| Cruisin' the Past |
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| Cruisin’ the Past by Ed Dooley |
Parties, Outings, and Road Trips
You know the old saying: “Any excuse for a party!” After classes, athletic practices,
homework, part-time jobs, and all the other duties and demands of daily life were
completed, that old saying pretty well governed how many of us spent our free time
during our high school days at CHS. And because Tucson offered a climate that
approximated “endless summer,” the good times seemed to roll on and on.
In addition to the social activities – hops, mixers, formal dances – sponsored by
Catalina High School, classmates often opened their homes, and their back-yard
pools, for after-school, after-game, and weekend parties. Some of these events
even made it into the local newspapers, thanks to our high school correspondents.
In one instance, it was reported, “What could be a better way to end the weekend
than with a swimming party at Janie Mills’ home? The cool air didn’t stop Brenda
Morris, Judy Allen and Tom Kenan from a dip in the pool, while Charlie Fowler, Dick
Martin and Steve Miles ‘really rocked’ on the bongos and guitar.” Parties almost
always meant music, and for us the music was usually “live” thanks to the talented
musicians in our class. For instance, “Friday night,” one newspaper column
reported, “Sarah Tunnell entertained a number of seniors and their dates at a party.
Bob Jacobs, Darlene Hansen, Barbara Berger, Rick Parrish and John Goodwin
were only a few who joined in singing as Don Fones and Dan Breck strummed many
choruses of ‘At the Hop’ on their guitars.” At other parties, we were treated to
singing by Don Hawk, and drum-playing contests between John Holmes, Stewart
McClellan, and Ken Mayer. Sometimes these events could not be classified as
parties but simply as impromptu “get-togethers,” as when groups dropped in at
Linda Simanton’s, Gerry La Belle’s, Dick Martin’s, or Sharon Hartje’s. But Tucson,
except in the scorching heat of a mid-summer day, is not for staying indoors, and
whenever possible we headed beyond the city limits for outings and road trips.
When the weather was especially inviting, on weekends and during the early
summer, we often headed to the foothills and mountains. One popular location, on
very special occasions, was Saddleback Ranch, where swimming and hiking were
followed by barbecue dinners, more swimming, and viewing Tucson at night from the
rooftop. Further out of town were Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon, Redington Pass,
Tanque Verde Falls, and Seven Falls. For the more adventurous, a trip to the Mount
Lemmon Lodge (now gone), offered a cool and refreshing break from the desert
heat. Its log interior looked like what a mountain lodge should look like, and in its
pine-paneled dining room one could have a great lunch or dinner in the brisk
mountain air. For an alternate route back to town, one could take the Control Road,
a rock strewn dirt road that wound down the back of Mount Lemmon to Oracle, but
you didn’t want to meet someone coming up the road because there was no way to
pass! The main road to town, though paved, was almost as exciting as the Control
Road. In those days, it was narrow, winding, and there were very few guard rails
between the road and the steep drop-offs. To young drivers, this route provided
plenty of thrills.
To the east of Tucson was Texas Canyon, a favorite picnic spot for Tucsonans, but a
bit too far away. Thirty-five miles south of Tucson, on the Nogales Highway, was
Kinsley’s, a restaurant where one could enjoy the world’s best hamburgers, made – I
suppose – from beef from Ortho Kinsley’s ranch. Across the road was a large
artificial fish pond that is now just a dry depression in the desert. To the west of
Kinsely’s was a rough cattle track leading to Arivaca and, ultimately, to Sasabe, but
if one drove there a person had to take supplies along because the only gas
available was at Arivaca, and it was dispensed at a single, old-fashioned, hand-
operated pump in front of a general store that looked like it had been built during
frontier days. To the south of Kinsley’s, down a “highway” so littered with beer cans
on either side that the road glimmered when seen from the air, was Nogales, but that
is a story for another time.
Seven Falls, in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast on Tanque Verde Road
(then mostly a dirt road, not just in the vicinity of the Tanque Verde Falls) or a couple
of miles by foot up the Bear Canyon Trail, was a popular location because of a
mountain stream that spills over a series of scenic falls and into cool pools. Some
of these pools were large enough and deep enough for swimming. They also invited
the occasional “tossing-in” of unsuspecting individuals (the signature on my Social
Security card has been permanently blurred since I was thrown into one of these
pools, clothes, wallet, and all!). Seven Falls was a favorite, but more convenient and
accessible was Sabino Canyon, which in those days was not closed to automobile
traffic. Although the road leading into the canyon was narrow, on weekends dozens
of cars managed to negotiate it and drivers parked precariously along the edges of
the pavement. The advantage of Sabino, in addition to its proximity to town (and a
possible stop at Uffner’s Hoffbrau on Sabino Canyon Road), was the partial shade
provided by cottonwood trees and the good supply of picnic tables and grills in the
canyon. For the truly adventurous, there was a foot trail from Lower Sabino Canyon
to Mount Lemmon, but I don’t recall anyone I knew ever trying it.
