Along the Highways and Byways

Along the Highways and Byways.... SUMMER TRAVEL THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST:

Travelers following the trails westward through western Texas and southern portions of New Mexico, Arizona and California during the summer may be assured that they have nothing to fear from high temperatures.

Frequently uninitiated travelers develop imaginative ideas of crossing the desert regions in the southwest during the summer, seeing themselves perishing of thirst in sandy wastes with the sardonic smile of a blazing sun marking their whitened bones as their final resting place in a desert wilderness.

The native of the southwest will smile at such fears and at such products of the imagination, for the longer one lives under "a broad sun above which laughs a pitiless laugh" in the middle of a desert summer, the longer one realizes that one can live and travel comfortably out here, summer heat notwithstanding.

In discussing travel through the des ert in the summertime, and limiting the discussion to the desert regions of Arizona, several things should be under stood clearly at first. Eastern people, living in areas of high humidity, must not accept temperature readings too lit erally. For instance, in the east a temperature of 85 degrees amounts to a heat wave, with the papers full of notices of deaths because of the heat. A temperature of 110 in Arizona amounts to what natives describe as "ordinary summer weather" with everyone going about their business quite unperturbed by the weather.

The answer is, of course, the humidity, and to quote an old chestnut without further embellishment we would like to tell you: "It's not the heat-it's the humidity!" pointing out at the same time that humidity is lower in Arizona than perhaps any place in the western hemisphere with the exception of Death Valley. So don't be misled by the thermometer, which does not speak the same language in Tucson and Phoenix, let us say, that it speaks in Washington, D. C., or New York.

The traveler out west will find perfect highways at his command to take him speedily through the desert. The three transcontinental highways crossing southern and central Arizona carry thousands of cars each month through the year regardless of the weather and these highways, U. S. 60, 70, and 80, practically hard-surfaced throughout, will give you perfect riding comfort with both safety and speed.

Another thing the traveler should realize is that air-conditioning and aircooling of homes and buildings has been developed in southern Arizona cities as no place else on earth. For instance, in Tucson, Phoenix, Mesa, Wickenburg, Yuma, and Gila Bend, you would have to search diligently to find a theatre, hotel, auto court, drug store, or professional office THAT IS NOT AIR-COOLED. Southern Arizona cities such as Nogales, Douglas, Bisbee, and Tombstone are in mountain regions and normally cool and comfortable. Therefore, the traveler spending a night in any place in southern or central Arizona can find accommodations with benefit of air-cooling and air-conditioning that will afford any amount of rest and comfort after a desert trip.

Above all, dress comfortably when traveling the trailways that lead you through the desert region of our state in the good old summertime. Informality of dress has been developed to a degree of charm by travelers and natives alike. Men go without coats and social mandates will accept you tieless as readily as not. Women should wear the lightest of clothing and comfortable roomy slacks find their way into cafes and in street wear more often than heav ier clothes. Dress lightly, and dress comfortably. Vogue's only dictate in the matter of clothes is comfort, whether you live in or travel through Arizona's sunshine belt in the summer.

The traveler should eat lightly, as well, and avoid emphasis on the use of intoxicants. In driving, resort to driv ing glasses to soften the glare, and above all relax and forget the weather. Too many times hazards of summer Travel through the desert exist only as mental aberrations.

Many travelers, approaching the desert, will try to do their traveling at night. Highway safety engineers do not recommend this. Night driving is more dangerous than day driving, because of fatigue and sleepiness. Undue fatigue and weariness also increases the discomforts of any trip. If you are approaching the desert, get a good night's sleep and starting with daybreak your early morning hours will consume many miles before the sun gets old enough to turn on the heat full force.

Travel aids have been developed which can add to the comforts of your summer travel through the desert.

Travelers between Phoenix and Tucson and Los Angeles may rent, for a nominal sum, a small, portable cooler, easily attached to any automobile which is removed at designated service stations either in Indio or Banning, California, where the deposit is returned. This service is also available to travelers over the northern route through Arizona at Kingman, just before approaching the arid desert area of southern California. Southbound tourists from Salt Lake en route to coastal points may obtain coolers either at Salt Lake or St. George, Utah.

Many of these coolers have small electric motors and fans, which maintain car temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below that of the outer air.

For those who do not care for coolers it would be well to open the two small windwing glasses a few inches and close all windows with the exception of one rear window which should be lowered about two inches.

Another acceptable method frequently used by experienced desert travelers is to purchase a fifty-pound cake of ice, place it upon the floor and open the cowl ventilator. Carbon dioxide snow, commonly known as "dry ice," is also used successfully.

Avoid drinking an abundance of ice-cold water or ice-cold drinks. This will not add to your comfort and many times will cause you to feel ill.

TRAVEL ON INCREASE IN ARIZONA:

That Americans intend to see America this year and let the warring European countries take care of themselves is reflected in a quarterly review of travel figures issued this week by the Motor Vehicle Division, Arizona Highway Department.

Passenger cars registered in other states entering Arizona at all border points during the first three months of 1940 totaled 93,942 as compared to 61,225 during the initial quarter of last year, an increase of 53.44%.

SMOKI EPISODE:

This might have some interest for the psychologist. In all events it was interesting to us.

Our friend lives in Prescott, a professional man, happily married, with two children. He goes to church on Sunday, pays his taxes regularly, and is just as fine and sensible a citizen as you could meet in any American city.

He is a member of the Smoki Tribe of Prescott, and is a deep student of Indian lore. His account of his first performance as a Snake Priest in the Smoki Snake dance has always interested us.

Like most people, he had an aversion to snakes. Like all Smoki People, however, this aversion was quickly dispelled by handling snakes and dancing with them. He even expresses a fond admiration for snakes, and he no doubt feels that admiration. He can distinguish one snake from another and has pet names for favorites.

His first Snake Dance will always live with him as a strange memory. When the dance first started he felt stage fright, experiencing that form of mild torture that besets timid persons on appearing before an audience.

The intricacies of the dance, however, soon claimed all of his attention. He forgot the crowd, forgot his timidity, forgot everything but the dance and the execution of the steps. As the beat of the tom-toms grew louder and faster and as the dance became more frenzied he fell under a weird spell. All vestages of civilized man slipped from his mind and his person. He became a primitive savage, and the queer shrieks coming from him were unlike any noise ever issued from his throat before or since.

He was seized with the passions of the pagan man, wild, primeval, aboriginal. His only desire was to pound and scream his primitive torment into the dance, stamping, dancing, arms waving all to rythmic beat of the tom-tom.

Then suddenly the dance stopped. The applause from the audience shattered the spell that had come over him, and he found himself hot and sweaty and out of breath. About him were his fellow dancers, like himself winded from the exertion of the dance.

Later, he said he had no recollection of the dance. Apparently he followed the dancing pattern of his fellow dancers, for there was no undue comment. When he questioned his family, who saw the dance from the grandstand, they said he danced as the others danced. Only his small son, naturally seeing his father as a superior person, exclaimed: "Papa! You were grand! Just like a real Indian..... R. C.

In the summertime, the forests of Arizona are in all their glory