek Trail runs along the edge of a bubbling brooke full of water from a spring pouring out under the shadow of the Mogollon Rim. Just like Fossil Creek Springs, the spring at Horton Creek gushes with water that has filtered down through the limestone cliffs to come out pristinely percolated. It springs out of the side of a hill amongst river rocks covered in moss. So pure the water, no need to filter, just fill up a bottle and drink. “Yeah! Let’s spend the night!” said Brooke with tremendous enthusiasm. She loves anything outdoorsy. Then reality hit. Me. Alone with two kids — overnight in the woods — for the first time. Gulp. The questions crowded into my mind — would we be safe? Would we get hurt? Could I start the camp stove? That last concern worried me the most. Without a man, alone — would I blow us up? Only one way to find out ... We met up with teacher Scott Davidson and four boys at the trailhead on a Saturday morning, us with our heavy packs, and the guys with the tools. We girls struggled up the hill beneath our heavy packs, but at least got to remove them often as we stopped to fix the trail every few feet. We started the trail work a few steps from the trailhead. Davidson wanted us to work on a patch that followed the fall line and suffered deep gouges from water damage. The deep ruts threatened to twist a

See As summer subsides, page 27

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

As summer subsides, popular spots open up FROM PAGE 26

the spring and found a flat and suitable place to set up camp and popped open the tent. The girls rushed off to play in the creek. I turned to the stove. The design of the MSR white fuel stove really works better for high altitude cooking in places such as the Sierra Mountains where we used to live. The tricky part about an MSR stove is priming the pump. It’s easy to overdo and have excess fuel pour over the side. Once a fire starts, the additional fuel can engulf the whole contraption in a ball of fire. Not fun. Covering my trepidation, I pulled out the stove and sat it on the flat spot of a rock. I stared at the tangle of tubes, twisted metal legs and the crumpled aluminum wind shield. Slowly I screwed the fuel connection to the bottle full of liquid fuel and then onto the burner portion of the stove. Then I started priming the stove with bated breath. Finally, I flicked on the lighter and held it over the burner, waiting for the explosion. I squeezed my eyes tight, then opened them. A tiny perfect flame greeted me. Quickly I filled up a bowl with water and set it on the stove to boil for dinner. I watched with relief and awe as the water boiled. I had done it! “OK girls!” I exuberantly called out, “Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes. How about you fill up our water bottles so we have enough for the night?” I tried not to smirk as they served themselves dinner. They had no idea of how much I doubted myself — they just enjoyed a warm meal under the brilliant stars of the Arizona fall sky.

HORTON CREEK TRAIL Getting there Take Hwy 260 east from Payson, turn left across from the Kohl’s Ranch entrance and on the road marked “Tonto Creek Campground.” Continue five miles to the Horton Picnic area. Park in the lot or in the clearing next to the road. Trailhead Once parked, continue up the road past a trailer camp ground. The trail dips down into the creek bed to the left. The creek remains underground for the first half mile. Further up, the former jeep trail narrows to a single track that follows the creek. For the more adventurous, walk directly next to the creek and enjoy the pools, waterfalls and spillovers. Camping You can camp anywhere along the trail or at camping pads near the spring source. If no fire restriction, campfires are allowed. Solitude The easy, well-maintained trail draws crowds in the summer, especially on the weekend. For locals, the less traveled fall months provide the best time for a hike. Round trip distance from trailhead to spring source: 7 miles. Elevation gain 1,200 feet, for a gradual climb

Peter Aleshire/Roundup

Horton Creek offers a vivid splash of fall color in October and a year-round burble of clear water, which gushes from a stream some 3.5 miles from its junction with Tonto Creek.

