BACK ROAD ADVENTURE:

school on Eagle Creek in 1995. It has since closed because there are no children to attend it, but visitors can still drive up to have a look at the tin-roofed structure and its primitiveouthouse. A sign marks the turnoff to the school, 13 miles from 191.

Edie Fitch has turned her talents to making peach cobbler and writing. She has gathered a wealth of information for her current project, a book-length history of the region, which makes her a fount of information.

Local legend tells that Ike Clanton-yes, that same trouble-making mustache-twirler who gave the Earps grief in Tombstone-lies buried somewhere near the Fitch home.

Ike was rustling local cattle in 1887 when a detective named J.V. Brighton shot him off his horse outside a cabin. The cabin is gone now, except for a stone chimney and a scatter of foundation rock. Ike's resting place is believed to be close by, although searchers have failed to locate it.

Geronimo also made his presence felt in the vicinity. After breaking out of the San Carlos reservation in May 1885, the Apache war leader swept through Eagle Creek, killing Double Circles foreman Tom Creach and his ranch cook. One of Arizona's oldest ranches, the Double Circles was founded in 1878, and by the early 1900s, its land stretched from Safford to Globe and all the way north to Springerville.

Few places in the Territory were as wild in those days. Historical accounts say train robbers used to steal whatever horses they wanted from the ranch remuda, and gunmen loafed at the Double Circles cowboy camp all winter. At various times, half the cowboys there appeared to have no names.

A rock panel near the third creek crossing, about 19.5 miles from the start of the trip, still bears the Creach name carved into it. It depicts a cow with the Double Circles brand and the date APR, 1888, below the letters C-R-E-A-C-H. (The year's last numeral is blurred, but it is probably 1888. Another nearby inscription says A. Warren, 1888.) To find the rock panel, begin at the third creek crossing, also called Smelley Crossing. Near there, three streams converge. Take the middle of the three and walk 100 yards, then pick up the west (left) stream for another 75 yards. The carvings stand on the right, at about eye level.

The ruins of the so-called Clanton cabin stand in the same neck of the woods-about a quarter-mile farther, above a grassy flat and underneath a sprawling apple tree.

Most of the 22 miles provide exquisite views. Early on, as the road descends from 191, it curls through soft-looking hills of juniper and dry grass, and the mountains jutting against the sky frame the picture.

Landmarks include the entrance to the Double Circles Ranch, 4 miles from the start, and a closed one-lane bridge at 5 miles.

By the 8-mile mark, the road has dipped into TRAVEL ADVISORY: Do not cross Eagle Creek when it runs high. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended for this drive.

WARNING: Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions, and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape. Carry plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going, the route you're taking and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Clifton Ranger District, (928) 687-1301.

A broad, flat valley, the kind producers of Hollywood Westerns like to use as backdrops.

At Honeymoon Campground-so named because an early forest ranger brought his bride there-the landscape closes in. A cliff borders one side of the road, and the creek rushes along the other side. Tall cottonwoods shade the campground and produce the music of wind in their leaves, one of Nature's sweetest songs.

As you drive, watch for antelope, especially on the flats east of the road before the first creek crossing, about 15 miles in.

Local resident Dean Warren also cautions visitors to keep an eye on water levels. "Eagle Creek can get up and roar," he says. "Sometimes people don't know what they've done until the water is coming in the windows."

Warren ought to know. A range deputy for the Greenlee County Sheriff's Office, he lives in a clearing off the road near the second creek crossing, 2 miles beyond the first. In addition to his county work, he raises bluetick hounds and hunts mountain lions that prey on ranchers' stock.

"I like to go out into these backwoods and hunt and hide out and do what I love to do," says Warren.

But he's 64 years old. Asked how long he'll be able to continue, Warren smiles and says, "That all depends on the quality of the mule I'm riding."

That's the kind of thinking you hear in the backcountry along Eagle Creek, because everyone there knows if you've got a stout riding mule and faithful hounds, you've got just about everything. AH

experience. arizona Festivals, powwows and get-togethers / by CARRIE M. MINER PHOTOGRAPH THE DRAMANORTHERN ARIZONA SAMPLER

This five-day event, October 22-26, will journey across northern Arizona, visiting some of the world's most famous photographic sites.

J. Peter Mortimer, former Arizona Highways photography editor and an award-winning photographer, leads participants to the best sites at prime times. Locations include Sedona's Red Rock Crossing, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and its nearby slot canyons, Monument Valley and the cliff dwellings at Canyon de Chelly. You will also visit Hubbell's, one of the last remaining trading posts on the Navajo Reservation.

