The Sinagua Sunwatchers

The Sinagua Sunwatchers

When Kenneth J. Zoll and his wife Nancy retired to Sedona, Arizona, in 2004, Ken had never heard of “archaeoastronomy.” After all, he had spent 35 years working in federal offices, ending up as the chief technology and information officer for the Railroad Retirement...
The Road to Mangas

The Road to Mangas

The dirt road to Mangas almost loses itself amid low hills as it winds through the windswept plains of New Mexico’s high desert. It isn’t a drive for the faint of heart. Or the directionally challenged. Just when getting lost in this time-forgotten patch of nowhere...
Staycations & Vacations

Staycations & Vacations

This past winter, when I finally made my way to Mystery Castle at 800 E. Mineral Road in Phoenix, Arizona, I was glad to hear I was not the only slacker among my friends in the tour group. “I am so happy to finally visit this landmark that I’ve been wanting to see for...
What’s in a Name

What’s in a Name

GENE AUTRY If not for his job as a telegrapher at the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, Gene Autry may not have become famous as the Singing Cowboy.  By chance, he met Will Rogers in 1928, when he wired a newspaper column back East for the humorist. Autry often...
Finding Inspiration in the Clouds

Finding Inspiration in the Clouds

His family had no air conditioning, so as a youngster, Ed Mell escaped the summer heat of Phoenix by visiting his grandfather at a cabin, built in 1931, near Prescott, Arizona. The property was a retreat. For most of the last two decades, a home Mell had built on...