Local First & Heritage Foods on US Route 89
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by Barbara Cowlin
What better way to travel than to get off the beaten path and have an adventure. For us that means not only seeing new sights, but also buying local foods, eating at unique restaurants and shopping for regional arts and crafts. One of the goals of our website is to encourage people to try a new way of looking at what it means to be on vacation. A slower way; a more gas efficient and less expensive way; a way to appreciate small pleasures. And as an important benefit, a way to help revitalize and sustain the many wonderful communities along US 89.
The locals can recommend their favorite places to eat and to shop. Stop into a unique looking store and ask about what's interesting in town and the surrounding area. It's like a treasure hunt with one suggestion leading to other people with more ideas. Many towns and regions produce directories of local independent restaurants and businesses which are invaluable guides leading to the kind of experience you'll never get from buzzing by on the interstate.
 One of my favorite examples of the slow food movement is the work being done by the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance in southern Arizona. They produce a local and heritage foods directory, which is "a guide to the producers, grocers, restaurants and farmers markets throughout the Santa Cruz Valley and Southeastern Arizona". This wonderful booklet was compiled by Vanessa Bechtal, executive director of the Alliance. It includes an introduction to the heritage foods of the Santa Cruz Valley, including the Tohono O'odham (Native American) foods. Tepary beans (delicious!), squash and melon and drought resistant corn are some of the native foods local restaurants incorporate into their menus.
The Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company in Tumacacori produces unique products from locally grown chilis.  |
The Heritage Alliance also publishes a quarterly newsletter. The current issue has a fascinating article on the regional Food Branding Initiative they are just launching. An idea that I wasn't familiar with, it is a way of encouraging locally owned businesses to buy local foods. Other groups with successful branding initiatives are providing models for the Alliance including the Canyon Country Fresh Network from northern Arizona (also on Route 89).
Click for Canyon Country Fresh Food Alliance website.  |
Local First is a broader category, encompassing not only local foods but also local businesses of all sorts. One useful guide is the Utah Buy Local First Business Directory, which includes many of the cities and towns along US Route 89 in Utah. We will be using this guide on our trip in May and June and will report our findings as we go along.
Speaking of the Life's So Fine on Route 89 Road Trip, we could use your help in three ways:
· Tell us about your favorite restaurants and shops so we don't miss them along the way. Just send us an email and we'll add them to our list of must-see places.
· Write a paragraph or two about your special recommendation and add it to the appropriate Road Trip Guide on the website.
· Help us financially by sponsoring a section of the road trip. It costs us an average of $1 per mile to travel, most of which comes out of our own pocket. Lest you confuse this trip with a vacation, I can assure you that we are working hard from sun up to sun down and then some, to bring the wonders of US Route 89 to its rightful place in people's travel plans.
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Oracle Artist Studio Tour-April 17 &18
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by James Cowlin
 Barbara and I have been involved in the planning for the 18th annual Oracle Artist Studio Tour and are excited to be participating this year. We moved to Oracle exactly one year ago. On the weekend before we got the keys to our new studio/office/home, we toured 20 studios and met 60 artists who call Oracle home. We were very impressed with the high quality of the work these artists and crafts people are producing. It gave us confidence that our move to Oracle would put us in contact with a vibrant arts community.
This year's studio tour is even bigger. There will be 23 locations featuring the work of 66 artists that will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, April 17th and 18th. For a complete list of locations and artists along with a downloadable map, go to the Oracle Studio Tour website. When you get to Oracle, stop at the Welcome Center to preview work by participating artists. Then look for the purple signs that designate stops on the tour.
Please be sure and stop at our studio, #17. Barbara will be showing her latest paintings. She has also created a new set of US Route 89 treasure boxes and wait until you see her Oracle Gargoyle Guys. I will be showing some of my US Route 89 photographs and a new series I've been working on since we moved here called Elements. And if you happen to be here around lunch time, I'm going to be grilling hot dogs for our visitors.
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Support the "Slow Road" Movement:
Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society
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 You love driving the two-lane highways that keep you close to the edge of the road so you can see the land at a leisurely pace. You think nothing of stopping along the way to admire the view and smell the fresh air. You seek out unique places to eat where the special of the day depends on what's in season at the nearby farm. You already appreciate the opportunities offered by a journey on US Route 89.
You are not alone in your passion for a trip on a "slow road." There are many others like you. Together we can spread the word of the joys of leisurely travel. Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society and you'll receive an official membership certificate and button to attest to your belief in the "slow road" movement.
General Membership: $5
Benefits:
· Membership Certificate
· Membership Badge
· Email Newsletter
· Invitations to all project events
Download the Membership Brochure in pdf format |
