TAKING THE OFF-RAMP

taking the off-ramp Arizona oddities, attractions and pleasures

Papago [now called Tohono O'Odham] justice is efficient and makes sense. The jail in Sells has an average population of two. The prisoners work in the jail yard during their sentences, but if the term includes one of the many Papago holidays, they are dismissed to spend it in their homes. "When prisoners were released on one such holiday, the jail had more inmates than usual. The jailer unlocked the door, wished his charges a pleasant Thanksgiving, relocked the jail and went off to his own celebration. "But he had carelessly overlooked

Home for the Thanksgiving Holiday

two. The prisoners work in the jail yard during their sentences, but if the term includes one of the many Papago holidays, they are dismissed to spend it in their homes. "When prisoners were released on one such holiday, the jail had more inmates than usual. The jailer unlocked the door, wished his charges a pleasant Thanksgiving, relocked the jail and went off to his own celebration. "But he had carelessly overlooked jailer and his charges reassembled at the jail. The lack of a door to be locked disturbed no one, but the wanton damage to Papago property could not be overlooked. That had to be investigated. "The witnesses gathered, the judge heard the evidence, and gave his decision, which made sense to everyone. The door, he decreed, must be paid for. And by whom? Why, by the careless jailer, of course."

O'Keeffe in Neon

If Georgia O'Keeffe had heard about it, she would have dropped her paintbrushes into her field of poppies and fled. But it's true. One of the artist's designs now hangs as a motel sign. A giant cow skull rendered in white on a chic black triangle adorns Ghost Ranch Lodge's neon sign on Tucson's Miracle Mile. When the New Mexico artist drew the the original cow skull, she did not have a motel in mind. Conservationist and publisher Arthur Pack owned a cattle and guest ranch, also called the Ghost Ranch, north of Santa Fe. O'Keeffe lived in a small adobe house on the ranch. In 1936, she dropped by the Packs' home with a wedding gift-the drawing and the rights to use it as they wished. When the couple moved to Tucson and opened a lodge in the 1940s, they used the cow skull as a logo. Today, Ghost Ranch Lodge, under different ownership, still welcomes visitors to rooms surrounding 8 acres of lawn and cactus gardens. Ghost Ranch Lodge, 801 W. Miracle Mile Road; (520) 791-7565.

A Case of Llama Fever

My husband and I got bit by llama fever," Joyce Bittner fondly recalled, "meaning once you get one llama, you get more." The Strawberry resident began her ranching odyssey in 1991, along with her husband, John. Now the Bittners' 15-acre spread harbors 12 of the woolly creatures and one exotic alpaca, the smaller cousin of the llama. Ranch guests enjoy trekking across Fossil Creek with a sure-footed, stoutbacked, gentle-natured llama as a hike partner. Nature lovers appreciate the phosphorescent blue-green waters of the creek's pool and travertine springs. The pool's temperature fluctuates between 68 and 72 degrees, So swimmers can take a cool dip. Hikers may opt for a quick, two-hour jaunt or trounce around a half-day with their four-legged companion. Prices for the hikes range from $30 to $50. Tack on another $10 for a lunch. Bittner also offers bed-and-breakfast with an Indian twist. Teepees that sleep five guests stand ready for renting, and a continental breakfast awaits overnighters each morning. Fossil Creek Llama Ranch also offers services designed to pamper guests. A traditional massage or healing hands energy work can help tired muscles after a long day's hike. Information: (928) 476-5178.

THIS MONTH IN ARIZONA

1866 The Territorial Legislature asks Congress for 320 acres of land to establish a townsite known as Prescott.

1875 The citizens of Tucson take educational matters into their own hands and throw a dance that raises $1,675 for the public school.

1886 Two gamblers and a saloonkeeper donate 40 acres of land to the Arizona Board of Regents to build a university in Tucson.

1887 Gen. Nelson A. Miles receives a hero's welcome in Tucson for ridding the Territory of hostile Apaches and is presented with a $1,000 ceremonial sword as a gift.

1905 Tucson's public schools are so crowded that two pupils occupy one seat.

1908 Four cars compete in Arizona's first overland automobile race. They leave Los Angeles together, and the winner reaches Phoenix in 41.5 hours.

Clark County, AZ?

In ARIZONA's early Territorial years, the U.S. Congress took a gamble and awarded the Territory's northwesternmost county of Pah-Ute to Nevada. Back then, no one was too concerned about the lost county, which was considered a useless piece of land in its remote location just west of the Grand Canyon.

But in the end, some would say Nevada won this coin toss. Today the former Pah-Ute County, Arizona Territory, goes by the name Clark County and is the home of the priceless entertainment mecca of Las Vegas.

In Search of Arizona Colors

To celebrate the 1976 Bicentennial, Arizona Highways sponsored a flag project woven by Navajo weavers at the Historic Hubbell Trading Post. The American flag, created by Sadie Curtis, flew over the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 1976. A fewweeks later, the finely woven colors flapped in the breeze above Arizona's Capitol in Phoenix alongside an Arizona state flag, woven by the Navajo weaver Mary Lee Begay.

