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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402</id><updated>2024-08-29T13:31:18.851-07:00</updated><category term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category term="destination arizona"/><category term="destinationarizona"/><category term="brad cooper"/><category term="Arizona"/><category term="Arizona History"/><category term="a brad cooper"/><category term="mining"/><category term="Phoenix"/><category term="rio salado"/><category term="sonora"/><category term="superstition mountain"/><category term="Arizon"/><category term="De Re Metallica"/><category term="Fort McDowell Indian Reservation"/><category term="Fort McDowell casino"/><category term="Georgius Agricola"/><category term="Hohokam"/><category term="Maricopa County"/><category term="Maya"/><category term="Mesa Grande"/><category term="Phoenix Light Rail"/><category term="canals"/><category term="grand canyon"/><category term="hotel reservations"/><category term="jacob waltz"/><category term="lost dutchman gold mine"/><category term="lost hikers"/><category term="max delta mine"/><category term="metallurgy"/><category term="phoenix history"/><category term="phoenix news"/><category term="pueblo indians"/><category term="sonoran culture"/><category term="south mountain"/><category term="tempe town lake"/><category term="travel review"/><category term="Aguila"/><category term="Arizona border"/><category term="Arizona mining history"/><category term="Border security"/><category term="Camp McDowell"/><category term="Carole Lumbard"/><category term="Clark Gable"/><category term="David Aaron Stone"/><category term="Fredonia"/><category term="George Green"/><category term="Gladiators"/><category term="Grand Canyon National Park"/><category term="Grand Canyon University"/><category term="Great Arizona Beer Festival"/><category term="Herbert Hoover"/><category term="Hoski Schaafsma"/><category term="Intrigue Films"/><category term="James Lee Watt"/><category term="Joe Arpaio"/><category term="Kanab"/><category term="Landscape Legacies"/><category term="Los Zetas"/><category term="Lou Henry Hoover"/><category term="MCSO"/><category term="Maricopa County Sheriffs Department"/><category term="Mayan"/><category term="Mayan influence"/><category term="Mayor Phil Gordon"/><category term="Mesa"/><category term="Mexico violence"/><category term="NBA"/><category term="National Guard deployment"/><category term="Nuevo Leon"/><category term="Oatman"/><category term="Oatman Arizona"/><category term="Oatman Hotel"/><category term="Obama"/><category term="Orme Dam"/><category term="Pat Gorraiz"/><category term="Perry Mesa"/><category term="Phil Gordon"/><category term="Phoenix police"/><category term="Phoenix politics"/><category term="Police Chief Jack Harris"/><category term="Popol Vuh"/><category term="SB-1070"/><category term="Scott Curley"/><category term="Stewart Udall"/><category term="Thanksgiving"/><category term="Utah Manhunt"/><category term="Ute Mountains"/><category term="Xibalba"/><category term="Yavapai Nation"/><category term="a"/><category term="accomodations"/><category term="aps"/><category term="arizona accommodations"/><category term="arizona city arizona"/><category term="arizona desert"/><category term="arizona public service"/><category term="arizona vacation"/><category term="copper school doors"/><category term="crime"/><category term="drug cartel"/><category term="film"/><category term="first water trailhead"/><category term="grand canyon az"/><category term="handicapped"/><category term="hiking"/><category term="hiking arizona"/><category term="historic bisbee"/><category term="hotel reservationsona accommodati"/><category term="illegal immigration"/><category term="motel signs"/><category term="motels"/><category term="movie"/><category term="ohio man critical"/><category term="pauline weaver"/><category term="phoenix transit"/><category term="photography"/><category term="photos"/><category term="pre-columbian"/><category term="prescott"/><category term="press conference"/><category term="pueblo grande museum"/><category term="recreation"/><category term="recreational"/><category term="review"/><category term="rio verde"/><category term="rock art"/><category term="roosevelt dam"/><category term="route 66"/><category term="salt river"/><category term="salt river project"/><category term="san juan valley"/><category term="superstition wilderness"/><category term="trails"/><category term="trains"/><category term="transportation"/><category term="turkey"/><category term="valley metro"/><category term="verde river"/><category term="victory days"/><title type='text'>Destination Arizona</title><subtitle type='html'>Arizona Travel, Recreation, Adventure, History and More.&#xa;Join us along the scenic backroads, rivers and lakes of this Amazing state.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default?alt=atom'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default?alt=atom&amp;start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>44</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-3694549791027290009</id><published>2010-09-07T08:52:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-09-07T08:59:00.934-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="copper school doors"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="George Green"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="historic bisbee"/><title type='text'>Artisan tackles restoration of historic copper school doors</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OFv-eaiiWWv1VgGM8gOpiGVhyny8yxszThrgK9hdqwWtmc69P30He5AhC_fTzDCbAsw2-2E-pxYSHYBU3btuHM6cCEpQp2alDDqG4_gvY0FGdMQO_NW0hDtjWBp75TLrpnLJ/s1600/George+Green+Artist+00.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OFv-eaiiWWv1VgGM8gOpiGVhyny8yxszThrgK9hdqwWtmc69P30He5AhC_fTzDCbAsw2-2E-pxYSHYBU3btuHM6cCEpQp2alDDqG4_gvY0FGdMQO_NW0hDtjWBp75TLrpnLJ/s320/George+Green+Artist+00.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514200520741260962&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;    B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;          &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When renowned copper sculptor George Green caught wind the town of Bisbee Arizona intended to pay an out-of-state company to restore the historic, seventy-five year old copper clad Lowell school doors, Green, a Bisbee resident, contacted the local school board with a better idea. By George, just have Green do it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Green is one of many talented artisans who call the scenic town of Bisbee home. In recent years, the former turn-of-the-century mining town has become somewhat of an artist’s enclave. Green, who moved to Bisbee from phoenix to be near his family a few years ago, speaks fondly of Bisbee and is eager to contribute to the town he loves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So when Green learned the Lowell school board was preparing to pay a San Diego firm $26,000 to restore the massive ten-foot by five-foot doors, Green stuck his foot in the door, offering to restore the copper laden doors for about half the price. “It seemed to me a large sum of money for the school board to raise”, Green remarked of the original $26,000 price tag when interviewed for this article. “I just thought I could do the job a lot cheaper, and perhaps better.“ The Lowell school board agreed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The historic doors were moved to Mr. Green’s basement, where the artist has begun the process of meticulously disassembling the copper plates, careful to document and preserve as much original detail as possible. Green, who has a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts, is being assisted with the restoration by two other prominent local artisans. Chris Flager is handling repairs to the door’s heavy wooden cores, while Steve Wilkes assists with the bending and straightening of the copper.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Green calls the restoration process painstaking, predicting it will take months to complete, but no one seems in a hurry. The School board is actively seeking financial contributions to offset the cost of the process, including hosting a fundraiser billed as ‘Copper Pennies for the Copper Doors’. So far, about two thousand dollars has been raised for the project.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As can be expected, the aging doors have endured seventy-five years of abuse and neglect. Two years ago, the massive doors, weighing nearly five hundred pounds, were removed from their hinges and placed in storage. Long time Bisbee residents are thrilled with the prospect of having the unusual copper-plated doors swinging back into action. Most expect the restoration to be well worth the wait.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  35. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/3694549791027290009/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=3694549791027290009' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3694549791027290009'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3694549791027290009'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/09/artisan-tackles-restoration-of-historic.html' title='Artisan tackles restoration of historic copper school doors'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OFv-eaiiWWv1VgGM8gOpiGVhyny8yxszThrgK9hdqwWtmc69P30He5AhC_fTzDCbAsw2-2E-pxYSHYBU3btuHM6cCEpQp2alDDqG4_gvY0FGdMQO_NW0hDtjWBp75TLrpnLJ/s72-c/George+Green+Artist+00.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-7799288041730312558</id><published>2010-08-29T06:52:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-08-29T06:55:47.433-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fredonia"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Kanab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Scott Curley"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Utah Manhunt"/><title type='text'>Manhunt continues for suspected Utah cop killer</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;   &lt;br /&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;    Editor    &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The search for an alleged cop killer continues in the high desert along the border between Arizona and Utah, as the suspect, 23 year old Scott Curley, proves more elusive to authorities than anticipated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A ten thousand dollar reward has been offered for the capture of Curley, with over three hundred law officers participating in the search. The manhunt began after Curley shot and killed Deputy Brian Harris with a rifle while the officer was pursuing the suspect on a separate charge. Curley is accused of burglarizing a nearby high school in Fredonia the night before.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Curley, a native American, is believed to be on foot, but has been successful in giving authorities the slip, leading searchers through unusually rugged terrain. During the cover of night, the suspect was apparently able to slip away from a police dragnet, covering greater distance than expected. It is believed Curley may have stashed some supplies in anticipation of his escape, suggesting the killing may have been planned well in advance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Experts also suspect Curley may be getting assistance from friends or family. “We know someone is out there who knows where this individual is and we hope they will step forward,” U.S. Marshal David Gonzales was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to individuals familiar with Curley, rumors had been swirling for days that the suspect might be planning an attack. Others suggest the troubled young man may be delusional, and friends feared he could be reaching “the breaking point“.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Searchers, rotating in shifts, are currently focusing their efforts on an area between Fredonia and Kanab, Utah, just north of Arizona. Authorities deny they have given officers orders to shoot Curley on sight, but admit tensions are high. Still, they claim they maintain hope of capturing the troubled killer alive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  69. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/7799288041730312558/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=7799288041730312558' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7799288041730312558'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7799288041730312558'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/08/manhunt-continues-for-suspected-utah.html' title='Manhunt continues for suspected Utah cop killer'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-6891753818977853964</id><published>2010-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-08-27T19:00:35.397-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona border"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Border security"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="illegal immigration"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="National Guard deployment"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="SB-1070"/><title type='text'>National Guard troops prepare to deploy along Arizona border</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;   B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;   Editor     &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Monday, the initial deployment of National Guard troops will begin arriving along the porous Arizona border separating the United States and northern Mexico. With border violence on the rise, area residents await troop arrival with measured optimism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;National Guard troops will begin arriving along the Arizona side of the border in small groups and without fanfare. It is anticipated that over five hundred troops will be deployed to the region by the end of September. Their effectiveness however, is hard to predict as the troops, although armed, will only operate as observers, lacking authority to make arrests themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still, the extra boots on the ground are expected to create an additional deterrent for would be smugglers and others who may attempt to cross the border illegally. Some experts however, believe the drug cartels will simply move their operations elsewhere, such as southern Texas, which is already experiencing an increase in drug related violent crimes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Illegal immigration has become a key hot-button issue in recent months, especially among Republicans and Tea Party supporters.  However, even long time Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain has acknowledged that the situation is not as simple as erecting a two thousand mile fence through the rocky desert or deploying troops along the border. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arizona governor Jan Brewer has criticized the Obama administration for not doing enough to stem the flow of illegal activity along the border. Brewer recently enacted new laws designed to mitigate the situation, but several sections of the new bill, SB-1070 were ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. Brewer and her attorneys filed a brief addressing the matter earlier this morning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  103. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/6891753818977853964/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=6891753818977853964' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6891753818977853964'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6891753818977853964'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/08/national-guard-troops-prepare-to-deploy.html' title='National Guard troops prepare to deploy along Arizona border'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-23427914646973110</id><published>2010-08-26T18:36:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-08-26T18:42:02.361-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Joe Arpaio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Maricopa County Sheriffs Department"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="MCSO"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="phoenix news"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix politics"/><title type='text'>Arpaio facing Justice Department showdown</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtbGHQKstnA7Cf8EbSbvP-l_YrGviVzwURKHsanwCkT6Wcao1czaqG9JPVnZM0ZOB0ld7hRFxEhb2I56WyrBkf1eAb8zQrREOIzrNWe77g1D4OifrKgzzjB_BFPlKj7SrCpMs/s1600/Stop+Racism+2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtbGHQKstnA7Cf8EbSbvP-l_YrGviVzwURKHsanwCkT6Wcao1czaqG9JPVnZM0ZOB0ld7hRFxEhb2I56WyrBkf1eAb8zQrREOIzrNWe77g1D4OifrKgzzjB_BFPlKj7SrCpMs/s320/Stop+Racism+2.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509898302862217138&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;    Editor     &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The US Justice Department has issued an ultimatum to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio; turn over requested documents by Friday, or face the consequences.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a battle that has been brewing for months, the Justice Department has turned up the heat, threatening to sue the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office if the department refuses to cooperate with a federal investigation into mistreatment of detainees, including charges of racial discrimination and unlawful searches and seizures. Arpaio and his attorneys claim to be cooperating with the investigation, but the feds see it differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally, the Justice Department had given the Arpaio and the Sheriffs Department until August 17th to turn over the requested documents. Lack of compliance by the department could cost the county millions of dollars in federal funds, a risk that concerns many county officials. Withholding the funds would devastate the budget, gutting countless programs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arpaio, for the most part, has remained defiant and undeterred, refusing to alter his tactics, including his now notorious ‘crime sweeps’, which despite the national attention, have produced few meaningful arrests. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The seventy-eight year old sheriff began his career in law enforcement as a beat cop in the Washington DC area before relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1957. He later worked for the DEA for over twenty-five years before eventually moving to Arizona.&lt;br /&gt;Arpaio has held the office of Maricopa County Sheriff since 1992. He often makes headlines for housing inmates in outdoor tents during the excruciating summer heat, and feeding the prisoners green Bologna. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the information provided to the media by the Justice department, Arpaio and his office has until ”no later than the close of business on Friday, August 27th, 2010” to turn over the requested documents.&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  137. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/23427914646973110/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=23427914646973110' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/23427914646973110'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/23427914646973110'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/08/arpaio-facing-justice-department.html' title='Arpaio facing Justice Department showdown'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtbGHQKstnA7Cf8EbSbvP-l_YrGviVzwURKHsanwCkT6Wcao1czaqG9JPVnZM0ZOB0ld7hRFxEhb2I56WyrBkf1eAb8zQrREOIzrNWe77g1D4OifrKgzzjB_BFPlKj7SrCpMs/s72-c/Stop+Racism+2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-4646552619000948906</id><published>2010-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-08-07T08:30:08.999-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="De Re Metallica"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Georgius Agricola"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Herbert Hoover"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lou Henry Hoover"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="metallurgy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="mining"/><title type='text'>De Re Metallica Revisited - the Medieval Book of Mining and Metallurgy</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSTzvTt8Aqr2l2s-DEsTNpTOuytc6DCEStdMQnnUqp13jh2XPB9FnLTG7exQF8lqpmclpBirbdGCHoE-Vn_AToVwlMkde8ipBlqi6FWRQrRPWHkJNACwStZ9xJu8QeT6Ir6n-/s1600/DRM.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 193px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSTzvTt8Aqr2l2s-DEsTNpTOuytc6DCEStdMQnnUqp13jh2XPB9FnLTG7exQF8lqpmclpBirbdGCHoE-Vn_AToVwlMkde8ipBlqi6FWRQrRPWHkJNACwStZ9xJu8QeT6Ir6n-/s320/DRM.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502688409990544162&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;   B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;     &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally published in 1556, Georgius Agricola&#39;s groundbreaking book De Re Metallica remained the leading scientific journal of mining and metallurgy for over two hundred years. It was the first book about mining to be based on field research and observation. The massive tome was also the first to offer detailed illustrations of the various, highly specialized mining techniques, relevant to the period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Agricola was born March 24th, 1494, arriving on the threshold of the Renaissance. De Re Metallica contains an unprecedented volume of material on alluvial mining, surveying, smelting, alchemy and more, and provides an otherwise unavailable glimpse into the world of medieval mining.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Georgius Agricola passed away on November 23rd, 1555 at the age of 61. Agricola had completed writing De Re Metallica by 1550, but the book did not go to press until 1553. Ironically, Agricola did not live to see his masterful volume published.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1912, Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry Hoover translated De Re Metallica from it&#39;s original Latin text into English. This new edition was made available only in very limited copies, and was quickly bought up by libraries, historians and book collectors. Long out of print, this rare edition has itself grown in value. In 1950, the book was once again published in hardback, including all 289 of the original woodcut illustrations. These unusual, and highly detailed drawings offer a glimpse into the daily lives of medieval mining communities, and the curious devices they contrived.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Much credit is due Agricola, as his contributions to the sciences of the ages is without precedent. He is credited with advancements in Geology, Mineralogy, Mining Engineering and much more. Agricola was a scientist. He had little use for alchemy, and those who would be alchemists. He explored soil mechanics, tunneling procedures, and even expounded on a simple but profound understanding of potential dangers permeating the ground, and the release of deadly gasses, which he referred to as exhales.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The world has changed dramatically since the first publishing of De Re Metallica, as has the science of mining and metallurgy. Still, Agricola&#39;s work remains an irreplaceable scientific journal and indeed, one of a kind. The book is highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of medieval mining. The book can be difficult to find, but don&#39;t fret, copies are available. If you have trouble locating one right away, you just may need to do a little digging &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSTzvTt8Aqr2l2s-DEsTNpTOuytc6DCEStdMQnnUqp13jh2XPB9FnLTG7exQF8lqpmclpBirbdGCHoE-Vn_AToVwlMkde8ipBlqi6FWRQrRPWHkJNACwStZ9xJu8QeT6Ir6n-/s72-c/DRM.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-6751360353840516004</id><published>2010-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-07-21T13:31:12.642-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="first water trailhead"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lost dutchman gold mine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lost hikers"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="superstition mountain"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="superstition wilderness"/><title type='text'>Search called off for missing Utah treasure hunters</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufRc-aY_duskytCWvo1cfMmWJMM1T6788IlZY9h9PqnZ2JpQGyXUxnd-_ZMLPe5cNLUFqJEU_oL7Fn-AIvSsLhukccEzXuQgNNWOr-pganrSEVg5xZQmiTmjULrdoLodkARwq/s1600/First+Water+Trailhead+2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufRc-aY_duskytCWvo1cfMmWJMM1T6788IlZY9h9PqnZ2JpQGyXUxnd-_ZMLPe5cNLUFqJEU_oL7Fn-AIvSsLhukccEzXuQgNNWOr-pganrSEVg5xZQmiTmjULrdoLodkARwq/s320/First+Water+Trailhead+2.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496459408983006690&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;     B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt; Editor     &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The search has ended for three Salt Lake City hikers who went missing while searching for the legendary ’Lost Dutchman Goldmine in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A smallish gray car with Utah license plates remains parked near the First Water trailhead in the unforgiving Superstition wilderness forty miles east of Phoenix. For days, rescuers have searched in vain for the occupants, the three Utah men who disappeared without a trace while searching for the legendary mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Monday evening, the Maricopa County Sherriff’s Department officially ended the search, which had included the use of four helicopters and a plane with thermal imaging equipment, and dozens of searchers on foot and horseback. Experts believe the three men probably succumbed to the grueling desert heat, which at times can reach well above 110 degrees. It is not known how much water the men carried with them into the wilderness, but it is doubtful they were carrying enough. The men had expressed plans to return each evening to a nearby hotel.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Authorities were contacted when the three hikers, 62 year-old Ardean Charles, 67 year-old Curtis Meriworth, and 51 year-old Malcolm Meeks failed to return to Salt Lake City by July 10th. “The primary area the guys seemed interested in should have made it much easier, but it’s hard to wrap your head around where they could of gone, at this point and how far and whether they got separated from one another” states Wayne Tuttle, Superstition Wilderness expert. “Once you start over analyzing it, you realize you have no clue where to begin or end.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The legend of the ‘Lost Dutchman Goldmine has been luring treasure seekers into the vast, treacherous Superstition Mountain range for over a century, dating back to a German immigrant and Phoenix resident named Jacob Waltz, who is purported to have found a vast treasure of Gold in an abandoned Spanish mine east of Phoenix. This is not the first incident in which treasure seekers have succumbed to the harsh elements while attempting to locate the legendary mine.&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  205. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/6751360353840516004/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=6751360353840516004' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6751360353840516004'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6751360353840516004'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/07/search-called-off-for-missing-utah.html' title='Search called off for missing Utah treasure hunters'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufRc-aY_duskytCWvo1cfMmWJMM1T6788IlZY9h9PqnZ2JpQGyXUxnd-_ZMLPe5cNLUFqJEU_oL7Fn-AIvSsLhukccEzXuQgNNWOr-pganrSEVg5xZQmiTmjULrdoLodkARwq/s72-c/First+Water+Trailhead+2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-3575087441888122728</id><published>2010-07-16T06:21:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-07-16T06:26:42.013-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="a brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jacob waltz"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lost dutchman gold mine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lost hikers"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="superstition mountain"/><title type='text'>Temperatures approach 116 as search for lost hikers continues</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;  B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the grueling Arizona desert heat rises, hope is fading for three Utah hikers who disappeared in the unforgiving Superstition wilderness east of Phoenix while searching for the legendary ‘Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The three hikers, 62 year-old Ardean Charles, 67year-old Curtis Meriworth, and 51year-old Malcolm Meeks set out in search of the legendary mine nearly a week ago. Their vehicle was found parked at the trailhead, but there has been no sign of the three men. With temperatures in the vicinity reaching well over 110 degrees, it is doubtful the men can survive the extreme heat long. Searchers have braved the intense heat, covering hundreds of miles of terrain, but have so far come up empty handed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to family members, the men had planned to explore the rugged Superstition Mountains during the day and spend nights in a nearby hotel.  With the temperature expected to reach 116 tomorrow, every minute becomes increasingly crucial. An excessive heat warning is in effect for the vicinity for the next thirty-six hours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The legend of the Lost Dutchman goldmine dates back to the late 1800’s when an elderly German immigrant named Jacob Waltz was purported to have found an abandoned Gold mine of great wealth. Many searchers have perished in attempts to locate the mine. More often than not, the elements have proven to be the cause of death. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is believed by many to be located within the rugged Superstition Mountain range, just forty miles east of Phoenix. Extreme caution is urged whenever hiking in harsh desert terrain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  239. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/3575087441888122728/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=3575087441888122728' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3575087441888122728'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3575087441888122728'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/07/temperatures-approach-116-as-search-for.html' title='Temperatures approach 116 as search for lost hikers continues'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-1893947507228623560</id><published>2010-03-30T06:50:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-03-30T06:53:28.251-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="drug cartel"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Los Zetas"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mexico violence"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Nuevo Leon"/><title type='text'>Drug violence cutting into Mexican economy</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The increase in drug cartel related violence throughout Mexico is having a negative impact on the Mexican economy as thousands of U.S. citizens choose to stay home this Spring rather than risk the dangers associated with traveling south of the border.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The upsurge in violence is proving disastrous for the Mexican economy, much of which is heavily reliant on tourism, down sharply from previous years. Many traditional ‘Spring Break’ hot-spots have experienced dramatic decreases in revenue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The quiet seaside villages south of Tijuana, many already poverty stricken, have been especially devastated by the lack of seasonal tourists. Local beaches, restaurants and hotels show little signs of activity. Anxious vendors still wait diligently for the occasional tourist, but few arrive, and resources are dwindling.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mexican auto insurance, long a dependable revenue stream for borders towns, has also experienced a precipitous drop in sales. Mexico law requires that all vehicles visiting Mexico purchase auto insurance before entering the country. Most U.S. insurance companies do not cover accidents that occur while in Mexico.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mexico&#39;s notorious Gulf Cartel is blamed for much of the recent drug violence, including the kidnapping of a Nuevo Leon police chief whose decapitated body was discovered a short distance from his abandoned vehicle over the weekend.&lt;br /&gt;Drug related violence is nothing new along the northern border towns of Mexico, but a growing rivalry between two competing cartels, the much feared Gulf Cartel and &#39;Los Zetas&#39; has led to unbridled bloodshed throughout the region. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  273. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/1893947507228623560/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=1893947507228623560' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/1893947507228623560'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/1893947507228623560'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/03/drug-violence-cutting-into-mexican.html' title='Drug violence cutting into Mexican economy'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-8494990366717909427</id><published>2010-03-23T13:09:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-03-23T13:12:10.195-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="crime"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mayor Phil Gordon"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix police"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Police Chief Jack Harris"/><title type='text'>Angry Residents Demand Officers Badge Following Assault of Phoenix City Councilman</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Residents of a Phoenix inner city neighborhood are urging Phoenix City Mayor Phil Gordon to fire a valley police officer, following a neighborhood fire that resulted in a city councilman being cuffed and assaulted by the officer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The officer, Brian Authement, who is white, was responding to a house fire in a predominantly black neighborhood when the altercation occurred. Officer Authement, age 27, is accused of using excessive force, throwing Councilman Michael Johnson to the ground, as Johnson, who is black, attempted to check on the safety of his next door neighbor, whose house was ablaze. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neighbors of the councilman are understandably outraged by the incident, and have demanded the officer be fired. Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris is also being called on to resign. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Councilman Johnson is himself, a former Phoenix police officer who retired in 1995 after twenty-one years on the force. Johnson did not attend a public forum held last night to discuss the incident, but intended to discuss the matter in detail early today at the Sandra Day O&#39;Connor U.S. Courthouse.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Several prominent blacks in the valley have stepped forward to express their discontent with the manner in which the situation was handled and are demanding Authement lose his badge. Many residents of the neighborhood in which the incident occurred have complained about similar run-ins with responding officers. Several have testified under oath that they or their family members have been erroneously pulled over, questioned or arrested by  because of the color of their skin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  307. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/8494990366717909427/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=8494990366717909427' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/8494990366717909427'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/8494990366717909427'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/03/angry-residents-demand-officers-badge.html' title='Angry Residents Demand Officers Badge Following Assault of Phoenix City Councilman'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-3321867295794999100</id><published>2010-03-04T10:50:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-03-04T10:59:06.252-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Great Arizona Beer Festival"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="rio salado"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="salt river project"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="tempe town lake"/><title type='text'>The Great Arizona Beer Festival comes to Tempe Town Lake</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Live in an arid climate long enough, and one soon begins to dream of water. In Tempe, Arizona, that dream has come true, in the form of a 99 million gallon, man made lake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/4110066323/&quot; title=&quot;Tempe Town Lake by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/4110066323_0c4f3b1004_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;169&quot; alt=&quot;Tempe Town Lake&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tempe Town Lake east of Phoenix&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1911, workers completed construction of the massive Roosevelt Dam east of the fledgling city of Phoenix, Arizona. Save for the occasional flood, water would soon cease to flow through the Salt River toward the growing community downstream. The river water was redirected through an intricate canal system to accommodate farmland in the valley. What had formerly been a rich riparian habitat along the river, quickly became a barren wasteland.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Faced with starvation, wildlife indigenous to the river basin was forced to abandon the dieing habitat. By the mid fifties, the riverbed had succumbed to neglect. The dry river became home to a bevy of industry, land fills and quarries. The once glorious Salt River had reached rock bottom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then in 1966, a wonderful thing happened. Dean Elmore of the College of Architecture at Arizona State University came up with a wonderful, wonderful idea. Elmore and his students envisioned building a series of locks and channels along the dry riverbed. They proposed refilling the channels with water, building sections of park and greenbelt along the rivers neglected banks and rehabilitating the surrounding ecosystem. It was a grand and beautiful plan. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1987, after years of research and development, the Rio Salado project was finally put before valley voters. The surrounding valley communities resoundingly defeated the bill, but in Tempe, residents remained supportive. Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell agreed, announcing the City of Tempe was prepared to go it alone. It was the beginning of what would slowly develop into Tempe Town Lake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eight rubber bladder dams, each 16 feet tall and 240 feet in length, were installed along the river, creating a 2-mile long lake with over 220-surface acres of water. Finally, on June 2, 1999, Water from the Central Arizona canal began flowing into the Tempe Town Lake. 43 days later, the lake was officially declared full.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ten years later, Tempe Town Lake has become the top attraction in the valley, with nearly three million people visiting the lake annually. It is the crowning achievement of a project over thirty years in the making. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each year, millions of people enjoy the lake. Some boat, while others choose to walk or jog along the miles of adjoining trails. Valley parents bring their family for an afternoon picnic. Some simply come to the lake to gaze at this beautiful oasis in the middle of the bustling city. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After recent heavy rains pounded the valley, it once again became necessary for Salt River Project to release water downstream. Still, events planned along the greenbelt continue forward, undaunted. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This weekend, March 6th, and 7th, Tempe Town Lake plays host to the 22nd annual &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.azbeer.com/tempe.htm&quot;&gt;Great Arizona Beer Festival&lt;/a&gt;, which will feature more than 200 varieties of beer. If you decide to attend, however, don’t be expecting a cheap buzz. Tickets range between $40.00 and $90.00. Also be sure to make plans for a designated driver, as each ticket holder can expect to receive twenty-four different samples, each in their very own mug.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Rio Salado project may never be entirely completed, and perhaps that&#39;s a good thing. Valley residents can expect the lake and the surrounding rehabilitated ecosystem to continually grow and improve with age. Downstream, mighty cottonwood trees once again adorn the riverbed and the indigenous wildlife, absent for nearly a hundred years, is slowly returning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  341. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/3321867295794999100/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=3321867295794999100' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3321867295794999100'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3321867295794999100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2010/03/great-arizona-beer-festival-comes-to.html' title='The Great Arizona Beer Festival comes to Tempe Town Lake'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/4110066323_0c4f3b1004_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-433262399630112737</id><published>2010-03-01T10:32:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-03-01T10:36:09.023-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix Light Rail"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="phoenix news"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="phoenix transit"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="transportation"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="valley metro"/><title type='text'>Phoenix announces cutbacks to light rail service</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only fourteen months after Phoenix Metro light-rail began rolling through the valley, City Manager David Cavazos is already taking dramatic steps to cut costs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The cuts, which the Phoenix City Council will vote on Tuesday, could mean dramatic cutbacks during traditional rush-hour service. Trains currently run every ten minutes during peak rush hour traffic. Cutbacks in service could mean trains would come every twelve minutes, amounting to major inconvenience for some riders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/3142523050/&quot; title=&quot;Light Rail by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3142523050_40b786923b_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;Light Rail&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Valley Metro facing cutbacks to service&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The cutbacks would also effect weekend service, especially during the early morning hours and in the evening.  City Manager David Cavazos says the cuts are necessary for the city to significantly trim operating costs, and the Phoenix City Council are likely to agree. However, efforts are being made by the council to preserve evening service.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Metro Light Rail operates twenty miles of track connecting the central Phoenix corridor with Cities of Tempe and Mesa. Tempe and Mesa have both experienced positive growth since the launch of the light rail, but many valley residents, and visitors alike, question the veracity of the some of the decision making. The 1.4 billion dollar rail system, which inexplicably by-passes Sky Harbor International Airport, has remained at the center of controversy, while racking up an alarming number of minor collisions with valley vehicles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still, supporters of the light rail are optimistic. Overall, service has been excellent and the light rail a success. Many see the cuts simply as a reflection of difficult economic conditions. The City of Phoenix is currently facing a $240 million deficit in its general fund, caused primarily by the downshift in the economy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hillary Foose, Public Information Officer for Metro acknowledged some changes would ultimately be necessary, but encouraged valley residents to participate in the process.&lt;br /&gt;“Anytime you reduce service you impact rider-ship” stated Hillary, who was interviewed for this article.  “We take this into account whenever making any changes.” Foose spoke at length about the actual process that goes into determining any changes, but reminds residents the process is open to public discussion. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Metro currently has two meetings planned”,  stated Foose when reached Monday morning. “The first meeting will be held Tuesday, March 2nd, and this is when we really need the input from the public. There are seven options posted on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_light_rail/how_to_ride/service_change_options_for_fy11&quot;&gt;Metro website&lt;/a&gt;, each listing the amount the option would save the budget”. Foose encourages anyone with an interest to visit the Phoenix Metro website and voice your opinion. The second meeting will be held some time next week. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Any changes would not take effect until July, 2010.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3142523050_40b786923b_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-5646356874453329871</id><published>2010-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-02-28T08:27:07.267-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hoski Schaafsma"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Landscape Legacies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pat Gorraiz"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Perry Mesa"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="photography"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="photos"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pueblo grande museum"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="rock art"/><title type='text'>New Pueblo Grande Museum exhibit to feature eye popping, large-format, ancient rock art photos</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pueblo Grande Museum&lt;/span&gt; east of Phoenix is set to host a new exhibit, &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Landscape Legacies: The Art and Archaeology of Perry Mesa&lt;/span&gt; opening to the public, Friday, March 5th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/4391267004/&quot; title=&quot;Perry Mesa Rock Art by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4391267004_609758c772_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;192&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; alt=&quot;Perry Mesa Rock Art&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Photo Credit: Pat Gorriaz&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The exhibit, which features eye popping, large format photos of spectacular ancient rock art also includes new research from renown Arizona State University Doctoral Candidate Hoski Schaafsma, who examines the prehistoric agricultural practices on Perry Mesa, located about an hour north of Phoenix.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perry Mesa and it’s inhabitants have long been the subject of controversy. Discoveries made at the vast archaeological site have led some experts to conclude the indigenous peoples of Perry Mesa may have been much more sophisticated than originally thought.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Valley Photographer, Pat Gorraiz has visited the mesa on countless occasions, compiling a breathtaking collection of rock art photographs, many which will be featured in the exhibit. Gorraizs’ large-format photos suggest a complex and fascinating culture, surrounded by an intensely beautiful, but equally dangerous environment. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While much of the rock art found at Perry Mesa feature traditional native American images, others found at the vast site lean toward the other-worldly. Strange humanoid figures, sporting inexplicable head-dress and other oddities can be found throughout the collection. Paint was later applied to some of the glyphs, although experts disagree on who may have been responsible for the paint, and what the their intentions might have been. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Schaafsma is excited about the progress and cooperation this new study represents. “Those responsible for managing the landscape have allowed a multi-scientific discipline point of view to be brought to bare on this landscape.” States Schaafsma. “Frequently, one scientific community such as the archaeologists will come to the landscape and we will do our work and we’ll all go home and write our own papers. Later on, the ecological community may do research on the same landscape, and go home with their own conclusions. However, because of the foresight of some individuals, a number of diverse agencies, including Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service have come together to study the Perry Mesa landscape”. Mr. Schaafsma has written extensively about the region.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The exhibit opens Friday, March 5th, at the Pueblo Grande Museum, located at: 4619 East Washington Street, in Phoenix. Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is a National Historic Landmark and is accredited with the American Association of Museums. Visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/pueblo.html&quot;&gt;www.pueblogrande.com&lt;/a&gt; for further information on this exhibit and other upcoming events at the museum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4391267004_609758c772_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-8139951682461289589</id><published>2009-11-16T15:23:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-16T15:37:23.913-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="aps"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona History"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="arizona public service"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="canals"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="phoenix history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="rio salado"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="roosevelt dam"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="tempe town lake"/><title type='text'>Tempe Town Lake crown jewel of Rio Salado project</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Live in an arid climate long enough, and one soon begins to dream of water. In Tempe, Arizona, that dream has come true, in the form of a 99 million gallon, man made lake.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/4110066323/&quot; title=&quot;Tempe Town Lake by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/4110066323_0c4f3b1004_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;169&quot; alt=&quot;Tempe Town Lake&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tempe Town Lake&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1911, workers completed construction of the massive Roosevelt Dam east of the fledgling city of Phoenix, Arizona. Save for the occasional flood, water would soon cease to flow through the Salt River toward the growing community downstream. The river water was redirected through an intricate canal system to accommodate farmland in the valley. What had formerly been a rich riparian habitat along the river, quickly became a barren wasteland.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Faced with starvation, wildlife indigenous to the river basin was forced to abandon the dieing habitat. By the mid fifties, the riverbed had succumbed to neglect. The dry river became home to a bevy of industry, land fills and quarries. The once glorious Salt River had reached rock bottom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then in 1966, a wonderful thing happened. Dean Elmore of the College of Architecture at Arizona State University came up with a wonderful, wonderful idea. Elmore and his students envisioned building a series of locks and channels along the dry riverbed. They proposed refilling the channels with water, building sections of park and greenbelt along the rivers neglected banks and rehabilitating the surrounding ecosystem. It was a grand and beautiful plan. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1987, after years of research and development, the Rio Salado project was finally put before valley voters. The surrounding valley communities resoundingly defeated the bill, but in Tempe, residents remained supportive. Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell agreed, announcing the town of Tempe was prepared to go it alone. It was the beginning of what would slowly develop into Tempe Town Lake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Eight rubber bladder dams, each 16 feet tall and 240 feet in length, were installed along the river, creating a 2-mile long lake with over 220-surface acres of water. Finally, on&lt;br /&gt;June 2, 1999, Water from the Central Arizona canal began flowing into the Tempe Town Lake. 43 days later, the lake was officially declared full.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ten years later, Tempe Town Lake has become the top attraction in the valley, with nearly three million people visiting the lake annually. It is the crowning achievement of a project over thirty years in the making. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each year, millions of people enjoy the lake. Some boat, while others choose to walk or jog along the miles of adjoining trails. Valley parents bring their family for an afternoon picnic. Some simply come to the lake to gaze at this beautiful oasis in the middle of the bustling city. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Rio Salado project may never be entirely completed, and perhaps that’s a good thing. Valley residents can expect the lake and the surrounding rehabilitated ecosystem to continually grow and improve with age. Downstream, mighty cottonwood trees once again adorn the riverbed and the indigenous wildlife, absent for nearly a hundred years, is slowly returning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Dec. 12, 2009, the town of Tempe will celebrate the tenth birthday of this extraordinary environmental achievement. The free birthday bash begins at 3 p.m., and will feature fireworks and a Festival of Lights Boat Parade, sponsored by Arizona Public Service.