To the west of town were a number of popular tourist attractions which we visited
from time to time. “A” Mountain, Old Tucson, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum,
and San Xavier del Bac were among these attractions. Back then, the Desert
Museum was only about four or five years old and still being developed, and Old
Tucson, still a TV and movie set, was not yet quite the theme park that it later
became, before it burned down. The main attraction for us in that area of town, if
there was one, was the hair-raising road over the Tucson Mountains through Gates
Pass. The road then was narrow and unpaved, and it contained hairpin, switchback
turns and no guard rails. Many were the stories of automobiles having left the road
and plunged into the ravine far below. The road, safely driven, and the desert roads
beyond made possible enjoyable afternoon rides into what was then practically
unspoiled desert. Another ride, much tamer but still great fun, was the loop around
Saguaro National Park. This protected area to the east of Tucson was far from any
developments, and from there a dirt road, The Old Spanish Trail, led to Colossal
Cave, Pantano, and Vail. Beyond those locations we rarely went: to us, Tombstone
and Bisbee, not the quaint tourist destinations of today, represented another world
altogether.
To the south of Tucson, in the Santa Rita Mountains, a narrow dirt road led up into
Madera Canyon and to a small restaurant, in the middle of nowhere, where the
traveler was rewarded with a delicious lunch in the coolness of the canyon. It was a
great place to take a date on weekends.
If one had a car and a little pocket money – gas cost around twenty-nine cents a
gallon (sometimes much lower if there was a “gas war” on) – outings and road trips
were quite affordable in those days, especially when a gang of teenagers piled into
one car. And considering the size of automobiles back then (mine was a cavernous
1947 Desoto coupe that could not exceed 55 mph, even downhill), a lot of people
could fit into one car. The picnics were always simple: prepared sandwiches from
home or hot dogs cooked over an open fire, potato chips, and cokes. The real treat
was to put a watermelon in a cold stream for an hour or two and then cut it into slices
and eat it while seeing how far we could spit the seeds. Often there was no food at
all: just an outing to enjoy the company and the desert under a bright blue Arizona
desert sky.
Those were special days: our days in the sun.
You know the old saying: “Any excuse for a party!” After classes, athletic practices,
homework, part-time jobs, and all the other duties and demands of daily life were
completed, that old saying pretty well governed how many of us spent our free time
during our high school days at CHS. And because Tucson offered a climate that
approximated “endless summer,” the good times seemed to roll on and on.
In addition to the social activities – hops, mixers, formal dances – sponsored by
Catalina High School, classmates often opened their homes, and their back-yard
pools, for after-school, after-game, and weekend parties. Some of these events
even made it into the local newspapers, thanks to our high school correspondents.
In one instance, it was reported, “What could be a better way to end the weekend
than with a swimming party at Janie Mills’ home? The cool air didn’t stop Brenda
Morris, Judy Allen and Tom Kenan from a dip in the pool, while Charlie Fowler, Dick
Martin and Steve Miles ‘really rocked’ on the bongos and guitar.” Parties almost
always meant music, and for us the music was usually “live” thanks to the talented
musicians in our class. For instance, “Friday night,” one newspaper column
reported, “Sarah Tunnell entertained a number of seniors and their dates at a party.
Bob Jacobs, Darlene Hansen, Barbara Berger, Rick Parrish and John Goodwin
were only a few who joined in singing as Don Fones and Dan Breck strummed many
choruses of ‘At the Hop’ on their guitars.” At other parties, we were treated to
singing by Don Hawk, and drum-playing contests between John Holmes, Stewart
McClellan, and Ken Mayer. Sometimes these events could not be classified as
parties but simply as impromptu “get-togethers,” as when groups dropped in at
Linda Simanton’s, Gerry La Belle’s, Dick Martin’s, or Sharon Hartje’s. But Tucson,
except in the scorching heat of a mid-summer day, is not for staying indoors, and
whenever possible we headed beyond the city limits for outings and road trips.