For more information on this or other photography workshops, contact the Friends of Arizona Highways at (602) 712-2004 or toll-free at (888) 790-7042. Images taken by workshop leaders and past participants, as well as additional information on trips and other programs, are also available on the Web site: http://www.friendsofazhighways.com.

OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

September 24-28 Slot Canyons

October 14-18 Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly

October 25-November 2 Slot Canyons

November 1-3 Thunderbird Balloon Classic

MOONSHINE ΜΑΝΙΑ

September 1; Bisbee In the 1880s, Bisbee's rough and rowdy miners quenched their thirst at the town's first brewery, not much more than a hole dug into the side of the gulch. Named after the Brewery Bar, the gulch became known as Brewery Gulch. By the early 1900s, more than 40 saloons and houses of ill repute lined the side canyon. Today, visitors can still down a pint at St. Elmo's Bar, which opened in 1902, or order a cold one at the Stock Exchange Bar, which originally opened in 1905.

Festivities at the 27th Annual Brewery Gulch Daze include the Miz Ole Biz Pageant, a wacky waitress contest, a chili cook-off, horseshoe tournament, carnival, pet parade, live entertainment and mining games. Information: (520) 432-5421.

STRIKE UP THE BAND

September 7; Wickenburg Mexico's mariachi music, evolving from lively native traditions and variations on European stringed instruments, has energized celebrations since at least the 1800s. Rural musicians usually played guitars, vihuelas (small, convex-backed, five-stringed guitars), violins and guitarrons (large bass guitars). Taking this rich sound into the cities after the Mexican Revolution, costumed mariachi bands added trumpets in the 1930s. Mariachi has become Mexico's musical emblem.

Listen to the unique sound of mariachi at the 14th Annual Fiesta Septiembre held at the Community Center. Other festivities include folklorico dancers, an ethnic mercado and a salsa contest. Information: (928) 684-5479.

INDIAN ARTS

September 21-22; Flagstaff The Pai peoples of Arizona today live as four distinct tribes-Havasupai, Hualapai, Paiute and Yavapai. These cultures are renowned for intricate baskets woven with natural fibers such as yucca. Declining resources and economic pressure are making these native arts extinct-and even more precious to collectors and historians.To see the traditional and contemporary arts and crafts of the Pai tribes, browse the the Museum of Northern Arizona. Enjoy fascinating basketweaving demonstrations and performances of tribal songs and dances. Information: (928) 774-5213.

7th Annual Festival of Pai Arts at THE KING OF KINGMAN

September 28; Kingman Born October 7, 1905, actor/comedian Andy Devine grew up in small-town Kingman, but found his way into Hollywood films in 1926 as an extra. Devine's big break came on the silver screen with the 1939 hit Western Stagecoach, the movie that made John Wayne a star. He acted in a series of melodramas and as Roy Rogers' sidekick Cookie Bullfincher. In the 1950s, Devine played Jingles in Guy Madison's television series "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" and was the host for the children's show "Andy's Gang." He stayed active on the screen until his death in 1977.

Kingman will honor its favorite son at the 32nd Annual Andy Devine Days Parade. Information: (928) 753-6106.

Other Events

West's Best Rodeo; September 6-7; Winslow; (928) 289-1148. GCPRA rodeo, western dances and kids' woolly riding.

Grand Canyon Music Festival; September 6-7, 13-14, 20-21; Grand Canyon; (928) 638-9215 or toll-free (800) 997-8285; www.grandcanyonmusicfest.org. Evening concerts, from jazz to classical.

Navajo County Fair; September 11-14; Holbrook; (928) 524-6407. Rodeo, carnival, arts and crafts and food.

Fiesta Glendale; September 13-14; Glendale; (623) 930-2299. Hispanic music, dance performances, ethnic food and arts and crafts.

Bye-Bye Buzzards; September 14; Superior; (520) 689-2811 or (520) 689-2723. Farewell party for migrating turkey vultures.

Santa Cruz County Fair; September 20-22; Sonoita; (520) 455-5553. Carnival, livestock shows, games, food and live entertainment. State Championship Old Time Fiddlers Contest, September 28-29; Payson; (928) 474-5242, menu option 2, then 268. Country and bluegrass music, cowboy poetry, storytelling and Irish step-dancers.