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/4110066323_0c4f3b1004_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-1594799397471214228</id><published>2009-11-15T09:36:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-15T09:47:18.416-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="a brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="James Lee Watt"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Orme Dam"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="phoenix history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="rio salado"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="rio verde"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="salt river"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Stewart Udall"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="verde river"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="victory days"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Yavapai Nation"/><title type='text'>Yavapai Nation to celebrate 28th annual Orme Dam Victory Days</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;On November 20th, 2009&lt;/span&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ftmcdowell.org/&quot;&gt;Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation&lt;/a&gt; northeast of Phoenix, Arizona will be hosting a big Pow Wow, celebrating the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ftmcdowell.org/communityevents/ormedam09/ormedamgeneralflyer09.html&quot;&gt;28th Annual Orme Dam Victory Days&lt;/a&gt;. This, however, is not your ordinary victory celebration. This party celebrates a “dam that never was”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Orme Dam Victory Days&lt;/span&gt;. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, and wondered what this celebration was all about? For the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, however, there is no doubt. Twenty-eight years ago, over half of the Yavapai Nation was nearly destroyed by a devastating flood. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fortunately for the Yavapai Nation, the flood was averted, when water did not back up behind Orme Dam, on account of the dam having not been constructed at the confluence of the Verde and Salt rivers east of Phoenix, as proposed by then U.S. Interior Secretary &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Udall&quot;&gt;Stewart Udall&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the story could have ended much differently. Had &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._Watt&quot;&gt;James G Watt&lt;/a&gt; never announced the decision to not build Orme Dam, the water would have eventually come. Today, much of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation would  be under several feet of water. 17,000 acres, much of it fertile farm land, would have been lost at the bottom of a lake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Needless to point out, but I shall anyway, this would not have had a positive impact on the Yavapai Nation. Who can blame them for wanting to throw a party every year, celebrating the fact that it didn’t happen. The Yavapai Nation was facing extinction. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The tribe fought hard to protect what land they had. Tribal members sold fry bread and occasionally cattle, to finance trips to Washington where they pleaded with officials to keep their land. After nearly ten years, the tribe finally persuaded the federal government to cancel the Orme Dam project.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So from November 20th, through November 22nd, the Yavapai Nation is celebrating.&lt;br /&gt;There will be a parade, an all Indian rodeo, a fry bread contest, a 5K walk &amp; run, and it’s all free and open to the general public. Oh, and did I mention the big Pow Pow?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Orme Dam Victory Days, held on the Fort McDowell reservation, is located about twenty-five miles northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, and can be reached by taking highway 87 north, from Phoenix toward Payson, or by taking Shea Blvd eastward past Fountain Hills, then north on highway 87. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  477. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/1594799397471214228/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=1594799397471214228' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/1594799397471214228'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/1594799397471214228'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/11/yavapai-nation-to-celebrate-28th-annual.html' title='Yavapai Nation to celebrate 28th annual Orme Dam Victory Days'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-4135005284152079967</id><published>2009-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-14T09:27:51.591-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="David Aaron Stone"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="film"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Gladiators"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Grand Canyon University"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Intrigue Films"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="movie"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="NBA"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="press conference"/><title type='text'>Valley film makers bringing positive message to the big screen</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Flashbulbs pop and the small crowd in attendance applauds feverishly&lt;/span&gt;, as the team owner proudly introduces his new star player to the home crowd and media. This is no press conference outing of the next seven foot star center for the NBA, however. This in fact, is a scene from a new independent movie being shot in the valley by Intrigue Films, based in Scottsdale.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/4102812177/&quot; title=&quot;Gladiators by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4102812177_91129bb2f3_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;175&quot; alt=&quot;Gladiators&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scene from &#39;The Gladiators&#39;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The press conference scene was actually being filmed in a back room at Grand Canyon University in west Phoenix, and the excitable crowd consisted of a couple dozen extras hired for the shoot. The movie, with the tentative working title ‘The Gladiators’ stars David Aaron Stone, and tracks the career ups and downs of a young athlete who encounters more than fame and fortune along the way. The tag line… ‘Finding God’s greater purpose in the midst of broken dreams’. Sound familiar?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gladiators, currently in production, is the first of many positive message movies slated for development by Intrigue films. Intrigue, who has partnered with Rising Sound Audio Production, also located in the valley, describes their movies as evocative, uplifting, and positive, with the stated goal of “Changing Culture Through Film”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In recent years, Phoenix has become a popular location for shooting feature films and television commercials, in part, due to the favorable climate and an ever growing infrastructure. The valley boasts a wide variety of scenic opportunities, from rugged desert terrain, to modern cityscapes. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In addition, the Arizona Department of Commerce has made available $60 million in transferable tax credits for feature films as an ongoing part of the Motion Picture Production Tax Incentives Program. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;David Aaron Stone, also Executive Producer for ‘Gladiators’ is upbeat about the film’s prospects, as well as the valley’s future in the film industry. Stone has a vision, and very soon, we can expect to see his vision playing out on a big screen near you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  511. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/4135005284152079967/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=4135005284152079967' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4135005284152079967'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4135005284152079967'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/11/valley-film-makers-bringing-positive.html' title='Valley film makers bringing positive message to the big screen'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4102812177_91129bb2f3_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-6697742895956948341</id><published>2009-11-13T10:26:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-13T10:34:59.463-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Fort McDowell Casino to host annual Fountain Hills Arts Festival</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The annual &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fountainhillschamber.com/Default.aspx?tabid=689&quot;&gt;Fountain Hills Festival of  Arts and Crafts&lt;/a&gt;, running Friday, November 13th, through Sunday, November 15th, is being hosted this year by the Fort McDowell Casino, east of Phoenix, and will feature arts and crafts exhibited by over five-hundred world class artists. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Organized by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fountainhillschamber.com/&quot;&gt;Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce&lt;/a&gt;, this unique cultural event is expected to draw nearly a quarter of a million visitors. In addition to arts and crafts, the festival will also feature performances by Mediterranean musicians Sahnas Brothers, and the Andean Nation, described as folk inspired.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Did I mention the food? Visitors to the festival can also expect to be greeted by a variety of  irresistible aromas. Enjoy exquisite southwestern cuisine in the breathtaking setting of  Fort McDowell, nestled among the McDowell Mountains . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fortmcdowellcasino.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fort McDowell Casino&lt;/a&gt;, the oldest in the state, is an ideal location to stage the annual festival, having recently introduced a new 246 room Radisson Fort McDowell Resort. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Located twenty-three miles northeast of Phoenix, &lt;a href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/11/uncovering-hardscrabble-history-of-fort.html&quot;&gt;Fort McDowell&lt;/a&gt; wasn&#39;t always the modern resort and gaming community it is today. Established September 7, 1865 along the western banks of the Rio Verde (Verde River), Fort McDowell began as a humble but vital military installation. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On April 10, 1890, the installation became the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, serving the Mohave, Apache, Yavapai, and Pima tribes. In all, over 25,000 acres were set aside for the reservation with additional land being granted in 1903.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fort McDowell Casino can be reached from Phoenix by taking highway 87 North, toward Payson, or by taking Shea Blvd eastward past Fountain Hills. Gas, lodging and other accommodations are available at the Radisson, and in Fountain Hills, only a few minutes drive by car. Festival hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival is free, as is parking. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  545. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/6697742895956948341/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=6697742895956948341' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6697742895956948341'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6697742895956948341'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-mcdowell-casino-to-host-annual.html' title='Fort McDowell Casino to host annual Fountain Hills Arts Festival'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-6404612167700246919</id><published>2009-11-12T19:08:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-13T10:25:27.434-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="a brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Camp McDowell"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fort McDowell casino"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fort McDowell Indian Reservation"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix"/><title type='text'>Uncovering the hardscrabble history of Fort McDowell, Arizona</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fort McDowell, located twenty-three miles northeast of Phoenix, wasn&#39;t always the modern resort and gaming community it is today.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Established September 7, 1865 along the western banks of the Rio Verde &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;(Verde River)&lt;/span&gt;, Fort McDowell began as a humble but vital military installation. Seven miles north of the confluence of the Rio Verde and Rio Salado, &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;(Salt River)&lt;/span&gt; Camp McDowell was built to protect new arrivals to the valley from the threat of indigenous residents, less than enthusiastic about their new neighbors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To the east, the majestic, silvery gray mountain range known as Four Peaks, dominates the horizon, rising to over seven thousand feet in elevation. This rough but beautiful terrain has long been home to a variety of indigenous peoples, including the Yavapai and the Tonto Apache.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When settlers began arriving from the east, many indigenous residents were forced onto reservations. Some, however, chose to seek refuge in the surrounding mountains rather than conform to the constraints of reservation life. Called renegades by many, these displaced people often traveled in small groups to avoid detection. Their mere presence caused fear and unrest for many a nervous settler, and thus the importance of establishing a military installation in the region.