ARIZONIQUES

ARIZONIQUES EXPLORING OFF THE PAVEMENT

A great way to see Arizona's back country is from the seat of a four-wheeldrive vehicle or, for more adventurous adults, a threeor four-wheeled allterrain vehicle (ATV). There are literally thousands of miles of rugged back roads across the deserts and mountains of the state where you'll feel as if you are the only human for miles. And in many areas, you will be. But traveling into the back country also carries a special responsibility: keeping the environment as unspoiled as you find it.Dry, rocky terrain covers much of the western United States. While this arid land appears rugged and indestructible, it actually is extremely fragile. Because of the limited moisture and vegetation, wheeled or tracked vehicles easily scar the desert floor. And it can take thousands of years for such scars to heal. In the desert along the Colorado River, ancient Indians stamped and scribed huge figures of animals, humans, and religious symbols in the desert surface with their feet. These imprints, called intaglios, are still clearly visible after nearly 1000 years. (And so are the tire marks of thoughtless drivers of off-road vehicles who have succeeded in damaging these priceless sites.) The tracks left by General Patton's tanks training near Yuma during World War II are nearly as fresh today as when they were laid down more than forty years ago.

Disfiguring tracks from today's fourwheel-drives and ATVs have begun to spiderweb the fragile land in many parts of Arizona and the West. To protect the environment, drivers of all vehicles should:

IN SEPTEMBER...

...1891, the Phoenix Indian School held its first classes. ...1901, the first trainload of tourists chugged to the Grand Canyon. ...1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the recently completed Boulder (Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River.

...1952, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum opened in Tucson.

DINOSAUR TRACKS REDISCOVERED

A fifty-year-old photograph led the Museum of Northern Arizona's geology preparator, Scott Madsen, and a volunteer, Keith Becker, to rediscover lost dinosaur tracks near Cameron. The tracks, first found early in this century by Dr. Barnum Brown of New York's Museum of Natural History, were later investigated by Brown's assistant, Roland T. Bird, who estimated there were nearly 300 tracks in the area. Most of the information about the site, including its location, was subsequently lost, and the only remaining clue to its existence was a 1930s photograph of Bird sweeping sand out of the tracks. This picture, published in a 1983 book on dinosaurs, led Madsen and Becker to the tracks. They recognized the landmarks in the photo and, working under a permit The footprints, ranging in size from one and a half to twelve inches, were found in the strata composing the Moenave Formation, and represent at least four types of dinosaurs. Scientists will ponder them to establish gaits and speeds of the dinosaurs that roamed the area 208 million years ago.

The footprints, ranging in size from one and a half to twelve inches, were found in the strata composing the Moenave Formation, and represent at least four types of dinosaurs. Scientists will ponder them to establish gaits and speeds of the dinosaurs that roamed the area 208 million years ago.

GERONIMO CENTENNIAL

A century ago-on September 4, 1886Geronimo and the last band of hostile Apaches surrendered to General Miles at Skeleton Canyon in southeastern Arizona. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the Apache wars, representatives of seven Apache tribes, the Arizona Historical Society, the National Park Service, the U.S. Army, and others have formed the "Council on the Centennial of Chiricahua Apache/U.S. Cessation of Hostilities 1886." The council's plans for a four-day observance of the anniversary in southeastern Arizona (from Thursday, September 4, to Sunday, September 7) include a horseback ride from Skeleton Canyon to Fort Bowie, Apache dances, education and craft demonstrations, commemoration speeches, a flag ceremony, and a heliograph demonstration. For more information, write the council at 949 East Second Street, Tucson, AZ 85719, or telephone 628-5775.

ANGLE OF VISION

Some of the best fiction of the contemporary American West comes to life as Arizona State University sponsors "Angle of Vision," a project of oral interpretation and discussion touring the Phoenix metropolitan area public libraries through April, 1987. The project is producing eight half-hour "plays" that interpret scenes from novels (Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, Wil-liam Eastlake's The Bronc People, John Nichols' The Milagro Beanfield War, Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, Alberto Rios' The Iguana Killer, Rudolph Anaya's Bless Me Ultima, and Tillie Olsen's Tell Me A Riddle) and the short story "The Solace of Open Spaces," by Gretel Ehrlich.

Each production uses a minimal set and props, and employs a cast of talented local actors. After each performance, a half-hour open discussion addresses the written work itself and the issues it raises. For more information and schedules, telephone 965-1641.

CALENDAR

September 3 through 7, Window Rock. The Navajo Tribal Fair features Navajo arts, crafts, dances, food, and a colorful allIndian rodeo. Telephone 871-4417.

September 6, Phoenix. The Arizona Special Olympics Golf Classic tees off at the Anasazi Golf Course to raise money for the popular annual sports event for the handicapped. The entry fee includes eighteen holes of golf, food and bever-ages on the course, and cocktails, dinner, and dancing for two at the Pointe at Tapa-tio Cliffs resort. Telephone 967-4762 or 279-0978.

September 13 and 14, Phoenix, Tucson, Globe-Miami, Eloy, and other communities throughout the state. Celebrate Mexico's independence from Spain (called Día de Las Patrias, Day of the Fatherland, or Diez y Seis de Septiembre, the Sixteenth of September) with Mexican-American music, dancing, arts and crafts, and savory Mexican food. Telephone, in Phoenix, 243-7510; in Tucson, 624-1889; in Globe-Miami, 425-4495; and in Eloy, 466-3411.

September 5 through 7, Lake Havasu City. The Campbell Boat Regatta includes timed ski and boat races, a parade of boats under the London Bridge, and an awards dinner and dance. Telephone 855-2133.

September 20 and 21, Payson. The State Championship Old Time Fiddlers' Contest comes to the Rim Country with fiddlers, buck dancers, and cloggers from throughout the United States. Telephone 474-4515.

September 20 and 21, Safford. The Mount Graham Hill Climb and Bicycle Road Race challenges the toughest riders in two days of grueling races to the top of southern Arizona's tallest peak-10,717foot-high Mount Graham. Telephone 428-7915.

September 28 and 29 and first two weekends in October, Mount Lemmon. Mount Lemmon Loggers Jamboree and Oktoberfest features logging contests, dancers, German food, and bands. Telephone 576-1321.

For a more complete calendar, free of charge, please write the Arizona Office of Tourism, Department CE, 1480 East Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are within area code 602.