Temporal Gulch, Beauty, Artistry, Wheeling: A Special Run

The sunny sky filled with billowing pillows of clouds that shadowed the mountains. Many clear running creeks threaded the spectacular scenery of Temperal Gulch. There a picturesque canyon hike, a class 3 4-WD challenge at trail’s end and a convivial group of 8 drivers with their passengers, cameras and sketch pads in tow made for a spectacular day’s run on Sunday January 30.

Fearless leader Trilby Arnold and her passenger Claudia Apperson and foxy in her YJ, Lady Freedom were met at Mustang Corner at 8:30 by Sherry Nichols and her Canadian guest Artina, in her newly lifted TJ, Gordon White with his truck on taller legs, Cletus Billote in his Zuki with his two dogs, Bruce and Georgia who will be joining our club next meeting with their dog in their YJ, Bob Keen and Glenn Gray in TJs, and Leon and Dorothy Behrhends with the Ugly Toy. Everyone came well equipped with a holiday spirit.

By chance this run reprised Lady Freedom’s maiden voyage made almost a year ago when Trilby led a run on this trail. This time the antelope were tucked in somewhere warm and out of our sight, but cameras were at the ready and we made several stops on route to sonoita including the shell station and the convenience store to purchase delectable munchies for some and breakfast for others.

As we approached Patagonia, Gordon told us of the light in the mountain that Kathy kept seeing when they would return from Nogales. One day he searched out the light and found a shrine where a candle burned. The shrine was dedicated by the Tellez family to fulfill a vow to God in 1941. It is dedicated to the memory of rancher Ward’s stepson kidnaped and killed by apaches in the late 1800s. White settlers in turn massacred a band of apaches. Of course these were not the band which had taken the boy. Much blood flowed across Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties as a result. Naturally we drove to visit this shrine and photograph it before turning back through Patagonia to Temperal Gulch.

The first 6 miles are a well graded wide dirt road with ample room for our group to stop frequently and safely even on curves as various drivers called out “Kodak moment”. The Patagonia Mountains and the Santa Ritas framed the grassy valleys beautifully.

At 6 miles is a hiking trail head where we aired down and chatted with a ranger who then accompanied us for part of our run. We had expected to play on the rocks there which offer good challenges and sport, however, they are now fenced off with many “no vehicle” signs. My guess is that an inexperienced driver got into difficulty there and the forest department, ever mindful of lawsuits, took preventive action. Leon lost a bolt on a brake caliper so the Ugly Toy had to be parked. He and Dorothy quickly found empty passenger seats in other vehicles to continue the day’s fun.

This time of year the sycamores are striking with their white skeletal forms starkly lit against a darkening sky. A few miles and many photo stops brought us to a wide space. We parked, grabbed our hiking sticks and followed Leon down a steep trail into an intimate, magical world in a small side canyon with a crystal clear stream twisting over rocks and forming deep limpid pools that would be so inviting on a summer’s hot day, but which will be mostly dried by then. All those sticks bothered Foxy but she managed. A few of the adventurous climbed the cliffs and rocks to get better views and to trace the creek further into the canyon . The rest of us lingered by a quiet pool enjoying the play of light and shadow and the shifting reflections as a school of tiny native fish swam about. Though not yet lunch time we wished aloud that we had carried down our lunches and thought about just making our day right there in this very special setting. However, curiosity about the trail ahead drew us back up the cliff side to our rigs.

Dorothy, Gordon, foxy and I brought up the rear. As leader I felt that I should demonstrate the hazards of creek crossings and rock jumping so I fearlessly and gracelessly flung myself head first into the creek, landing both knees, my right elbow and forehead each on its own rock. With just the right twist at just the right time, I did manage to keep the camera and my hat out of the water, but not my rump! Nothing was broke or sprained though my glasses may never be the same. Foxy just looked at me. Good sport that she is Dorothy thought she ought to help me out with my demonstration and sat down abruptly among the rocks on the bank. The biggest bruises were to our egos. Gordon was busy for a few moments helping distressed damsels. He took Foxy for a while who pulled back with distrust until we thought to unleash her knowing she would head for the rig. However, she got confused and headed back up canyon. The whole group called and whistled which brought her galloping back. Fortunately no one remembered to raise their cameras. Back at the rigs Claudia pulled off her sweat shirt to cloth me since my own top was dripping and cold. I’m so glad The Lady’s heater works.

With many laughs and frequent photo stops with lots of sociable chatter we meandered our way up the trail. We had a dozen or more creek crossings, each a photo opportunity. The road began to twist and climb giving us wonderful views into the inner canyon . Near the summit, breaks in the trees open onto heart stopping views of mountain cliffs framing the valley below. We stopped just past the crest to step out onto a log clinging to the steep hillside to poke cameras through the trees to capture this view. From here the road can be rutted and, in wet weather, slick as it winds down into a pine woods and to Walker’s tank where a small concrete dam impounds a pool of water fed by springs and runoff that tumbles down several small falls into rock pools. Those who explored reported ice rimming the edges. At the top Dave Harker has placed a geocache, but in the eagerness to have lunch and to take out sketch pads it was forgotten.

Lunch was a lazy, sociable affair with several folk sharing what they had brought. Georgia’s daughter had baked a loaf of poppy seed cake that was almost sinful it was so tasty. Artina had zestful avocado potato chips, Sherry had corn chips, Claudia and I cheese. The sun took a nap hiding behind the clouds and the air chilled,( especially around my wet rump) so the artists put away the sketch books and we decided to challenge the trail’s end which holds a four wheel drive dessert. In the last .2 mile there is steep loose traction shale, a couple of boulders and two or three steps to get over. These have to be approached from just the right angle to negotiate. At the top you can see across the Patagonia mountains to the Huachucas with their snowy caps. It’s worth the ride! A few struggled but everyone who had disconnected sway bars made it up. On top we found Cletus who had opted out of the earlier hike and proceeded on.

With reluctance we headed back out the trail stopping to catch those photos missed on the way in, but with light fading and the air chilling we stopped less frequently and chattered on the CB more. Back at the hiking trail head we gathered one last time, got group photos, hugged and pronounced the day a sound success.

Gordon offered to use his air compressor at his house in Whetstone to fill tires and several of us took him up on it. His lovely home is in such an open and beautiful piece of the desert that this was really a continuation of our run as we watched his flock of quail come to the feeding grounds.

Our club has seven or eight and maybe more working artists associated with it and, of course, we have many photographers. Righteous wheeling is great fun but as a club we are about more than just challenging the terrain or our rigs. We have an appreciation for the land we travel through and for each other. A run such as today’s puts us in touch with that larger experience and enriches us. To that end I will lead a photography, art run every 5 to 8 weeks into a scenic area, more often if the whim strikes or a request is made. These will offer a varying degree of wheeling challenge. Some will have none and others will have their share. I am open to suggestions for trails. I am open to co-leaders for trails that exceed my experience. These runs will focus on photographic and artistic interests, but are not for the artists only, but rather for those with an aesthetic sensibility who will enjoy a relaxed day’s outing in nature’s beauty with time to stop to smell the flowers and enjoy the views. That, I imagine, includes the whole club!