When the weather was especially inviting, on weekends and during the early
summer, we often headed to the foothills and mountains. One popular location, on
very special occasions, was Saddleback Ranch, where swimming and hiking were
followed by barbecue dinners, more swimming, and viewing Tucson at night from the
rooftop. Further out of town were Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon, Redington Pass,
Tanque Verde Falls, and Seven Falls. For the more adventurous, a trip to the Mount
Lemmon Lodge (now gone), offered a cool and refreshing break from the desert
heat. Its log interior looked like what a mountain lodge should look like, and in its
pine-paneled dining room one could have a great lunch or dinner in the brisk
mountain air. For an alternate route back to town, one could take the Control Road,
a rock strewn dirt road that wound down the back of Mount Lemmon to Oracle, but
you didn’t want to meet someone coming up the road because there was no way to
pass! The main road to town, though paved, was almost as exciting as the Control
Road. In those days, it was narrow, winding, and there were very few guard rails
between the road and the steep drop-offs. To young drivers, this route provided
plenty of thrills.
To the east of Tucson was Texas Canyon, a favorite picnic spot for Tucsonans, but a
bit too far away. Thirty-five miles south of Tucson, on the Nogales Highway, was
Kinsley’s, a restaurant where one could enjoy the world’s best hamburgers, made – I
suppose – from beef from Ortho Kinsley’s ranch. Across the road was a large
artificial fish pond that is now just a dry depression in the desert. To the west of
Kinsely’s was a rough cattle track leading to Arivaca and, ultimately, to Sasabe, but
if one drove there a person had to take supplies along because the only gas
available was at Arivaca, and it was dispensed at a single, old-fashioned, hand-
operated pump in front of a general store that looked like it had been built during
frontier days. To the south of Kinsley’s, down a “highway” so littered with beer cans
on either side that the road glimmered when seen from the air, was Nogales, but that
is a story for another time.
Seven Falls, in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast on Tanque Verde Road
(then mostly a dirt road, not just in the vicinity of the Tanque Verde Falls) or a couple
of miles by foot up the Bear Canyon Trail, was a popular location because of a
mountain stream that spills over a series of scenic falls and into cool pools. Some
of these pools were large enough and deep enough for swimming. They also invited
the occasional “tossing-in” of unsuspecting individuals (the signature on my Social
Security card has been permanently blurred since I was thrown into one of these
pools, clothes, wallet, and all!). Seven Falls was a favorite, but more convenient and
accessible was Sabino Canyon, which in those days was not closed to automobile
traffic. Although the road leading into the canyon was narrow, on weekends dozens
of cars managed to negotiate it and drivers parked precariously along the edges of
the pavement. The advantage of Sabino, in addition to its proximity to town (and a
possible stop at Uffner’s Hoffbrau on Sabino Canyon Road), was the partial shade
provided by cottonwood trees and the good supply of picnic tables and grills in the
canyon. For the truly adventurous, there was a foot trail from Lower Sabino Canyon
to Mount Lemmon, but I don’t recall anyone I knew ever trying it.
To the west of town were a number of popular tourist attractions which we visited
from time to time. “A” Mountain, Old Tucson, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum,
and San Xavier del Bac were among these attractions. Back then, the Desert
Museum was only about four or five years old and still being developed, and Old
Tucson, still a TV and movie set, was not yet quite the theme park that it later
became, before it burned down. The main attraction for us in that area of town, if
there was one, was the hair-raising road over the Tucson Mountains through Gates
Pass. The road then was narrow and unpaved, and it contained hairpin, switchback
turns and no guard rails. Many were the stories of automobiles having left the road
and plunged into the ravine far below. The road, safely driven, and the desert roads
beyond made possible enjoyable afternoon rides into what was then practically
unspoiled desert. Another ride, much tamer but still great fun, was the loop around
Saguaro National Park. This protected area to the east of Tucson was far from any
developments, and from there a dirt road, The Old Spanish Trail, led to Colossal
Cave, Pantano, and Vail. Beyond those locations we rarely went: to us, Tombstone
and Bisbee, not the quaint tourist destinations of today, represented another world
altogether.
To the south of Tucson, in the Santa Rita Mountains, a narrow dirt road led up into
Madera Canyon and to a small restaurant, in the middle of nowhere, where the
traveler was rewarded with a delicious lunch in the coolness of the canyon. It was a
great place to take a date on weekends.
If one had a car and a little pocket money – gas cost around twenty-nine cents a
gallon (sometimes much lower if there was a “gas war” on) – outings and road trips
were quite affordable in those days, especially when a gang of teenagers piled into
one car. And considering the size of automobiles back then (mine was a cavernous
1947 Desoto coupe that could not exceed 55 mph, even downhill), a lot of people
could fit into one car. The picnics were always simple: prepared sandwiches from
home or hot dogs cooked over an open fire, potato chips, and cokes. The real treat
was to put a watermelon in a cold stream for an hour or two and then cut it into slices
and eat it while seeing how far we could spit the seeds. Often there was no food at
all: just an outing to enjoy the company and the desert under a bright blue Arizona
desert sky.
Those were special days: our days in the sun.