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Off-roaders seek challenges Region has hundreds of miles of good roads and trails for expanding ranks of ORV rides BY MAX FOSTER ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

If the Rim Country’s ATV trails could talk, they’d likely spew fascinating tales of playing host to thousands of adventure seekers willing to kick up some dirt for an up close and personal look at Arizona’s magnificent highlands. Also if trails could talk, they’d spin yarns of the evolution of off-road vehicles from the original Honda-manufactured “Big Red” three-wheelers of the 1970s to today’s state-of-the-art four-wheelers with price tags that can exceed $10,000. ATV evolved into high tech vehicles equipped with powerful 1000 cc electronic fuel-injected engines, on-demand all-wheel drives, automatic transmissions, radial tires, independent rear suspensions and comfortable ergonomics for easy riding. While the traditional ATVs have long been rider favorites, 4x4 side-bysides — which draw their name from the fact the driver and passenger sit along side one another rather front and behind — are growing in popularity All the major manufactures, Polaris, Yamaha, Honda, Can Am, Kawasaki and even John Deere now manufacture side-by-sides. They are scooped up by eager customers who think nothing of laying down as much as $15,000 for a recreational vehicle There’s little doubt, today’s machines are vastly superior to the original three-wheelers. Longtime riders will remember those ATVs, which sold for about $600, as being underpowered, recreationonly vehicles with easily flattened balloon tires. They sat on a chassis shaped like an isosceles triangle. After being introduced to America from Japan, popularity soared when sportsmen found the vehicles useful for exploring remote areas larger four-wheel drive trucks and Jeeps couldn’t reach. Another fast-growing use for ATVs is good old-fashioned work. They’re proving tremendously helpful to farmers, ranchers, construction workers and contractors. ATVs are ideal because they are cheaper than a typical pick-up truck, but offer many of the conveniences. Which creates a niche that ATVs have been filling, since they are able to haul sizeable payloads and perform well in all types of

Max Foster/Roundup

Rim Country boasts some of the best trails for off-roaders in Arizona, like this jaunt along Clear Creek. The Forest Service has imposed rules that prevent ecologically damaging cross-country travel in most areas, but that still leaves thousands of miles of dirt roads and trails in the Tonto National Forest alone.

weather and conditions.

THE TRAILS Hayfield Draw/Bryant Park For local ATV-owners, one of the most popular spots to ride is the Hayfield Draw/Bryant Park OHV area located eight miles west of Camp Verde and south of Highway 260. The 80-acre open area is limited to ATVs and trail bikes, and there is access to more than 100 miles of designated routes. Long Draw Another popular area is the Long Draw route, found on the Mogollon Rim northeast of Payson. Located in the Black Mesa Ranger District, it consists of a 30-mile loop trail beginning near Chevlon Crossing at the Long Draw North Trailhead. The route extends to the Long Draw South Trailhead near Chevlon Lake. Both trailheads have toilets and campsite facilities developed through Arizona State OHV Recreation Fund grants. The route offers access to many side trips on shared use, forest service trails. In the cold of winter, snowmobilers use the area frequently. Metate Canyon For seasoned ATV riders, the Metate Canyon adventure will test your resolve and the wilderness worthiness of the 4x4 you’re straddling. The route begins in Star Valley and extends onto the Mayfield Canyon Trail before winding through the ponderosa pine forests to Metate Canyon.

Along the way, rest stops can be enjoyed at what once was a Native American village, and another at a decrepit cabin that is rumored to have been the home of a miner decades ago. Less adventurous riders might want to explore the many Forest Service roads and old logging roads that connect to Chevlon Loop Drive atop the Rim. The drive can be accessed off FR 300, which is touted to be one of the most scenic drives in the state. From FR 300, riders should proceed north on FR 115 past the O’Haco Fire Lookout Tower to the junction with FR 225. The 60-mile loop eventually returns to FR 300. Rolls OHV An exciting ride to enjoy before the summer heat reaches triple digits is to the Rolls OHV area located east of the Beeline Highway and south of the Four Peaks Road in the Tonto National Forest. The 27,000-acre area features trails that can be enjoyed year-round, but vehicle travel is allowed only on existing routes. To the south, near Roosevelt Lake, many forest roads to explore await exploration, including FR 49 and FR 1080 that take you on a circular loop around Deer Hill and into Cottonwood Canyon. Along the route, riders will find pleasure in grandiose views of Four Peaks, the Mazatzal and Sierra Ancha wilderness areas and of Roosevelt Lake. Along the trail, foliage includes towering cottonwood trees, saguaro,

