It’s National Get Outdoors Day. Enjoy Mother Nature & Go Camping!

This Saturday, June 8, is National Get Outdoors Day, which means you don’t have much of an excuse not to hit the trails, pitch your tent, bust out the bike or dust off your canoe. Looking for a quick camping escape? Managing Editor Kelly Kramer, author of the new Arizona Highways Camping Guide, recommends Lockett Meadow, near Flagstaff.

“It’s set among the aspens, of course, and the 17 sites each offer spectacular views of the wilderness, including the ashy, cinder-cone landscape, Kramer writes. “In summer, the aspens blaze a brilliant green with new leaves. Sites 7 and 8 are perhaps the most scenic, while 13 through 15 are nothing to scoff at, either. You won’t find a bad site in the bunch.”

Information: Flagstaff Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, 928-527-3600 or www.fs.usda.gov/Coconino.

The Arizona Highways Camping Guide is available online at www.arizonahighways.com and at Arizona Costco locations beginning tomorrow.

It’s Hot Outside! You Should Buy the Arizona Highways Camping Guide & Plan Your Next Getaway. ASAP!

 

From quiet, isolated high-mountain sites to low-desert locations, Arizona Highways Camping Guide features 100 of the best campgrounds in Arizona. The book, which includes Arizona Highways’ iconic photography and maps, is sorted by region and written for car-campers and families. Detailed information about locations, amenities, seasonal accessibility and fees is included with each listing. $22.95 Click to buy you copy (or copies) today!

Here’s a Q&A with the Camping Guide’s author, Kelly Vaughn Kramer:

How did this book actually come to be, and why did you want to write it?

This book was the brainchild of our books team, and it’s intended as a solid addition to our collection of guidebooks. Camping is such a great way to explore Arizona, including spots you might not otherwise visit. I was excited to write the book to encourage people to get out and spend a few nights under the stars, smell the pine trees, listen to the shivering of aspen leaves and maybe spot an elk or two.

Initially, this must have seemed overwhelming… after all, there are a lot of campgrounds. How did you begin to break it down into more manageable sections?

Breaking the book into regional chapters was definitely a benefit, and I tried to visit at least a handful of campgrounds during each research trip. The wildest was a 31-campground tour in the White Mountains. That was a big undertaking, especially with my young son on board, but I managed it and it turned into a wonderful experience.

You were very near the end of your book when the Wallow Fire broke out and destroyed several campsites. What went through your mind? What did you do?

The Wallow Fire delayed the printing of this book by about a year. Between it and the Horseshoe 2 and Monument fires, nearly 16 percent of the campgrounds in my original manuscript were at risk. Ultimately, I revisited them when the smoke cleared — so to speak — to make sure the campgrounds were still accessible and that any fire damage hadn’t affected their beauty or amenities.

As writers, we all know that writing a book is incredibly challenging… something that pushes us to our limits. How did you overcome those challenges (besides drinking lots of Diet Coke)?

Diet Coke and coffee were huge stress busters for me, though maybe not the healthiest. Plus, I kept in mind what an opportunity it was for me to travel all across the state and to share those experiences with other people. I also ran a lot to clear my head during the writing process. Sometimes, I did some of my better writing in my head during a long run.

What are your top three favorite campgrounds?

Lockett Meadow, near Flagstaff; KP Cienega, in the White Mountains (it’s on the book’s cover); and Los Burros, north of McNary.

Is there a bucket-list campground in this book? That is, a spot where everyone should camp, at least once in their life?

Just one? Lockett Meadow. There’s something about those aspens that spoke to me. But people should also hit any of the campgrounds at the Grand Canyon. Natural. Wonder.

What do you love most about the final product?

The final product. It’s a relief that this baby is out the door and on shelves.

Help Support the Town of Crown King Tomorrow!

Save the date: Tomorrow, Saturday, May 11, the historic mining town of Crown King will host a festival to help raise money for road repairs. Last year, the Gladiator Fire burned more than 16,000 acres; then, complicating matters, monsoon storms caused mudslides and rockslides. Saturday’s event will feature live entertainment, food, a kids area and a beer garden.

Melinda Ripley, the president of the Crown King Chamber of Commerce, talked to Arizona Highways about tomorrow’s festival and why Crown King needs your help.

