Mileposts/Calendar

SCENIC SKYRIDE

On weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to mid-October, the Snowbowl ski resort near Flagstaff offers scenic skyrides on its Agassiz chair lift.

The rides ascend the western face of Mount Agassiz to a height of 11,500 feet for breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding Coconino National Forest and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Skyrides are $3.50 to $7; free for kids age five and under. Information: (602) 779-1951.

CAVE EXPLORING

Colossal Cave near Tucson attracts visitors with its geologic twists and turns, a romantic Old West history, and especially in summer a constant temperature of 72° F. Formed millions of years ago (by water seeping through limestone cracks) in the Rincon Mountains just 22 miles southeast of downtown Tucson, Colossal is the biggest dry cave in the world. In wilder times it was a hideout for bandits, and to this day it has never been explored fully. Guided tours are offered daily from 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 Р.М. Sundays and holidays, when crowds are biggest, it's open till 7:00 P.M. Admission is $2.50 to $5.50. Information: (602) 791-7677.

HIGH-COUNTRY HISTORY

There's so much to see in Prescott that visitors sometimes forget to look where they're walking. And that's too bad, because one of the most interesting sights in this mile-high town 102 miles north of Phoenix is the Yavapai County Time Line inscribed in the concrete along Gurley Street on the north side of the courthouse plaza. For a quick local history lesson and a pleasant stroll begin at the year 1581, when Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo visited the area. As you wend your way through the centuries, glance up to enjoy points of interest along the way, such as the imposing courthouse and the Solon Borglum statue honoring Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders of the Spanish-American War. Information: (602) 445-2000.

WWII HEROINES

On August 23, 1943, WASP Mabel Rawlinson is night flying at Camp Davis, North Carolina. Suddenly, her A-24 aircraft is accidentally struck by antiaircraft practice fire from the ground. The crippled plane falls into swampy woods and breaks apart, the front section in flames. Rawlinson is trapped. Rushing to help, other women pilots hear her screams.

Rawlinson's death is vividly recounted in Byrd Howell Granger's On Final Approach (Falconer Publishing Co., P.O.

Box 5034, Scottsdale, AZ 85261-5034), a meticulously documented and compelling history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II and the author's last book (she died last summer at her home in Carefree).

The WASPS, as they were called, ferried planes, freeing male pilots for combat flying. Approach is packed with information about a littleknown chapter of the war, but it is the WASPS' experiences terrifying, funny, and frustrating that keep the reader flipping pages to see what happens next.

The Arizona author, who was internationally known for her work in onomastics (she also wrote Arizona's Names: X Marks the Place), was a member of the WASPS' first graduating class, rising to the rank of squadron commander.

CALENDAR

Frontier Days & World's Oldest Rodeo: June 30-July 5; Prescott A big downtown parade on the Fourth of July highlights this annual pine-country celebration, which also includes a festive fair at the courthouse plaza and a PRCA sanctioned rodeo billed as the world's oldest: the first was held back in 1888, when Arizona was still a territory and Grover Cleveland sat in the White House.

Admission to afternoon and evening performances is $5 to $11. Information: 445-3103.

Festival of the Arts; July 6-August 9; Flagstaff Sunday chamber-music performances with brunch served beneath the whispering pines are just one enticement of this annual celebration of the arts in the cool north country. There's much more, including: the festival orchestra directed by Maestro Irwin Hoffman; guest artists such as pianists Dikran Atamian and Jacques Sagot; the Arizona Master-works Chorale; the NAU Rep-ertory Theatre; the Mill Avenue Theatre; flutist Carlos Nakai; films; poetry reading; and Na-tive American dances by Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Apache performers.

Tickets range from $6 to $25. Information: 774-7750.

White Mountain Native American Art Festival; July 24-26; Pinetop-Lakeside Highlights of this annual festival in the high country are Indian arts and crafts and entertainment, workshops, demonstrations, and the Heritage Village children's activity area (storytelling, magic shows, face painting, and hands-on Indian-art projects). An added attraction will be the opportunity to sample tasty traditional Native American cuisine, such as acorn stew, Hopi piki bread, Indian tacos, and fry bread.

Neighboring resort towns Pinetop and Lakeside sit in a recreation wonderland dotted with lakes like Rainbow and Woodland. Information: 367-4290.

Loggers/Sawdust Festival; July 25-26; Payson One of the best reasons to head up the Beeline Highway to this 5,000-foot-high town smack in the middle of the state is this annual festival, which each year amazes and amuses spectators with such contests as log rolling (in a water tank), ax throwing, and precision sawing. Probably the most popular event is greased-pole climbing and it's hard to tell who has the most fun, the climbers or the cheering crowds.

Admission is $4 to $7. Information: 474-4515 or toll-free 1 (800) 552-3068.

Information is subject to change; telephone to confirm before planning to attend. Unless otherwise indicated, telephone numbers are within area code 602.

For a free more complete calendar of events, write to Arizona Office of Tourism, 1100 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007.