MILEPOSTS

MILEPOSTS VISITORS STRIKE IT RICH IN OLD MINING TOWN

There'll be a community fiesta in Wickenburg Saturday, September 14, with live entertainment, displays and exhibits, food booths, an arts and crafts show, and kids' games. But visitors don't need a special event to attract them to this storied town nestled in the scenic foothills of the Vulture Mountains, 58 miles northwest of Phoenix. The community is named for Henry Wickenburg, a Prussian immigrant who discovered, some say by accident, a fabulous ore body, which produced a $50 million gold bonanza and started a gold rush that led to the birth of the town. When its boom went bust, plucky Wickenburg mined another kind of paydirt tourists and became known as the "Dude Ranch Capital of the World." Today Wickenburg is rich with Old West history and jampacked with things to see and do. There's Frontier Street with its picturesque turn-ofthe-century architecture, the legendary and usually bone dry Hassayampa River (one drink of its waters is said to render a person unable ever to tell the truth again), the town's jail tree where earlyday miscreants served time in relative comfort (visiting families often brought picnic baskets of home-cooked vittles), the Desert Caballeros Western Museum with its historical diorama and prestigious Western art gallery, and nearby guest ranches (they don't call 'em

TURKEY WATCH

Most people relate to turkeys only when the birds are drumsticks-up in a supermarket freezer or on a dining room table, but here's a timely tip on how to spot them on their own turf: fall is the best time to see flocks of wild turkeys with their young, and the best place to look for them is among stands of oaks in Arizona's mountain forests and woodlands. Because they're extremely shy of humans, says the Arizona Game and Fish Department, stalking turkeys with camera and binoculars is a lesson in how to be both very quiet and patient. To glimpse gobbling toms, the best bet is to wait for spring when they strut their stuff to attract hens.

accident, a fabulous ore body, which produced a $50 million gold bonanza and started a gold rush that led to the birth of the town. When its boom went bust, plucky Wickenburg mined another kind of paydirt tourists and became known as the "Dude Ranch Capital of the World." Today Wickenburg is rich with Old West history and jampacked with things to see and do. There's Frontier Street with its picturesque turn-ofthe-century architecture, the legendary and usually bone dry Hassayampa River (one drink of its waters is said to render a person unable ever to tell the truth again), the town's jail tree where earlyday miscreants served time in relative comfort (visiting families often brought picnic baskets of home-cooked vittles), the Desert Caballeros Western Museum with its historical diorama and prestigious Western art gallery, and nearby guest ranches (they don't call 'em mountain forests and woodlands. Because they're extremely shy of humans, says the Arizona Game and Fish Department, stalking turkeys with camera and binoculars is a lesson in how to be both very quiet and patient. To glimpse gobbling toms, the best bet is to wait for spring when they strut their stuff to attract hens.

dude ranches anymore). After being closed for several years, Henry Wickenburg's Vulture Mine is open again to tourists (except in August). And for horseback riding and hiking, there are miles of hilly countryside, where, who knows, some rock may glint with hints of yet another bonanza. For information, contact the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Drawer CC, Wickenburg, AZ 85358; (602) 684-5479.

BUT CAN THEY FETCH?

Every summer Arizona shepherds herd their flocks to the high country to graze, now and then losing some ewes and lambs to the cunning coyote, despite efforts of the traditional sheepdogs. But, reports historian Budge Ruffner, a Colorado shepherd last year found a way around these losses strictly by accident. It seems this fellow had bought a llama to use as a pack animal. (Llamas originally came from South America and are related to the camel, but without the hump.) He was pleased with the docile-appearing creature's strength and astounded when it aggressively attacked any coyote foolish enough to show an interest in his mutton on the move. An animal that both packs and protects with such force seems destined to become part of Arizona sheepherding history, says Budge.

WELCOME CENTER OPENS

Motorists on Interstate 40 in the vicinity of Lupton near the Arizona-New Mexico border should be able to take a break at a new welcome center scheduled to be completed this month bythe Arizona Department of Transportation. The visitors center at the Painted Cliffs rest area on the Hopi Indian Reservation will have picnic ramadas and an information kiosk.

'MY LUGGAGE WENT WHERE?'

A lost suitcase, overbooked planes, hotel reservations gone awry, changes in diet and sleeping habits these are the kinds of things that can turn a dream vacation into a real pain in the head. For free information on how to avoid the headaches sometimes triggered by the stress of traveling, or those caused by everyday life, contact the National Headache Foundation at 5252 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60625; or telephone 1 (800) 843-2256.

MARIACHI MASS

Each Sunday at 8:00 A.M., Tucson's downtown St. Augustine Cathedral offers regular parishioners and visitors a Spanish-language mass enhanced by mariachi music, a cultural legacy of the area's Hispanic settlers. For information, write to the church at 192 Stone St., Tucson, AZ 85701; or telephone (602) 623-6351.

INDIAN EVENT CALENDAR

To obtain a free American Indian event calendar that lists upcoming powwows, festivals, bazaars, markets, and a host of other celebrations throughout Arizona as well as New Mexico and California, write Calendar/Native American Co-Op, P.O. Box 1030, San Carlos, AZ 85550-0301. Be sure to enclose a selfaddressed stamped envelope.

BY THE DUSK'S FADING LIGHT

Photographer Jim Tallon was setting up his camera equipment at the Grand Canyon's Hopi Point, seeking to catch the ultimate sunset. Atop a large tripod he mounted his camera with a 400mm Novoflex lens, an unusual-looking lens that, with camera and sunshade, was about 20 inches long. Then Tallon noticed a man in his 60s standing behind him, and prepared himself for the usual questions professional photographers get when on location, like, "What exposure are you using?" or "Are you a professional?" The man, however, was not holding a camera. Instead, he had a quarter between his thumb and forefinger, and with a distinctive Eastern accent implored, "If you ever get off that telescope, I'd like to look through it before the sun goes down."

WANTED: ARIZONA HUMOR

If you've got an amusing story about Arizona, we'd like to buy it to share with our readers. A humorous anecdote about your trip to the state, perhaps. Or a funny incident that happened in the routine of the day. We'll pay $75 for each piece of humor we publish. We are looking for short stories. No more than 200 words. They must deal with Arizona topics. Send them to: Humor, Arizona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009. Please include your name, address, and telephone number with each submission. We will notify persons whose stories we intend to publish, but we cannot return unused submissions.

THE PAINTED DESERT REVEALED

The Painted Desert in northeastern Arizona has long eluded attempts to capture its amorphous nature - but no more. Awardwinning author Rose Houk and photographer George H. H. Huey have created The Painted Desert: Land of Light and Shadow. A long overdue but eminently effective effort, the softcover tribute to the desert enigma rivets the attention and fires the imagination with its evocative prose and tantalizing photography. Captured within its pages are the dramatic moods of the Painted Desert, the timecapsule rocks that reveal hints of the past, and the people whose lives are intertwined with the continuing evolution of this chameleon-like natural wonder. To obtain a copy of the book ($7.95 plus $2 shipping and handling), write the Petrified Forest Museum Association, P.O. Box 2277, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 86028; or telephone (602) 524-6228, ext. 33.

PASSPORTS TO FUN

Those U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are 62 years of age or older can obtain a lifetime Golden Age Passport, at no charge, that allows free entry into all national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges administered by the federal government. The passport also provides a 50 percent discount for camping and other user fees. Golden Access Passports for the blind or permanently disabled offer the same benefits. For information, contact any national park or National Park Service, Southern Arizona Group Office, 202 E. Earll Drive, No. 115, Phoenix AZ 85012; (602) 640-5250.

SHORTCUTS

Traditional singing and dancing, a carnival, a parade, and horse races will highlight the 45th Navajo Nation Fair, Rodeo and Powwow to be held in Window Rock September 48; (602) 871-6478.... A little more than a century ago, on September 4, 1886, the Chiricahua Apache warrior Geronimo surrendered to Gen. Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona Territory Update: paintings by Ruby, the Phoenix Zoo's artistic Asian elephant, now are selling for up to $1,200 (the money benefits a zoo conservation fund) A PRCA rodeo, a parade, and a pancake breakfast fly-in attended by pilots from across the country are some of the attractions planned for Kingman's Andy Devine Days September 27-29; (602) 753-6106 Conde Nast Traveler recently enshrined four Valley of the Sun resorts in the "World's Top 100" list: The Phoenician in Scottsdale (No. 6), the Boulders in Carefree (No. 7), Westcourt in the Buttes in Tempe (No. 69), and the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix (No. 80).. And, Family Circle magazine designated the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale as one of 11 national recipients of the Family Resorts of the Year Award (general category), based in part on accommodations and facilities Golden-hued aspens herald PinetopLakeside's Annual Fall Festival September 28-29; (602) 367-4290.

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