LIST:  I tried contacting Marlene directly about her upcoming pilgrimage,
but it wouldn't work.

Marlene:
        Do you have room for one more?  It sounds like a wonderful
adventure, and I applaud you for your "bravery" in taking on such a scheme.
        I am very biased, but you must see SE Arizona.  Others will tell
you about the Grand Canyon and points north, but I was raised in southeast
Arizona and it is still my favorite area.  Things to do and see:
        * Chiricahua National Monument, about 45 minutes south of Willcox
which is on I-10.  Camping's close to the visitor's center.  This area is
the result of a volcanic eruption hundreds of times greater that Mount St.
Helens.  The rock formations are boggling, and there are several excellent
trails down among them.  The Canyon is huge and glorious to be sure, maybe
too big to understand all that well.  The Chiricahua Nat'l Monument is much
more intimate.  It's over a mile high, so it's relatively cool during the
summer, some snow during the winter.
        * Chiricahua Mountains.  This whole area was the homeland of
Cochise and his band of Chiricahua Apaches.  The mountains are beautiful
and the whole area is full of great history.  The Dragoon Mountains are
close by and you can camp in Cochise Stronghold, which was, as implied, the
refuge of Cochise.  You'll see why the place was basically impregnable.
The Chiricahuas are a birder's paradise.  People come from all over the
world to watch birds.  Portal, on the eastern side of the mountains, is
especially well known for its birding.  It's a major reasearch center.
Fantastic thunderstorms tend to occur in July.   For a bit of background,
read "Blood Brother" by Elliot Arnold- although fiction, it's a great intro
to the Chiricahua Apache, esp Cochise' band.
        * Bisbee.  My home town.  Although the mines closed since 1974,
this was one of the original mining towns of the old west.  It's somewhat
of a tourist mecca, especially during the spring.  It sits a mile high, and
the current attraction seems to be the architecture, with houses built all
over the hills following Tombstone Canyon.  It has become somewhat of an
artist's colony- an excellent place for walking around and gawking.  I'm
not sure about camping.  I recommend the Jonquil Motel, a throwback to the
40s.  It's very small, immaculate, sorta funky, and cheap.  Their # is
520-432-7371.  Bisbee is known for its 4th of July celebration.  An
afternoon thunderstorm (always) gets the fireworks started early.  There's
an excellent tour of an underground coppper mine- you wear hard hats and
slickers and ride a weird little train.  You can also drive by the Lavender
Pit, a huge hole the result of open pit mining.
        * Huachuca Mountains.  West of Bisbee, the Huachucas are
historically significant, and Ramsey Canyon is the Hummingbird Capital of
the World- no exaggeration.  Ramsey Canyon is a Nature Conservancy
property, and there's no camping, but there are several camping areas in
the Huachucas, including Miller Canyon.   Try to get there during the week-
parking is very limited and weekends tend to be very crowded.  Spring
through September is best.  Again, it's high and cool.
        * Tombstone.  As long as you're in the area, stop in for maybe half
a day.  There's a KOA just outside of town.  It's terribly touristy, but
The Gunfight at the OK Corral (actually close by) is world famous.  Take a
look at "Wyatt Earp" with Kevin Costner- fairly accurate according to most,
but definitely pro-Earp, but so am I.
        * Tucson.  I don't especially like the city, but Saguaro National
Park is a must see.  The park is in two pieces, one to the east of town and
the other to the west.  In the same area as the one on the west is the
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, a world class zoo, arboretum, research
center, etc.  This is your best introduction to the Sonoran Desert which
includes the entire southeast and central part of Arizona.

        So much for my biased diatribe.  I think you should you spend the
entire seeing Arizona!  We have 5 climates ranging from desert (dunes
around Yuma) to 17,000 feet near Flagstaff.  There's no place like it, and
I've see many beautiful areas.  I'm always glad to be back.

        Please keep me (or the list) informed about your preparations,
where you might be when, etc.

Michael






Michael McColgin                               Phone: (602) 542- 4159
Preservation Officer                            Fax: (602) 542- 4402
Arizona State Archives                      Email: [log in to unmask]
1700 West Washington                      Smoke Signal: 0 oo 000 o0o0
Phoenix, AZ  85007

                   Conservators make it last longer.