BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

Find, but visitors should not go there unless given permission by the tribe. Every four years in April, villagers return to the shrine to bring new ocotillo stalks and clean the soil under the rocks. They also bring simple offerings a girl's barrette, a bullet, a coin.

Leaving the village, Indian 29 comes to a “T” where it rejoins Indian 15. I turn right at the “T” and in less than a mile turn left onto Indian 34, the road to Vaya Chin and Hickiwan, which eventually will return to State Route 86. Window Mountain dominates the horizon on my left. I see the “window” at the south end of the range, clearly visible in the blue morning air. I can barely make out a smaller window farther north. About 7 miles southwest of the “T,” I turn left again to the small village of Vaya Chin. Like many O'odham villages, Vaya Chin has a tiny chapel. This one's equipped with a freestanding bell tower with a rope tied to the bell. Despite its size, the village also has a trading post. The store, smaller than a city bus and painted a vivid blue, sells all the essential junk food, and there's a clean bathroom. The propri etor says he also sells gas when he can get it. Ten miles west of Vaya Chin, I come to the larger village of Hickiwan, where I find another small church, facing a basketball court, and a scattering of houses north and south of the paved road. Several of the homes are made in the traditional O'odham style with ocotillo stalks, saguaro ribs, mesquite posts and mud. I've been told Rupert Angea's the only potter on the reservation, and I look for his house. Rupert's sister says he has gone to the O'odhams' Golden Ha:san Casino on State Route 86, southwest of the village. When I return to 86, I consider turning left toward Quijotoa to complete my loop, but instead I turn right and drive about 15 miles to see if I can find Rupert at the tiny casino or the convenience store next door. He isn't there, so I turn east to return to Tucson, thinking about tall saguaros and rolling hills. Whether the desert has a heart, a center that pulsates and makes life possible, I have no idea. If not, perhaps this 50-mile circle at least explains the welcoming feeling many of us sense when we wander in this dry land. Not much is out here in the thirsty home to the Tohono O'odhams, where volcanic mountains rise above a veil of small trees and fragrant bushes. There is the desert. There is the wind. And at day's end, there is the crimson evening. Maybe that's enough. Al

experience. arizona

Festivals, powwows and get-togethers / by CARRIE M. MINER

photo work shop HIDDEN CAVES OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA

For the first time ever, the Friends of Arizona Highways offers a private glimpse into the most amazing caves of southern Arizona. Experienced cave photographer David Elms Jr. (he shot the Arizona Highways cover and story on Kartchner Caverns in September 1995) will lead this photo workshop February 27 through March 3.

During the workshop, Elms will take photo buffs among the "frozen waterfalls" and other formations in the depths of his favorite haunts, such as the Cave of the Bells. Jerry Trout, the Forest Service national coordinator for cave resources, also will lend his expertise. Registration deadline: February 12.

OTHER WORKSHOPS:

March 9 to 13 Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly with Jeff Kida.

May 7 to 11 Slot Canyons with Richard Maack.

For more information and a complete schedule of the Friends of Arizona Highways photo workshops, call (602) 712-2004, or toll-free (888) 790-7042 or visit the Web site: www.friendsofarizonahighways.com.

Arizona Highways Photography Exhibits

CELEBRATING NATIVE CULTURES Photographs by Jerry Jacka Through March 11 Heard Museum, Phoenix (602) 252-8840 CELEBRATING THE GRAND CANYON Photographs by Gary Ladd Through May 27 Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott (520) 445-3122 MAGAZINE GALLERY Photographs by Arizona Highways contributors Permanent exhibit Mesa Southwest Museum, Mesa (480) 644-3417

FIDDLING AND FUN

January 5-7; Casa Grande Although bluegrass has its roots set deep in 1920s Kentucky and Tennessee, this music style spread West and flowered on the frontier with festivals throughout Arizona. Singer and mandolin player Bill Monroe, known as the father of bluegrass music, and his Blue Grass Boys band, created the fast-paced style by combining traditional folk ballads and gospel songs with string-band music played at blazing tempos. Characterized by the acoustic string-band sound of the Southeast, bluegrass usually features a banjo, fiddle and mandolin in lead parts, while a guitar and string bass provide accompaniment. Both local and nationally known fiddlers and bluegrass musicians will stage performances at the 15th annual Fiddler Bluegrass Jamboree. Information: (520) 723-5242.

