Via - July/August 2014 - California - (Page 60)

mystery spot Where in the West? Can you identify this top AAA TourBook attraction? Find the answer on page 59. » Helpful hint "You can ditch your car and take one of the free shuttles that stop at this site every 15 minutes." -whitley robertson, aaa branch manager fresno, calif. I 60 VIA JULY+AUGUST 2014 RON NIEBRUGGE/MIRA.COM T he steep, 400-step climb to the summit of this granite monolith rewards visitors with a 360-degree panorama of sawtooth mountains, a canyon nearly a mile deep, and forests crowded with conifers taller than the Statue of Liberty and as wide as a city street. If the towering dome could talk, it would tell of a forgotten chapter in the history of the West. The wagon road that first made it possible for travelers to enjoy the massive rock and nearby groves of tall trees was built around 1900 by buffalo soldiers, the all-African American regiments created after the Civil War. In addition to building roads and trails, the Ninth Cavalry soldiers also kept poachers and timber thieves at bay, a challenging job in an era of deeply entrenched racism. The ascent to this scenic view offers time to contemplate the legacy of these descendants of slaves who were among our country's first park rangers. -anne burke

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Via - July/August 2014 - California