Letters to the Editor

rstieve@arizonahighways.com

SENDING A MESSAGE

There is a mesmerizing brilliance to The Power of Life in a Very Hot Place [April 2013]. Collaborators Charles Bowden and Jack Dykinga fashioned both a profoundly beautiful and awesome mosaic of this transformative country. It carries an inspiring message and music for the soul!

Ham Muus, Grand Marais, Minnesota

THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION

The March 2013 issue answered the question I posed to my sister when she asked, "Have you ever read Arizona Highways?" I answered: "You mean it's still being published? I read it many years ago. What else can be said about Arizona?" She laughed and said she would buy me a subscription. During the few weeks I waited for an issue to arrive, I reflected on earlier days when I had simply happened onto a copy of the magazine. I remember now it was the beautiful photographs and revealing stories of the people and places in Arizona that arrested my attention. It all made me want to visit the various towns and landscapes featured. For one reason or another, I visited very few of them. The magazine, however, served as an excellent substitute. So when my March issue arrived, I was thrilled to see the photos of wildflowers growing in different parts of the state and of Havasu Canyon. It was a joy to read the well-written stories on the contributions of the CCC boys in Arizona, the bees in Bisbee and the charismatic Navajo medicine woman, Dianna "Baby Sue" Uqualla. By gifting me this subscription, my sister answered my question: Yes. There is still more to see and write about the beautiful people and places in Arizona.

Jim Ady, West Richland, Washington

SIMPLE RECIPE

Thank you for the spectacular coverage of Pizzicletta [Best Restaurants 2013, April 2013]. We're honored to be on the cover. Simplicity has always been at the root of my business. I believe it's the best way to prepare Italian food, because it lets the individual ingredients shine. Also, by doing less with the old Milum building, we allowed the character of the building to shine through, which your photographer captured beautifully.

Tony Fitton, Shrewsbury, England

GRAY AREA

After reading the account of Bobbie Holaday's courageous and unrelenting battle on behalf of Mexican gray wolf preservation [Active Voice, April 2013], this question came to mind: Why would any rational person want to eradicate the wolf or any other sentient being from the most beautiful landscape in all of America? Here in Michigan, there is a move afoot to kill wolves in response to unfounded hysteria by a few citizens and the legislature. Please give my gratitude to Ms. Holaday.

Chris H. Shupp, Battle Creek, Michigan

The situation in the Blue Range Wolf Reintroduction Area straddling the Arizona-New Mexico border is more complicated than Annette McGivney would have us believe. Although she writes that Bobbie Holaday "gradually won the ranchers over," she doesn't appear to have talked with any. In October 2012, I met one who had just lost a calf to the Elk Horn Pack. Won over? Hardly. Resigned would be closer to the mark.

JMac Greeley, Annapolis, Maryland

SEVENTIES FLASHBACK

Your update on Arcosanti [Meet the New Boss, January 2013] brought back memories of the early 1970s. Friends took us to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., to view Paolo Soleri's Arcology exhibit, which so enthralled us that when we returned to Arizona, my husband, Bob, volunteered to help Paolo with the initial site survey at Arcosanti. The terrain was challenging, and Bob remembers Paolo holding the survey rod on his head to get a quick reading where one of the apses was to be built at a lower elevation on the hillside. A follow-up surveying trip included Paolo's 90-something father, who was visiting from Italy. He wandered the site all day while Paolo and Bob surveyed. We visited Arcosanti as it took shape, but haven't been there lately since we now live in central Italy, where we enjoy much of the concentrated living center and auto-free, pedestrian community concept that Paolo has advocated. Good luck to Jeff Stein as he furthers Arcosanti's goals as an urban laboratory!

Betty Poynter, Spoleto, Perugia, Italy

FLIGHT DECKED

In the March 2013 issue [Nature Factoid], there's a misleading statement regarding the monarch butterfly. They are definitely not the only butterflies to migrate. Here in California, we're often deluged with painted ladies, and even the lowly cabbage butterflies, as they migrate to warmer or cooler climates. Perhaps your author meant to say that the monarch holds the longest migrating distance record.

Gary Stellern, Pasadena, California

Contact Us
If you have thoughts or comments about anything in Arizona Highways, we'd love to hear from you. We can be reached at editor@arizonahighways.com, or by mail at 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009.

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Table of ContentsFind out what's new in the latest issue of Arizona Highways... [more] Where Is This?Like clockwork, we've posted a new location to identify. Submit your answer for a chance to win... [more] Photo PortfolioPerfect Illustrations In 1967, Arizona Highways featured some paintings by an unknown artist named Larry Toschik. Almost overnight, Mr. Toschik went from obscurity to international recognition. This month, we present some of our favorites from the nearly 100 of his paintings we published over the years. ...[more]

Editor's LetterEditor Robert Stieve discusses Weekend Adventures & Road Trips in the current issue. ... [more] Hike of the MonthRainbow Rim Trail There are many incredible hikes along the various rims of the Grand Canyon, but one of the best is one you’ve never heard of, on the North Rim. ...[more] Scenic Drive Mount Ord Along with oaks, pines and agaves, this scenic drive off the Beeline Highway offers impressive views of the Mogollon Rim to the north and Roosevelt Lake to the south. ...[more]