About time to go tackle it, eh? Turns out it was also high on the list for good friend and fellow outdoor adventurer Charles.

We set out very early Saturday morning and hiked about 9 hours: 7am to 4pm, covering almost 21 miles down from atop Mt Lemmon to the end of Lago del Oro near Saddlebrooke. (Huge thanks to our ladies for the dropoff and pickup.)

It was wonderful! Water, water, water. Did I mention water? We were both blown away by how wet the canyon was; it continued to flow on its northward bend even after we joined the Charouleau Gap road.

For all the beautiful evidence see Charles’s great set of 26 photos from our adventure and his full route profile via GPS (elevation, mileage, etc).

Hat tip to Sirena Dufault for her thorough report about this exact route—very helpful in our planning.

The island that everyone thought was there, but no one actually bothered to check. Crazy. (Via NPR.)

Via NPR.

The Maniers took the cross home, cleaned it up, and found a Latin inscription that was shortly thereafter translated by Frank Fowler, a University of Arizona professor, as “Calalus, the unknown land.” While at the University the cross was handled by multiple professors in several departments.

Speculation about the object’s origin ran wild. Could there have been a Roman presence in southern Arizona? Was this evidence of a lost tribe of Israel? Could this be the great find that finally put sleepy Tucson on the world map? We may laugh at those ideas now, but keep in mind this was the era of astonishing discoveries; the richly fabulous tomb of Tutankhamen was uncovered just two years earlier.

Though the academics were clearly fascinated by the cross no one subjected it to a rigorous scientific examination. This lackadaisical handling is part of the reason the origin of the Tucson Artifacts (or Silverbell Artifacts as they are also known) remains a controversy.

Intoxicated by the attention his cross received at the University the giddy Manier showed it to Karl Rupert, an archaeologist at the Arizona State Museum here in Tucson. Rupert too was keenly interested, for he convinced Manier to take him to the discovery location the very next day. While at the site Rupert and Manier unearthed a large caliche plaque covered with Latin inscriptions, which included the date 800 A.D. To say they were excited is an understatement.

A week later the Arizona Daily Star ran an article about the artifacts as evidence of a possible Roman site in southern Arizona. This attracted the attention of experts and historians from across the country who weighed in with strongly worded, diametrically opposed opinions. Some crowed things like, “It’s an authentic discovery of major importance that will rewrite our history books.” While others decried it as a poorly executed hoax by a perpetrator of diminished mental faculties. Bear in mind that many of those pronouncements were made from afar by men who never examined the artifacts or visited the site.

In November Manier and his friend Thomas Bent formed a partnership to continue exploration of the site and promote the find. By February 1925 Bent had moved into a shack near the site in an effort to homestead the unowned land. He and Manier were certain the discovery would soon prove profitable. As they dug deeper the site continued to yield items: several more lead crosses and a couple of lead swords, all of them covered with inscriptions. During the excavation Bent took detailed notes about the work, the artifacts, and the folks involved.

Manier and Bent enlisted the help of Lara Coleman Ostrander, a local art teacher who had also studied history. It was her job to sketch each item, transcribe the inscriptions, and translate the phrases. She is the person credited with stitching together the story of Calalus, a Roman settlement, from the various items. In 1925 Ostrander and geologist Clifton J. Sarle co-wrote an assessment of the Manier and Bent site. They were convinced that the Tucson Artifacts were evidence of a Judeo-Christian settlement. The story made headlines in the New York Times.

Then the wheels started to come off their grandiose claim. Professor Frank Fowler (yep, the very man who translated the first cross for Manier) said in a 1926 Arizona Daily Star article that the inscriptions were taken straight out of Latin grammar books. After visiting the site and examining several artifacts, Emil Haury (who was studying at the UA on his way to becoming a world-renowned archaeologist) proclaimed it to be a hoax. Another geologist, James Quinlan, retired from the U.S. Geological Survey, countered Sarle’s claims of ancient emplacement by proving that caliche could easily be man-made and placed around new objects. Even Manier’s partner, Thomas Bent, did damage when he shared information given to him by a local; that Timoteo Odohui, who lived nearby, was a sculptor with a love of languages who was known to work with lead.

The doubts mounted until most early believers recanted. Manier continued to dig up artifacts for several years—the last one was removed in 1930—but there was no longer any interest. Despite the ridicule heaped upon Manier, his family, and close associates, they remained convinced of the authenticity of the site and the 32 artifacts. As time went on the story of the Tucson Artifacts faded from the spotlight.

As a teenager I stumbled across the tale in a book of Arizona oddities and I thought it sounded pretty far-fetched. Romans in Tucson? Yeah, right. Or in the parlance of the day, as if. So imagine my surprise when I heard that the Tucson Artifacts are once again back in the media.

“The Desert Cross” is the name of a recent episode of a new series called America Unearthed (which airs on the H2 network, a History Channel product) that re-examined the Tucson Artifacts. For the filming, the crew came to Tucson to examine the artifacts in the Arizona History Museum archive, visit the dig site, and spend time with Mr. Bent’s grandson. I recently watched the program in which Scott Wolter, the show’s host, concluded that the geology couldn’t have been faked.

In other words, he doesn’t believe the Tucson Artifacts were part of an elaborate hoax. He says the evidence proves they are real. So here we go again. Roughly 90 years later mystery still swirls around the Tucson Artifacts. Want to see for yourself? The artifacts are on display at the Arizona History Museum in Tucson for the next month or so. The museum also houses archived documents relating to the discovery if you’re really interested.

Photos: View our Tucson Artifacts photographs.

Video: Watch the full episode of “The Desert Cross” (on America Unearthed) on YouTube.