SWING YOUR PARTNER

January 11-13; Tucson Square dancing came to Arizona with the pioneers and has continued as a tradition in Tucson since the town's earliest days. This form of American folk dance features traditional string-band music and the prompting of a caller. Four couples, arranged in a square, cooperate to execute various figures, moving with a smooth, somewhat shuffling step. Typical figures include the allemande, do-si-do (back to back), birdie in the cage and star. Fifty-three years ago, Marion Waudbe started a festival in Tucson, reviving the community's interest in the dance form. Now it's going stronger than ever as more than 1,200 dancers converge for the Southern Arizona Dance Festival, a three-day extravaganza of music, laughter and do-si-do-ing. Information: (520) 885-6273.January 19-21; Globe-Miami

ROCKHOUNDS ROUNDUP

Nineteenth-century prospectors who labored in the blazing heat to extract crystals, gemstones and strangely shaped minerals from the desert began a movement that helped Arizona become world-famous for its gems and minerals - especially the state's azurite, malachite and wulfenite. Other elegant ores sought by museums and collectors worldwide include Arizona petrified wood, turquoise, agate, quartz, jasper and peridot.

Each fall visitors flock to Arizona for its gem and mineral season. At this 44th annual Gila County Gem and Mineral Show, rock hounds can watch silversmiths and goldsmiths casting, and jewelers making chains, and demonstrating the art of copper-enamel beadmaking. Minerals, slabs, fossils and gems will be available for purchase, as will lapidary equipment, books and finished jewelry. Information: toll-free (800) 804-5623.January 26-February 3; Scottsdale

QUARTER HORSING AROUND

Whether galloping hot on the trail of a blackhatted rustler or working a cattle drive, the quarter horse figures prominently in our image of America's Old West. Worked as quick, intelligent cow ponies, and popular as even-tempered pleasure horses, this versatile breed attracts thousands of loyal equestrians worldwide. And they're heading this month to the Arizona Sun Country Circuit Quarter Horse Show at Scottsdale's West World Equestrian Center. This eight-day annual event features 1,300 horses. Riders will compete in Western and hunter events, from the stick horse competition to youth, amateur and open events. Vendors will be on hand selling everything from trucks, tack and trailers to Southwestern furniture and finery. Information: (623) 869-8037, toll-free (877) 730-0212.

Other Events

Tortilla Flat Bicycle Tour; January 1; Apache Junction; (602) 264-9318. A 35-mile bike ride from the old Basha's grocery parking lot to Tortilla Flat.

Southwest Antique Guild; January 6-7; Yuma; (602) 9431766. An antiques and collectibles market held at the Convention Center.

Indoor/Outdoor Antique Fair; January 7; Tucson; (520) 740-5845. Sixty to 100 vendors at the Lew Sorensen Community Center.

Phoenix Open 2001; January 22-28; Scottsdale; (602) 8704431. Among the tournaments that kick off a new PGA season.

Jaycees' Parada Del Sol Rodeo Parade; 9 A.M., January 27; Scottsdale; (480) 990-3179. Horse-drawn parade along Scottsdale Road from Indian School Road to Oak Street.

Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People at the Phoenix Art Museum; January 27-May 6; (602)2571222. Special tickets for timed entry and dates required.

Fond MEMORIES Aren't What They USED TO BE

AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT MANY OF the cliff dwellings in Arizona is that they were built, inhabited and abandoned within two generations. Somewhere around 1250 the Anasazi deserted these abodes. No one really knows why. Was it attacks by enemy tribes? Dwindling natural resources? Simply wanting to move to a better neighborhood? No one knows.I think I have a good idea, though. They simply forgot about them. That's right, bad memory caused the exodus. It's an affliction I've suffered from for as far back as I can't remember. As a youngster, on rainy days I'd leave my galoshes in the coatroom when school let out. As a young husband, I'd forget to put the trash out on Thursday evenings. Today, I know all the answers on "Jeopardy!"; I just can't think of them. And I ruin perfectly good movies when my wife and I watch them on TV.