cholla, jojoba and oak. Other popular excursions Other popular ATV excursions are trips to Crackerjack Mine and the Verde River, along the Young Trail and through the Dude Fire area. Before venturing into the backcountry for an ATV outing, remember to be prepared for the unexpected. To ensure a safe trip, always tell someone where you are traveling and when you’ll return. Also, don’t go alone, and pack at least one gallon of water per person per day. Always wear eye protection, gloves, long-sleeved shirt, long pants and boots. State motor vehicle laws apply on many FS roads, which means your vehicle must be registered and the rider must be licensed. In other words, being “street legal” is the best option before setting out to explore the countryside. Newcomers should take advantage of the ATV Rider Course developed by the ATV Safety Institute. It provides hands-on training in the basic techniques of riding an all-terrain vehicle. If you bought your ATV after 1986, you may be eligible for free training. To sign up, call (800) 447-4700. For information on ATV opportunities, call the Black Mesa Ranger District, (928) 535-4481; the Payson Ranger District, (928) 474-7900; or the Tonto National Forest office, (602) 225-5200. The Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce, located at the Corner of Main Street and Highway 87 also has ATV recreation guides.

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PAYSON ROUNDUP

Restaurants in the woods BY MICHELE NELSON ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

With just a 30 minute drive, Payson residents and visitors can get out of town and into the woods to experience a mini escape on a creek or in the middle of a Ponderosa forest. Take Kohl’s Ranch as an example. The hotel, restaurant and bar sit on the Tonto Creek under the Mogollon Rim amongst the largest Ponderosa pine forest in the world. As an added bonus, the hotel and restaurant are steeped in history. Zane Grey, the famous writer of western adventures, used to stop by for a meal. His wife and her friends preferred staying at the Ranch rather than sleeping in the rustic hunting cabin her husband enjoyed beneath the Rim – probably because of the smell of the hides he cured in the attic, say docents of the Zane Grey museum in Payson. Overnight guests at the ranch can enjoy a hike or mountain bike on nearby trails, fish in the creek or take a horseback ride on a mountainside. The restaurant has a popular fish fry on Friday evenings. The bar has a beautiful view of the area. The nearby hamlet of Christopher Creek has numerous places to rent a cabin. The Christopher Creek Lodge and Cabins has a rustic restaurant complete with a wood plank floor. The Bloody Mary drinks go well with the hearty fare. Across the way, the under new ownership Landmark restaurant has a great deck near the creek and good pub food. Both restaurants are a wonderful place to have lunch or dinner after adventures on the lakes at the Rim, Woods Canyon or Willow lakes. If visitors are making the 87/260/17 weekend drive loop from Phoenix, they will pass by the numerous establishments in Pine and Strawberry. New to the area, That Brewery and Pub garners rave reviews from visitors. The pub food ranges from vegetarian black bean burgers, to pizzas and awesome fries. The pub offers 18 beers on tap and outdoor activities such as horseshoes and bocce ball. For those wanting a luxurious brunch option, try the Randall House. The food has a gourmet homestyle flavor, but plan on a long visit as the service has as unhurried a pace as the town of Pine. Farther up the road, the pie at the Strawberry Inn is legendary. Nearby to the Inn, Mama Joe’s restaurant serves a great eggplant Parmesan and divine pizza. It has limited hours, so give the restaurant a call before showing up. Locals rave about the only Italian place in the quaint village of Strawberry. Residents of Payson can have a mini-vacation, even on a week night.

