Saturday Greg and I decided to visit Arcosanti, a 1970's era social/architectural experiment/art project about one hour north of Scottsdale.

Two miles before the off ramp, traffic comes to a standstill and the information sign says there is an accident ahead. Waze updates and says the estimated time in traffic is 90 minutes. We drive the shoulder and get off at a rest area to determine our next course of action.

Here's the view from the rest stop. I love the views in this part of the country. There is a ranch of some sort of in the distance in approximately the center of the pictures and we wondered what it was.



Waze re-figures and offers an alternate route - 1.5 hours on a dirt road. We're in Greg's Prius - not exactly an overlander - but we decide to go for it. Beats sitting at a rest stop.

2 miles back we start seeing trail runners. Lots of them. There are sheriffs stationed everywhere the trail intersects the dirt road. Turns out that it's a 62 mile cross country race. 62 miles! Aside from the trail crossings we didn't see another soul for 10 miles.

About 12 miles back we reach the ranch we saw in the distance. It's the Bumble Bee dude ranch, sited on what remains of the ghost town of Bumble Bee. They're a halfway point on the race and are serving a BBQ lunch and there's a full bar with cold beer! Very civilized.



These steel horse sculptures made me think of Jodi:


When we walked in to the office/store/gift shop we were greeted by this cat:



I had to do a double take to realize it's stuffed. The collar is a nice touch.

Before me moved on we reviewed the "Man eating cows":



They didn't seem all that aggro to me - mostly just scroungy and trying to find shade



On to Acrosanti. Pretty country:



Colorful history:

Arcosanti is one of those projects that started with a bang but never really worked as intended. Originally designed as a small city of some 5000 self-sufficient souls, it's declined to some 100 inhabitants, most of whom make a living creating art. The art they make consists mainly of wind chimes (or "wind bells"), and sales of these make up about 40% of the compound's income.



Everything is poured-in-place concrete, and while maintenance is definitely slipping, the basic structure should last forever.





This is where they cast the bells, and where they made the little bronze planter I bought. It's interesting because it's made of concrete poured on a mound of dirt with the decorations set before the pour. Pigments were dusted on the dirt before the pour to get the colors in the design, a clever idea that was not very durable as it turns out.





The outdoor theater has a moat in front of the stage. Adjusting the water level is said to alter the sound. Cool idea but it was dry when we saw it:



There are lots of 1970's era solar heating and cooling schemes throughout the compound. Our docent lives there and told us that the systems work pretty well, especially for heat. This fabric tube takes heat from the top of the fifth floor and blows it out in the first floor restaurant.



lots of south facing glass surely keeps the place warm in the winter, but the fact there is not much in the way of shading must make it miserable in the summer:

My old stomping grounds! For a period of maybe 5 years in the 1970s, Arcosanti was the site of a large concert series with headliners like Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, Todd Rundgren, etc. It was Arizona's own outdoor concert event. I went one year and had a great, if rustic, time. The last concert (1977, maybe?) ended with a significant fire in the parking lot with many destroyed cars. The fire ended the big weekend concerts there, as far as I know (and also a significant source of revenue).

As for summer, I've never lived there but a friend of mine who has says that it's not bad--the windows and overhangs were placed with an eye toward where the sun was in the different seasons. In winter the sun was lower and could come directly into the windows. In the summer the sun is higher and the overhands provide shade. I have my doubts--though it is true that it's not as hot there as down in Phoenix.

Next time you're adventuring on I-17, check out the Rock Springs Cafe, if you haven't been there yet. They're famous for their pies.

Cool!

Were the concerts in the amphitheater? Was there water in the moat?

Always wondered about Arcoanti. Thanks for the update!

Thanks for the cool travelogue. I love those moments of road trip serendipity!

Thanks for the cool travelogue. I love those moments of road trip serendipity!

Thanks!

Thanks for the cool travelogue. I love those moments of road trip serendipity!

The Santa Fe opera also has water in front of the stage. Something about acoustics when the place had no roof back in the 60s.

quote:

Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
The Santa Fe opera also has water in front of the stage. Something about acoustics when the place had no roof back in the 60s.

Went there several times before the roof was added. Never knew about the water. Maybe I should have gotten better seats.