Snowbirds: Definition – An ancient tribe of “heat-seeking” people eager to relieve arthritis symptoms.
Like feathered birds, snowbirds migrate. Movement may be slower, an aspect of the creature’s physiology being old age, but nonetheless these creatures flock to the warm deserts every winter. Not just any desert, mind you, but the hard-packed Arizona soil between Phoenix and the California border.
migratory
There are other migratory creatures that come to this beautiful wilderness; California license plates dot the roads and countryside. These West Coast travelers are temporary nomadic residents, staying for two weeks or less. They did not stay for any actual time and were therefore called travelers. Less permanent sites on the desert floor place precise temporal constraints on their inhabitants. 14 days, also called two weeks or 10 days, depending on where you are or who you listen to.
Other visitors to this warm part of the world come from far and wide. Places as far away as Alaska and across Canada can be seen on the backs and fronts of various vehicles scattered throughout and around the small town of Quartz.
This “season” is apparently a brief three-month span, starting in mid-January and ending around April first. Although visitors to the area begin to pour in from October onwards, the real push for migrating sheep does not arrive until the middle of the first month of the new year. At that time, previously empty desert spaces were occupied by recreational vehicles of a temporary nature. The occupants of these “dry camps” are only here for short stays.
resident
Quartzsite itself does have “year-round” residents. Permanent residents of the desert include local business owners and senior citizens. All of these people respond well to a lack of humidity. Arthritis, rheumatism, etc. In this dry atmosphere, everything becomes less painful.
Hard desert and mountains surround the small town that rises around Tyson Wells. This outpost’s original purpose was as a stagecoach stop. This is where the coaches stopped to change horses. Allow passengers to take a break from the arduous journey and collect their mail.
Many stagecoach stations like Wells also provided new mounts for the Pony Express’ short-lived mail service. This was the Old West’s version of speedy mail delivery. Advertisements at the time called for young, lithe, and (preferably) men without “relatives.” Riders must contend with the elements. There were also hostile Native Americans who wanted to steal the horses and kill the riders. Other unfriendly obstacles include bad guys looking to steal the mail itself. The list of attackers includes animals, insects and snakes. All of which would shock any stranger who happened to cross their path.
“season”
Before “Season,” it was easy to forget that this desert took place in the modern day. Especially when walking after dark. It feels like a throwback to the old days of Apache raids. Or maybe it was when the U.S. Army experimented with the idea of using camels in the Western Desert.
Walk along Jeolla-gil towards the mountains and pipeline road. Head to the island community of Rainbow Acres. If you leave the roadside and walk across the desert floor, signs of wildlife are everywhere. Giant rabbit droppings prove that jackrabbits still exist in the area. Before the season, these giant creatures can be seen leaping in the distance.
Until recently, large packs of coyotes passed through the area. Even recently, a neighbor in the small community of Snowbird walked into their front garden and found himself looking into the ferocious eyes of a mountain lion. Walking along the dusty ground, you can see the tracks of a large cat. A special hint for “newbies”. Large dog paw prints can be mistaken for those of a feral cat or mountain lion. If they were placed side by side, they probably did belong to some kind of large dog. However, if the tracks are more consistent, like a house cat walking, then the tracks are the house cat’s more dangerous, larger cousin.
crowd
Even after the crowds flock to the town and its surrounding areas, walking in the desert at dusk or in the dark is a beautiful experience. However, this can be a bit of a pain. Even in this day and age, a moment of carelessness or (let’s be honest) not paying attention to where you’re going for a split second can be nearly fatal.
On the walk back from town, which is about 6 to 7 miles each way, I took a route recommended by a neighbor who claimed it was “a straighter route” than following the road. Yes, I’ve used it a few times without any incidents.
One trip was at dusk, and the sun was rapidly setting behind the mountains. The view is spectacular. Light filtered in from the other side of those rugged hills. The fading daylight was punctuated by a few clouds. The effect is a reddish sunset that makes me long for a camera other than an iPhone and the ability to use it properly.
As I walked toward the rainbow field, I looked back at the mountains, and the setting sun whispered: “The night is red, the sky is sailor’s joy.” I looked back at the direction I was walking, and something grabbed my right foot.
facial plant
I walked right over and, like the birds that used to decorate the diner, they seemed to be leaning on or jumping into the glass to drink; I “faceplanted” into the dirt and gravel. My left cheekbone hit the ground hard; it felt like my entire skull was moving in the opposite direction.
Fortunately, I fell and the MacBook Pro in my backpack was not damaged. The same cannot be said for my cheekbones, forehead, left hand, and wrist. The amount of blood that oozed from the various cuts before I could clean them made it look like Freddy Krueger had hit me with a razor-fingered glove.
Thankfully I was walking in the desert rather than along a road, and it was getting darker. Raising a hand to my face, I could feel there was a lot of blood there too, and if anyone saw me, they would think a scrape with a roaming mountain lion had occurred.
The next day I took a moment to retrace my journey. My shoes have a very unique pattern, which makes it easy for me to play pioneer and “track” myself. I found the place where I fell. A half-buried rock about the size of one of those old Magic 8 Balls had been partially removed by my right foot.
8 ball
You know this, right? Ask the black ball a question, such as “Does Debbie like me?” then shake and flip. A small, oddly shaped die with different messages on it floats to a small window where people can read “yes”, “no” or some other prediction. This favorite childhood character was most interestingly used in the first Toy Story movie, when Woody asked Ball if Andy would choose him over Buzz, to which Ball responded, “Don’t count on it.” Cue frustration on Woody’s part.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles (or quads) are scattered throughout the area, and surprisingly not a single tire track on the dusty trails on the desert floor obscures the incident. It’s easy to see where my left hand connects to the earth as well as my face, my left knee, and my hat.
murder, death killing
What was a little creepy was that right where my cheekbone hit the not-so-soft ground, there was a large, jagged-edged rock… pointing upwards. If my face had come into contact with it, I might not have survived and written about the experience.
Proving that modern deserts can still be deadly, even with large gatherings of snowbirds and other nomadic creatures, they are clearly aware of the dangers of the area.
Or, at least, have learned to watch where they are going.
When I came back recently, I saw the moonless sky filled with stars so close that I could touch them with my fingertips. Stop to look back and take a lesson, five Chinese lanterns floating in a miniature constellation.
The patterns are eerily beautiful, appearing for a brief period like tiny UFOs until their close proximity to the Earth itself is observed, and as they catch individual updrafts, they slowly fly out their shape configuration.
January 18, 2015
Arizona Quartz Mine
postscript: Never published. Update and “throw it out there”.
Michael Knox Smith
July 31, 2024
Relevant
Learn more from Mike’s Movie Talk
Subscribe to have the latest posts delivered to your email.