Lance’s parents were the first to try out our new al fresco dining area created by the back porch extension. The weather cooperated nicely and our luncheon was a success. After the construction work ended Lance and I were finally able to tackle completing our backyard landscaping plan. Out here it makes sense to get as much done as possible before the searing summer heat.

We were excited to finally plant seeds in our raised beds. We have been pleasantly surprised by the success of our smaller garden this winter; lettuce, cilantro, carrots, garlic, and onions sailed through undaunted by the cold temperatures. The morning after every freezing night I would peek out the kitchen window at the frost covered ground and say, “Well, there goes our garden.” Thankfully, I was wrong every single time. We haven’t purchased lettuce in months!

In our raised beds we’ve planted seeds from Native Seed/SEARCH that are known to thrive in our hot Southern Arizona temperatures. NS/S is a nonprofit that specializes in researching, preserving, and distributing traditional indigenous crop seeds from this region. They do such great work, we are fortunate to have them right here in Tucson. Talk about ahead of the curve, NS/S began collecting and preserving these threatened seeds back in 1983, decades before “heirloom seeds” became cool. And talk about heirlooms, the human history of cultivation for many of their seeds stretches back thousands of years.

One last thing about NS/S, if you are a gardener (or appreciate botanical beauty) do yourself a favor and check out their story of Glass Gem Corn. The photos will amaze you. Not only is it gorgeous, it’s delicious—a win-win.

Lance missed out on the cold storm I mentioned above since he was in Austin attending the behemoth that South by Southwest (SXSW) has become. Talk about overwhelming; attendance at the Interactive portion, which was once the smallest part of the ten day, three pronged event, is now over 30,000.

While he was gone I worked a booth at the fifth annual Tucson Festival of Books which was also well-attended. While I haven’t seen an official count I would imagine it was similar to years past which numbered over 100,000 people. Definitely one of Tucson’s larger events and all for a good cause since the money raised supports literacy and reading programs in the area.

On St. Patrick’s Day Desiree and Scott hosted Coralie, Lance, and I at their house. They are in a similar situation house-wise as we are; late 1960s construction that needs updating. It was a treat to get the full tour and admire all the progress they’ve made. I reminded them to take pictures every so often so they can look back on how far they’ve come. We dined on the traditional corned beef and cabbage and had a lovely time.

The following Wednesday Lance took the day off so we could spend time with his Uncle Russell and Aunt Kathy who were visiting from California. We headed west over the Tucson Mountains to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, one of our favorite places. After a picnic lunch we wandered the trails, admiring the plants and animals. The highlight of our day was the Raptor Free Flight program. Twice a day, from October to April, birds of prey are set loose to awe visitors with their flying abilities. While the birds swoop and soar overhead a naturalist explains the characteristics of each species. Quite a spectacle!

After the museum we came back to our house for dinner. While I finished preparing the meal Lance gave his family the grand tour. The last time Russell and Kathy had seen our house was shortly after we purchased it. It has improved considerably since then.

The next morning we rolled out of bed at 3:30 AM as I had a 6 AM flight to catch. Lance dropped me off at the airport for my trip back to Ohio to visit family. My suitcase was quite full since I had packed every single warm article of clothing that I own. Good thing too as the highs ranged from 32–42 degrees the entire week. The temps in Tucson were more than double those! Not only was it cold but it snowed four times during my stay. The first snowfall was fun since it left about six inches on the ground for us to play in. The kids went sledding and built a snow fort while the adults wearily shoveled (again). Me? I took pictures and cheered them all on.

My week in Ohio flew by. I was fortunate to spend time with the newest family members, both born in the past four months. I took lots of pictures of the babies to share with my Grandma back in Arizona since their arrivals make her a Great-Great Grandmother. I also managed to have lunch with my Great Aunt Jo, my Grandma’s baby sister. They share such a strong family resemblance, both in looks and in manner. Extraordinary women! As much as I enjoyed myself I was thrilled to return home to the warm, sunny weather (and to Lance, too).

The final day of March found us on a tour of the newly opened Raul M. Grijalva—Canoa Ranch Conservation Park south of Green Valley. The 4,800 acre park preserves intact the San Ignacio de la Canoa Spanish land grant that was given to the Ortiz brothers in 1820. Since the Santa Cruz River flows through the property that area has figured prominently for thousands of years; there are artifacts from both prehistoric and historic native cultures, Juan Baptista de Anza’s expedition stopped there in 1775, and in 1912 Levi Manning (former mayor of Tucson) purchased the ranch. After the Manning family sold the ranch ownership changed often until 2001 when Pima County bought the land.

The name of the Park ties together three important parts of the Canoa Ranch story. The Spanish phrase la canoa (which translates as the canoe) refers to a hollowed out log which was used for centuries as a watering trough at a nearby spring. Anza records the first campsite of his expedition as “La Canoa.” On February 19, 1948, Raul M. Grijalva, who now represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. Congress, was born on the ranch. Pima County’s master plan for the site includes preserving, restoring, and interpreting the area’s significance. In short, conserving it in order to share the story with future generations.

While there remains much to be done at the Park, we were pleased to see the work so far completed. We look forward to watching as the County restores the Ranch to its former glory.

Photos: View our photographs from Family-filled March.

Hedgehog Cactus in Bloom (Echinocereus sp.)—Tucson, Arizona.

Check out their freshly released first full-length album, “featuring original songs, traditional tunes, and a favorite cover.”

Erin and I were thrilled to catch Run Boy Run in concert last Sunday night at Hotel Congress, in downtown Tucson; we heard many tracks off this new album. Superb! I absolutely loved the rich vocal harmonies and full sound of this 5-person band.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)—Arkansas.