The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 25

TRAVEL 7B The Times Herald Sunday, June 19, 1988 Port Huron, Mich Around the world Scenery a symphony in red Desert ruins, bizarre rock shapes hold interest ON Mystery Among the Ruins In the shelter of a Colorado canyon ie the puzzfng remains of an ancient settlement containing hundreds of rooms, ceremonial chambers and towers. Inside a Khra 1. Sipapu symbolic 10 3 WASHINGTON, D.C Smithsonian opens African art exhibits The Smithsonian has opened two new exhibits at the National Musuem of African One of the exhibitions focuses on historical photographs of a Came-roonian kingdom at the turn of the century. The 60 rare works of "Images from Bamum: German Colonial Photography at the Court of King Njoya, Cameroon, West Africa, 1902-1915," are not only valued for their compelling beauty, but also for their historical significance as well. The other exhibit entitled "Shoowa Design: Raffia Textiles from Zaire" offers an introduction to the diverse and complex geometric compositions produced by artists from the Shoowa group, of the Kuba kingdom now located in Zaire, where textile arts traditions go back more than 300 years.

Shoowa textile design uses named motifs that are passed down through generations. The 100 beautiful cloths on display are used for costume and adornment, and are considered treasured possessions reflecting personal and group status. For more information contact Henry Thaggert, Public Affairs, National Museum of African Art, (202) 3574870. EUROPE Give camping tour as graduation gift Tradewind Travellers Club suggests that instead of an attache case or class ring, give your graduating senior a camping tour of Europe, at rates ranging from $29.50 to $33 a day (plus airfare) for two to four weeks. Young people on these trips visit the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy, camping out in pr near major cities or scenic areas, traveling from camp to camp in a bus with multilingual guides, sightseeing on their own or, occasionally, as a group.

Departure point is Amsterdam. A 15-day package is $498 (land costs Gannett News Service New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and northern Arizona contain some of the most spectacular scenery on earth mostly red rock in bizarre shapes. Much of the history of the southwest region is literally etched in stone. The Anasazi Indians or "ancient ones" walked out of their cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde about A.D. 1300.

They left clothing on wall pegs, cooking pots beside hearths, food, blankets, tools and farm implements just as if they would return tomorrow. Yet, for some mysterious reason, they never came back. They lived in huge stone apartment houses under overhangs of red cliffs, many of which you can visit at Mesa Verde National Park, in southwest Colorado. The impressive 217-room Cliff Palace, constructed on four levels, probably accommodated 200 inhabitants. Next largest is Long House, with 150 rooms and 21 kivas (underground ceremonial chambers).

To reach hidden Balcony House you must climb down a 32-foot ladder not for the faint of heart. The Anasazi (ah-nah-sahz-ee) also lived in cliffs in the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico near Los Alamos. Unlike Mesa Verde's cliff Sand Canyon Pueblo Legend 7. Human bones 8. Rare square mug 9.

Red, white and black pol ishing stones in ritual group 1. Reservoirs 2. Plazas lor ceremonial dancing 3. Towers 4. Kiva (ceremonial chamber) 5.

D-shaped building with three walls 6. Human skeleton, head ings 10. Unusual black on white "cigarette box" 11. Stone wall, one-third mile long smashed Source: From a pointing by Glenn Fetch for Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Gannett News Service 1300. Many of these ruins can be visited on the 1,200 Grand Circle trip which takes you through seven national parks in addition to Indian ruins.

The Anasazi Indians lived in huge stone apartment houses under overhangs of red cliffs in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The tribe vanished without a trace in A.D. carved out the valley. Capitol Reef. White sandstone domes that resemble the Capitol building in Washington, D.C, gave this park its name.

Butch Cassidy and other outlaws of the Old West may have hidden in its maze of blind canyons. While most of the grandiose sights here date back millions of years, a new attraction appeared in the last decade. It's Lake Powell, created by damming the Colorado River. Edged by red sandstone mountain tops, the lake has a shoreline, which includes more than 90 flooded side canyons. It's a favorite for fishing, house-boating, and other water activities.

The famous white water raft trips on the Colorado River start at Lees Ferry, 17 miles downstream from the dam. Get more information from Grand Circle Association, Box Page, Ariz. 86040. formations and is much less congested. Arches National Park.

The greatest density of natural arches in the world is seen here more than 200, ranging from three to 105 feet high. Beneath the park lies an underground salt bed, formed 300 million years ago when a sea evaporated. Ground instability along with wind, water and extreme temperatures fashioned the arches. Bryce Canyon. Not really a canyon, it's a series of limestone amphitheaters of exquisite salmon pink pinnacles, striped with yellow and lavender.

Unlike most formations in this area, wind played no part in creating this fairyland only rain, snow and ice. Compared with most of the region, the pinnacles are mere youngsters only 60 million years old. Zion. Red and white cliffs tower 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the valley floor. Originally sand dunes, they became compressed into stone and then the Virgin River mud-plastered hogans, which always face the rising sun.

