I had just brought home my newly purchased 6 cylinder YJ to replace My 4cylinder YJ. Anxious to get her on the dirt I put out an invitation for a run into what I heard was a very beautiful canyon. A warm, bright Spring-like day greeted the 5 other drivers who met me at the Whetstone Texaco to follow me with Paul and Foxy in my proud new Jeep into the back country of the Santa Rita Mountains, West of Patagonia to see how she handled.

Marty with his daughter Cheryl and their two dogs in their silver Scrambler, Gordon and Kathy in her Cherokee, Jim and Bear in his new mean, green Suburban, Dave with his Toy Truck sporting new bullet “holes” and Mark and Sherry also in a Toy Truck made up the group with plans to explore scenic Temporal Gulch and its offshoots plus Josephine Canyon off of Bull Springs Road if time permitted. (which it didn't).

After introduction to Lady Freedom and all the appropriate “oohs” and “aahs”, and words of congratulations had been said we headed out. We were ostensibly a group of mature adults but it soon became evident that we were in fact a caravan of giggling kids let out for holiday! The first holiday treasure came in seeing the elusive herd of antelope on the way to Sonoita.

A right turn off Hwy 83 onto Patagonia’s First Avenue took us onto 6 miles of smoothly graded dirt road that led into a canyon as beautiful as advertised, rich in Oak and grassland growth ending at the Arizona Trail head parking area where we air downed before moving on .2 mile to play a bit on a rock garden before continuing on. Jim managed to get his ‘Burban mostly up a steep slope of rock. Marty went up and over, while the rest of us sought different angles of approach. FS Rd. 72 soon led up and around hills with a few low traction areas that benefitted from 4Hi gearing. The usual leaders found what it was to eat the dust of others, and to enjoy sightseeing, while Ienjoyed my own pace, no dust, and the sense of being on my own yet in the safety of company. Reveling in Lady Freedom’s greater clearance and power I kicked up my heels traveling a bit faster and with less care than usual. 

With a few ups and downs over shale and around some curves on a shelf, then down a steep gravelly incline our road led us to the Walker Tank, a concrete dam across the draw with a fair sized pond behind it rimmed in ice. Marty and his daughter climbed the rocks, the dogs swam and splashed, and wagged wet tails with happy fury. 8 Year old Cheryl must have thought it so much fun she should join them as she slid off a slippery slope into the chilly drink. Dave hid a geocache up-slope of the dam. Sherry entered the co-ordinates into her GPS and became its first discoverer to her total delight.

With our playful break ended we engaged 4 Low and edged up the rocky steep road across the wash. What had been an easygoing 2+ scenic drive suddenly presented us with a class 4 challenge rock ledge followed by .2 mile of rocky, low traction bush clogged trail. This was my first experience with such a challenge without another rig in front to point the way. The first several tries didn’t succeed but finally up and triumphantly over and onward. Marty and Dave followed after. Our three rigs were thoroughly pin striped for our efforts but we were well rewarded with a spectacular view over the mountain tops and valley to the peaks of the Huachucas . This will probably be the only time that we went where Jim could not. The other three drivers had brought their milder rigs for this trip, not really anticipating the need for anything aggressive.

Back we went planning to explore some spur roads. One simply dead-ended in a grove of trees which required multipoint turnarounds. Back on FS 72 we were treated to the very rare sighting of a covey of Harlequin Quail. FS 72A would have taken us back to the Wilderness Boundary at Jackson Flats, however, we took a spur into a lovely secluded canyon that offered a good hill climb over a tree root with a sharp turn onto a rocky creek bed road that loops back on itself. This too was a seriously brushy trail that presented its share of rocky obstacles and eventually loops up to Mansfield Mine. Clouds had begun to move in and sunset was not far away so we decided to head back out and end a fun, sometimes challenging day of play. This canyon and Josephine Canyon would await exploration on another day. (Indeed the following weekend some of the club went back to do some brush cutting and road maintenance and took the loop to Mansfield Mine.)

Back on graded road, Lady Freedom began to falter a bit. A quick stop to check a connection and we were again on the move, however half way to Sonoita she began to miss and spit small backfires forcing another stop. As Sherry noted, our membership seems to come with full roadside service. Jim checked the fuel filter, Paul checked the previously loose connection, others peered poked and advised. For a moment it looked like she was to suffer the ignominy of being towed back to town after having handled beautifully in the dirt and on the rocks. However, Dave reset the Crank Position Sensor and we were once more on our way home with a deep sense of contentment and comradery, vowing to return to this most scenic and occasionally challenging set of canyons.