What Scenic Drive?
By Les Conklin In 1993, the intrigued stranger from Scottsdales city hall asked me, What Scenic Drive? Ive heard something about it, but tell me more. Now 15 years later, the city has the opportunity to help provide a world class response to the strangers question. In recent years, when Friends of the Scenic Drive (Friends) volunteers have been asked What Scenic Drive? the questioner has often been making a derisive comment, not seeking information. Many residents know that the northern part of Scottsdale Road, from Happy Valley to Carefree Highway, is the Scenic Drive (Desert Foothills Scenic Drive). Many have been saddened by the negative impact that development has had on a stretch of road that showcased desert vegetation, fostered education, and encouraged tourism. Nobody has been saddened more than the Desert Foothills residents who created the Scenic Drive in 1963 and maintained the plant identification signs for two decades, Friends volunteers who restored and have maintained th
