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| Loop 202 South Mountain, AZ | |
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| | Loop 202 South Mountain, AZ | | | |
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Loop 202 South Mountain, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.30 Miles |
957 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.30 Miles | 2 Hrs 39 Mns | | 2.38 mph |
| 957 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This is my fifth survey of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway right-of-way. I did my first Loop 202 survey on April 13, 2015, and I’ve basically done it every six months since.
If you haven’t been following along, the concept is I park in the Dusty Lane community just east of Vee Quiva Casino, explore south to Pecos Rd., then follow the Loop 202 right-of-way north, back to Dusty Lane.
On my way south, over Main Ridge North, I discovered a collapsed mine shaft. I had been by it three times before, passing within feet, without ever noticing it. Just above it, a couple of folks, including L. Thomas had etched their names in the rock on February 3, 1959.
Some new graffiti has been added to Graffiti Ranch. Some of the cinder block walls have taken a fair deal more of gunfire damage.I found three more flat nails, which dates non-Indians in the area to 1885, or earlier.
The R.A. Steele Ranch, or at least homestead, or simply home?, is a small 20 ft. knoll just north of the west end of the new luxury development. I’d previously discovered cement stairs etched with the name “R.A. Steele” and a date sometime in the 1940s. Today, I discovered a cement post hole dated February, 1982, with the initials “G+J”. Searching Google has given me no clue who R.A. Steele might be; if you know, drop me a comment below.
There did not appear to be much change at the luxury development, since the last time I checked it out while hiking South Mountain three months ago. Just more earth moving & levelling. At least within the complex itself. The access road has been expanded; some ditching, piping & walling begun; and you can see where the gate will go, at the Main Ridge South saddle, as there is now a split in the road there. I would not be surprised if the road is complete when I stop by again in October.
There is more truck traffic, but no construction, in the Pecos Rd. pump station area.
In a small wash — and when I say “small” I mean small: 5′ wide and 6″ deep — between WP-4 and WP-5, I saw something at the foot of a saguaro, amongst a tangle of palo verde branches. It was an intact, large, heavy, very colorful seashell. How the heck could something like that end up in the middle of the Sonoran Desert!?
I found a series of metal rods that curved northwest from the petroglyph outcropping. The rods seem to indicate the right hand side of the Loop 202’s northbound lanes. The path appears to preserve the petroglyphs, as the outcropping would thus be located between the South Mountain Freeway and the luxury development’s access road.
I don’t think I’ve done a South Mountain Freeway survey where I have not found a mylar balloon. Today was no exception.
Freeway-wise, nothing has changed from WP-7 (the north spur of Main Ridge South) and WP-15 (Main Ridge North).
From the top of Main Ridge North, I looked north along the right-of-way. Every condemned building had been torn down all the way to WP-27 on 51st Ave. When I reached WP-19, just south of Choppo Rd. it was confirmed: Everything in the right-of-way had been removed. Literally scraped clean, except for the shrubbery. (Which will also eventually disappear.) The barns, chicken coops, trailer home hard stands, etc. had been replaced by some blaze orange netting and yellow rope.
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/485212615 |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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