Southwest Adventures
by Elaine Seavey
Excerpt:
The following excerpt is from Chapter I: Yuma, Arizona area.
Southwest Adventures
Beginning on Page 32 – INDIAN PASS ROAD We set off with another couple, each with our own truck and trailer, headed
for Indian Pass Road. We had checked out this dirt road earlier, and knew we
would have to cross two sandy washes going in. Since there had been no recent
rains, the guys did not think it would be a problem, and I heard one advise the
other, “Just step on the gas and don’t slow down until we’re through!” Well, we
made it through the washes, and luckily the trailers did not drag on the hump we
encountered coming through the second wash.
Driving on, we came to a well traveled track leading north off the main road.
Turning here, we came to a nice flat area on the edge of a large wash with
several big old ironwood trees for shade. Others had camped here before, as
there was a large fire ring. I will always remember that camping spot, as it was
one of the most pleasant dry-camping spots we have ever found.
I went on several long walks by myself. One of my favorite hikes was east of our
camp, and involved crossing three wide sandy washes. Each one had a hummock of
land between them. Then I came to a low hill covered with strange brown rocks.
Walking farther, I came across two smaller hills with the same rocky terrain,
and made an interesting discovery!
On the north side of both of these hills I came across what appeared to be
ancient sleeping circles. Sleeping circles are well known and recognized by
Historians. It is believed that these circles were made by Aboriginal Indians,
perhaps covered with brush, and used as resting places when traveling from one
place to another. We have come across sleeping circles several times over the
years on various desert treks.
Here, rocks had been cleared from a circular area, and this smooth place was
surrounded by a ring of larger rocks. It was easy to tell that these circles
were very old, due to how deeply the rocks were embedded in the soil. There were
several of these rock circles, all in a line. Nature simply could not have
arranged the rocks or cleared the space in this manner.
Quite often while on a walk, we would come across large stumps of ironwood trees
which had been felled with an ax. In the days when steamships traveled on the
Colorado River, wood was in great demand. Indians and white men alike would haul
firewood long distances to the river, selling it to the steamboat operators.
There was a particularly huge stump near our camp, and we discussed what a job
it must have been to chop that tree down with just a hand ax! Even handling and
hauling the wood must have been an arduous task, as it is very heavy.
I had been most anxious to drive up to Indian Pass. Finally, we all piled in our
pickup and headed east on the main gravel road to its summit. (Indian Pass)
Here, we found a small parking area with a sign cautioning visitors not to
remove or deface any artifacts. At one time there had been several petroglyphs
in this area. However, all have been removed. The owners of Gold Rock Ranch had
one of these petroglyphs on display for several years, but it too had
“mysteriously disappeared.”
Reaching the pass, the panoramic views were incredible. Picacho Peak loomed
straight ahead of us. This rocky pinnacle is a landmark which can be seen from
miles away in all directions.
The road continued over the pass and down to the Colorado River. It looked
pretty steep and rocky and was deeply rutted. As we were debating whether we
should attempt it, a jeep came chugging up from the other side. The driver
advised us not to try it, as the road was washed out in places and impassable,
so that settled our decision!
While the others were discussing the road issue, I wandered off into an area of
rocks north of the parking area. Somewhere near here, an old Indian foot path
leading over the pass supposedly was still visible. And, much to my surprise and
delight, I found it! What a thrill that was! I called to the others to come join
me. It was impossible to deny that this was the ancient trail, and it was still
very much in evidence. About 14-inches wide, the trail itself has been
completely cleared of rocks, and was quite deep. Various sources say that this
trail can be traced 14 miles west of here.
We followed the trail for a ways, and farther on even found a sleeping circle
beside the trail. Then, retracing our steps to the east, we could see where it
came up from the other side of the pass, no doubt from the Colorado River.
The others returned to the truck to have lunch, but I was too excited to eat,
and continued to explore. I discovered a second, similar trail directly to the
south, running parallel to this one. Locating this ancient trail has been one of
the most interesting discoveries during our travels!
Rodger and I were on a bike ride south of camp one day. We had found another
former campsite, and had been following some tracks, until, coming to a rocky
area, the trail simply disappeared. We proceeded to walk our bikes over the
rocks, hoping we would eventually pick up the track again. And, what a surprise
it was to come across that ancient Indian foot path! We could see that it headed
toward Indian Pass, so was obviously a part of the same Indian trail we had
discovered earlier. That made our day! On this outing we had ridden our bikes
ten miles and walked two miles.
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