Grand Canyon Drive

visitors center for more information. Head south on 67 for 26.5 miles. The road bisects broad green meadows where you're likely to see deer, elk, wild turkeys, hawks, turkey vultures and the unusual looking tassel-eared Kaibab squirrel, which has a fluffy white tail with a gray stripe down its middle.

At 26.5 miles, an unpaved road, Forest Service Road 22, appears on the right. On most maps, this route is identified as 422, but the route is currently signed as 22. Turn right and head northwest. About 2 miles after you make that turn onto the graded road, you'll find yourself in a place where all the slender aspens are little more than saplings. All of the taller trees are rotting in the hills that drop off to the east. A sign in the field to the left explains that this is a rare "timber blowdown" site. In 1953, tornado-strength winds cut a flat swath across the plateau, although the winds didn't spiral. All the trees fell in one direction.

When you're 10 miles off 67, turn left from FR 22 onto Forest Service Road 206

[FAR LEFT] Timp Point and Fire Point (left) and Steamboat Mountain (right) frame Grand Canyon views of Powell Plateau and Granite Gorge.

[LEFT] Arizona is home to at least a dozen varieties of Indian paint brush, a semiparasite that partially derives moisture and nutrients from other plants.

3 miles of trail that connect the points zigzag through the forest at 7,600 feet elevation and lead (both at Timp and North Timp) to clearings where you can sit on a rocky outcropping amid twisted junipers and watch the buttes and domes in the Canyon change colors all day long. On the hills near the trail, you'll also find colorful wildflowers-yellow Mariposa lilies, lightblue penstemons and bright-red Indian paintbrushes. Look into the distance and see views of Tapeats Amphitheater and Steamboat Mountain, among other dramatic landmarks in Grand Canyon.

If you're going to camp in this area, as I did, there are scenic pullouts between the old-growth trees at Timp Point. This is primitive camping-no water, rest rooms or tables.

Because of the absence of light pollution, at night you will see the most glittering starfilled sky imaginable.

It takes a little work-not to mention four good tires-to get to these isolated spots on the North Rim, but once there you'll get to experience the Grand Canyon as few others see it. AH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Kaibab National Forest, North Rim Ranger District, (928) 643-7395; Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center, (928) 643-7298.

and drive 5 miles to the cutoff on your right for Forest Service Road 271. For the next 10 miles, the narrow road meanders through a magnificent forest of aspens, pines and pink clusters of New Mexican locust trees. If you drive straight on FR 271, the road ends at Timp Point. But, 6.7 miles in on 271, you can also take the right fork onto 271A, which will lead to North Timp Point. Timp and North Timp Points also are connected by the Rainbow Rim Trail. The

experience.

arizona

Festivals, powwows and get-togethers / by CARRIE M. MINER

LEARN THE SECRETS OF ARIZONA HIGHWAYS PHOTOGRAPHS

This September, join Arizona Highways Director of Photography Peter Ensenberger and Photography Editor Richard Maack for a classroom session on photography. Using images they've taken throughout their careers, Ensenberger and Maack will teach participants how to maximize photographic potential regardless of their experience or type of camera.

The morning begins with a discussion of quality of light, proper exposures and filtration to overcome difficult lighting situations. In the afternoon, Maack and Ensenberger show how to compose shots for maximum impact and how to tell a story photographically. Also covered are equipment tips that can improve anyone's photos.

The workshop is designed for beginners through experts.

For more information or a free workshop brochure, contact Friends of Arizona Highways at (602) 712-2004, toll-free at (888) 790-7042 or visit its Web site at www.friendsofazhighways.com.

OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

October 30-November 3 "Day of the Dead"

November 1-5 "Fall in the Sky Islands"

November 4-12 "Copper Canyon"

November 9-12 "Flora & Fauna of San Diego"

POETIC COWBOYS

August 14-16; Prescott I used to make money runnin' wild cattle In them good old days 'fore the business went wrong, When a hot runnin' iron and a good long reata Was all that you needed to start you along.

Gail I. Gardner, one of the best-known cowboy poets, wrote these lines in 1917 and recited them at the first Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering in 1988, just a few months before his death. Nowadays, cowboys of the same sentiment have turned to the "herdin' of words" and will share their original poetry as Sharlot Hall Museum hosts the

16th Annual Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering

in Prescott, Gardner's hometown. Nine venues around the museum buildings and park will resound with original poetry readings, old-time cowboy yodeling and foot-tapping Western music. Information: (928) 445-3122.

BEST SMALL RODEO

August 15-17; Payson In 1884, when this mountain town was still known as Union Park, citizens gathered to watch ranchers compete in riding and roping events during the summer before the fall roundup. The gathering has grown over the years and is now recognized as the country's Best Small Rodeo by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy's Association.

Although the rodeo activities are no longer held on Main Street, you can still enjoy the

119th Annual World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo

at the rodeo groundscomplete with bull riding, barrel racing and calf roping. Information: (928) 474-4515 or (800) 672-9766.

BATTY FOR BATS

August 6-10; Bisbee Unlike many North American bat species, the lesser long-nosed bat feeds almost exclusively on the fruit and nectar of several desert plants-most notably the saguaro and organ pipe cacti and agaves. This preference for desert blooms gives the lesser long-nosed bat an important role as a crucialpollinator in the fragile Sonoran Desert ecosystem. Join a search for the nocturnal pollinator at the

Southwest Wings Birding Festival.

Other activities include educational displays, field trips and lectures. Information: (520) 378-0233 or (800) 946-4777.