Women's bright colored velvet blouses and long satin skirts remain from a time last century when missionary-supplied clothing included out-of-style hoop skirts. The Navajo women simply removed the hoops and began the tradition of wearing long full skirts. A Grand Circle trip takes you through seven national parks in addition to Indian ruins. You view a quarter billion years of earth's history from the time it was under the sea, to the era of dinosaurs, to the age of violent earthquakes and volcanoes, to today's constant erosion by wind, water, cold and heat. Here are other outstanding sights on the Grand Circle route: Grand Canyon.

A mile beneath the canyon edge flows the mighty Colorado River, dividing the park into North and South Rim sections. The North Rim, overlooked by too many travelers, lies closer to spectacular rock houses that cluster near the top of sheer bluffs, at Canyon de Chelly, in Arizona, Anasazi built cliff dwellings close to the canyon floor. The ancient ones left picture galleries throughout the region. Etched into rock are big horn sheep, people and various symbols. Age of pictographs is determined by amount of desert varnish a blackish substance that has collected on drawings.

Anasazi cliff houses also are concealed in far reaches of Monument Valley, Utah, which today is part of Navajo tribal lands. Fantastic red sandstone buttes, slender monoliths, and arches rise dramatically from the valley floor. As car travel in Monument Valley is limited to sections of dirt roads, it's recommended you take a four-wheel-drive tour from Goulding's Lodge to see more of the valley and traditional Navajo life. Indians live in cedar log and Midwest rides can stand hair on end USA's highest coasters Great America in Gurnee, unveils the Shock Wave Saturday, the highest roller coaster in the USA: ShockWave, Great Ame Great America, Gurnee, III. Vortex, Kings Island, Ohio only); 21 days $698, 29 days $855.

That covers bus fare, guides, campground reservations, tents, mattresses and cooking gear, plus recreational equipment and bikes at some sites. The club also can arrange low-priced air, starting at about $400 round-trip from New Travel agents have details or contact the club, Suite 1602, 40 East 49th New York, NY 10017. MARIN COUNTY, CALIF. Behind-the-scenes 'Star Wars' on exhibit I The magic of filmmaker George Lucas is coming to this summer's County Fair. The largest display of the behind-the-scenes art of Lucas' "Star Wars" saga including models, paintings and original design sketches will be shown June 30 to July 4 in the Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, Marin Center, San Rafael, Calif.

"There's never been a show with so many pieces in it," said Judy Mes, who is in charge of foreign distribution and exhibits for the Nicasio-based Lucasfilm Ltd. The show features work from "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," particularly that of Lucasfilm's special effect team Industrial Light and Magic. The displays include models such as a 4-foot-long Millenium Falcon and a life-sized carbon-frozen Han Solo, backdrop paintings for animation sequences and the original artists' sketches for the neurotic robot S3PO. "I'm going to have Yoda there," Niles said. "They are going to see a lot of models up close." FRANCE French railroads increase car capacity To meet a soaring demand, the French National Railroads are going double-decker, even on the high-speed TGVs.

The two-tiered cars will increase capacity by 35 percent. The new cars also might be equipped with sleepers, to accommodate a projected rise in the number of riders making long-distance overnight Last year, traffic on the TGVs serving southeastern France rose 9 per cent from the previous year, to 17,533,000 passengers, and trains on the line now run at maximum capacity during weekend peak hours. The French rail passenger system continues to expand. The new Atlantic line to Brittany will open in the fall of 1989, and to Bordeaux -and Toulouse in 1990, bringing TGV service to an estimated 60 percent of the population. A northern TGV line towards Lille, Brussels and London via the "chunnel" (channel tunnel, now under construction) will tbe coming up in the early 1990s.

And the French are planning a new interconnection at the de Gaulle Airport that will enable train passengers going from region of the country to another to bypass central Paris. CRUISES Holland America buys two cruise ships Holland America has agreed to buy two ships of the Home Lines, the Homeric and the Atlantic. The two-year-old Homeric will change Ownership in November, after concluding its Bermuda sailing season. "Plans for the Atlantic have not been disclosed. The Homeric will begin alternating seven-day cruises in the eastern and western Caribbean, departing Fort Lauderdale each Sunday.

The eastern itinerary will include San Juan, St. Martin and Little "Stirrup Cay, a private out-island. The western leg includes calls at Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Bahamas and Progreso, Mexico. ITINERARY The following are some events happening next week that you might want to check out if you are in the neighborhood: June 23 A festival, folks: There are not too many places where you can find a Puerto Rican pig roast and Yankee clambake all in the same setting. But then the Festival of American Folklif on the Mall in Washington, D.C, sponsored by the Smithsonian and the National Park Service, is not your ordinary folk festival.

Showcased: food, customs and music. Samplings range from Soviet musicians to Appalachian singers to American Indian performers. The festival, now in its 21st year, runs through June 27 and June 30-July 4. June 24 Four score and 45 years ago: The Yankees win again. At "Gettysburg, that is.

History buffs re-enact the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, five miles from the Pennsylvania battlegrounds. About 10,000 soldiers don traditional uniforms 60 percent as gray-'coated Confederates and 40 percent blue-coated Yankees for four over a three-day period. June 26 Hot stuff: They're gonna have a hot time in Yreka, (pop: 6 000) It's the Chili Cookoff and Jalapeno Hot Pepper Eating Contest Summer Social. Watch out for Hal Sickler, 67, six-time winner of the 'pepper competition, downing a record 119 jalapenos in 50 minutes. His reward, aside from a bellyache: $1,500 and a trophy.