Last week we were enjoying a well-directed, well-written, well-acted film when my wife commented on one of the young performers.She said, "I don't know who that actor is, but he's very good."

I said, "Yes, he is very good. You know who he reminds me of?"

"Who?"

I said, "A young . . . uh . . . what'shisname."

"A young who?"

"Oh, you know."

"No, I don't know," my wife said.

"Oh, he's very famous."

"Tell me his name."

"I can't think of it. Oh, this is gonna bother me. It begins with a 'C.'"

"Tom Cruise."

"No. Older than that."

"Charlie Chaplin."

"Not that old."

"Well, we're zeroing in on it."

I said, "I won't be able to enjoy this movie until I think of it."

My wife said, "Then I guess I won't, either."

I said, "This is going to bother me the whole evening. Let's see Carlton Carroll Clark."

She said, "Hopalong Cassidy."

"You're not helping," I said. I was obviously getting frustrated.

My wife decided to try to be more helpful.

"What movie was he in?"

I said, "That one we saw a couple of years ago."

"Called...?"

"I forget."

"What was it about?"

"I forget that, too. But anyway, this actor was in it."

"The one who's name starts with 'C.'"

"Right. Carlisle Christopher. Callahan... Oh, I know. He was in this movie."

"The one you can't remember."

"No, another one," I said.

"Another title you can't remember, I suppose."

"Yeah. He was in it with that actress."

"Which actress?"

"The actress I used to like."

"Which actress you used to like?"

"Oh, you know."

"No, I don't know."

"She was married to . . . uh . . . that guy."

"Which guy?"

"The big guy. The guy who got in a fight once with what'shisname.

"Some other guy?"

"Yeah, some other guy. They got in a fight."

"Over the actress you used to like?"

"No, this was a whole different thing. In fact, they did a thing on it the other night on that television show."

"Which television show?"

"You know, the one I can't stand."

"Which one you can't stand?"

"The one with the guy and the girl as the hosts."

"You know who we're beginning to sound like?"

"Abbott and Costello."

My wife said, "How come you can remember Abbott and Costello, but you can't remember what'shisname?"

"Don't get mad at me. I can't help it if I can't remember names."

She said, "You can't remember anything."

From then on we watched the movie in silence. Well, not exactly in silence; we just didn't talk to each other. I kept mumbling names that started with 'C.' "Carmine... Cosmo Clements."

Then it hit me.

"Robert Redford!" I shouted.

She asked, "Robert Redford?"

I said, "Yeah. That's the guy this actor reminds me of a young Robert Redford. Doesn't he?"

She said, "No."

I said, "Well, that's who he reminds me of, Robert Redford."

We watched in silence a little longer. My wife said, "How do you get a 'C' in Robert Redford?"

I said, "Would you like some popcorn?"

This faulty memory thing could explain why the cliff dwellings were abandoned so mysteriously and so suddenly. They just forgot about them. It could very well be what happened to that tribe the... oh... the... uh... what was their name again? I think it starts with an "A.” АН

gene perret's

Gene Perret's newest book, Someday I Want to Go to All the Places My Luggage Has Been ($7.95 plus shipping and handling), captures the comical mishaps of even the best-laid travel plans. Also still available, the recent release Growing Older is So Much Fun, EVERYBODY's Doing It ($6.95 plus shipping and handling) exposes the hilarity and humility of life's advancing years. To order either book, call toll-free (800) 5435432. In Phoenix or from outside the United States, call (602) 712-2000.

hikethe month History-rich CODY TRAIL in Buffalo Bill Country Near Oracle Ridge Offers Spectacular Views

