Walking south along the San Pedro River

It was a quiet day today, with a clear blue sky, no wind, and I wanted to go out and explore without going too far in the car. I chose the San Pedro River south from Palominas. I didn't leave the house until 1:30pm and took Sadie, Minnie and Zeke. I wasn't expecting any people near where I was going, so having Zeke with me was OK.

It turned out to be a lovely nature walk. The river here (it's more of a creek, coming from the Midwest) is shallow but in the monsoons heavy floods can turn this area into a raging quagmire. The trail that illegal border crossers create changes every year, depending on the water flow. The massive beaver dam from a few years ago, that was my turn-around spot with the dogs, is no more, and in its place are dense sections of thorny burrs.

I never came across another soul in four hours. All I saw were Great Horned Owls, falcons and hawks. Farther south I saw what looked like the beginnings of a beaver dam, with felled trees lined up in the water. The alignment looked too perfect to have been created by flooding.

The dogs enjoyed this romp very much.

Unlike previous years, this year I saw no trash along the route. I used to find discarded backpacks, clothes, Jumex cans and personal effects. The enforced border here from 2008 has made a difference in the number of Mexicans crossing over. The prickly weeds, however, have increased, especially Russian thistle (tumbleweed) with its 10,000s of seeds per plant. Old snags, flood debris and erosion also slowed down the walk in parts.

I didn't go at a fast pace since most of the time I was in or at the river bed. The dogs clearly enjoyed the frolic while I watched my footing. The river meanders quite a bit and after two hours I was still a mile from the border. Had I gone down the straight trail a half-mile to the east, I would have made the border. Walking along the river under the bald canopy of cottonwoods, however, is more rewarding. I saw plenty of Great Horned Owls watching us. I came across a dead juvenile hawk (most likely attacked by a falcon) and at least one perched prairie falcon high in a tree. Of course the dogs were oblivious to the birds; they just wanted to play.

Had I started the hike an hour sooner, I could have made the border, but I would have gone back via the trail. The parking lot here closes at dusk and I made it back to the car just in time. The dogs barked at a biker nearby, who was exiting the restroom. A lone USBP truck was parked in the lot but the agents were no where near the vehicle. It was 5:45pm when I drove back home, just 4:15 hours after starting. I had a craving for ice cream, but instead Kevin had a nice turkey dinner going.


My computer is once again not allowing me to upload my photos. I'll have to work on this!