Desert Dangers!

 

The desert is a dangerous place. 

We have found that out in numerous ways, but most spectacularly, a few weeks ago when we had a flat tire.  Putting in air did not help, so we had Don, a local handyman who has done a few things for us, put on the spare.  We went to a Toyota dealership in the town of Sierra Vista.  They confirmed a puncture, said it might be a nail, but when they got the tire off, they discovered the damage was due to a thorn!  Sounds insane, that a thorn should be able to puncture a tire, but see photo here – those thorns are two inches long.  Apparently this happens from time to time.  The thorn pierced the sidewall just above the reinforced portion so it was not reparable.  Crazy.

In terms of desert flora, we have found other things besides these big thorns that can cause damage.  Some time ago, we made a boneheaded mistake.  We had put our portable router on top of the car's cargo carrier for a zoom meeting, because that was the best place to get a really good signal.  Then after the meeting was over, we drove off with the router still on top of the car.  Later in the day we discovered it was missing.  Following the signal and retracing our route, we tried to access the router’s signal on our phones.  Sajad graciously searched the length of the bumpy, rocky driveway and gravel road in the blazing sun, but we determined that the router had not fallen off the car there, but the signal kicked in when we reached State Line Road, the nearest paved road.  Stopping from time to time, we searched along the roadside on the right side, where the router had been on the car.  Sometimes the signal got stronger, sometimes it faded.  The router is a black box a little larger than a cellphone with blaze orange trim.  It should have been easy to spot.  The plants along the roadside were hard and dry and full of numerous species of prickly thorns, which we naturally tried to avoid while looking at them closely.  Meanwhile various passing cars and trucks stopped to ask if we needed any help.  I guess we looked pretty hapless.  I felt spines sticking into my feet and found small burrs of some sort were going right through my shoes.  We continued combing the roadside, feeling more frustrated and discouraged by the minute.  Then Don’s truck came into view.  He stopped and offered to help look.  He tried the other side, and found the router within a few minutes.  We were so relieved and grateful.  We took him for dinner immediately at the Portal Café, by way of thanks.  The router still works, though the screen is smashed so we can’t access most of its functions. 

Of course, plants are not the only dangers in the desert.  The Chiricahua Desert Museum is less than two miles from where we are staying.  This is a small museum, two museums really, one devoted to the local reptiles and one chronicling the history of the Apache tribe in the area. A short distance down the road, there is a stone pillar showing where Geronimo eventually surrendered.  It is a sad and dramatic history.  Equally sad, but inspiring as well, was the story of Lozen, a woman warrior who fought as bravely and shot as well as the men, and was said to have almost clairvoyant powers to locate the enemy.  She was a brilliant military strategist as well. 

The photo here of Geronimo is from a painting by a local artist.  It is done from a photograph.

The collection of snakes, both alive and preserved, is stunning.  I had no idea there were so many different kinds of rattlesnakes, and they all live in this area.  They are dormant at this time of the year, but in the summer, this area is prime rattlesnake territory.  Also on display were numerous examples of remedies for snake bite that have been used through the years, though with little indication of how often they were used or whether they actually worked.  The experts will tell you that if you don’t surprise them, the snakes will not bother you, but if I lived here year-round I would invest in snake-proof boots! 

Another interesting tidbit about the museum is that they have showers there.  For a fee, you get a key that gives access to a private bathroom/shower.  It is one more thing of many we have learned that you wouldn’t know, if you didn’t know.  We have taken grateful advantage of this concession several times. 

Portal has a Saturday farmers’ market, and we went there one day in search of goodies.  We found a couple selling jams, jellies, chili, salsa, amazing banana bread and flan.  In chatting with them, the man, David is his name, casually mentioned that he can kill rattlesnakes with a slingshot!  He learned to use it when he was a boy in Mexico.  He uses a marble as ammunition.  He says he would never waste a snake he killed, but that they are quite easy to skin and cook.  I asked if they taste like chicken, which I have heard.  He replied, “Oh, it’s much better than chicken!” 

As I have mentioned earlier, there are mountain lions in this area, caught on night-vision cameras on neighboring properties.  One day we saw an animal running right through our compound, near the fire pit.  We got a few blurry photos but it was moving pretty fast.  It looked like a young wolf or, more likely, a coyote.  It is not usual to see one alone like that so there must be a story behind it.  We have seen what we believe is the same animal since, but it was moving too fast and was too well-camouflaged to catch on camera. 

It’s been very cold here lately, down below freezing at night and once or twice, only into the lower 40s in the daytime.  On the day there was a huge storm across the Midwest, we had snow here too, up to 4 inches in a nearby town, maybe ½ an inch in Portal.  We are told there are strong storms in January and February, with high winds, and sometimes snow/ice.  In the summer there are sandstorms for which there are warning signs along the highway, instructing drivers to be aware of poor visibility and to keep their headlights on.  So the weather is one more thing that is not always sunny and bright here.

Like I said, the desert is a dangerous place … !!