MILEPOSTS

Stay at a Navajo B&B, Tap Your Toes at a Fiddle Fest, Get a Free Birder's Guide GOOD OLD-FASHIONED TIME

There's no better place than the “Valley of the Sun” to host the Western Hemisphere's largest and most accurate sundial. Located north of Scottsdale in Carefree, the K.T. Palmer Sundial (named after one of the town's founders) does more than tell time: It's also a giant solar water heater for the first building erected in Carefree, the Darlington and Palmer office complex. Sixty-two feet long, four feet wide, and 35 feet high, the sundial is said to be exceeded in size only by the astrological sundial observatories erected in India two and a half centuries ago. The Arizona version was built in 1959 by Phoenix-area design and construction firms with some parts contributed by companies in California and New York. Visitors can see the sundial cast its shadow on Solar Plaza at Cave Creek Road and Sunshine Place in Carefree. Bill FlorenceThe problem with night-blooming cactuses and noc-turnal animals is that they're hard to find in the dark. But the Boulders resort just north of Scottsdale has found a way around that, thanks to nightvision gear developed for the military. The resort makes the equipment available to its guests for hikes, scavenger hunts, and nature walks, all held after sunset, when the javelinas and coyotes are most likely to be out, and the night-loving cactuses put on flower shows. For more information, call the Boulders at (602) 488-9009.

TURNING NIGHT INTO DAY INDIAN B&BS OFFER A TRADITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Thanks to a new trend, visitors on the Navajo reserva-tion can experience some of the traditional Indian life-style while savoring the scenic land-scapes. Several hogan-style bed and breakfast inns welcome overnight visitors, including two locations near Canyon deChelly (Tsaile and Chinle) and one in Cameron (site of a big trading post), as well as one each at Monument Valley and Crown Point, New Mexico. Guests at the hogan B&Bs fetch their own wood to feed the potbellied stove that warms their “room” on cool desert nights, and they sleep on rugs on the dirt floor. Many B&B operators offer native craft demon-strations, horseback riding, hiking, and oth-er activities. For a list of Navajo B&Bs and other information, call the Navajo Visitor Cen-ter, (520) 871-6436, or the Navajo Tourism Development Office, (520) 871-7370. — Paula Searcy

HISTORIC DOCUMENT AT FLAGSTAFF'S NAU

The historic treaty establish-ing the vast Navajo reser-vation can be seen in the Cline Library on the campus of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, until June 1, 1999. The 24-page handwritten treaty, which is on loan from the National Archives, was signed at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, June 1, 1868. One of the government signers was Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, best remembered by some for capturing Atlanta during the Civil War. Twenty-nine Navajos also signed the treaty, most by marking an X. Among them were the well-known warrior Manuelito and Chief Barboncito. The document was brought to NAU by members of the Navajo language department, including Evangeline Parsons Yazzie. “I want young Navajos to know that the treaty did something good for us,” says Parsons Yazzie. “It set aside a piece of land on which we could preserve our language, culture, traditions, and beliefsystems. The government at the time was trying to establish an all-Indian state in Oklahoma, and many of the tribes sent there disappeared. This treaty brought us back to our original land between the four sacred mountains.” Call for library hours, (520) 523-9011.Leo W. Banks

FREE BIRDER'S GUIDE

A four-color birder's guide with information on 97 bird species in 11 southern Arizona habitats can be obtained from the Sierra Vista Convention & Visitors Bureau by calling tollfree (800) 288-3861, or (520) 458-6940.

Sierra Vista sits at an elevation of 4,600 feet, in prime birding country.

MEET THE STONE RAINBOW

With a span of 275 feet, a height of 290 feet, and a soaring motif that breaks the heart with its purity, Rainbow Bridge on Lake Powell ranks as the largest natural rock span on Earth. Now you can explore this remote wonder without leaving your armchair through the pages of Gary Ladd's Rainbow Bridge, the Story Behind the Scenery. Author-photographer Ladd, whose pieces on the

PICTURE-TAKING TIPS FROM THE PROFESSIONALS

For camera buffs who want to take pictures like those in the magazine, Photographing Arizona: Practical Techniques to Improve Your Pictures (96 pages, softcover) keeps “the techno-babble to a minimum” while giving professional tips. In a readable style, Lawrence W. Cheek details working techniques, field examples from Highways photographers, and insightful commentary. Cheek, who has photographed for Arizona Highways, tackles the fundamentals of lighting and equipment and how to spot the potential in a scene. This guide can inspire shutterbugs with a little camera experience, giving attention to the special challenges faced when “shooting” Arizona. Brilliant color images are used throughout. A $12.95 value, this book is available for $5.00. Mention product code AHM91-SPAD. To order, call toll-free (800) 5435432. 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.