BUTCHER HOOK RESTAURANT Highway 188, Tonto Basin, 479-2712

JOURNIGAN HOUSE FINE FOOD & SPIRITS 202 W. Main St., Payson, 474-2900

CARDO’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT 203 E. Hwy. 260, Payson, 468-1626

LA SIERRA MEXICAN RESTAURANT 800 N. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 468-6711

CEDAR RIDGE RESTAURANT Inside Mazatzal Casino, Payson, 474-6044

LANDMARK AT THE CREEK 1177 E. Christopher Creek Loop off E. Hwy. 260, 474-4209

CHEMAS MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANT 430 N. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 478-6892 CHILI’S GRILL & BAR 900 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 468-7036 COUSINS SUBS 303 E. Highway 260, Payson, 474-4700 CREEKSIDE STEAKHOUSE 1510 E. Christopher Creek Loop, 478-4389 CROSSWINDS RESTAURANT 800 W. Airport Road, Payson, 474-1613 DIAMOND POINT SHADOWS E. Highway 260, Star Valley, 474-4848 DOMINO’S PIZZA 307 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 472-2000

RIM COUNTRY DINING

EARLY BIRD CAFE 3618 N. Highway 87, Pine, 476-4092

ALFONSO’S MEXICAN FOOD 510 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 468-6178

EL RANCHO MEXICAN RESTAURANT 200 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 474-3111

ALIBERTO’S MEXICAN FOOD 219 E. Highway 260, Payson, 468-9000

FARGO’S STEAKHOUSE 620 E. Hwy. 260, Payson, 474-7455

AYOTHAYA THAI CAFE 404 Arizona 260 Payson, 474-1112

GERARDO’S FIREWOOD CAFE 512 N. Beeline, Payson, 468-6500

BEELINE CAFE 815 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 474-9960

JAKES CORNER BAR & GRILL 57564 N. Az. Hwy. 188, Jakes Corner, 474-0679

BUFFALO BAR & GRILL 311 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 474-3900

KNOTTY PINE CAFE 1001 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 474-4602

MACKY’S GRILL 201 W. Main St. Suite J, Payson, 474-7411 MANDARIN HOUSE 1200 S. Beeline Hwy., Payson, 474-1342 MISFITZ 260 CAFE 803 E. Highway 260, Payson, 474-5881 PINE DELI 6240 Hardscrabble Road, Pine, 476-3536 PIZZA FACTORY 238 E. Highway 260, Payson, 474-1895 THE RANDALL HOUSE 3821 N. Highway 87, Pine, 476-4077 SCOOPS ICE CREAM & ESPRESSO 201 W. Main St., Suite H, Payson, 474-3957 SIDEWINDERS SALOON 6114 W. Hardscrabble Mesa Rd., Pine, 476-6434 STRAWBERRY LODGE 8039 W. Fossil Creek Rd., Strawberry, 476-3333 THAT BREWERY & PUB 3270 N. Highway 87, Pine, 476-3349 TINY’S FAMILY RESTAURANT 600 E. Hwy. 260, Payson, 474-5429 ZANE GREY STEAKHOUSE & SALOON Hwy. 260 at Kohl’s Ranch Lodge, 478-4211

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Best lodging for Rim Country nature lovers BY ALEXIS BECHMAN ROUNDUP STAFF REPORTER

