Iceland is grabbing headlines for all the volcanic activity now shaping its landscape. Here’s a surprise for many – the same processes also made Arizona what it is.
superstition mountains
Feds Closing Dacite Cliffs Mine in Superstitions
The Superstition Mountains over on the east side of Phoenix is one of the most scenic and historic places near the city. And it’s still riddled with mine shafts and tunnels (not the same thing – shafts, or adits, are horizontal and shafts are vertical). One of the most-visited is Carney’s Mine in the Dacite Cliffs. It’s also sometimes called the Dacite Cliffs Mine.
Call it what you want – by any name, it’s a solid tunnel offering little danger aside from the overwhelming smell of bat guano. It’s bored into solid volcanic rock, and it’s a cool link to Arizona’s wild mining past. But the federal government has decided to bar it to further visitors. The reasons given?
1. Achieve visitor management in such a manner that preserves the wilderness character of the area, whatever the hell that means. I’m assuming the feds think putting metal bars on a mine shaft matches wilderness character, unlike rock climbers putting much-less obvious climbing bolts in the rock. Go figure.
2. Reduce risk of exposure to rabies, undetonated explosives (I call BS on this – clearing that mine of any undetonated explosives would be faster and cheaper than using metals bars to block the way), carbon monoxide poisoning (again, easier to check for the gas) and keeping people from bugging the bats, as if they’re endangered or something.
Closing tunnels is such a knee-jerk reaction. Shafts can truly be dangerous, and sometimes tunnels contain shafts. But still, why not evaluate them on a case-by-case basis and [...]
Why I Hate the P.F. Chang’s Rock & Roll Marathon
If there’s any one marathon in Phoenix that people know about, it’s the bloated corporate monster that is the P.F. Chang’s Rock & Roll Marathon, which is coming up in a few weeks. So, why do I, the normally laid-back Wandering Justin, shoot flames from my eyes at every mention of it? (And you should see my wife every time someone asks if she’s running the Rock & Roll Marathon … the offending person usually gets in earful from her very similar to what you’re about to read)
Here’s why:
4. The course is incredibly dull and ugly, meandering through some of the most unscenic parts of the Phoenix concrete jungle. There are decent bits, but overall it’s uninspiring as all get-out, running near a freeway for a good distance before turning onto the charmless Van Buren Avenue before heading to the finish in Tempe. Ugh.
3. I love rock & roll. Love it enough that I devote a lot of time to playing the guitar and writing songs. But this event just doesn’t draw good bands. I suspect that’s because it’s way too early for the rocker lifestyle. What can the event organizers do to get better bands? Embrace the fact the rock should be loud and edgy, and that a good band just might make the event a little less family-friendly.
2. There’s a freakin’ huge number of people in this thing. That makes parking a nightmare. Running a full marathon is tough enough. Who wants to add logistical headaches to it? [...]
Wounded at Picket Post Mountain
Well, I managed to get my right hand all banged up while trying to climb Picket Post Mountain. I’ll save the details for when my hand is in better typing shape. Until then, here are a few photos of Sarah, the notorious Stash Kovac and me tackling Picket Post Mountain near Superior, Ariz., on the coldest day of the year so far.
