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To Friends Of
Cave Creek Canyon
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Late Special News
Very large storm cell hit north of Animas, NM on Wed., causing a LONG p ower outage in Portal and many places in NM lasting until Thurs. midnight to 1 am Fri. It knocked out 25 electrical poles.
Some people went to Douglas to stay and many people lost perishables.
This is a picture of the storm cell as it approached Portal/Rodeo from Animas.
[By Steve Wolfe]
After the power returned, some went and replaced lost food items. AT 4:30 PM FRIDAY, THE POWER WENT OUT AGAIN! The problem originated from the same area as before. No storm in sight then but no power.
That outage was over abou
t 9 pm Friday night.
More excitement Saturday with heavy rain failing on and off for hours.
It's Monsoon season for sure.
[by Cecil Williams]
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Portal Non Grata Regatta!!
[Thanks to Howard Topoff for organizing this very fun event. Portal is such a great place!]
On Monday morning, July 31 the 3rd annual Persona Non Grata Regatta was held in Cave Creek. Still moving swiftly after last week's rains, the creek presented a perfect time to stage a boat race.
About 18 boats were entered, and a large crowd turned out to watch, cheer, and place bets on the boats.
The race was a bit short in distance this year, because we could not find many places to retrieve the boats. The water was not clear and, in many places, not safe to walk in. A large tree, complete with all its branches had fallen across the creek, forcing us to shorten the course. The event launched at the Poorwill creek crossing and ended at the Creek Road Creek crossing.
But with a collection of beautiful boats, it was a colorful parade down Cave Creek.
Congratulations to Reed Peters, who bested last year's champion, Craig McEwan.
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NEWS FROM THE "VIC"
[The Visitor Information Center]
Wednesday Morning, August 9 at the VIC
by Linda Castor, VIC Host
Early this morning a group of 7 women and men came into the Cave Cree
k V
isitor Information Center with Jon Dunn, a tour leader with the company Wings Birding Tours, based in Tucson. They stopped in briefly to see our snake and Gila Monster exhibit and to have their picture taken in front of the VIC before continuing up to Barfoot Park. Jon is a major contrib
utor to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America and a frequent visitor to the Chiricahua Mountains for almost 40 years. One of the tour participants whispered to me that he has been "full time birding since he was 6 years old". Several others raved about
Jon's good nature, enthusiasm and expertise for identifying not only birds, but insects and snakes.
Sightings of the Blue-throated Hummingbird and the Olive Warbler were two species of birds that particularly pleased the participants. Before departing for more bird watching they gave me the good news that they were up high yesterday along FS 42, directly behind the road grader fixing the East Turkey Creek crossing, which allowed them to cross there with ease.
It was delightful to see so many happy smiles all at once filling the Visitor Center.
[Editor: they were also smiling because Linda took great care of them. Linda was here training and volunteering in Feb. for a month and is now with us doing a great job from July thru Sept. Come and see her - you will enjoy it. She volunteers on Mon., Tues, and Wed.]
These were all great hosts at the VIC this Spring. [l-r, Joan Schneider, Laura Paulson, Rick Schneider and Steve Paulson in back] They are all in Oregon volunteering in a state park. Unintentionally, they all ended up wearing things from the VIC and Portal all on the same morning. Laura and Rick with FOCCC shirts, Steve with FOCCC hat, and Joan with a tie-doe shirt made in a workshop at Portal Library. Rick and Joan will be back to Cave Creek at the VIC in November and all 4 will be back next Spring. They are great hosts and are missed!
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More Critters Of Cave Creek Canyon Area
Black bear looking for its bird feeder. Desert Kingsnake - Steve Wolfe
Lori Conrad
Critters by Tim Lawson
Horned Lizard Gila Monster - see one at the Visitor Information Center
Globe Mallow Leaf Beetle Mojave Rattlesnake
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Weather Discussion - July 2017
by Richard Schreiber
No question about it, actual monsoon conditions developed early in July and our region has received some sorely needed precipitation. There have been spots where rain has been more sparse than at other nearby sites, but that's the nature of the varied Sky Islands microclimates.