Paradise is just a few feet from the doorsteps of these well-situated cabins and lodges. Troves of towering pines surround each and bubbling creeks aren’t far away. You’ll spend your mornings drinking coffee on the front porch, your afternoons fishing from the creek, your nights roasting marshmallows by the campfire and in your dreams you’ll wonder how you ever stayed in a stuffy hotel room in the city when you could spend it out under the peaceful Mogollon Rim. The Christopher Creek area is home to several rustic cabin retreats. The area is named after French-born pioneer Isadore Christopher, who lived in the area in the 1880’s with his mail-order bride. Christopher was the original homesteader of the 160-acre ranch, which later developed into the community of Christopher Creek. Historian Stan Brown wrote in the Roundup that women were hard to come by back then so the only option was to send back East for an adventurous female. Christopher had two experiences with this plan, one more successful than the other. When his first mail-order bride arrived in the Rim Country she was neither pleased with the remote setting nor with the primitive conditions her proposed groom offered her. She turned down the marriage and returned home. Christopher’s second attempt, however, became the love of his life. Mary Hole was born in England and when she arrived in Payson, the man she met was quite different from the Isadore known to his neighbors. He decided not to take a chance the second time and altered his appearance. He shaved, cut his hair and donned a new suit. Mary stayed, and they had many happy years together. Today, the area attracts a number of weddings and newlyweds. The area has an array of nearby outdoor activities, including fishing, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching and cross-country skiing and, its only 21 miles east of Payson. The creek is home to native brown trout and Game and Fish stocks it with rainbow trout in the spring and summer.

2. MOUNTAIN MEADOWS CABINS 1075 E. Ranch Road (928) 478-4415 www.mountainmeadowscabins.com While Christopher Creek Lodge has the creek at its backdoor, Mountain Meadow Cabins has Jacuzzis. Located in a secluded valley, Mountain Meadow Cabins offers six cozy cabins, four of which have private, indoor spas. After a day of cross-country skiing or hiking, there is nothing better than a bubbly hot tub, the owners say. Besides the spas, the outfit is close to seven lakes, five creeks and numerous trails. Each unit has a bathroom, kitchen, porch swing, gas fireplace, TV and barbecue area with picnic table. “Mountain Meadows Cabins offers it’s own history as part of an original 108-acre homestead within the perimeter of the area where the Pleasant Valley War transpired,” according to the cabin’s Web site. 3. GREY HACKLE LODGE 1441 E. Christopher Creek Loop (928) 478-4300 www.greyhackle.com Another rustic retreat in Christopher Creek is Grey Hackle Lodge. Like other area lodges, Grey Hackle has a number of private cabins, each with just enough amenities to keep you comfortable, but not too comfortable. The cabins are set up in a circular fashion, each facing a common area with barbecue and fire pits and picnic tables. 4. WOODEN NICKEL CABINS 1018 S Hunter Creek Drive (928) 478-4519 www.woodennickelcabins.com Wooden Nickel offers a number of two-bedroom

cabin rentals, also tucked beneath the Mogollon Rim like the other Christopher Creek lodges backing the Tonto National Forest. New owners took over the property in 2008, making several renovations. Each cabin is log-sided, each has its own unique theme that pays homage to a Wild West personality. These range from Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Butch Cassidy and Buffalo Bill. For larger families, a five-bedroom ranch house is available. Outside of Christopher Creek, there are a number of other unique lodges sprinkled throughout Rim Country.

5. KOHL’S RANCH LODGE 202 South Kohl’s Ranch Lodge Road (928) 478-4211 www.kohlsranch.com One of the larger lodges in the area lies near the banks of Tonto and Christopher Creeks. Kohl’s Ranch is also one of the only corporately owned retreats. Diamond Resorts International, which sells time-shares at the lodge, took it over several years back. The lodge has retained much of its charm through the years, although the old cowboy barn was torn town to make room for a large cabin rental. The architects preserved the old bar, carved with the initials and names of hundreds of locals, by installing it as a kitchen countertop in the new space. The site was once home to the Tonto School, then a dance hall, saloon and cafe as well as a small grocery store. Saturday night dances held here and at other old schools in the area would often last “through the night and were a primary source of entertainment for the ranch families,” Brown wrote in the Roundup. Today, Kohl’s Ranch is still a great place for recreation. The lodge’s grounds feature a putting green, pool, horse back riding trails, park and even a small chapel. L