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally named Camp Verde, the meager fort was in close proximity to a number of trails important to the Apache of central Arizona, with the installation conducting numerous military exercises against the Tonto Apache and others. The fort was thought to be able to withstand an onslaught from these so called renegades&#39; but in fact, the structures failed to survive the heavy summer monsoon rains, washing away not long after being built. Upon completion of reconstruction, the new fort was renamed Camp McDowell, in honor of Major General Irwin McDowell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The camp&#39;s officers quarters consisted of a long line of low slung adobe structures, each with windows facing the parade grounds. Behind the buildings ran a long, narrow roadway, followed by yet another row of structures, these containing the kitchens and other necessary facilities. A handful of outbuildings, also adobe, were scattered throughout the complex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The summer heat at the camp was predictably intense and often unbearable. As a consequence, it was not unusual for the soldiers to sleep outside on the parade grounds. Even their beds were dragged outdoors. Although the soldiers found the desert sky breathtaking, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and other desert threats were always nearby, quietly waiting for an opportunity to slither up some hapless victims pant-leg. It was no secret such risk came with the territory.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On April 10, 1890, the installation became the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, serving the Mohave, Apache, Yavapai, and Pima tribes. In all, over 25,000 acres were set aside for the reservation with additional land being granted in 1903.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, the location is home to the Fort McDowell Casino along with six hundred or so full time reservation residents. Many of these residents work at, or are employed by the casino. Others however, prefer to live much as they&#39;re relatives might have lived years ago, before their land became a reservation. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There&#39;s not much left to see of the old camp, but the Fort McDowell Casino and Resort steadily draws thousands of visitors to this arid locale. The casino is the life-blood of this small community, but certainly not the heart and soul, which still reside within the proud traditions of these extraordinary people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.fortmcdowellcasino.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fort McDowell Casino&lt;/a&gt; can be reached from Phoenix by taking highway 87 North, toward Payson, or by taking Shea Blvd eastward past Fountain Hills. Gas, lodging and other accommodations are available on the reservation, and in nearby Fountain Hills, only a few minutes drive by car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  579. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/6404612167700246919/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=6404612167700246919' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6404612167700246919'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/6404612167700246919'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/11/uncovering-hardscrabble-history-of-fort.html' title='Uncovering the hardscrabble history of Fort McDowell, Arizona'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-7317335721055500499</id><published>2009-04-30T18:31:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-04-30T18:38:55.505-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="grand canyon"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Grand Canyon National Park"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="hiking arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ohio man critical"/><title type='text'>Man in Critical Condition After Falling at the Grand Canyon</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An Ohio man is in critical condition after falling more than sixty feet while hiking in the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to the National Park Service, the 47 year old man was hiking the Grandview Trail with friends when he lost his footing, falling over the edge of the massive, nearly 300 mile long canyon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/1128546009/&quot; title=&quot;Grand Canyon CT01 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/1128546009_9e603ea5d3_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;158&quot; alt=&quot;Grand Canyon CT01&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;View of the Grand Canyon &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The accident happened shortly after 3:00 p.m. The hiker, who remains in critical condition was airlifted out of the canyon, and taken to nearby Flagstaff Medical Center.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Accidents at the Grand Canyon are not uncommon. The canyon attracts thousands of visitors per year from around the world, some who are simply not prepared for the massive scope of the canyon. Every year, dozens of hikers are seriously injured or killed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The canyon is home to a bevy of wildlife, and countless recreational opportunities, including hiking, white-water rafting, bird watching, photography and pack mule excursions. Designated a national monument in 1908, and a national park in 1919, Grand Canyon National Park remains one of the oldest national parks in America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  613. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/7317335721055500499/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=7317335721055500499' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7317335721055500499'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7317335721055500499'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/04/man-in-critical-condition-after-falling.html' title='Man in Critical Condition After Falling at the Grand Canyon'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/1128546009_9e603ea5d3_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-9125164093991491496</id><published>2009-01-27T13:24:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-01-28T06:29:20.602-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona History"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hohokam"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mesa Grande"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pueblo indians"/><title type='text'>Ancient Canals Discovered in Heart of Mesa</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Anthropologists, with the assistance of satellite imagery, have discovered the remains of a series of ancient canals, located just south of the Salt River, near the very heart of downtown Mesa, Arizona.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The existence of the canal system, built in the Salt River valley centuries ago by the Hohokam, has long been known, but the extent of this most recent discovery has caught some experts by surprise. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jerry B. Howard, curator of anthropology at the Arizona Museum of Natural History is one of the experts involved in archaeological studies of the region being conducted before the city of Mesa can permit the area to be redeveloped. Planners had intended to build a massive water park on the property, but all bets are off as to whether that plan can still move forward.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/2796119215/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande 001 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2796119215_4a64c13d92_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande 001&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Through satellite imagery, sometimes we can actually see the canals, kind of a signature of them,&quot; states Howard. &quot;The soil in them is different than the other soil around them, more porous and moist.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The area, larger in scope than previously anticipated, is currently home to a golf course and a hospital, the two of which are separated by not surprisingly, the Mesa Grande Pueblo ruins.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These ruins, located near the heart downtown Mesa, were once occupied by the Hohokam Indians, responsible for constructing massive canal systems, still providing water to the Valley of the Sun, hundreds of years after the Hohokam mysteriously vanished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Hohokam inhabited the northern Sonora desert region known as the ‘Phoenix Basin’ for centuries before the arrival of the European explorers. They constructed extensive canals and irrigation networks, rivaling those of Ancient Egypt and China. These industrious peoples cultivated a variety of crops, including tobacco, cotton, beans, squash, maize and agave.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/2796118763/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande 002 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2796118763_25d7d4bbae_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;183&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande 002&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Bartlett, Arizona pioneer, was one of the early explorers of the region to document the ruins at Mesa Grande, writing the following about his experience:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;(July 4, 1852) ...A ride of a mile brought us to the table-land, when we made for a large mound or heap which arose from the plain. In crossing the bottom we passed many irrigating canals; and along the base of the plateau was one from twenty to twenty-five feet wide, and from four to five feet deep, formed by cutting down the bank—a very easy mode of construction, and which produced a canal much more substantial than if carried across the bottom&quot;. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/3231718235/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3231718235_dcf180b434_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;170&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;On reaching the great pile, I found it to be the remains of an adobe edifice from two hundred to two hundred and twenty-five feet in length, by from sixty to eighty feet wide, its sides facing the cardinal points. Portions of the wall were visible in only two places, one near the summit, at the south end, where, from the height of the pile, it must have originally been three or four stories high; and the other at the northern extremity, on the western side...From the summit of the principle heap, which is elevated from twenty to twenty-five feet above the plain, there may be seen in all directions similar heaps; and about a mile to the east, I noticed a long range of them running north and south, which the Indians said were of similar character to that on which we stood.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, little of the Mesa Grande Pueblo remains. A fence has been erected around the perimeter of the ruins, and not much can be seen from the roadway. Few residents in the neighborhood are even aware of the ruin’s existence. A sad state of affairs for a culture responsible for so much innovation. Without the canals, the valley would have remained uninhabitable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  647. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/9125164093991491496/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=9125164093991491496' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/9125164093991491496'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/9125164093991491496'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2009/01/ancient-canals-discovered-in-heart-of.html' title='Ancient Canals Discovered in Heart of Mesa'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2796119215_4a64c13d92_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-3269926482664156776</id><published>2008-12-28T06:02:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-28T06:09:11.302-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phil Gordon"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix Light Rail"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="trains"/><title type='text'>Phoenix Launches Light-Rail Service</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;After four years of construction, the city of Phoenix has finally begun operation of it’s long anticipated Light Rail service, connecting the central phoenix corridor and the east valley.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contrary to reports, however, all did not go quite as planned. Although trains were scheduled to arrive at each station every four to six minutes, some folks waited hours in line, as trains already packed with riders arrived every twenty-five minutes or so. Still, the weather was pleasant, and the throngs who came out for the days festivities left satisfied.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/3142523050/&quot; title=&quot;Light Rail by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3142523050_40b786923b_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;Light Rail&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Phoenix Metro Light-Rail Train&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For residents of the valley, this day has been long in coming. Construction of the project began back in 2004, and as is nearly always the case with projects of this magnitude, an array of problems, most notably with the track, delayed the launch date.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon certainly appeared pleased, and with good reason. Gordon, a light-rail advocate, was seeing his vision come to life. The mayor spent his morning riding the new trains and exuberantly shaking hands with riders.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The sleek new trains are quiet and energy efficient, providing a viable alternative for some valley commuters. Not all residents, however, will reap the potential benefits, as service is currently limited to approximately twenty miles of track. The service should have some impact on downtown traffic and airport congestion, but won’t do much to relieve the untenable snarl of vehicles suffocating the surrounding suburbs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Still, most everyone on hand was optimistic about the new service. Although this high tech new Metro Light-Rail system cannot be the solution to all of the valleys transportation woes, there is little doubt most residents minds. At least the city of Phoenix is finally on the right track.