Tell me about this Saturday’s festival. What’s going on?
We will be raising funds during this event for several different organizations. Some of the funds will be given to the Crown King Chamber of Commerce for our Community Improvement Project. We are currently selling raffle tickets to give away a “gold nugget.” The funds from this will go to improve the downtown Crown King area. We are planning to purchase many loads of Agra-Soil to cover the main road in town. This will help take care of the boulders and such that are making our street rough. Crown King is an unincorporated town; therefore, we do not get county or state help to maintain the roads inside our community. Once we can obtain the needed amount to replace the soil, we are planning to place old-fashioned, wrought-iron, solar-powered lamp posts throughout the area as well. It will be a beautiful project when we can complete it.

We have also started a “Crown King Kids Corral.” This is an area that we are planning to have during our bigger events dedicated to the children. They can make crafts and play games that are related to the current event. For instance, this weekend, we will be making paper-plate tamborines, wind chimes (out of Dixie cups and straws and bells) and a coloring contest. (Per the request of our children, they “want to know who the winner is THAT day and want candy as a prize!”) We plan to carry this idea out throughout the year. Funds donated from this area will remain in a separate envelope to replenish our supplies used. We have had a tremendous outpouring from some community members that have donated yarn, buttons, gluesticks, etc. We are very excited to offer something for the children to do when they visit Crown King.

What will you do with the funds raised?
A portion of some food sales will go directly to the Chamber of Commerce for continued advertising and permit costs.

How has business been since last year’s fire, and how can people help?
Business has been extremely slow for the merchants following the fire and rain last year. It was a rough winter for them. However, we have tried to come together and plan numerous fun events for the remainder of this year and will continue on next year! We have really tried to pump our marketing and utilize Facebook, radio stations, news stations, publications and any other venue of advertising that we can reach. We have started Facebook pages for all our businesses; this has really helped, as Facebook seems to spread very quickly.

We are currently seeking volunteers to set a table up at the event with donation buckets that list all of our nonprofit organizations: the Crown King Fire Department, our churches, our American Legion, our Crown King Road Association, our Forest Service Department, and obviously our Historical Society. We also have a Crown King Community Association that tries to focus on individual needs for those who live in the community. We also have an Americorps group that works in Crown King during the busy wildfire months. We have one of the only remaining one-room schoolhouses. I think 11 remain in the U.S. We currently have three students.

So people know once and for all, is Crown King open for business?
Crown King is definitely open for business! We welcome all those to come see our very historical and beautiful little hideaway! It is one of the most untouched pieces of America’s history that we are so very hard trying to keep.

 

Celebrate Catalina State Park’s 30th Anniversary

Rainshadow Images by Audrey Kanekoa-Madrid | Catalina State Park

This Saturday, Catalina State Park in Tucson will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a fun-filled day of hiking, activities, animal displays, food and more.

Though the official ceremony will take place at 11 a.m., there will be guided hikes starting at 7 a.m., and beginning at 9 a.m., there will be interpretive programs, live animal displays, informational booths from partners and friends, activities for children, food trucks, vendor booths and a raffle. There will also be a “star night” party, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., where visitors can explore the night sky through astronomers’ telescopes.

Here’s more information about Catalina State Park and the role it plays in the lives of Arizonans:

• The park attracts between 170,000 and 200,000 visitors each year from all over the world.
• The Park plays an important role in the communities of northern Tucson, Oro Valley and Catalina.
• Many people who live and work in these areas visit it regularly with their families to hike, camp, picnic, ride bikes and horses and walk their dogs.
• Many local groups and associations — such as the Tucson Audubon Society, local schools such as Basis Schools, Citizens for Solar, and the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection — organize events at Catalina State Park.
• Catalina State Park has a significant economic impact on Pima County. People who visit and camp at the park patronize many local businesses and visit other sites in the area. A 2009 report by Northern Arizona University estimated that the park created 262 jobs in Pima County.

Catalina State Park’s regular entrance fee of $7 per vehicle will be waived for this event. Primitive to full-hookup camping sites are available at a fee of $15 to $25, depending on the type of camping site needed. Catalina State Park is located on State Route 77 (Oracle Road) at mile marker 81, just 9 miles north of Tucson and 6 miles north of Ina Road.

Celebrate Earth Day at the Grand Canyon

Kathleen Reeder | Grand Canyon

 

Earth Day is right around the corner (April 22 is the big day), and if you don’t already have plans to celebrate Mother Earth, why not visit the Grand Canyon? Starting April 19, Grand Canyon National Park is kicking off National Park Week with Earth-friendly activities over the weekend and waived entrance fees all week long.

