Water, water, everywhere...photographs; slow down load



It has been windless for three days now and the wind looks bleak for another 3 to 5 days. No problem, plenty to do. About 7 miles from the beach up the Buenos Aries arroyo there is a year around river that disappears into the sandy bottom of the arroyo. During the rainy season the Buenos Aries arroyo runs from the mountain to the sea sweeping everything in its path and depositing sand on the Los Barrilies beach. This river raises sharply up through a gash of rock from the sandy bottom of the arroyo about 4 miles from the the Sea of Cortez. Along the side of the river above the high water mark are growing tall smooth bark trees clinging to the rock with roots exposed to the sun. In the river channel there is lush growing grasses standing 5 yo 6 feet tall. The water is clear and fast running. There are small pools of water all along the river that are cool and inviting. It is not a easy hike up the river. The gorge is steep and impassable you have to boulder up smooth faces of rock to go very far. We only made less than a quarter mile before tuning back. None of us are very strong at rock climbing ("bouldering"). We did this without shoes, barefoot only.

Terry and Colette rode the quad while Andy and I took our dirt bikes. This was Terry's first time on a quad. Being a old motorcycle guy the quad was easy to learn. The ride in is flat and fast on sand with trails every which way. The closer you get to the running water the wetter the sand with flowing water on the surface of the sand within a quarter mile of the rocky gorge. This is where the riding gets fun. The sand is firm allowing a smooth ride and great traction. (Donuts, zig-zag, rooster tails). I would stop and wait for Andy to catch up to me, when she got close enough I would roost her with wet sand. She just giggled and then tried to catch me. When we reached the gorge we took off our motorcycle gear to hike the stream with bare feet and in swimming suits. The air temp was in the high 70s and water felt cool to the skin.

Posted: Thu - January 20, 2005 at 01:00 PM          

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