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  681. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/3269926482664156776/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=3269926482664156776' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3269926482664156776'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3269926482664156776'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2008/12/phoenix-launches-light-rail-service.html' title='Phoenix Launches Light-Rail Service'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/3142523050_40b786923b_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-3797799942865772641</id><published>2008-11-27T13:37:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-11-27T13:41:58.834-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="brad cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Obama"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Thanksgiving"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="turkey"/><title type='text'>Happy Thanksgiving</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With Thanksgiving upon us&lt;/span&gt;, America is facing crisis on a number of fronts. The troubled economy is first and foremost in the minds of most, but our problems go well beyond our current economic woes. Much like the children’s story about a certain Mr. Dumpty, our nation is experiencing fractures from the impact of a great fall, and we’ll need more than a new king and his henchmen to piece this thing back together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course, I mean no slight to the president elect. Obama has assembled an impressive team of respected minds to lead us out of this mire. Still, they will have many obstacles set before them in coming months. The situation is both dire, and ugly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On a lighter note…&lt;br /&gt;Here along the home front, the turkey is in the oven, and a fresh pot of coffee is on the way. Earlier this morning, the power was off for an hour or so, which wasn’t so bad, really. We all climbed out of bed, placed lit candles in strategic locations, and proceeded to heat water on our gas stove for the purpose of hot coco. As it turns out, hot coco by candlelight at six in the morning is a wonderful way to start thanksgiving day. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has been raining for hours, but the sun is beginning to poke through the clouds from time to time. At sixty-eight degrees, we are not discussing global warming today. It’s just too nice out… it wouldn’t seem right. It’s for weather like this, after all, that people move to Arizona in the first place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I haven’t been posting as often as I would like, but hopefully I’ll get a few more posts up in the coming days. There has been much to write about, but my attention has been elsewhere. I just wanted to take a few moments of my time, &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;(and perhaps a few minutes of yours)&lt;/span&gt; to count my blessing contemplate the future. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until next time, happy thanksgiving, and may your turkey &lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;(and your thoughts)&lt;/span&gt; be tasteful and tender.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Brad &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  715. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/3797799942865772641/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=3797799942865772641' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3797799942865772641'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/3797799942865772641'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving.html' title='Happy Thanksgiving'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-4119873092295774610</id><published>2008-08-31T18:38:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-31T19:36:33.826-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona History"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona mining history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Maricopa County"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="max delta mine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Phoenix"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="south mountain"/><title type='text'>The Mining History of South Mountain - Revisited</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;South Mountain&lt;/span&gt;, the vast mountain range south of central Phoenix boasts miles of trails, and boundless recreational opportunity, but its rugged interior wasn’t always ideal for a family outing. In fact, South Mountain has changed little since its hardscrabble days as the second largest gold producer in Maricopa County.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=TowersCT005-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/TowersCT005-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Towers at South Mountain&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nine miles from the heart of down town Phoenix, South Mountain Park serves as a backdrop for the growing, ever diverse, Valley of the Sun. At nearly seventeen thousand acres, it remains the largest municipal park in the US, and for many visitors, its rugged allure is difficult to resist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some come to South Mountain to test their hiking skills among the nearly 60 miles of scenic trails. Others visit to experience the magnificent view of the valley from atop Dobbins Point, 2330 feet above sea level. There is always a virtual plethora of wildlife and desert fauna to delight the eye, and limitless recreational possibilities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spectacular petroglyphs, located throughout the park, tell of long lost cultures that once inhabited the region, including the Hohokam, dating back to 300 AD. The Hohokam built over 130 miles of canals throughout the valley, diverting water from the nearby Salt River to irrigate crops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1867, Jack Swilling, with the help of others, established Salt River Project, repairing the ancient Hohokam canals and digging new ones, returning water to the dry valley floor. Soon, the valley sprang back to life. Darrell Duppa, an associate of Swilling suggested naming the fledgling city after the mythical Phoenix Bird, a splendid winged creature that arose from its own ashes. The name stuck, and the city of Phoenix was officially incorporated on Feb. 15, 1881.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=SouthMountainCulturalCenter-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/SouthMountainCulturalCenter-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;South Mountain Cultural Center&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By the late 1800’s however, it wasn’t just water attracting new residents to the valley. Mining was becoming big business in the Arizona territory. With statehood (and air conditioning) still years away, the main attraction within the rocky range south of Phoenix was gold! Claims for gold, silver, copper and other precious metals sprang up throughout the region. South Mountain was no exception.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By February of 1900, while William McKinley was beginning his ill-fated second term as US President, George and Nora McClarty were filing the earliest known claim within South Mountain, the Richmond, along the northern face of the range. Several more claims soon followed in the San Juan Valley southwest of Central Avenue, including the Maximillian and Delta claims. By 1909, these claims, collectively known as the Max Delta Mine, had produced over $30,000 in gold and thousands more in other precious metals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=PetroglyphsCT001-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/PetroglyphsCT001-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Petroglyphs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although the mines were never consistent, nor particularly profitable, they were numerous and remained productive for many years. By 1913, shafts had been dug to depths exceeding 500 feet, and ore was shipped by pack train, and then by wagon to an arrastre near the Gila River.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Conditions for the miners were miserable. There was no running water at the mines, and ice had to be hauled in from Phoenix. An unskilled laborer could expect to earn two dollars for a days’ effort. Experienced miners earned about double. A boarding camp was erected on sight, consisting of a few small structures and no real amenities of which to speak. Life was hard.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The mines’ shareholders seldom fared much better. The Max Delta changed hands often, with each new owner facing similar obstacles. In 1914, as the First World War erupted, many miners found fighting in the trenches of Europe preferable to digging for gold. For a time, the mines went silent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=SMLoneStar2008CT003-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/SMLoneStar2008CT003-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;South Mountain Park&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By the early 1920’s, residents of the valley were beginning to appreciate the recreational value of the rugged range south of Phoenix. In 1921, a group of prominent citizens led by Carl Hayden began a campaign to promote the mountain’s natural attributes. James C. Dobbins, Chairman of the Parks Committee for the city of Phoenix, convinced city commissioners of the need for preserving and protecting the land, and in June of 1924, the 68th Congress passed an act transferring ownership of the range from the federal government to the City of Phoenix for $1.25 per acre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mining did not cease in the park, however. Although the act of 1924 specifically stated the park was for recreational purposes, the federal government still held the mineral rights, which allowed for prospecting and removal of minerals from the park.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;During the 1930s, with depression gripping much of the nation, mining and prospecting returned to South Mountain with renewed interest. Indeed, the year 1935 proved to be the most productive for the mines. That year, the Max Delta was the fourth largest producer of gold in the US, and the second largest producer of gold in Maricopa County, yielding 1,423 ounces. The Vulture Mine, west of Wickenburg, produced the greatest quantity in the county, yielding 1,802 ounces of gold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=MaxDelta2008003-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/MaxDelta2008003-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Max Delta Mine&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mining continued at South Mountain, although sporadically, for many more years. Eventually, through a procession of lawsuits and legal challenges, the mines would close. Finally, in 1993, the City of Phoenix received the deeds to the remaining patented claims on the property, and set about rehabilitating the land.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/?action=view&amp;current=MaxDelta2008001-1.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/lazarusb/MaxDelta2008001-1.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; alt=&quot;B. Thomas Cooper&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Max Delta Mine&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of the old claims no longer present a threat to park visitors. The adits and entrances have long been bulldozed or dynamited, leaving little or no trace of the old mines. Ironically, much remains of the Max Delta. Its bulkhead and massive tailings are still quite visible from nearly any view along the San Juan Valley. The old road leading to the mine is no longer accessible, and visitors are discouraged from curiosity. Still, the remnants of the Max Delta Mine remain a reminder of a near forgotten era, when an outing to South Mountain was no family picnic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  749. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/4119873092295774610/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=4119873092295774610' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4119873092295774610'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4119873092295774610'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2008/08/mining-history-of-south-mountain.html' title='The Mining History of South Mountain - Revisited'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-4101563469409753068</id><published>2008-08-25T09:49:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-25T18:00:15.089-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="canals"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hohokam"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mesa"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mesa Grande"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pueblo indians"/><title type='text'>Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins&lt;/span&gt;, located in downtown Mesa, Arizona were once occupied by the Hohokam Indians, responsible for constructing massive canal systems, still providing water to the Valley of the Sun, hundreds of years after the Hohokam mysteriously vanished.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/2796119215/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande 001 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2796119215_4a64c13d92_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande 001&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mesa Grande Ruins&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Hohokam inhabited the northern Sonora desert region known as the ‘Phoenix Basin’ for centuries before the arrival of the European explorers. They constructed extensive canals and irrigation networks, rivaling those of Ancient Egypt and China. These industrious peoples cultivated a variety of crops, including tobacco, cotton, beans, squash, maize and agave.