The Winslow mail., 1925-07-17
A Trip to The Rim
By CHARLES G.. FANCHER.
Especially for The Mail.)

d SldD Ol UdCOn, oOluS Idlu IaCh,
coffee and big pone of "cracklin'
bread. filled the gas tank and our
water canteen and, with Ted
a-yelpin' on the running board, we
lie out for the high places.
We were bound for the rim of
Tonto Basin, and we. went via Sun
set Pass, stopping on the brink of
Jacks Canyon, where we made
camp, about thirty-five miles out.
Early the next morning, after
breakfast of cottontail, we de-
scended into the canyon to explore
some cliff dwellings we had locat-
ed on former pilgrimage.
High up in the walls we climbed,
and squeezed through a small
opening in the cliff, after exploring
with our flashlights series of
rooms all connected one. with an
other, we found a heavy corn
grinding stone which we brought
back with US. There were many
pieces of broken pottery, but we
had no tools to dig with, so found
nothing else of value.
These dwellings showed no evil
dence of having been entered since
their former occupants left, when
ever that was. The floors were
dry and dusty, the walls black
with the smoke of their fires. Upon
emerging from this series Of
rooms we came upon most beau
tiful piece of prehistoric masonry,
and judging from its size, it must
have been made and used by some
very small people. 1t was built
of flat stones laid in a mud-like
mortar plastered by hand, for the
marks of the fingers and hands
were plainly visible.
This structure was about five
feet in diameter and four feet high,
and completely walled in except
for an opening about ten inches
square, with a shelf like a tiny box
office.
This building was entirely hid
den from sight from above or be-
low and was so situated as to he
invisible from across the canyon.
It was entirely empty. From its
appearance we have always re-
ferred to it as "the little ticket Of
flee"
Climbing out of the canyon we
stopped long enough to photograph
a mountain boomer who posed
beautifully with his head up and
mouth wide open. He was a
bright green lizard, and as he is
harmless we let him put his bluff
over and climbed to the cap rock,
where we interrupted the mean
dering of the granddaddy of all
porcupines. We pOked him with a
rifle barrel, but he looked so pa
tient and bored that we left hlm
to his peace and solitude, DuSlly
climbing an old cedar.
Thence on through Long Valley,
a beautiful place fifty-six miles
from Winslow, from whence we
got quickly into the big pines IN
the Coconino National forest. This
country is beautiful, rugged ana
wild. and so sparsely settled that
in a days ride over trail marked
only by the blazed pines, we saw
but two people, both United STATES
forest rangers, one of whose homes
we visited, buried almost from
sight in the depths of a wilderness
of huge pines, some OF them tour
or five feet in diameter ana zoO
feet high, through the tops OF
which old Dame Nature sang to us
that no human orchestra could du-
plicate.
Thicker and thicker grew the
pines. and now and then a clump OF
ghost-like aspens stood to TESTIFY
the presence of water, and strange
and beautiful wild flowers spread
their fairy-like forms and danced
and nodded in the gloom of natures S
great cathedral for our sole beneflt.
The day is waning, so we look
for a camp. Here we are-an ola
deserted log cabin in ruins and
close beside a spring OF clear colo
water. Our speedometer tells us
we are lightweight miles from
home. in the heart of the biggest
tract of virgin timber of one kind
in the world.
we nave OuA
corn none and black coffee-s1m
ple. sufficient. We unrol our bed
shove our guns under our blan-
kets and smoke in silence. we are
happy. We are savages again.
Just before daylight we awaken
Something is wrong. We listen
an owl boots mournfully. the coy
o4oc C,,6danlv cease their eternal
racket as long, bloodth1rsty
screech rends the air.
grip my old $500. what in
hell is that?'' / ask.
THAT" said Riley, 'is noun
tain lion" q think he shivered
too, when he said it.)
Boy! Could 1 only have gotter
a crack at him! But I never ever
saw him.
After breakfast of pine squirrel;
and they "wuz tuff' fear
fully strong coffee, we could have
licked that old lion bare knuck's
We again struck the trail, 1t get
ting rougher every foot.
Suddenly Riley whispered:
There is a deer"
We stopped the car and, not
hundred feet ahead, stood three
does watching us. Suddenly the.
bounded away and we wished 10
of things about game laws.
--G--.