Grand Canyon and Lake Powell have often appeared in this magazine, takes readers back before there was a Lake Powell, back before there was a Navajo Mountain, then on to the era of "discovery," and last, to present day. This is a book for all lovers of nature and its marvelous constructions. Rainbow Bridge (48 pages, paperback; $7.95) is available from KC Publications, 3245 E. Patrick Lane, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89120; (702) 4333415.Richard G. Stahl.

FRIENDS MEETING

The annual meeting of the Friends of Arizona Highways Magazine Foundation will be held at 3 P.M., Monday, February 2 at the magazine, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix.

The Friends are volunteers who assist the magazine by conducting Photo Workshops and tours. Subscribers interested in becoming active with the Friends are invited to attend the February meeting. For additional information, telephone (602) 271-5904.

GRAND CANYON HIKING VIDEO

A 22-minute Grand Canyon hiking video that is offered free of charge with advance backcountry hiking permits now can be purchased by itself for $12.95, plus shipping and handling, through the Grand Canyon Association.

The video, inspired by escalating heat-related emergencies, provides safety tips such as how to cope with extreme weather, what items to take on your hike, and how to respect the Canyon's environment.

To inquire, call the Grand Canyon Association toll-free at (800) 858-2808.

QUICK! THE RODEO PARADE MUSEUM'S OPEN

Brigadoon, the Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum makes only a brief annual appearance before disappearing again. The museum, located at South Sixth Avenue and Irvington, showcases among other exhibits conveyances that appear in the Tucson Rodeo Parade, February 25, which kicks off a weekend of rodeo events in the Old Pueblo.

This year the museum will be open January 4 to February 19, offering visitors a glimpse of the world before the internal combustion engine took over. The multibuilding museum houses a nostalgic hodgepodge of displays and paraphernalia from the horse-drawn era of the early 1800s to the 1900s, including wagons, stagecoach-es, prairie schooners, and carMarriages. Museum hours are 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., Monday through Saturday, and admission is free. Group tours can be arranged. For more information, call (520) 294-1280. But remember, this is a place that is here one day, and gone the next. Kathleen Walker

EVENTS Fiddling Jamboree

January 8-10; Casa Grande The 13th Annual Desert Musicians Fiddler and Bluegrass Jamboree, Country Store Bazaar and Car Show at the Pinal County Fairgrounds lives up to its name with a long weekend of family fun. Enjoy the old-time fiddlers, browse the country-style arts and crafts booths, and check out the wide variety of unique automobiles in the car show. Call for admission fees. Information: (520) 723-5242.

Hi Jolly Daze

January 9; Quartzsite You'll bop to the beat at this year's 1950s-themed event. Enjoy the kickoff parade featuring '50s floats and then head for the barbecue

Photo Workshops EXPLORE THE WINTER MYSTIQUE OF LAKE POWELL, MONUMENT VALLEY, AND CANYON DE CHELLY

The still blue waters and haunting reflections of Lake Powell as it wanders among remote and eerily silent canyons provide the memorable setting of a winter Photo Workshop, February 13 to 17. Gary Ladd, who knows the area intimately and whose lyric descriptions of the lake in the July 1998 issue drew an immense response, will lead the workshop. Highlights of the trip include a visit to the soaring sandstone arch called Rainbow Bridge and a candlelit gourmet dinner on the beach.

Another workshop takes participants across the ancient windswept mesas of Monument Valley for close-up looks at the narrow buttes and distinctive formations that give this otherworldly region its name, and then on to the spectacularly scenic Canyon de Chelly, with its ancient cliff dwellings and tales of tragedy and death. Jerry Sieve, who will lead the workshop February 19 to 23, will offer expert tips on how to capture the early morning "sweet light" so prized by photographers.

Here are Photo Workshop dates for January through April, 1999:

where every item costs just 50 cents. There'll also be band and fiddling contests, arts and crafts booths, a live auction, and lots of prizes. Watch for sky-divers to drop in, and don't miss a visit to Hi Jolly's Tomb while you're in town. Admission is free. Information: (520) 927-5600.

Glitter and Glow

January 16; Glendale Bask in the glow as Historic Downtown Glendale tops off its hometown holiday light display at Murphy Park. Enjoy this magical evening celebrating light and festivity as tethered hot-air balloons illuminate the night sky. In addition, a dazzling display of 500,000 twinkling holiday lights will decorate the park, and a dozen bands will perform. Admission and parking are free.

Festivities run from 5 P.M. to 10 P.M. Information: (602) 930-2299 or (602) 930-2960.

Quilt Show

January 22-24; Tucson Traditional, artistic, and antique quilts will be displayed at the 21st Annual Tucson Quilter's Guild Quilt Show, "Desert Spring." Guest speaker and '30s quilt expert Beverly Dunivent will give a daily lecture and appraise quilts. A vendor mall will offer quilters a chance to see the latest quilt-related items, including fabrics and notions. There'll also be quilting demonstrations, a gift boutique, a quilt raffle, and door prizes. Call for admission. Information: (520) 690-0229 or (520) 825-8597.