Achievement 13: Image Unlocked!

Did you notice we unlocked two separate pieces in today's SummerQuest picture? It seemed like a good idea because both are about road travel in the state.

Before the huge and impersonal interstate highway system was built, before high-speed travel by car or plane was easy and comfortable, Americans still wanted to pick up and move -- and the great "Mother Road" of Route 66 was how we could get from the more heavily-populated midwest out to the promised land that was California. Route 66 brought the Dust Bowl migrants westward in search of a better life, and it introduced Arizona to the countless thousands who passed though. Some visitors stayed, falling in love with the wonders of the southwest.

If you travel away from the main urban centers and leave the interstate behind, then you'll be familiar with the windy roads and the warning signs like the 15 MPH road sign in the upper right of the image. Switchbacks can still separate careless drivers from those who proceed more carefully!

Route 66 has been the subject of countless books, movies, and even a TV show from the 1960s. Find out more at this link: http://bit.ly/about-Route66

Route 66 was also called the Will Rogers Highway. Do you know who he was? If not, you should really learn more about this remarkably clever and insightful man! Try one of the books or movies in this list: http://bit.ly/about-Will-Rogers

And if you are looking for ideas for day trips around the state, hunt up one of these books from our collection. Just be careful on those switchbacks! http://bit.ly/Arizona-day-trips

Achievement 7: Image Unlocked!

The Paiute leader named Tau-gu, revealed in the first segment of this SummerQuest image, is now shown to be standing with his famous acquaintance, John Wesley Powell. Powell explored and surveyed many of the arid lands in the West, and served as the second Director of the United States Geological Survey. He is best known for leading the first known expedition through the Grand Canyon.

To learn more about John Wesley Powell and the scientific advances he made in his time, read some of these suggestions: http://bit.ly/John-Wesley-Powell

What is one of the most famous parts of Arizona? The Grand Canyon surely must be one of the top contenders. If you can't go up there this summer, explore some of the books, movies, and more to be found through this link. http://bit.ly/Grand-Canyon

This public domain photograph was believed to have been taken by Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh and dates from between 1871 and 1874. The original photograph is archived by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Achievement 6: Image Unlocked!

Continuing the theme previously unlocked, the arches at Tumacácori speak eloquently to the time when Father Kino arrived in the lands of the O'odham, carrying the architecture of Old Spain and ushering in so many of the changes that transformed Arizona into the place it is today... even the many saguaro cactus that remain only as skeletons of their former selves, the face of the swelling population that moved to Arizona over the centuries.

Can I suggest you might go visit the Tumacácori National Historical Park and count that as one of your "Explore" activities? Before you go, read about the monument's history, by trying one of these: http://bit.ly/tumacacori

If learning more about saguaros sounds more interesting, there's plenty to choose from here: http://bit.ly/about-saguaros You know it is pronounced "sah-WAH-row" don't you?

The image of Tumacacori was made available courtesy of photographer Ken Lund through a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/3443102021/in/photostream/

How Will You Unlock the SummerQuest?

This image will be revealed, little by little, over the course of the summer. You will make it happen by completing quests and putting comments into the blog. When five comments are posted about that week's challenge, we unlock a little more of the picture.