MILEPOSTS/EVENTS

Browse an Apache Fair, Soar with Hot Air Balloons, Light Up for Christmas TRASH OR TREASURE — YOU BE THE JUDGE

Antique hunters who usually head for the rows of shops in Prescott should check out the Old Cracker Barrel Store in nearby Humboldt.

John and Betty Keeler tend this sprawling stockpile, which looked to me like a place where discards go to dieor until some collector recognizes their value. Who knows what treasures lurk within its walls? The day I visited, I was fascinated by a 1947 desk calendar from Clyde's Radiator Shop, and a Hopalong Cassidy lunch box brought back memories of Saturdays whiled away at the local movie palace.

The Keelers started their business more than 30 years ago and have expanded by purchasing old buildings and moving them onto the site. Now the old structures and the vintage artifacts are integrated into a grand scheme of clutter that'll keep you browsing for hours. The store, at 13100 E. Prescott St. in downtown Humboldt, (520) 632-9455, is open Sunday through Friday, closed Saturday.

- Sam Lowe

PLUGGING INTO ROUTE 66

Built in 1907 to supply electricity to area mines and residents, Kingman's Power-house now is a popular in-formation and memorabilia stop for aficionados of old Route 66, America's famed "Mother Road." The Visitor Information Center also houses the Carlos Elmer Memorial Photo Gallery, a model train store, a gift and antique store, a soda fountain/delicatessen, and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. The center is located at 1201 W. Andy Devine Ave. (the name of Old 66 through town), and it's open daily from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. To inquire, call (520) 753-6106, option 3.

COFFEE-TABLE BOOK SHOWS THE WILD SIDE

Arizona: Wild and Free (144 pages, hardcover) presents in color photography the diverse faces furred, feathered, and scaled of Arizona's wilder side. But when author Stewart L. Udall writes of a wild and free Arizona in his poetic essays, he means more than the wildlife community that shares our land, water, and sky. Udall revels in harmonizing civilization with nature. With more than 100 full-color images highlighting forest, grass, desert, and wetlands, this beautifully photographed coffee-table book shows that wild country is a refreshing, enrich-ing sanctuary for all of us.

Special price: When ordering, mention this code - AHMB8-SPAD - and you can buy this book for $34.95 (a $5 savings). To order: Call toll-free (800) 543-5432. If in the Phoenix area or outside the United States, call (602) 258-1000. Shipping and handling charges will vary, depending on your order's total.

HOT TIMES IN SAFFORD

A 108° F. mineral hot springs in the town of Safford in southeastern Arizona led to the development of Kachina Mineral Springs Spa, where mineral-water baths in tiled tubs reminiscent of the heyday of ancient Rome can be enjoyed for $5 per person. The spa is open Monday through Saturday, 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. For more information, call (520) 428-7212.

HARVEY BUTCHART'S GRAND CANYON

Who would have guessed that Harvey Butchart, the math professor from America's heartland, would one day be called the "undisputed king of extreme and obsessive Grand Canyon hiking" and "the one expert on foot travel in the Canyon"? Butchart hiked the Can-yon for more than 12,000 days over a period of 40 years a distance roughly equal to hiking halfway around the globe. He is credited with finding more than 116 approaches to the Colorado River, and with summiting 83 of the 138 named peaks, 35 of those being first ascents.Butchart's original series of three books about hiking the Canyon have been updated in a 288-page softcover volume called Grand Canyon Treks. The book, which was reviewed by both the Back Country Office and Office of Interpretation at Grand Canyon National Park, has been reorganized from north to south, beginning with the main trails, then starting north at Lees Ferry and continuing west to Pearce Ferry, with a continuous map of this area along the Colorado River. A rating system of difficulty has been applied to the trails to keep inexperienced hikers from getting in over their heads. Grand Canyon Treks costs $16.95 and is available from your favorite bookstore or the publishers, Spotted Dog Press, RR 4, Box 12-M, Bishop, CA 93514; (760) 872-1524.

- Richard G. Stahl

TAKE A SLEIGH RIDE

If you don't know a schuss from a slalom, the Sunrise Park Ski Resort in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona offers something to do besides sipping hot chocolate and watching those who do: horse-drawn sleigh rides. The rides start at the base of Sunrise Mountain where Lee Valley Outfitters' drivers take bundled-up passengers for rides over snowy trails winding among ancient spruce and fir trees. Moonlight rides also are available. For prices and to make reservations, call Lee Valley Outfitters, (520) 735-7454.

- Jo Baeza

WHAT'S COOKING AT THE INN?

Curried cornbread pudding with sausage, apples, and mozzarella. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Artichoke, sun-dried tomato, and Swiss cheese frittata.

Sally and Howard Krueger, the owners of Flagstaff's Inn at 410 Bed & Breakfast, say that so many guests asked for their recipes that Sally finally wrote a cookbook: Mountain Mornings ($10.95; Winters Pub-lishing, Greensburg, Indiana).

