By Robert Samuelsen On one of my exploratory Jeep adventures, I was seeking a way to go from Benson to Vail without using the freeway. On the maps, it showed public lands and a dirt road so I figured that it would be possible. Shortly after I left the main road, I encountered a “T” in the road and a cordial man in a pickup truck. He asked me where...
By Rob Samuelsen Historically, the Grand River originated from the continental divide in Colorado and flowed southwesterly across the Colorado Plateau to the confluence of the Green River. The conjoined river formed the Colorado River just south of Moab, Utah. For whatever reason, in 1921 Congress renamed the entirety of the Grand River to the...
By Robert Samuelsen In the amazing canyon country of southern Utah, there are naturally formed spans of rock – arches and bridges in geological parlance. In Arches National Park, there are over 2,000 documented arches while just a few miles south is Natural Bridges National Monument with three huge natural bridges. They may appear to be similar...
By Rob Samuelsen Many years ago my father decided to rent a Jeep in Moab, Utah to explore parts of Canyonlands National Park. At the rental desk, the attendant told my father that he was prohibited from going to Elephant Hill but other trails were open. As a teenager, the Elephant Hill prohibition made such a strong impression on me that it has...
By Rob Samuelsen For thousands of years, people have flocked to Sabino Canyon to use and enjoy the water because water is the lifeblood of the desert. Sabino Creek was a perennial stream funneling water from the higher elevations of the Catalina Mountains into an alluvial fan at the foothills of the mountain slope. More recently, the creek dries...
By Robert Samuelsen They won’t win a beauty contest, nor would they be considered a charismatic critter, but the collared peccary is commonly seen and is very much part of the arid southwest lore. Peccaries are territorial and mark their range using a scent gland on their posterior. By rubbing rocks and trees, they create an odiferous barrier of...
By Robert Samuelsen This may be a question that doesn’t need to be asked but it struck me as curious if not relevant. Somewhere between the perennial stream in the Sonoita valley and the dry sandy wash at the Tucson Country Club in mid-town, this watercourse changes names from Cienega Creek to the Pantano Wash. More narrowly defined, it appears to...
By Rob Samuelsen Since the early day of mankind, humans have used stone tools to prepare food. In fact, scientists have discovered grinding stones in all parts of the world going back more than 35,000 years. Here in the arid southwest, deep holes can be found in many streamside boulders where prehistoric people would gather to crush and mix leaves...
By Robert Samuelsen The harshness of the Sonoran Desert is no better demonstrated than through the cuts, pokes, scrapes and bites by desert rocks, flora, and fauna. It seems like every time I’m outdoors I come back with some sort of trauma – blood, swelling, itching, or a burn. Everything in the desert ecosystem seems to have adapted to inflict...
By Rob Samuelsen When you think of the Sonoran Desert the last thing that might come to mind are waterfalls. Yet, with our sky island mountain ranges the desert yields some beautiful cascades during snowmelt and summer rains. One of the most prominent is Tanque Verde Falls on the northern flank of the Rincon Mountains. Easily accessible from...