1. CHRISTOPHER CREEK LODGE 1355 E. Christopher Creek Loop 928-478-4300 www.christophercreeklodge.com The Christopher Creek Lodge boasts that it is the only original lodging on the banks of the creek. That means the sound of the bubbling creek and chirping crickets lull you to sleep. There is no room service, telephone service and very spotty cell phone service, but each cabin is equipped with a television that boasts 14 channels. One visitor said they enjoyed getting “back to the basics” at the lodge. For entertainment, you can play in the creek or take a hike on the Highline Trail, and if you are lucky, spot the Mogollon Monster. The lodge has several rooming options including the fisherman’s cabins, which have a bathroom and queen bed just off the creek. There is also the Trail Bunks, or tandem units, located in a wooded area and motel units in the Pony Express.

Creekside Cabins

See Variety, page 31

AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

PAYSON ROUNDUP

Variety of accommodations available FROM PAGE 30

There is also the Zane Grey Steakhouse and Saloon.

6. VERDE RIVER ROCK HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST 602 W. Eleanor Drive (928) 472-4304 www.verderiverrockhouse.com If a corporate-owned establishment is not your thing, the Verde River Rock House is the farthest thing removed. A couple owns the quaint bed and breakfast. The lodge’s name pretty much says it all: a lovely rock-studded home tucked along the banks of the Verde River. The Rock House offers a unique experience unlike any of the other lodges. The owners only book one party at a time, that means you will have the whole place to yourself. “We cater to one client at a time to guarantee you complete privacy,” according to their Web site. “There are no guests staying in adjacent rooms, unless they are with your party.” The Travel Channel recently visited the Rock House as part of a lodging special. Each suite has a fireplace, creek-side deck, hot tub and sauna. What’s even better, food is included. Fresh chocolate dipped strawberries are presented upon arrival, hors d’oeuvres are served in the evening and a full breakfast in the morning. 7. WINDMILL CORNER INN 5079 N. Highway 87 (928) 476-3064 www.windmillcornerinn.com New owners recently took over the Windmill Corner Inn in Strawberry. Right away, they started renovating the worn down rooms, giving each a unique theme. The lodge’s eight rooms are now dramatically different from their former self and from each other. There is the Harley Davidson room with deep grey walls, motorcycle artwork and bright orange trim. There is also a bear-themed room, cowboy room — complete with lasso and a pair of worn boots in the corner — antique, wilderness, cottage and presidential suite. The owners also added a small gift shop adjacent to the motel that features heirloom and vintage gifts. 8. CABINS ON STRAWBERRY HILL 5306 N. Hwy. 87, mile marker 271 (928) 476-4252 www.azcabins.com The only cabin rentals in Strawberry,

Majestic Mountain Inn

the Cabins on Strawberry Hill are a family favorite. Not surprisingly, a family owns and operates the 14-cabin facility. The owners say guests are welcome to pick strawberries from the hundreds of strawberry plants growing at the base of the lodge’s terrace. “It is really a great joy to watch children pick a strawberry, wash it at the hose bib and eat it. The plants produce strawberries all summer. The peak time to find them is June through early October,” according to their Web site. On the grounds is a large playground, basketball hoop, volleyball/badminton court, horseshoes, tetherballs, and a ping-pong table. The 14 cabins were originally built in 1985, but have since been upgraded. The resort is spread over three acres, each unit roughly 30 feet apart.

