Back To Pantano Wash

I've mentioned Cienega Creek previously.  It runs intermittently, depending on the rainfall.  Sometimes it impersonates an out of control river and sometimes just a dry creek bed.  It DOES however, roam along through the desert for 50 miles or so.  In some sections, water is forced up through the bedrock and it runs continuously, although very little.

The little town of Pantano (originally a stagecoach stop) has since disappeared into the desert, but was moved at one point due to the flooding that occurred during monsoon season.  It's hard to believe it got it's name from the Spanish word for Marsh.

Right where I live, it becomes Pantano Wash, dry most of the year.  I was wondering where all the critters come from that greet me at the water hole, so I took a walk down to the wash.  Okay, I actually drove most of the way with my AC on high since the weather insists on staying in the 105 region.

Wasn't I surprised to find a trailhead, right in my own back yard.  I was also surprised to see just how big Pantano Wash really is.  It's all protected as part of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area and unfortunately requires a pass if you wish to go for a walk.  That was rather disheartening.  I was really looking forward to checking out the bridge area for my deer buddies.

Yes, I broke the rules and walked a few yards in so I could take pictures.  I bet Miss Bobcat has a nice spot in the shade amid the cottonwood and willow trees.

That's when I found these tracks.  It's hard to tell if they are javelina or deer, since they are very similar.  Your guess is as good as mine, but I think deer.

Here's a picture of the creek from the 1880's.  Notice the lack of scrub brush and trees.  They say all the brush and cactus is a result of the huge numbers of cattle eating and depositing seeds across the country.  It's hard to deny when you see images like this one.

Yup ... it is a trickle of water rather than a raging river.  Occasionally too much rain did become a problem further downstream by my location, so over the years, lots of metal and junk cars were dumped into the river to keep erosion to a minimum.  Now there is a big project to REMOVE all said junk since it has become a bike-path park-like area as it go through Tucson.

If you keep your eyes open as you hike along, you just might find a spot like this where the Hohokam Indians ground corn in depressions in the rock.  Don't try this at home.  I did it with my family's Indian grinding stones in grammar school.  We made cornmeal with the delicate texture of sand and fried it up for our parents.  It was awful!!

I would like to have gone further, but this big puddle kept me at bay.  Yes I have 4-wheel drive, but didn't want to take any chances.  I'm sure by now this has dried up completely in our convection oven temperatures.

I tried to find out what this critter was that I found wandering across the road.  I've seen several of them in my back yard.  I think it's a white desert snail.  It's interesting how his foot is positioned.  I know, photographers will take a picture of just about anything!!!!

So that's it, right in my very own back yard.  Pantano Wash was not only the home of early settlers, but the temporary residence of many Indian tribes including the Hohokam and Chiricahua, to name a couple.  I'm pretty sure they didn't hang around in the summer heat however.

With temps still hanging out at the 107 level, I won't be adventuring out much.  I'm hoping the critters keep coming to me.