Both flags were sold at an

West by Far East

Prescott's famed Whiskey Row, with a few remaining Wild West saloons, serves up spirits. As for spirituality, that's around the corner at 209 W. Gurley St. Here the West meets the Far East at the Tibet Gallery, where sandalwood incense fills the air and visitors try out hand-hammered Tibetan singing bowls by circling the rims with wooden mallets. There are hand-printed prayer flags in brilliant tones of blue, green, red, yellow and white used by Tibetan Buddhists to cast prayers for peace, harmony and long life into the wind. For a little enlightenment, bestsellers by the Dalai Lama such as The Art of Happiness and Ethics for the New Millennium line bookshelves. To aid the exiled spiritual leader's mission to free Tibet, the gallery donates a portion of profits toward the effort. Information: (928) 777-8945.

Bed & Breakfast and the Horse Eats, Too

Some folks just can't bear to leave the horse behind when they take off for the weekend. The Rainbow's End Bed and Breakfast in Sonoita has the answer, and the barn, for them. buddies get equal consideration. Guest facilities for horses include private stalls with automatic watering and a 100-foot run for each equine's personal and exclusive use. "They love it," declares host Elen Kentnor.

Horse lovers who arrive without their mounts also feel welcome. They too get the views, the ranch's big breakfasts and the proximity of a horse-filled barn. And, unlike the horse-bearing guests, they don't have to pick up after their pets. Information: (520) 455-0202.

Auction in December 1976, with proceeds benefiting a scholarship fund for the Navajo Community College in Tsaile. Scottsdale resident Gerald T. Thomas purchased the woven American flag, which you can see on permanent display at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. However, the whereabouts of the Arizona flag are unknown. Information: (602) 252-8840.

Native Plants Guzzle Less

The magnificent plants of the Sonoran Desert can be as dazzling in the back yard as they are out back of beyond. And they're a lot less "thirsty" than a grass lawn. That's why many Arizonans choose to landscape their homes with native desert vegetation from paloverde trees and barrel cacti to fairy duster shrubs and bright-blooming poppies.

Native species usually flourish with little care, because they're born and bred to the local environment, and they require less water than plants imported from cooler climes. Another benefit: They attract colorful native birds and butterflies. Handsome, hardy desert landscaping plants include mesquite and ironwood trees, agave, chuparosa, jojoba, bush dalea and sotol. Lupines, owl's clover and other wildflowers add springtime color.

One place to see an expansive, diverse display of natural landscaping is at the Arizona headquarters of The Nature Conservancy, 1510 E. Fort Lowell Road in Tucson.

Museum Makes Graceful Showing

Mountain men, gandy dancers, Civil War soldiers, Bourbon Street jazz musicians, Ellis Island immigrants, speakeasy patrons, USO entertainers and Elvis fans in poodle skirts all spring to life north of Phoenix. Mannequins dress the part in these eye-popping costumes in the Grace Museum of America in Cave Cave Creek. Two decades in development, the museum was designed and equipped by Grace Voss Frederick, a veteran of vaudeville and Broadway. She starred in CBS experimental television broadcasts in 1931 and later pioneered the art of television set design with her husband, Claude Frederick. The spunky, determined lady celebrated her 96th birthday by unveiling her namesake museum of the nation's culture and technology, from Indian art to the Apollo 11 moon landing. Costumes, furnishings and backdrops coordinate with sound tracks and period music. Central to some exhibits are inventions from Frederick's collection: rare phonographs, radios, telephones, cameras, jukeboxes, player pianos, movie projectors and even a contraption resembling a squid with tentacles of twisted electrical wires. Tooling the corridors in her golf cart, Frederick personally narrates the tour, sharing her perspective on the history she loves. Allow two hours minimum. The museum, on Fleming Spring Road, 1 mile north of historic downtown Cave Creek, is still getting some finishing touches, but is open by appointment. Information: (480) 488-9045.

Giving Thanks for a Bounty of Books

Who says a well-stocked bookstore requires a cappuccino cafe and a nearby mall? To find the Singing Wind Bookshop, take Exit 304 from Interstate 10 at Benson, and go 2 miles north on Ocotillo Road. Then, at the shot-up mailbox, go east (right) on the narrow dirt road. You'll need to open and close the gate to keep the cattle from escaping. Take a moment How far is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim?

The North Rim is approximately 12 miles from the South Rim in actual distance, but to get there by automobile, it is a trip of more than 200 miles. The Canyon itself runs more than 277 miles long and averages 10 miles across. At its deepest point on the North Rim, one can peer down for more than a mile.

LIFE IN ARIZONA 1870s WHAT'S YOUR POISON?

Saloons figured prominently on the dusty streets of Arizona's boomtowns. Many of the Old West's shady ladies had colorful names including Crazy Horse Lil, Irish Mag and Madame Moustache. The miners, cowboys and outlaws also tagged their liquor with some interesting nicknames. Some of the more descriptive:

to savor the broad sweep of desert with the Singing Wind Ranch in the foreground and the Dragoon Mountains receding into the distance. Then drive on, slowly, toward Winifred Bundy's home. In 1974, Bundy established a bookstore in her front room. Now, a quarter of a century later, books cram floor-to-ceiling shelves of two rooms and a porch. Although she stocks every genre, the store's subtitle "Headquarters for Books about the Southwest" is well-deserved. Each November Bundy holds a Thanksgiving fiesta featuring Southwestern authors, food and music. This year's gathering is on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 1 P.M., with music provided by the Ronstadt Cousins of Tucson. On other days, given sufficient notice, Bundy will provide book talks and history lectures, along with cookies and punch. Information: (520) 586-2425.