HOTELS/MOTELS AMERICA’S BEST VALUE INN 811 S. Beeline Highway, Payson 928-474-2283 www.americasbestvalueinn.com/ bestv.cfm?idp=460

ECONOMY INN 101 W. Phoenix Street, Payson 928-474-4526 paysoneconomyinn@gmail.com LONE PINE HOTEL 610 W. Main St., Payson, 928-978-9234 MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN INN 602 E. Highway 260, Payson 928-474-0185 www.majesticmountaininn.com MAZATZAL HOTEL & CASINO Highway 87, Mile Marker 251, Payson 1-800-777-PLAY (7529) www.777play.com PAYSONGLO LODGE 1005 S. Beeline Highway, Payson 928-474-2382 800-772-9766 www.paysonglolodgeaz.com SUPER 8 INN & SUITES 809 E. Highway 260, Payson 928-474-5241 CABINS & LODGES CABINS ON STRAWBERRY HILL 5306 N. Hwy. 87, Strawberry 928-476-4252 www.azcabins.com

MOUNTAIN RIDGE CABINS 30 minutes north of Payson, 1 mile from the crest of the Mogollon Rim, Forest Road 32 / 480-368-1504 www.mountainridgecabins.com PINE CREEK CABINS 3901 N. Highway 87, Pine 928-970-9511 www.pinecreekcabinsaz.com RANCH AT FOSSIL CREEK 10379 W. Fossil Creek Rd., Strawberry / 928-476-5178 www.fossilcreekllamas.com RANCHO TONTO GUEST HOUSE 18 miles east of Payson on Hwy. 260 Exit left at Kohl’s Ranch exit Zane Grey Cabin Road / 928-478-0002 RIMSIDE GRILL & CABINS 3270 N. Hwy. 87, Mile Marker 267, Pine / 928-476-3349 www.rimsidegrill.com RUSTIC RIM HIDEAWAY 918 N. Mulesprings (off Hwy. 260) 928-535-9030 888-801-9030 (toll free) www.rimhideaway.com STRAWBERRY LODGE 8039 Fossil Creek Road, Strawberry 928-476-3333

BEST WESTERN PAYSON INN 801 N Beeline Highway, Payson 928-474-3241 www.bestwesternpaysoninn.com

CREEKSIDE CABINS 21 miles east of Payson on Hwy. 260 928-478-4389 cabinsatcreekside.com

COMFORT INN 206 S. Beeline Highway, Payson 928-472-7484 www.choicehotels.com/hotel/az347

FOREST LAKES LODGE 36 miles east of Payson on Hwy. 260 928-535-4047 www.forestlakeslodge.com

FALCON CREST BED & BREAKFAST 1105 N. Falcon Crest Drive, Payson 928-474-5249 www.arizonabednbreakfast.com

DAYS INN & SUITES 301-A S. Beeline Hwy., Payson 928-474-9800 / 877-474-9800 www.daysinn.com/payson

KOHL’S RANCH LODGE 17 miles east of Payson on Hwy. 260 928-478-4211 / 800-521-3131 www.kohlsvacation.com

UP THE CREEK BED & BREAKFAST 10491 Fossil Creek Rd., Strawberry 928-476-6571 upthecreekbedandbreakfast.com

BED & BREAKFASTS

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AUTUMN ADVENTURES 2012

Payson Regional Bone & Joint Michael Darnell, DO Patrick Harrison, DO 928-472-5260

Payson Healthcare Management Kevin Raymer, MD John Vandruff, MD 928-472-4675

Payson Healthcare Specialists Sam Gillette, DO Christopher LeSueur, DO Toby Paulson, DO 928-472-3478

Allergy, Ear, Nose & Throat of Payson Peter Zonakis, MD 928-474-0500

Payson Pediatrics Matilda Garcia, MD Andrew Haug, MD 928-472-4675

Preferred Women’s Care Cynthia Booth, MD James Mouer, MD 928-474-9744

Payson Surgery Associates Katharine Raymer, MD Ihor Zakaluzny, MD 928-472-1222 Main Street Healthcare Jennifer Dumbolton, DO 928-474-2888

Same- and next-day appointments are often available. Call today or visit PaysonDoctors.com for more information.

WHEN IT COMES TO

FINDING A DOCTOR, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

Membb erss of Mem o thee Med M icaa l Staff at Payson Region ional al Med Medica cal Center