November 2017 22 Slide Rock is situated in the middle of Oak Creek Canyon. Oak Creek Canyon is a scenic wonderland featuring sandstone bluffs, a multitude of flora and fauna and the water of Oak Creek. The town of Sedona is seven miles south offering food, lodging, shopping and many recreational opportunities. Twenty five miles to the north is Flagstaff. Flagstaff is at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is in route to The Grand Canyon. Slide Rock is within the Coconino National Forest and borders the Secret Mountain Wilderness Area, both areas offer an array of outdoor recreation in varying serene atmospheres. Slide Rock State Park has the pleasure of experiencing four distinct seasons. Wintertime brings a chill to the air after the leaves have fallen from the trees in late October to early November. The park can experience freezing temperatures well below thirty-two degrees and on average, receives twenty-five inches of snow annually. Park visitors should come prepared for potentially inclement weather, bringing a warm coat and sturdy, warm boots. The park can be blanketed in snow and the ice formations at the creek and the surrounding mountainsides are a photographers dream. The occasional brave soul will sometimes be seen going on a trip down the “Slide” in near-freezing water temperatures. Springtime brings warmer weather but can sometimes be the park’s wettest months with frequent rain and snow showers. As temperatures rise into the forties and fifties, leaf buds start to emerge from the trees. The park’s historic apple orchard comes into full bloom in the middle of April and fills the park with fragrant, pink and white blossoms. Spring rains start to subside as the temperature rises. May and June are some of the driest months. As summertime approaches in June, temperatures are consistently in the upper seventies to mid- eighties. With June and July being the hottest months, temperatures this time of year are in the mid-nineties with overnight lows typically in the mid-sixties. Temperatures above one hundred degrees are not uncommon. As high pressure continues to build through June and early July, wet monsoon weather patterns are pushed into Arizona from Mexico, bringing much-needed summertime rain. Visitors can watch thunderheads build in the afternoon and may experience a brief shower or a torrential downpour. The monsoon cycle may last until late August or early September. With park visitation tapering off after Labor Day Weekend, cooler temperatures signal the beginning of fall. Temperatures are pleasant with daytime highs still in the upper sixties to low seventies. As the nights cool down, this signals the leaves to start changing colors and eventually fall from the trees. Slide Rock State Park is truly a park of all seasons. History of Slide Rock Frank Pendley homesteaded the land immediately south of Slide Rock in the early 1900’s and developed a large apple orchard along with vegetable crops. Tom Pendley, his son, continued to operate and manage the property, and in the 1980’s it was one of the largest parcels of land in Oak Creek Canyon in private ownership. In 1982, the family decided it was time to sell the property. When Governor Babbitt learned of this, he contacted the family to see about acquiring the property as a State Park. The Governor grew up in Flagstaff, had visited Slide Rock many times, and was well acquainted with the Pendley family. Tom Pendley told the Governor that he was reluctant to sell the land to a governmental entity because of the difficulties he had experienced in dealing with the Forest Service. At the same time, Governor Babbitt was talking with the family, William G. Roe from the Nature Conservancy was corresponding with State Parks Director Mike Ramnes, to let him know the property adjacent to Slide Rock was for sale. In 1983, Governor Babbitt created the Arizona Parklands Foundation and appointed members comprised of business, political and community leaders. In creating this foundation, the Governor was implementing one of the recommendations that had come from the Governor’s Task Force on Parks and Recreation in Arizona, a special task force the Governor had appointed the year before. The Foundation was a non-profit corporation charged with acquiring property and receiving gifts for State Parks. All land the Foundation acquired would be donated to Arizona State Parks. Working with the parks board, a list of desirable properties for future State Parks was developed, including the Pendley property. After two years of negotiations, an agreement was reached with the Pendley family for sale of the property. This was the first property acquired by the Foundation. In 1986 the Foundation had to come up with the necessary funding to complete the transaction. The Governor assisted the Foundation by working with four major banks to secure a loan to acquire the property. The banks that agreed to loan the $4,000,000 were The Valley National Bank, First InterState Bank, Arizona Bank and United Bank of Arizona. Shortly after the loan was secured, the Foundation purchased the Pendley property on February 7, 1985, for $3,600,000. The Foundation soon learned they were not going to get the anticipated donations to support the acquisition of the Pendley property. The Foundation, Arizona State Parks Board and the Governor, working in concert, requested that the legislature provide funding for the acquisition. Early in the 1985 session, House Bill 2391 was introduced which provided a State Park Acquisition and Development Fund, authorized the acquisition, development, and operation of the Pendley Homestead, Oracle Site, Davis Camp, Hualapai Mountains, Slide Rock State Park