The cookbook's 128 pages are packed with easy-to-prepare, healthy recipes for breakfast, brunch, and snacks.

The B&B, a restored 1907 house, offers guests elegantly and individually decorated suites and rooms, some of which have a fireplace and oversize Jacuzzi.

To inquire about The Inn at 410 and the cookbook, call toll-free (800) 774-2008.

EVENTS Rodeo, Powwow, and Fair

November 6-8; San Carlos The San Carlos Apache Tribe has hosted the Apache Veteran's Rodeo, Powwow, and Fair for three decades, adding new events yearly to the perennial favorites. Riding and roping contests kick off the Southwest Indian Rodeo Association events. There's also a powwow, a 10K run, parade, low-rider bicycle show, and archery competition. Times, event locations, and participation charges vary. Information: (520) 475-9971.

Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts

November 13-15; Fountain Hills More than 430 artisans will gather to compete in this huge event. There will be a juried gallery of arts and crafts, plenty of food, and live musical entertainment, all spread out on an expansive lawn beneath the world's tallest (560 feet) man-made fountain. Activities run from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is free. Information: (602) 837-1654.

Hot Air Balloon Festival

November 20-22; Yuma Celebrate Yuma's eighth annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival, featuring more than 50 hot air balloons near the banks of the mighty river. Arrive early for the sunrise lift-off and stay for the sunset balloon glow and fireworks. Enjoy a variety of entertainment, food, and other activities. While you're in Yuma, stroll the lighted walkways lining the banks of the Colorado and explore the town also known for its vast white sand dunes and the infamous Territorial prison, now a state park with guided tours. Festival information: (520) 539-2022 or (520) 343-1715.

Celebration of Art

November 20-22; Glendale More than 100 artisans from around the U.S. will feature their works at this third annual event held in Murphy Park while wind bands, organists, and magicians fill the streets with music and fun. Watch as local dance troups perform, and enjoy upbeat melodies as local and regional blues and jazz bands play. There will be refreshments and a beer-wine-microbrews garden. A generous children's area will feature games and other interactive activities. The fun runs from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is free. Information: (602) 842-8434 or toll-free (800) 804-7079.

EXPLORE THE TAPESTRY OF NAVAJOLAND

Imagine a broad valley where massive sandstone buttes rise like cathedrals above high plains and narrow washes. Imagine early morning "sweet light" reflecting across the rippling sand dunes, the ancient ruins, and the isolated Navajo hogans.

But to do more than just imagine these wonders of Navajoland, join the Friends of Arizona Highways on the Monument Valley-Canyon de Chelly Photo Workshop in February, 1999.

The workshop will take participants through sculpted Monument Valley and on to Canyon de Chelly to marvel at the classic image of White House Ruin and puzzle over the ancient petroglyphs pecked into the towering walls of Canyon del Muerto, where Massacre Cave holds fast its terrible story of death and desperation.

For more information about this trip and a complete schedule of Photo Workshops, write the Friends of Arizona Highways, P.O. Box 6106, Phoenix, AZ 85005-6106; or call (602) 271-5904.

Here are Photo Workshop dates for February through April, 1999: Feb. 13-17: Lake Powell in Winter.

Feb. 19-23: Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly.

Mar. 20-25: Sonoran Desert Delight.

Apr. 10-15: Chiricahua Mountains.

Apr. 17-22: Bird Photography in southern Arizona.

Apr. 19-23: Best of the West.

Apr. 24-29: Shades of the Old West.

Author's Fiesta

November 22; Benson Winn Bundy's Ranch near Benson and its Singing Wind Bookshop welcome visitors to their author's party and Thanksgiving Fiesta. This year the event highlights 10 writers, including Lawrence Clark Powell (celebrating his 92nd birthday), Peter Iverson, Evelyn Cooper, Patrick Jennings, Ed Sweeney, Katie Lee, Bernard "Bunny" Fontana, Ron Querry, W. Lane Rogers, and Winona Holloway. Powell's tape series "The Glowing Heart of the World" will be featured. There also will be musical entertainment - by the Sirocco Wind Quintet and Calexico, a jazz ensemble and refreshments. To reach the Singing Wind Bookshop, take Interstate 10 to Benson, turn north at Exit 304 onto Ocotillo Road, proceed 2% miles north to Singing Wind Road, then .5 of a mile east to the ranch house. Admission is free. Information: (520) 586-2425.

Red Rock Fantasy

November 25-January 15; Sedona More than one million lights cover almost every square inch of the 22-acre Mexican villa-style Los Abrigados resort, illuminating the surrounding red rocks and lighting up the night sky in celebration of Christmas. Enjoy festive holiday music as you stroll among the 50 light displays, each one created by an Arizona family competing in this annual award-winning amateur contest and celebration. Cap off the evening with a cup of hot apple cider. Admission is $2 to $5, adults; free, under age four. Information: (520) 282-0183.