Desert Rain

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Thursday January 30, 2014

I continue to enjoy hiking in the Sonoran, even though the last several trips have either been more for fun than for searching for military aircraft wreck sites.  

On a trip to Childs Valley last Monday we did find this interesting device.  The shaft is hollow and about 7 feet long, the sheet metal is not attached to the shaft, but does surround it.

The shaft has several of these square brackets riveted on at 18" intervals, and one end has a heavy sleeve on it and the other end has a round 1/4" thick "washer" attached to it.  

We wonder if it was part of a aerial tow target, but there isn't enough to go on.

Mark also showed me what might have been an observation post in the Crater Range north of Ajo.

Mark found a light gauge twisted pair of wire several years ago and followed it to a high bluff that overlooks the southern gunnery range.  The reel shown here is used as a junction point- there is a set of posts with knurled nuts on the side where the next reel of wire attaches and extends out.

Mark also showed me pieces of polycarbonate plastic that are from the canopy of an F-16 crash that I have blogged about earlier.  The crash site is about 2 miles away.

I looked over the bigger of the pieces, then carefully replaced it, for the next explorer to find.

I got to see my first Tarantula spider of this winter season, on this hill.  The spider was about the size of a walnut, and had a leg spread of about 4".  I really wanted to get a photo of it, but before I could get my phone out to take the picture it crawled into a gap between two large boulders and wouldn't show itself again.  Tarantulas are not dangerous to humans and many are kept as pets.

Today (Thursday Jan 30th)

Joan, our neighbor Barb, and I have been wanting to go to the Desert Rain Cafe, ever since we saw one of their menus posted at an RV park near here.  

The Desert Rain Cafe is in Sells, Arizona which is 73 miles south and east of Ajo on the Tohono O'odham  Nation.  The Cafe is a non-profit started to increase awareness and help persuade Native Americans to change their diet and begin eating more of their traditional and healthy foods.  

Each dish contains at least one traditional Tohono O'odham food, such as cholla bud, tepary beans or saguaro fruit syrup.

Cholla buds

The Tohono O'odham people are locked in a battle with diabetes.  The percentage of diabetics in the tribe is an astonishing 75%.  The Cafe is part of a social program to help change their diet.  Luckily it is open to the general public also, because their food is awesome!

Joan and Barb had the Prickly Pear Glazed Pork Ribs, with a side salad, brown Tepary Beans, and a whole wheat tortilla.  Jeff had Cholla Bud Citrus Salad, which includes jicama, cholla buds, pineapple with chicken on a bed of spinach leaves.  we shared an appetizer of the Desert Rain Sampler - Desert Hummus, Cholla Pico de Gallo and Tepary Bean Dip.  Delicious.

The trip over to Sells and back was so worth this!  

Your Traveling Friends

Joan and Jeff