At the chili cookoff, 30 to 35 teams concoct their favorite recipes from the likes of xabbit and rattlesnake. Winner gets $500 and a trophy. Stories compiled from Gannett Newt Service reporti. 148 I 141 127 I Height (feet) 125 125 $Hbs5 Beast, Kings Island, Ohio American Eagle, Great America, Gurnee, III. Gemini, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio Colossus, Magic Mountain, Valencia, Calif.

Coaster addict's goal: 10,000 rides Gannett News Service Carl Eichelman gave it up. Don Helbig is still at it. Both men have passed the old world's record of 3,292 for the most rides on one roller coaster by one person. Eichelman stopped after 4,333 rides on the Beast roller coaster at Ohio's King's Island Amusement Park. Helbig is counting down to 8,000 rides on the park's Racer roller coaster, and sees his ultimate goal as 10,000.

Every year since 1979 one of them has been at it through two U.S. presidents and at least one ride that didn't work (The Bat), Eichelman and Helbig were always there. Helbig blames the major-league baseball strike of 1981 for getting him started. Then a seller of novelties at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, he had no novelties to sell due to the strike. So Helbig, then 18, took on the Racer.

For those who would spend their time riding one coaster repeatedly, the Racer was a perfect choice. It is a two-minute ride (the Beast is almost four minutes) and it is less crowded. "I don't think anyone will ever top the Beast," Eichelman said. A coaster freak, he still visits other coasters regularly and already has a trip planned this summer to check out the new coaster at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. By JIM POLLOCK Gannett News Service No thrills in the Midwest? Why, you might as well say there is no world-class downhill skiing in Ogallala, no celebrity-watching in the night spots of Albert Lea, Wait a minute.

The last guy who made snide remarks about the Midwest is now the punctuation editor for a billboard company and he has to bring his own paint brush. So let's start over. No thrills in the Midwest? Sure there are. Go to Chicago and dash across Lake Shore Drive at 5 p.m. with your eyes closed.

Wear an "I Love Reagan" sandwich board into the political science faculty lounge at the University of Wisconsin. Herd the offensive line of the Iowa Hawkeyes into a big truck; drive down to southern Missouri; take them to a smorgasbord, then have them jump up and down on the New Madrid fault line. No, no, hold on a second. Do not do those things, because they're dangerous, and you'll get hurt and sue us, and our lawyers are all attending an international symposium on briefcase maintenance in Rio de Janeiro. Let's try this approach: No thrills in the Midwest? Why, there are people out there spending millions of dollars on new ways to give you the biggest rush since your last trip to the emergency ward.

They are the people in charge of amusement parks, and they seem to be in a brightly painted version of the arms race. If you're going to be around Chicago this summer, you should know Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, 111., has just constructed what it modestly calls "the world's tallest, fastest and most thrilling steel roller coaster." They didn't say anything about how the "Shock Wave" compares with time travel, but you get the feeling it ranks right up there. Marcy Eckroth Mullins, GNS Adventureland Park near Des Moines got in touch with Huss, the same West German manufacturer Six Flags dealt with, and leased a million-dollar ride called the Rainbow for this season only. Riders stay upside-up on a platform that spins in a circle 87 feet in diameter. Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, contributes to the escalating shriek level in the upper Mississippi Valley with the new Python Plunge.

It "combines the elements of speed, darkness, sharp drops and turns," according to the literature, which makes you wonder if it was inspired by the stock market. The Python Plunge consists of four flumes, two of them open to the sky and two of them enclosed tubes. The open flumes send you 95 yards at speeds up to 40 mph. The tubes cover 145 yards and Include dark hairpin turns. Valleyfair Family Amusement Park in Shakopee, has two new water slides in Liquid Lightning Water Park, which is an extra-charge attraction.

In the main part of the park, a coaster called the High Roller hits speeds near 60 mph. The Corkscrew, as you might suspect, features loops. Source: American Coaster Enthusiasts The statistics do, indeed, make it sound like the kind of ride Steven Spielberg would buy for his back yard. Greatest height, 170 feet; length of first vertical drop, 155 feet; maximum speed, 65 mph; Special features, one vertical loop, 130-feet high; two vertical loops, 116-feet high; one corkscrew (two loops); two boomerang loops. The other Midwestern parks aren't sitting still, either.

At Six Flags Over Mid-America in Eureka, they're taking the unusual approach of bringing in a special ride for just one season. Discovered at the Ok-toberfest in Munich, West Germany, the Condor is a tower that stands 112 feet and has four arms. At the end of each arm are passenger compartments suspended in a circle. The main arms spin; the passenger cars also spin, and the whole assembly goes 100 feet up the tower. If you have ever wondered what it's like to be a pecan in a food processor, this is the experience for you.

Their big, traditional roller coaster is the Screamin' Eagle, which takes you as high as 92 feet and carries you at speeds up to 62 mph..