Greetings on this Merry Christmas Day! Happy Holiday wishes to one and all. May your stockings be filled with glorious gifts all year long.
We posting up here today to talk about one stocking that filled with a lump of coal--The Salt River Stocking.
The Salt River stretch from the Highway 60 bridge down to Roosevelt Lake is Arizona's premier whitewater run. Since it flows early in the year, people come from all over America to enjoy its mystique and Sonora Desert charm. Back in the Really Old Days there was no permit required except for a token payment to the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
My, my how things have changed. Permits have been required ever since some dork blew up Quartzite Falls and prices have increased steadily over the years. This year, the price of a Salt River permit went into the stratosphere. It's now $125!!!!! But wait, that's not all--there's another $10 fee to apply online. The old form of a mailed application is no longer accepted. Plus, you have to pay $20 for an inflated Indian permit, too, and that is PER PERSON. All those going on the Wilderness trip are REQUIRED to spend $40 per person--that's a permit for two days. Here's how the cost for a 10 person trip would calculate: $135 for Forest Service Permit ($13.50 per person) and $40 for Apache permit for a total of $53.50 per person or $535 in permit fees for the trip!!!!!! That's before the cost of the shuttle. WOW! That's simply amazing.
OK, here are the links:
Forest Service permit page
Online application page
Indian Permit Discussion Page
Indian Permit Cost Page
All we can say is--Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! Cheers, jp
Observations, comments and maybe even some news about Ol' Airy Zonie.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Tip O' the hat to Tap, Gaby, Marie & Steve
The December 3rd Camp Verde Bugle dishes up a real story for the ages today entitled, "Heaven-sent: Camp Verde man's kindness opens a lifetime of adventure." Reporter Ayers pens a classic feature tale about a classic Camp Verde icon's role in an informal 1963 wilderness rescue of two teenage girls. It's a heartwarming story guaranteed to bring a glow to the spirit of anyone who knows Tap Parsons. As I read Steve's fine story I almost felt like I was watching either "It's a Wonderful Life" or The Andy Griffith Show.
Tap and I go "way back," as they say, easily more than 25 years. He was always one of my "best buds" in clannish ol' Camp Verde. Somehow, we always felt we were related in some distant genealogical way. Photos of Tap's Dad and Grand Dad looked almost identical to pictures of my Dad and Grand Dad. Neither one of us had time or inclination to research our respective family trees to prove a genetic connection. After a few years, we both just assumed we were somehow related and left it at that. Even though I was labeled an environmentalist, Tap liked me. And even though Tap was The King of The Good Ol' Boys, I liked him. Tap ran Pack Saddle Liquors so our paths crossed often. Tap cared about the Verde River a whole lot more than anybody knew. We had a lot in common and it was always a pleasure to enjoy Tap's gentlemanly hospitality.
Imagine my delight and surprise this morning when I came upon Steve's story in the online edition of the Bugle. Steve's well written words sure brought a lump to my throat and put a mist in my eyes. Obviously, the story existed in its own right. However, no one would have ever known about this story if Steve hadn't stepped into the soup to craft a classic. Stories exist but they don't really become REAL stories until someone takes time to tell them. Thank You, Steve, you played just as vital a role in this story as the protagonists did themselves. Pat yourself on the back and pin yer another gold star on your Life Chart today! YA DUN GOOD!
Click here for the story as it appears in the Camp Verde Bugle.
If the newspaper link fails to function, click here for an archived PDF of the story that we've put up for posterity on our Google Doc's account.
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