MILEPOSTS

MILEPOSTS CUSHMAN MUSEUM - A HIGH-COUNTRY JEWEL

Most people know Springerville as a gateway to northeastern Arizona's White Mountains recreation wonderland. Within a 30-mile radius of the town and its sister city Eagar visitors can find some of the best year-round fun in the state, from touring, hiking, picnicking, and camping to canoeing, trout fishing, skiing, and, of course, snowmobiling. But what many do not know is that rustic and tiny Springerville (pop. 2,000) also is the setting of a little-known jewel of a museum one would expect to find in a major metropolis. Among the exhibits at the Cushman Museum, named for its benefactress, the late Mrs. Renee Scharf Cushman, are a magnificent Persian carpet (they'll ask visitors to remove their shoes), an engraving attributed to Rembrandt, and a pair of crystal decanters said to have been gifts from Napoleon to one of his officers. The museum is in a wing of the town's Latter-day Saints church and doesn't keep regular hours, but guests are happily accommodated. If you want to visit the town soon, keep in mind there's a youth triathlon set for June 1, and there'll be a big July 4 celebration with a Western dance and rodeo. For more information about the area or to make an appointment to visit the museum, write or telephone: SpringervilleEagar Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 181, Springerville, AZ 85938; (602) 333-2123.

BUCKLE UP

Arizona's mandatory seat-belt law helps to protect automobile travelers, says Sgt. Rick Fisher, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The law, which became effective in January, requires drivers and front-seat occupants to fasten their seat belts if they are traveling in a passenger vehicle manufactured in 1972 or later. Also, drivers are responsible for ensuring that front-seat passengers between the ages of 5 and 16 are buckled up. A 1987 state law requires children younger than 5 or weighing 40 pounds or less be secured in child-restraint seats.

THE TOUCH-ME-NOT TOAD

They prefer open desert, but from June through September city dwellers might spot them beneath a shady bush or doing laps in a backyard pool. If you touch

GRAPEVINES GALORE, BUT BRING YOUR OWN SNIPS

A visit to the Florence Vineyards, where "shoppers" can pick their own grapes, is a lot more fun than a trip to the supermarket. Youngsters, especially, enjoy the experience, says Joy Smith, the seventysomething grandma who is the vineyard's longtime office manager. The vineyard grows red flame, white perlette, black exotic, and Thompson seedless grapes for market, If one and rub your eyes, it will hurt - a lot. If your dog makes a meal of one, it could be its last. We're talking about the Bufo alvarius, a.k.a. the Sonoran Desert toad or the Colorado River toad. Despite their size, up to 7.5 inches in length, the only way these toads can harm anyone is through contact with the poison secreted by their parotid glands, those big bumps behind their eyes. So look, but don't touch.

says Joy, but amateur pickers are welcome daily from daylight to dark. Harvested grapes, along with other fruits and vegetables, also are available. "If they want to pick grapes, they should bring garden snips and a bucket," adds Joy. Florence Vineyards is near the town of Florence, which is about 40 miles southeast of Phoenix. For information, telephone (602) 868-4544.

LEES FERRY HOT LINE

To learn the latest minimum, maximum, and ramping flow rates for Lees Ferry and Glen Canyon Dam, call the Bureau of Reclamation's toll-free hot line: 1 (800) 752-8525.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

Colbert Hicks of Chandler reminds us that his wife, Josephine, won first prize in an essay contest back in 1932 answering the question: "Why Vacation in Arizona?" Her winning response, which is as true today as it was then, was that Arizona tourists enjoy "the beauties of natural wonders unexcelled throughout the world." For that observation, Josephine took home from A.J. Bayless Stores $25.00 worth of groceries, which in those Depression-era days was enough to fill up one of today's shopping carts.

CONSTRUCTION ALERT

Travelers in the Tucson area should be aware that reconstruction of the Mt.. Lemmon Highway, which began last August, may continue through this month. To get the latest update, call the Forest Service, (602) 749-8700.

