Joel's Adventure
Sasabe, AZ, U.S./Mexico Border & Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
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November 2006 - I went down to Sasabe, Arizona this morning to watch the sunrise. |
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Sasabe is in Pima County and
is opposite of the Sonoran town of El Sasabe. I am not sure what the economic mainstay is here.
This is one of the piplelines for illegal entry into the United States. Deer, jack rabbits and
coyotes were all over the place in the morning light, but I was unable to get a decent shot of the wildlife.
They are mostly shy to say the least!
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Inside the town of Sasabe. |
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The Port of Entry. Closed this early.
I had planned on walking along the border, but I had noticed that no one had their
car parked in the open here. It struck me that parking might mean a long walk home. |
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The Baboquivari Mountains. On the far side lies the O'odham Reservation. |
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The San Louis Mountains. |
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I accidently came across a trail in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
I was about 16 miles from Sasabe and probably about 8 miles from Arivaca. I had
noticed trucks on the road side and pulled over. I didn't realize that I'd be hearing gunfire out here of all places.
Adjacent photo: A multi-headed barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) among the terrain. |
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A trash-lined trail. You can see packs and articles
of clothing in the bottom of the wash. There was human excrement all over the place
and a ton of garbage everywhere. I guess most folks who came this way didn't think of
bringing a shovel or garbage bags. I really pondered about
the folks who come through this hard country just for money with no food and little water.
I wondered what they told their wives and children that they brought along.
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Someone left his pack when the truck came along. The Border Patrol has armed checkpoints on the roads, but I really wonder just how effective that they are. |
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A rare beer tree. Typically, these only grow where one has a total disdain for nature. |
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Someone who didn't bring enough water did this. The pulp is gone and it is still fresh. It wasn't an animal either. |
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I left the area and went a few miles down the road
to the Cienega at Arivaca. I noted that the southern edge of the park was closed off due to safety concerns.
I wonder what the public outcry would be if the gang members in Washington
D.C. made it so unsafe that the Federal Government closed off the Washington
and Lincoln Monuments to the public due to "SAFETY." |
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A "cienga" is a wetland or marsh. These provide a haven for many of our
animals out here from the desert and a striking contrast from the enviroment just a few miles away.
The desert can change its face very quickly. |
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The cienega and a barrel. Two worlds meeting. |
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East of Arivaca, Arizona.
-These photos were submitted by Joel Smith in Tucson, Arizona. |
