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taking the off-ramp

Looking Down on Arizona— A Bird's-eye View It's the kind of place where double-dog dares run wild, a place where common sense is redefined. And where ordinary people hurl themselves out of Cessna 182s, miles above sanity, just for the rush of seeing Arizona from a new perspective.

Veteran instructors transform the skittish into skilled parachutists at the Marana Skydiving Center, sitting 15 miles north of Tucson at the Marana Northwest Regional Airport.

The skydiving center offers group and individual training, including a four-hour tenderfoot course that ends with an introductory plunge from 5,000 feet. Divers get a bird's-eye view of the Tortolita Mountains as colorful canopies ease them toward the drop zone and a pickup truck labeled "You fall, we haul. That's all, y'all."

Located off the Avra Valley Road exit on Interstate 10, the Marana Skydiving Center lies a short distance from other attractions, including Picacho Peak State Park.

The 80-square-mile town of Marana, a Spanish word meaning "thicket" or "jungle," was built on a former Hohokam Indians site.

Students can jump solo or in tandem with an instructor. Introductory classes range from $99 to $119 per person. Advanced, team and refresher classes are also available. Information: toll-free (800) 647-5867.

Beware of Elk

Elk are large In herds they run Across the highway Don't hit one They saw an elk Oh, what a thrill Until they smashed it On their grill Striking an 800pound elk with a vehicle will likely ruin your day. But some whimsical signs put up by the state may help prevent uninIntended games of "chicken" between you and the huge ruminants.

In 1994, the Forest Service, concerned about an increase in elk-vehicular mishaps, met with state agencies to find a solution. The nostalgic Burma Shave-style elk signs resulted from the initiative of Robert Lajeunesse of the Arizona Department of Transportation, Prescott office, says Dennis Kiefer, an ADOT

Every Day Is April Fool's Day in the Desert

With the profusion of prickly plants inhabiting Arizona's deserts, telling the difference between real cacti and other spiny desert plants can vex even Arizona natives. Cacti and most cactus-like members of the agave family share some transportation specialist in Flagstaff.

Local elementary school children competed to devise winning rhymes for the small blue and white signs.

The only element missing from the roadside signs is the Burma Shave logo, but they still serve their purpose of warning people driving State Route 260 along the Mogollon Rim about the hazards of elk moseying across the asphalt.

Resemblance due to the common adaptations needed to survive drought. Similar traits include succulent tissues to store water, thick skins to prevent evaporation and prickles to discourage thirsty desert denizens.

Some of the most common cacti imposters are the paleflowered Joshua tree, the spinytipped agave, or "century plant," and the prickly leaved "desert spoon." Another cactus nonrelation, common throughout the Sonoran Desert, is the long-armed, red-flower-tipped ocotillo.

THIS MONTH IN ARIZONA

1539 Father MarcoS de Niza, looking for cities of gold, explored Arizona and claimed it for Spain.

1700 The first church at Mission San Xavier del Bac (White Dove of the Desert) near Tucson was built.

In 1896 A swine plague swept the Salt River Valley, killing more than 8,000 hogs in three months.

In 1896 The first passenger elevator in Arizona began service in the Fleming Building, First Avenue and Washington Street in Phoenix.

In 1901 Tucson officials threatened to imprison clergy who did not report marriages, and doctors who failed to list births and deaths.

In 1907 A district attorney in Tucson ruled that poker was illegal only when played publicly.

In 1911 President Taft said he would veto Arizona statehood because the state constitution allowed for recalling judges.