HEARTS OF STONE

August 30-31; Flagstaff The Zuni Indians, one of the Southwest's largest Pueblo tribes, create ceremonial charms that when blessed have the status of a religious fetish. The Zuni believe that long ago, after the great flood, predators attacked the Zuni, so the twin gods shrank the beasts, trapping their spirits in rocks and commanding beasts to help humans in the form of fetish carvings. Discover the charm of Zuni fetishes at theheld at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The event also features Zuni art, a native-plants nature trail, social dance performances and children's activities. Information: (928) 774-5213.

17th Annual Zuni Marketplace Other Events

Gary Ladd Photo Exhibit; June 20-September 28; Grand Canyon South Rim Village Historic District; (928) 638-2771. At Kolb Studio, images from Grand Canyon: Time Below the Rim, published by Arizona Highways Books, and other work by Gary Ladd.

"A View from the Mountains" Photo Exhibit; June 28September 7; Wickenburg; (928) 684-2272. Michael Collier's photography from The Mountains Know Arizona: Images of the Land and Stories of Its People published by Arizona Highways Books.

Vigilante Days; August 8-10; Tombstone; (520) 4573197. Shoot-outs, live entertainment, an 1880s fashion show and a chili cook-off.

White Mountain Bluegrass Music Festival; August 9-10; Pinetop-Lakeside; (928) 367-4290 or (800) 573-4031. Band performances, jam sessions and family entertainment.

Summer Fine Arts & Crafts Festival; August 9-10; Prescott; (928) 445-2510. Arts and crafts booths, craft demonstrations and fair food.

Native American Arts Auction; August 23; Ganado; (928) 755-3475. Baskets, rugs, kachinas, pottery and jewelry at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.

Apple Harvest Festival; August 30-September 1; Willcox; (520) 384-2084. Apple "u-pick," pancake breakfast and hayrides at Apple Annie's Orchard.

Note: Dates and activities could change. Before planning to attend events, phone for fees and to confirm dates and times.

For an expanded list of major events in Arizona, visit our Web site at arizonahighways.com.

My TEMPERATURE is Okay, Thank You, but Your Question Has Got Me HOTTTT

ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF ARIZONA, including large metropolitan areas and most of the population, lies in desert country. Deserts are hot. Temperatures average in the 90s in the summertime. The highest reading ever recorded in Arizona was in Lake Havasu City along the Colorado River. In June 1994, the mercury there registered 128 degrees. That's hot. However, even on a normal summer day in the low desert, readings over 100 are not unusual.

The desert animals know how to handle the extreme heat. They retreat to their burrows or dens midday, when outside ground temperatures can go as high as 150 degrees. They venture forth only in the early morning, late afternoon or evening.

The creatures who handle the heat least intelligently are you and Iwe the people. We often play our golf, do our gardening, take our hikes, ride our bikes and run our errands when the sun is at its apex. We're luckier than the kangaroo rats, the jackrabbits, the lizards and snakes. Our dens are air-conditioned. But instead of staying in them, we go out and curse the heat.

I know that because I run across other people when I'm out gallivanting in oppressive temperatures. That's okay, because it's a free country. You can go out of the house when you want and I can go out of the house when I want.

The heat doesn't bother me that much. What does bother me are the people I meet when I'm out in the heat who say, "Is it hot enough for you?"

What a dumb question. That's like going up to someone who's just been stung by a scorpion and asking jauntily, "Hey, does that hurt enough for you?" Of course, it hurts. It's like greeting other people as you step onto an elevator and saying, "Hey, is that music square enough for you?" It's like walking up to Vincent van Gogh and saying, "Hey, how's that ear coming along?"

When you see me trudging along the street, sweating profusely, a dazed faraway look in my eyes, and my tongue hanging down past my chin, you may assume that it's hot enough for me.

No need to ask.

Maybe I'm using the mind-over-matter technique. To keep cool, I'm thinking of a breezy, pleasant spot. Maybe I'm picturing myself floating on a raft in the middle of a cool lake enjoying the chilly air blowing over my exposed skin. I'm thinking chilly, nippy, brisk, frosty. My imagination is convincing my body that it's an almost wintry day. Then you come along and ask, "Hot enough for you?" Pow... phffft. You've punctured a hole in my raft and dropped me into a lake of molten lava. I'm hot again and all because of your dumb question.

Besides, who cares if it's hot enough for me or not? What does my input matter to you? Don't you know whether you're hot or not? Do you need me to tell you that it is indeed hot enough? Can't you feel the sweat dribbling down the middle of your back? Can't you feel the sidewalk burning through the soles of your shoes? Leave me out of the Equation. This is between you and the sun.

And how should I answer your inane query, "Is it hot enough for you?" I feel like saying, "No, baby. I wallow in heat. I dig this sultry climate, man. Hot enough for me? No way. I'm going for the record, pal. I think if we all dig in and pull together, we can beat that high mark held by Lake Havasu City."

Then I raise both arms with fists closed like Sylvester Stallone when he reached the top of the art museum steps in Rocky, and I shout out, "129 degrees or bust 129 degrees or bust 129 degrees or bust." I trot off still chanting that mantra, leaving the poor simpleton who asked the question shaking his head and muttering, "The heat must have gotten to that young man."

No, the heat didn't get to me. Your dumb question did.

My best strategy, though, is not to answer the questioner at all. Instead, I'll just overpower and kidnap any neighbors asking, "Is it hot enough for you?" I'll dump them into one of those hot air balloons that you often see in the skies over Arizona. I'll transport them southward, riding air currents until we reach Antarctica. Then I'll dip down to a reasonable level, toss them out of the balloon's basket and abandon them on a patch of ice with a flock of contented penguins. Then I'll float upward again, shouting to them as I ride away, "Hey... cold enough for you?" AH