As I LOOK UP THE TRAIL, my imagination sees a rider astride a beautiful white horse. The man's long flowing hair and fringed buckskin shirt seem somehow familiar as he tips his hat and gives me a wink. Of course. It is 1912, and that's Buffalo Bill riding down to his Oracle Ridge and High Jinks gold mines to the American Flag Ranch, an 1870s mine and cattle operation that once housed the district's first post office. That's where our hike begins. My friend, Annette Cordano, and I are in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson, hiking the Cody Trail, named in honor of late-19th-century showman William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The 4mile (one-way) trail is part of the Arizona Trail, which spans the state from Mexico to Utah. We are prepared for a strenuous hike, facing an elevation gain of almost 1,200 feet, to reach our destination, Oracle Ridge, with its splendid aerial views.

This is a year-round hike, but we set out on a breezy spring day, headed up a hillside dotted with manzanitas, sotol and barrel cacti, greeted by the cheerful whit-wheet of a curve-billed thrasher. From the hilltop, the trail drops down to a sandy wash, shaded by large oak trees. We follow the dry creekbed, enjoying the purple desert verbenas, golden desert marigolds and delicate pink fairy dusters that decorate the trailside. Hiking uphill again, we cross an old jeep road. We look back and see a line of green that marks the distant San Pedro River valley, against the backdrop of the Galiuro Mountains. As we climb, the breeze becomes a wind. I tell Annette that her hat seems unaffected by the gusts, but a moment later it sails off her head. Two miles from the trailhead, a spur trail leads 50 yards to the entrance of High Jinks Ranch, once the property of Buffalo Bill. Ownerhistorian Dean Prichard welcomes visitors to the ranch, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But that's for another day. Farther on, outcrops of wind-sculpted boulders and occasional large alligator junipers hug the trail. We stop to admire the magenta bloom of a solitary hedgehog cactus, and then we are atop Oracle Ridge, at an elevation of 5,500 feet.

On the exposed ridgeline, we hang onto our hats and enjoy the view. To the west shines the white dome of Biosphere 2 a 3acre, airtight "miniworld" designed to replicate the different ecosystems found on Earth. Beyond, in the hazy distance, the distinctive jagged profile of Picacho Peak juts skyward. In that area, the only Arizona combat of the Civil War took place. The Cody Trail ends here, and we are now on the Oracle Ridge Trail.

This junction offers several options. We could turn south and follow the Oracle RidgeArizona Trail for 14 miles to Summerhaven, a small community atop Mount Lemmon.

Or, by turning north, we could follow the Oracle Ridge Trail 3 miles to a residential area south of Oracle. Since our vehicle awaits at American Flag, we return the way we came. On the way back, we meet the only people we've seen today, a local retired couple who tell us they started hiking at American Flag, and plan to follow the trail to Oracle.

Back at the trailhead, we wander past a corral and a dilapidated barn to an old adobe building with a tin roof. Now owned by the Oracle Historical Society, American Flag is one of Arizona's oldest Territorial post office buildings still standing. Shielding our eyes from the glare of the midday sun, we can almost make out the form of a white horse waiting patiently at the gate. Alh To enjoy this hike with the Friends of Arizona Highways on Saturday, January 13, contact the organization at (602) 712-2004. The number of participants will be limited.

GETTING THERE: The Cody segment of the Arizona Trail begins at the American Flag Trailhead, 4 miles southeast of Oracle. In Oracle travel east on American Avenue to a Y junction. Take the right fork, Mount Lemmon Road, south for 3 miles. At the end of the pavement, bear right. Mount Lemmon Road here is also signed as Forest Service Road 38. Travel 1 mile to the trailhead, marked with a large Arizona Trail sign on both sides of the road. Park on the right, or west, side of the road.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Coronado National Forest Ranger District, (520) 749-8700; Dean Prichard at High Jinks Ranch, (520) 896-2005. For more information about Buffalo Bill's life in Arizona, see Arizona Highways, March 1999, "Buffalo Bill's Last Years," by Leo W. Banks.