The Aspen Fire in 2003

As the Aspen Fire barrels up Marshall Gulch and through Summerhaven, a home on Phoenix Avenue falls to the flames – one of more than 300 structures destroyed. Losing them frustrated firefighters who were trained to save buildings but forced by flames to fall back.

The Aspen Fire in 2003

Bob Foster hands his wife, the Rev. Jo Foster, a tea kettle from the kitchen area of their home on Ajo Avenue in Summerhaven.

The Aspen Fire in 2003

A scorched motorcycle sits along Ajo Avenue in Summerhaven.

The Aspen Fire in 2003

A burned car and the rubble of buildings show the fire's destructiveness along Summerhaven's main drag, where so many Tucsonans once enjoyed the mountain ambience.

The Aspen Fire in 2003

Dani Hayhurst holds a picture of the interior of one of her cabins before it was destroyed by the Aspen Fire. Dani and Pat Hayhurst lost two cabins, and rebuilding, for them, is a tribute to the past.

The Aspen Fire in 2003

The lush forest and the vibrant village of Summerhaven were largely reduced to ashes and smoldering rubble.

For those craving snow, mountains have plenty

There is something quite wondrous about breaking a fresh trail - in science, in art and even in a medium as simple, and yet sublime, as new-fallen snow.

Soon, Summerhaven visitors will head out on ... a sidewalk

Walking through Summerhaven on a busy day can get dicey at times, given the road traffic and little or no space for pedestrians, which explains why Pima County plans to build a sidewalk through the mountain town next year.

Soon, Summerhaven visitors will head out on ... a sidewalk

Perhaps you don't recall strolling along the sidewalks of Summerhaven.

Review: Yes, they have pies at Mount Lemmon restaurant

And a broader, tastier menu than their predecessor.

Tucson on list of UK newspaper's six cool U.S. cities

Brits are bypassing the big cities for America's smaller treasures.

Fall makes a colorful appearance

It's one of the wonderful, quirky pleasures of life in Tucson: finding fantastic fall foliage in the Catalina Mountains barely an hour's drive from our desert city.