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Nealz's post made me curious...and as I'm always looking for good books...whatcha guys reading these days?

This summer I read Bill Beer's book We Swam the Grand Canyon
which was interesting to say the least...

Currently reading a book by Tim Moore called French Revolutions
this guy, who hasn't ridden a bicycle in years, decides he wants to ride the route that the Tour de France riders would be following that year (2001)...hilarity ensues...its a Brittish book, so some jargon is hard to follow, but otherwise, anyone who rides would enjoy it...talking to you Glen.

Since we're talking reading, and things Arizona, here's one:

The Lazy B by Sandra Day O'Connor

Arizona's very own Justice describes being brought up on a ranch which has been in her family for over a 100 years, and straddled the Arizona and New Mexico border.

I use the past tense straddled, because after successfully ranching for three generations, they finally had to sell the ranch (last chapter) because of the efforts of environmentalist whackos (my words) and the ever stiffling beaurocracy of the BLM. As she says...in the 80's there were two BLM officials covering a huge expanse of area, and when they sold in the 90's, there were 115 beaurocrats telling them how to run their business. The environmentalist of course had (still have) the agenda to stop all grazing on all BLM land. None of the envoronmentalists ever set foot on grazing land, or ever did any ranching, but they had the money, the politicians, the PACs, and the political clout. They won in the end.

Nevertheless, despite the sad ending to a way of life, it is an interesting description of the cowboy and ranching life in Arizona by somebody who was there, and lived through that era.

A good summer read.

I saw a comment by GTG about Senner's Gold. Bought the book and just finished reading it. It's a great story!

I FINALLY read "Crooked Mountain" by Ron Feldman, local Superstition expert. Even though it is a "fictional" story, it portrays many truths and facts about the Supers as well. It is well written and I loved it. This is a must read for anyone who spends alot of time hiking the Supers and studying the history. I bought my copy at the Superstition Mountain Musuem at the Goldfield ghost town..it was also signed by Feldman!
SJ

OK AZ--My grandparents were Joe and Viola--my mom is Emma Jean. We have a new Emma who just turned two--she is my sister's grandbaby. We have a new Mary Elizabeth too--she is my granddaughter.

What was the name of the book you had me read last year? I loaned it to my daughter and she never returned it--it was good and I am sure since there are so many readers here that others would like it.

Thanks MaryPhyl, I found the lineage all the way to your mother in the Babbitt family tree. Great stuff. There is a picture of your grandfather Joe Babbitt in military uniform in 1918.

The book is entitled "Cities of Gold", by Douglas Preston, wherein he relates how he and another companion retraced Coronado's travels in Arizona and New Mexico. It is a story of their adventures on horeseback following the probable trail which they researched, mixed with history about Coronado who in 1540 entered Arizona in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola, and in the process was the first European to discover Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, all the way to Kansas. Some 80 years before Plymouth Rock, before Shakespeare was even born, the Spanish were already exploring the Southwest.

It is a gripping travelogue, so much so, that I purchased maps so that I could follow Douglas Preston and his companion as they tried to trace the probable Coronado Trail on horsback through some very rugged terrain, and in the attempt, had some very dangerous adventures themselves.

I highly recommend the book.

Sande J wrote:I bought my copy at the Superstition Mountain Musuem at the Goldfield ghost town..it was also signed by Feldman!

that's where I got my copy as well; interesting read with a big surprise at the end :!: