MILEPOSTS

MILEPOSTS DISCOVER TUCSON - WHERE YESTERDAY AND TODAY MEET

With 350 days of sunshine a year, it's always a good time to visit Tucson, a Sonoran Desert oasis that blends spectacular scenery with urban pizzazz and a rich cultural heritage. Tucson has been a home to Indians, Spanish explorers, Anglo and Mexican pioneers, and more recently posh resorts, fine restaurants, and more things to see and do than a single visit could accommodate.You won't want to miss the lively downtown where historic adobes are neighbors to sleek high rises; Mount Lemmon, a year-round mecca for skiers, hikers, and picnickers; Old Tucson Studios theme park, where your favorite Western-movie heroes outdrew the bad guys; Colossal Cave, a geologic wonder that once was a hideout for bandits; the Arizona-Sonora Desert

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

STRAIGHT TALK FROM BARRY

Former Arizona Congressman John Rhodes, who rose to the position of minority leader during his 30 years (19531983) in the House of Representatives, loves to tell how former Sen. Barry Goldwater launched Rhodes' political career 41 years ago.

Goldwater called him one morning at his Mesa law office and told him he had agreed to manage Howard Pyle's campaign for governor. Then he added that the Republicans, who were outnumbered 5-1 by the Democrats, were determined Museum, described by the New York Times as "the most distinctive zoo" in the U.S.; and the Pima Air Museum where exhibits range from a full-scale model of the 1903 Wright Flyer to a mock-up of the super-fast X-15 aircraft.

Events this month include an arts and crafts fair, November 3; a Western music festival, November 2124; and a Christmas celebration, November 29December 1, featuring horsedrawn carriage rides.

Here's a tip: for a great territorial view of this widespread (500 square miles) mountain-encircled metropolis, hike or drive up Sentinel Peak, sometimes called "A" Mountain, on the west side of town.

For more information about Tucson, contact the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau, 130 S. Scott Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701; (602) 624-1817.

the state, perhaps. Or a funny to present the voters with a full slate of candidates in 1950. incident that happened in the routine of the day.

"We want you to run for attorney general," Goldwater told Rhodes.

"I don't want to be attorney general," Rhodes responded.

Goldwater, well aware of the impossibility of electing a little-known Republican in this heavily Democratic state, calmed Rhodes fears immediately.

"Don't worry," he assured him. "You won't be!"

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.

PRESCOTT'S NEW PLAQUE

Why does a plaque honoring Fiorello "The Little Flower" LaGuardia the famous New York City mayor (1934-45) who battled political corruption and slums in that great city of his birth adorn a bridge over Granite Creek in the milehigh town of Prescott?

The answer is as simple as it is unexpected: it was here on the high desert of central Arizona where the Little Flower bloomed.

Fiorello's Army bandmaster father brought the family to Fort Whipple, near Prescott, in 1892 when the future politician was 10 years old. They lived in quarters at the fort, then rented a two-story house on North Montezuma Street in Prescott where Fiorello attended school, hiked in the hills, played on the banks of Granite Creek, and learned the values he would adhere to long after leaving his hometown to become a World War I aviator, U.S. congressman, and, ultimately, mayor of New York City.

Prescott officials decided that because the four-lane span over Granite Creek is called LaGuardia Bridge, it made sense to put up a plaque explaining why.

PROJECT INFLATE

For every two pounds vehicle tires are underinflated, there is a one percent loss in fuel economy. So says the Arizona Energy Office, which has produced a free pamphlet with tips on how to save gasoline and money by getting the best mileage out of your tires. To obtain a copy, telephone the Arizona Energy Office, toll-free 1 (800) 352-5499; or in the Phoenix area, (602) 280-1402.