Check it out:

Grand Canyon National Park will kick off National Park Week with a weekend of Earth Day activities and then will join national park units around the country in waiving entrance fees on April 22 – 26, 2013.

The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19, with a free screening of the film Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time in the Grand Canyon Visitor Center theater.  On Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Shrine of the Ages, Grand Canyon’s Green Team will host environmental author Mary Ellen Hannibal, who will explore the critical nature of wildlife corridors and review the history of America’s native wildlife habitats, which include natural habitats found within national parks, and share what scientists are doing to combat the gradual loss of these important lands along the spine of the continent.  On Sunday, April 21, an open-house style Earth Day celebration will be held at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include educational activities, demonstrations and games, samples, and information on local and national environmental initiatives.  The day will conclude with a walk and trash pick-up along the rim at 2:30 p.m., volunteers are welcome.  All of the weekend’s activities are family friendly and free of charge.

The fee-free celebration of National Park Week begins the next day.  Visitors who arrive at the Grand Canyon April 22 – 26 will be allowed to enter the park free of charge.  Those who plan to spend time in the park beyond April 26 will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.

“This year’s National Park Week theme, ‘Did you know…’, provides a fun way to discover the wonders of America’s national parks,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.

According to Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga, “Oh, there are some wonderful ‘Did you knows…’ at Grand Canyon!  For instance, did you know the oldest rocks at Grand Canyon are estimated to be about 1.8 billion years old?  Did you know Grand Canyon was once a designated forest reserve, and then a game preserve?  Did you know that the oldest human artifact found at Grand Canyon is about 12,000 years old?  The staff here at Grand Canyon National Park encourage everyone to take advantage of National Park Week to visit one of their national parks free of charge and see what ‘Did you knows…’ they can discover.”

Park visitors are reminded that the fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours or use of concessions.  Park entrance stations will have Interagency Senior and Annual Passes available for those who wish to purchase them.

To learn more about Grand Canyon’s Earth Day celebrations, please contact Green Team member Marty Martell at 928-638-7834.  For more on National Park Week, please visit www.nps.gov/npweek or www.nationalparkweek.org. And to learn about the year’s remaining national park fee-free days, please visit: www.nps.gov/findapar/feefreeparks.htm.

Arizona’s Unofficial Music Historian: John Dixon

Kayla Frost

If anyone knows anything about Arizona’s music history, it’s John Dixon. Since the early 1960s, Dixon has acquired an impressive collection of records, CDs and cassettes of Arizona-made music… no wonder people call him the state’s “unofficial music historian.” Dixon says his archive (which isn’t limited to just music made by Arizonans) started as a hobby when he was a DJ at sock hops. Over time, the collection grew, and grew and grew — and now it fills a room in his house, as well as a building in his backyard and an off-property storage unit.

Though you might not know it, out of all that music, Dixon says Arizona’s biggest contribution to the music world is the twang. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Website, the twang is “a reverberating, bass-heavy guitar sound boasted by primitive studio wizardry.” As for those studio wizards who created the twang in Phoenix nearly 60 years ago, they were none other than producer, Lee Hazlewood, and guitarist, Duane Eddy. With barely a budget to speak of, they developed unconventional musical methods to get the sounds they wanted.

Photo by Kayla Frost

Photo by Kayla Frost

Photo by Kayla Frost

Photo by Kayla Frost

“[The] twang came to represent the sound of revved-up hot rods and an echo of the Wild West on the frontier of rock and roll,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Website. The sound is most famously heard in Duane Eddy’s hit song “Rebel Rouser,” which inspired a young generation to dabble in rock and roll.

“There was really nothing like it before,” Dixon adds.

Dixon also tips his hat to Alice Cooper, Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks for putting Arizona on the map. But it’s a little-known musician named Billie Maxwell, a cowgirl from a farming family, who stole his heart.

“They were real down to earth working people who were making music because there was not much to do in those days,” Dixon says. Maxwell laid down the tracks for her first album in 1929, making her the first Arizonan to record music. She’s also hailed as the first cowgirl singer — at least by those who know who she is.

Fortunately, because of Dixon’s affinity for the singer, some of Maxwell’s records are on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Other items from Dixon’s collection that are on display at MIM, include Duane Eddy and Linda Ronstadt album covers.

“Slowly but surely, some of this stuff is getting out as an educational thing,” Dixon says. “Hopefully, someday, somebody will march in and buy this archive and I’ll still be around to put it together.”

Until the collection gets a more official home, Dixon is happy it’s at least in one place  — even if it’s his backyard.

—By Kayla Frost