[By Steve Wolfe]
During the month there were many overcast days, brilliant displays of lightning often accompanied by rolling thunder, and short periods of torrential rains resulting in NWS flood watches and warnings. Participants in the Cave Creek Regatta organized by Howard Topoff were well aware of the situation as the varying flow in the creek and across Foothills Wash clearly demonstrated.
Depending on your level of interest in learning more (or not) about the monsoon and accompanying weather phenomenon, this month's feature is a compilation of websites you can visit to learn more or get a better visual representation of what's happening. And many of these web sites will be informative for all types of weather conditions, not just for the monsoon, but throughout the year.
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Images by Statia Dougherty
 
Rejuvenated Willow Tank and Blue Grosbeak at Willow Tank
Mostly grass fire in early August - was put out quickly.
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Stories of the Past
Some Paradise Personalities
EXCERPTS FROM THE CHIRICAHUA BULLSHEET
The Chiricahua Bullsheet, an entertaining and highly opinionated newsletter and journal of local history written by Carson Morrow
Courtesy of Dick Zweifel
Mr. Carson Morrow,
Portal, Arizona.
Dear Sir.
Just a few lines to let you know that received the last issue of Bull Sheet and thank you heaps for sending it along certainly look forward to receiving it, am also sending along a token for same. Would like very much to get to see you to get there at present-- Just a few lines in regards to the Boozer incident--I was very close when the shooting took place. Those Mex were playing roulette and were loaded and lost all there money, and started to get nasty Well Boozer was sitting on the end of roulette table and facing the door, and as they walked out past Boozer, one of them stabs the knife in his back. Well Boozer was packing a gun, and he put that bunch away. Well a lot of shooting was going on outside and a few gents were running out in the creek. Well Mart Moore put his head around the door and he got the bottle. if I have it right there were five that got shot that night, two outside and two more were arrested and had the trial in the morning and were sent to Tombstone. Also later I was told that two of them Mex. were buried alongside of the road back of Boozers place Also Carson, Mart Moore was not Constable at that time it was Luke Short.
That same night at the turn of the road going to the mine in the Mexicans place there was some more shooting that Night. In one of the Sheets you mentioned about a miner that was buried in the Galeyville Graveyard, well he was a good friend of mine, he got killed by rock sliding in out of shaft. His name was Pat Kelly. One night in the salon next to the dance hall, do not remember shift boss at the mines name but believe it was Boyle, do not remember his first name. He Hit the wheel one night for $1200.00 dollars, and put it in a sack and went up the street about 2 AM in the morning.
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Editor: This is just a short exert from the Chiricahua Bullsheet because next month email will have an extensive issue about Hiram Fisher who ran a combined saloon and Chili Joint in Paradise. He was quite a cook and explorer. Check out the next email! Meanwhile, if you want chili in Paradise I know a great cook there. I won't give her name as I am already in enough trouble!
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FOCCC 2017 Officers and Board
Reed Peters President
Other Board Members
Sheri Ashley Vice President
Bob Ashley
Wynne Brown
Mike Williams Vice President
Alan Craig
Rene Donaldson
Rick Beno
Treasurer
Stevie Wayman Secretary
Cecil Williams
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Friends Of Cave Creek Canyon
PO Box 16126
Portal, Arizona 85632 Visit Our Website |
Thanks to our "Sustainer's Circle" members
for their generous support:
Tom Arny, Bob and Bettina Arrigoni, Nancy and Thomas Denney, Mary George, Renata Golden, Bill and Sally Hague, Paul Hirt and Linda Jakse, Don Hollister, Ken Jenkins, Leuthold Family Foundation, Barbara Lounsbery, Patrick McNamara, John and Karin McQuillan, Barbara and Pete Miller, Patricia Parran, CeCe Raak, Tom Roseman and Paula Baldwin, Delia Scholes, Donald and Martha Squire and Bob and Sherry Zoellick.
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Please support our Business Members who have given generously to Friends Of Cave Creek Canyon. Without their assistance, we would be hard pressed to accomplish our goals. Click on their names to check out their websites.
Business Memberships start at just $50.00!
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