Another cool morning, again in the 40s with a few more clouds than we have seen. We pulled out our small electric heater to take the chill off inside of Speedy.
We took advantage of our newly acquired gate key to do a bit of morning birding along the road to the visitor center. When we started, we were both wearing fleeces, as the sun appeared it warmed quickly and off they came. We were only out for about an hour and a half, but by the time we got back, we had resolved to never go off without water and hats. We saw quite a few unidentifiable grass-land sparrows, a Rock Wren, several Harriers, Crows and Ravens but nothing new.
After returning I unloaded the bicycles and took a short ride to the visitor center to pick up mail and a refuge map, then over to the maintenance building to see what was there. It was a bit less than five miles and it was obvious that I hadn't ridden in a while as my legs were really stiff.
After lunch we decided to take Speedy out for a look around the surrounding area. First we went south to Sasabe (pronounced Sass-a-bee), the one-horse, one-cow town on the Mexican border. We passed at least six Border Patrol vehicles on the way but no more checkpoints. Sasabe has a Post Office, an elementary school, a bar (open on weekends) and the Sasabe Store, a small general store run by Debbie, the fourth generation of her family to run the store. It stocks a collection of essentials including food, some clothing, a few touristy things and, inexplicably, several used typewriters. It also has a selection of ice cream bars of which we partook.
We drove down to the border, turning before we got to the border crossing itself. It is a large modern customs and immigration building on the US side, more than one would expect for a minor border crossing. The Mexican town of Sasabe is supposed to be much larger than the the US town. Maybe we will give it a look later in the year.
We then turned back north, drove past the refuge and took the Sasabe-Arivaca Road to the east to check out the town of Arivaca. It is a rather twisty, rough 12-mile road to the town. It's larger than Sasabe, with a Post Office, the Arivaca Mercantile, several small shops and the cantina, complete with a bunch of motorcycles outside.
The Mercantile is much larger than the one in Sasabe, probably the closest useful store. It has a good selection of foods, even a reasonable vegetable section. If the road to Arivaca weren't so bad, it might be a close-ish alternative for food.
On our way out of the store, we were greeted by a couple of guys that we had pulled over to let pass on the road. They thanked us warmly for being considerate (actually Ellen was the responsible considerate one, noticing them and pointing out a pull-off). They were hunters returning from a successful white-tailed deer hunt on the refuge. Much of the refuge is open for hunting in season and this was the first white-tail season of the year. They had a good-sized buck in the back of their truck and were heading home to dress it and get it into the freezer. Almost everyone we've run into out here hunts and they all hunt for food.
One asked where we were from and when we replied, he exclaimed that his son was living in Boston, having recently graduated from Berklee School of Music. He seemed quite proud of him, as one would expect, and entreated us to check out his band when we were home, Dan and the Wildfire.
On the way into Arivaca, we passed two of the refuge's premier birding sites, Arivaca Creek and Aricava Cieniga. We didn't stop today but will return soon. We also drove on to the Gadsen Coffee Company (surprised?), a local roaster, but their cafe was closed. It is only open Friday-Monday 8-2. Better luck next time.
It was time to head back to the Sonoran Outpost (the volunteer compound at Buenos Aires). Somehow the road back seemed shorter than the road to Arivaca; isn't that always the way? We only saw four more Border Patrol vehicles along the way. I suspect they already know Speedy.
When we got back, the next pair of volunteers had arrived. Chuck and Betty, another pair of full-timers with a huge fifth-wheel trailer, pulled by a rather large pickup and accompanied by a Subaru. Like the other volunteers here, David and Norm, they basically go from volunteer site to volunteer site and have been doing so for ten years. They seem like a nice couple and have volunteered here twice before.
It will be interesting to see what the last pair of volunteers has for a rig. They are due Saturday. So far, we are the oddballs—three 30-foot+ fifth wheels and one 19-foot Roadtrek.
Finally, I met Emily (and her dog Luna) in the community trailer. She is a biology intern working with the Masked Bobwhite Quail, the endangered species the refuge staff are trying to preserve here. The quails are captive breed here at a facility in Arivaca. There are so many that about 100 are in pens up near the maintenance sheds. We might ride our bikes over there tomorrow to take a look, weather permitting. There is a chance of rain tomorrow.
It's late, the coyotes are howling, time to go to bed.
By the way, we have photos
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