JAILHOUSE ROCK

In the rough and tumble towns of early Arizona, most jails, when they existed at all, were small and poorly constructed of adobe. Determined inmates could, and did, dig their way out with little effort. When the citizens of Clifton got around to building their jail, they wanted it to be escapeproof, so they hired a miner named Margarito Verala to carve one out of solid rock. When he completed the job, Verala took his pay and

A TALE BY TWO CITIES

More than 100 residents of Carefree and Cave Creek combined talents to produce a book about the neighboring communities in the scenic desert north of Scottsdale. The result, says Hugh Downs, co-host of ABC TV's 20/20 and a part-time resident of Carefree, is "a must for both residents and visitors." Carefree * Cave Creek Foothills, Life in the Sonoran Sun is packed with photographs and facts about the towns, covering everything from archeology and ambience (cowboy in one and chic in the other) to local cuisine. The softcover book costs $17.95, plus shipping and handling. To obtain a copy, telephone the Foothills Community Foundation, (602) 488-1090.

sauntered into a saloon where he proposed a toast to himself and his extraordinary accomplishment. Unimpressed, the other drinkers refused to raise their glasses, whereupon Verala got angry, pulled his sixshooter and plugged a hole in the ceiling. It was for this crime that "the world's greatest jail builder" became the first inmate in his own hoosegow.

SAFETY FIRST

The Arizona Game and Fish Department reminds summertime sailors to watch for the buildup of storm clouds over nearby mountains, a warning that severe weather may be approaching. When that occurs, boaters should head for a safe area, or the launch ramp. If caught in a storm, everyone in the boat should put on a life jacket, and the craft should be maneuvered carefully to a protected cover or shoreline, staying until the storm passes.

GHOST RIDERS

Groups who like their history spiced with adventure can explore Arizona ghost towns by bicycle with a guide who can spin anecdotes while he pedals. Philip Varney, the author of three books on ghost towns, leads custom group tours of ghost towns through a Tucson company called Bike Arizona. Varney emphasizes that the tours are for existing groups of six to 10 members, not for individuals. For information, telephone (602) 722-3228.

ARMY GOES TO BAT FOR WINGED MAMMAL

Whether fences make good neighbors is debatable, but, for the Sanborn long-nosed bat, they may be a lifesaver. In southern Arizona, Fort Huachuca work crews installed barriers around entrances to three caves near the post where the endangered species of bat lives to help prevent hikers and cave explorers from disrupting the creatures' habitat. A spokesman for the Army post's Game Management Branch says these bats play a crucial role in the area's ecology, helping to pollinate agave and columnar cacti species such as the barrel and saguaro.

SHORTCUTS

Continuous entertainment, dancing, games, an arts and crafts show, and the kinds of foods that always taste better outdoors will entice street-fair lovers to Prescott's annual Territorial Days June 8 and 9; for information, call (602) 4452000. Phoenix ranks as the ninth most popular vacation destination in the country, edging out tenthplaced Las Vegas, in a survey by American Express; Orlando, Fla., the home of Disney World, was the number one choice Geronimo, the famed Apache leader, was born 162 years ago in June, 1829 - the exact date is unknown - near the headwaters of the Gila River in southern Arizona Pinetop-Lakeside, in the cool White Mountains, will hold its annual Frontier Days celebration June 21 through 23, and planners say this year's event will have a new name and be "bigger and better" with an added focus on music and the environment; for details, call (602) 367-4290 Canadians visited Arizona in droves in 1989, according to the U.S. Tour and Travel Administration - 227,300 enjoyed our hospitality, and spent $98 million here The once near-ghost town of Chloride will celebrate its history June 29 with the annual Old Miners Day festival that traditionally features contests, music, melodrama performances, a parade, and a red-hot chili cook-off; for information, call (602) 565-4803.

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