The Evolution of SR89 Through the Dells

The Dells top my earliest memories of Prescott -- I'm old enough to have picnicked at the long-gone Granite Dells pavilion and swimming facility in the rocks! And I've long been curious about the major road building project that must have taken place way back when.

It was a grey day that friend Georgene drove me through the Dells earlier this year; unfortunately, this is the best picture of the lot and I haven't been back since. Consider it merely an introduction to a brief pictorial history of the highway through that wonderful collection of ancient granites north of town.

Ever wondered what the original trail might have looked like? Here is a photo of the Prescott- Williams road from the Forest Service files, dated 1921, though that seems rather late for such a primitive back road. If that is indeed a vehicle, not a cart, it looks more like my dad's racer from about 1916 ... or is it possibly a motorcycle with a sidecar?

Obviously, a lot of dynamite came into play between the previous picture and this postcard shot. The highway, for such it is at this point, still looks to be unpaved. Mid to late 20s, perhaps?

The cars from this postcard appear to be from the mid-30s; the highway is almost the same as today -- tho the shoulders aren't nearly as wide.

Two fellow bloggers have cool photos of the Dells today. Oddball Observations aimed his camera at the rock formations earlier this summer; Rich over at Gadget's Airstream Chronicles is living in an RV park in the Dells, has been climbing those monster rocks, complete with pictures and a new blog, Climb Arizona.

Arizona Highways Outdoes Itself

It seems like I've never been without Arizona Highways. When my parents and I lived in Florida all those years, oh so long ago, my Aunt Iola down in Phoenix started a gift subscription -- and I've been on the mailing list ever since.

The pictures are always beautiful, in an Arizona Highways sort of way that one begins to expect. That's why I was blown away by the January issue that just arrived. The theme: Arizona from the air, with articles about soaring over the desert in sail planes ... Charles Lindbergh selling the idea of archeological prospecting from the air...

... plus some of the most smashing photographs I've seen in years -- aerial views taken from a homebrew aircraft by one Adriel Heisey. This is the first time I've been tempted to take advantage of the magazine's offer to sell selected prints of photos that appear in its pages.

In particular, there is a view of Paria Canyon taken from straight overhead that looks like no photo you've ever seen of Paria Canyon. Yes, I am saying to go out and buy a copy of the magazine if you don't already receive it!

(That picture explains why I always choose a window seat when I fly -- in the years that I accompanied my Mom up to Victoria each summer, I got to know the Arizona/Nevada/ Oregon basin and range country from the air. Fascinating!)

All of this excitement led me to the magazine's website, where I found all kinds of goodies, including a photo portfolio, from which I borrowed the snippet above, as well as articles, trail guides and photography tips. Give it a whirl. And, if the sky is where you'd like to be, AH gave the URL for Venture Flight, a local hang-glider outfit. Me? I'm chicken. I'll settle for watching the hang glider pilots jump off Mingus or peering out the window of an Alaska Airlines plane six miles above the lonely, empty valleys and mountains of the Great Basin.