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;John Bartlett&lt;/span&gt;, Arizona pioneer, was one of the early explorers of the region to document the ruins at Mesa Grande, writing the following about his experience:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;(July 4, 1852) ...A ride of a mile brought us to the table-land, when we made for a large mound or heap which arose from the plain. In crossing the bottom we passed many irrigating canals; and along the base of the plateau was one from twenty to twenty-five feet wide, and from four to five feet deep, formed by cutting down the bank—a very easy mode of construction, and which produced a canal much more substantial than if carried across the bottom&quot;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/2796118763/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande 002 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2796118763_25d7d4bbae_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;183&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande 002&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-style:italic;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;On reaching the great pile, I found it to be the remains of an adobe edifice from two hundred to two hundred and twenty-five feet in length, by from sixty to eighty feet wide, its sides facing the cardinal points. Portions of the wall were visible in only two places, one near the summit, at the south end, where, from the height of the pile, it must have originally been three or four stories high; and the other at the northern extremity, on the western side...From the summit of the principle heap, which is elevated from twenty to twenty-five feet above the plain, there may be seen in all directions similar heaps; and about a mile to the east, I noticed a long range of them running north and south, which the Indians said were of similar character to that on which we stood.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/2796118499/&quot; title=&quot;Mesa Grande 003 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2796118499_1fa59b1239_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; alt=&quot;Mesa Grande 003&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, little of Mesa Grande remains. A fence has been erected around the perimeter of the ruins, and not much can be seen from the roadway. Few residents in the neighborhood are even aware of the ruin’s existence. A sad state of affairs for a culture responsible for so much innovation. Without the canals, the valley would have remained uninhabitable. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  783. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/4101563469409753068/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=4101563469409753068' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4101563469409753068'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/4101563469409753068'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2008/08/mesa-grande-pueblo-ruins.html' title='Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2796119215_4a64c13d92_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-7217267444507035382</id><published>2008-08-19T10:45:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-25T14:05:34.854-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Maya"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Mayan influence"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Popol Vuh"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pre-columbian"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sonora"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sonoran culture"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Xibalba"/><title type='text'>Mayan Influence on Sonoran Desert Culture</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight:bold;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Experts believe the Mayan Indians&lt;/span&gt; played an important roll in the cultural  advancement of the Sonora Desert region. The Mayas were among the most sophisticated peoples of the pre-Columbian era, credited with having developed written language as well as a complex and amazingly accurate calendar. Even before the discovery of metallurgy, the Maya were able to erect extraordinary structures using only stone and a simple form of mortar. The glory days of the Maya are gone now, but examples of their genius remain for us to appreciate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/542773213/&quot; title=&quot;Photo Sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/542773213_04af342f2e_m.jpg&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; height=&quot;147&quot; alt=&quot;Maya CT03&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mayan Calendar &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One such example of classic Maya genius is evident in their use of the Corbel Arch, a forerunner of the modern arch, and a huge engineering advancement for the period. Cut stones were arranged to form an upside-down ‘V’ shaped entryway, primarily supported by the weight (counter-weight) of the stones themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Maya were deeply spiritual, honoring their gods with extravagant works of art. Although the jungle has reclaimed much of what was once the Mayan empire, many examples of their culture remain. Because so many of these works were carved into solid stone, much of this artwork has survived the ravages of time, providing a glimpse into the daily lives of these amazing people. Recently, (Aug. 2008) a team of archaeologists uncovered a tunnel within a network of caves and sinkholes in central Mexico, leading to several previously unexplored Mayan buildings. According to translation from the ‘Popol Vuh‘, the sacred book of the Maya, this is the underground city of Xibalba, and represents one of the more important finds in Mayan history. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Mayan Florescent period was perhaps their most creative era, producing impressive sculpture, hieroglyphs, pottery and exquisite figurines. These objects were created using essentially Neolithic techniques, relying on stone tools, made from granite, quartzite, limestone, obsidian and flint. Stones were utilized for a variety of tools. Some were split and hafted to create chisels and axes. Other were used for grinding, scraping and drilling purposes. Even after the discovery of metallurgy, metal tools remained rare in Mayan culture for many years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mayan builders utilized plumb lines, levels and other methods for squaring their structures, allowing for the construction of impressive temples, (Teocalli, or &#39;God House&#39;) and pyramids, many which still stand. A form of limestone based plaster was often applied to the exterior of buildings, creating a beautiful, white façade. Unfortunately, this process required burning excessive amounts of timber, resulting in deforestation, leading to a plethora of problems for the indigenous people, and perhaps contributing to their eventual downfall. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indeed, the Mayans were an industrious people, and their contributions numerous. Although, as a society of peoples, they have vanished from existence, their legacy remains.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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  817. &lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/feeds/7217267444507035382/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=28897402&amp;postID=7217267444507035382' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7217267444507035382'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28897402/posts/default/7217267444507035382'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/2008/08/mayan-influence-on-sonoran-desert.html' title='Mayan Influence on Sonoran Desert Culture'/><author><name>B. Thomas Cooper</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16377145859288646556</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='32' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ozUIAIGskEM/ScAXoSzSkrI/AAAAAAAAADs/IT6A0J4QZCA/S220/B.+Thomas+Cooper+02.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/542773213_04af342f2e_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28897402.post-5041899835711144779</id><published>2008-03-17T09:23:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-03-17T09:29:05.386-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arizon"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="arizona vacation"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="B. Thomas Cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destination arizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="destinationarizona"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="hotel reservations"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="motels"/><title type='text'>Vacationing in Arizona - Choosing the Right Hotel</title><content type='html'>&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B. Thomas Cooper&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Editor&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;vacationing in Arizona&lt;/span&gt;, choosing a hotel can sometimes be as simple as getting off the at the next exit and pulling into the first hotel sporting a vacancy sign. Unfortunately, life is seldom that simple.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No matter where you &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;travel in Arizona, accommodations&lt;/span&gt; needn’t be expensive, nor confounding. There are usually a variety of &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;hotels&lt;/span&gt; available, designed to satisfy a variety of needs. Will you require a smoking room? Do you wish to be near a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;campground&lt;/span&gt;, a specific &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;park&lt;/span&gt; or &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;museum&lt;/span&gt;?  Do you need quick access to the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;airport&lt;/span&gt; or &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;shuttle service&lt;/span&gt;? These are all considerations when &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;booking a hotel&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/1989656014/&quot; title=&quot;Starlite SCT001 by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/1989656014_adae64d9fb_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Starlite SCT001&quot; height=&quot;166&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Arizona desert&lt;/span&gt; is breathtaking at &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;sunrise&lt;/span&gt;, so I prefer to do as much of my writing in the early hours as possible.  Still, for myself at least, sustainable inspiration requires conspicuous quantities of strong coffee. As such, freshly brewed &lt;a title=&quot;Free Java Download&quot; href=&quot;http://www.java.com/en/&quot;&gt;java&lt;/a&gt; is a prerequisite. Obviously, if I am on deadline to submit an article, I will also need a &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;high speed internet connection&lt;/span&gt;, usually available, but be sure to ask. Life is full of surprises.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course, there are other considerations.  &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Accommodations&lt;/span&gt; for the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;handicapped&lt;/span&gt;, for instance. Will you require a downstairs room? Does the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;hotel&lt;/span&gt; have elevators or &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;wheel chair access&lt;/span&gt;? How &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;convenient&lt;/span&gt; is the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;parking&lt;/span&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/73436758@N00/1908485206/&quot; title=&quot;Buckhorn Motel Sign by Bradley Cooper, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2403/1908485206_ffa41623db_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Buckhorn Motel Sign&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; width=&quot;240&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No two situations are ever quite alike. It is important to take a few minutes and consider all the possibilities. There are numerous organizations willing to assist you with your &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;Arizona travel&lt;/span&gt; and &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;lodging needs&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As for my afore-mentioned &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;ritual coffee fix&lt;/span&gt;, my wife and I have procured a rather sturdy little &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;coffee-maker&lt;/span&gt; strictly for the &lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;road brew&lt;/span&gt;, and we never leave home without it. The road is often longer than my patience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Destination Arizona&quot; href=&quot;http://destinationarizona.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Destination Arizona&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;blogger-post-footer&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://feeds.feedburner.com/DestinationArizona&quot; title=&quot;Subscribe to my feed, Destination Arizona&quot; rel=&quot;alternate&quot; type=&quot;application/rss+xml&quot;&gt;Subscribe to Destination Arizona&lt;/a&gt;
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