Check another one off the bucket list. We finally made it to
Sonoran Desert National Monument. Sonoran Desert National Monument is another
of the Monuments proclaimed by Slick (Clinton) and is managed by the BLM like
most he proclaimed.
makes the name “Big Rig”
fit.
We’ve been in the area many times, but never managed to get
here. We finally got it done, and we were not disappointed in any way.
Apparently in those times, the locals became experts in
water control. Using simple wooden sticks and makeshift hoes, they built an extensive
network of irrigation ditches running off the Gila and Salt Rivers. The
irrigation allowed farming the otherwise arid lands, and allowed the
populations of these people to mushroom.
The Casa Grande ruins lie nearly a mile from the Gila River.
Scientists estimate that over 2,000 people lived in this development, only
surviving because the irrigation systems allowed them to farm successfully.
Interestingly, while the development is a mile from the Gila River, scientists
who have mapped the irrigation channels have determined that the water that
fueled farming here actually left the Gila river at a channel sluice that was
nearly 16 miles north of Casa Grande.
We thoroughly enjoyed the visit, despite the heat. We
learned that the ruins were well known in the 1800’s, with visitors carving
their names (now known as graffiti) in the historic plaster walls. By 1892
President Benjamin Harrison designated it as a historical preserve. 
In 1918,
Woodrow Wilson designated it as a National Monument. The roof that protects it
was built in 1932 at a cost of $27,000. In 2007 it was painted at a cost of
$100,000.
We learned a lot about the sophistication of the builders.
The structure was 4 stories tall, with floors being created using pine logs –
the only pine logs available being in a forest 80 miles away, so the logs were
literally carried here as the residents had no pack animals like oxen or
horses. The square walls are within a couple degrees of true North, South, East
and West. One side wall has two couple foot diameter openings. On both the
solar and lunar solstice, the images on the wall directly opposing the openings
present a perfect image, signifying the builders knew both of the solstices and
how to build a structure that would conform.
At the completion of the construction in 1991, 8 humans
entered the dome. The crew would be monitored and were able to communicate to
the outside world, but no other contact was allowed. The crew as provided with
the plants, water and tools needed to establish their food and water needs. For
the next two years, the crew needed to grow their own food, clean and recirculate
their own water, and maintain the equipment needed to provide their electricity,
clean their wastes, and maintain their health. They had to use their
agricultural pods not only to grow their own food, but also to absorb the
carbon dioxide they exhaled and create the oxygen they needed to live.
The crew self-sustained for two years before emerging from
the facility. In the end they learned a number of things, among which included
that despite being very healthy, their animal fat deprived diet resulted in
considerable weight loss. Also they learned that their designed systems all
worked in the way that they had been intended, however, the immense amount of
concrete used in construction caused a gradual loss of oxygen. Their crops
created enough oxygen to sustain them indefinitely. However, when cement cures (and
the cement used in construction was still curing when they started the
experiment), it consumes significant amounts of oxygen. An oxygen supplement
each year was the only outside intervention the crew required.
We toured all the buildings and saw the equipment the crew
used to live completely isolated for over 2 years. The equipment, which was
designed to last 100 years, was still fully functional, and kept the facility
cool for our visit. We sat in the chairs the crew sat in at the dining table
where they ate. We saw the pods where they slept. We have way more room in
Colectiva than the crew did where they lived for 2 years.
In 2007 the University of Arizona purchased Biosphere 2 and
all its buildings. The facility remains the largest closed system ever created
on Earth, and the University of Arizona had a twofold purpose in acquiring it.
U of A is preserving the original crew quarters as well as the 5 biomes where
Earth ecosystems created both the oxygen and recirculated the water for
survival. Also, U of A is using the 3 domes where the crew grew its food to design
the largest scientific study ever of how rain water in the desert climate eventually
migrates through the soil to get to the river systems in the valleys. U of A
hopes to be able to use their study to predict what the impact of climate
change in the region will do to the Desert Southwest.
It was a fascinating visit and well worth the time. It
brought back thoughts of hippies, Woodstock and other things from that era. Ed Bass still has a ranch adjacent to the facility. U of A uses it as an executive retreat when they have special guests. However, whenever Bass is in town, he lives in the ranch where he oversaw the creation of his philanthropic vision.
The change in climate zones on the way up was awesome. Surrounding
the base of Mount Lemmon, which is essentially adjacent to the National Park,
is a dense Saguaro forest. 
Frequent viewpoints afford you with gorgeous views of Tucson
and the valley it occupies. And we took advantage of them all, tiring out the
pup who snoozed most of the way back down.
Our home offer continues to make its way through the
process. We believe that the couple that made the offer were, at least in part,
attracted by the innovative high tech way in which we displayed the home in the
Multiple Listing Service.
We actually used a drone to give us amazing photos of our
home from above! We had shots of the entire neighborhood, surrounded by the
golf course holes. We also had bird’s eye views of our lot with the immaculate
landscaping and the welcoming pool. If you look closely, you can see the drone
hovering over 178 Wentworth Drive snapping away!
We ventured back to the Western campus of Saguaro National
Park. Although we spent a lot of time there when we first visited, you can
never see every nook and cranny of a National Park. So, we headed in and right
for some areas we had never been.
We met Robin’s sister Barb in San Diego to visit our son
Nick, and to spend some time on the beach. Barb brought Robin’s niece Mallory
so we had a pretty full coach for a week. Kona cooperated a bit – he didn’t
tend to wake up before about 5:30 AM, and even slept in till 6 a couple days.
Despite the early Kona alarm clock, Barb and Mallory had a great time. And we
spent as much time with Nick and Val as they could stand.
We managed to get together with the Woman’s brother Kevin
and his entire family. Kevin and Teri have relocated back to the Santa Barbara
area with their daughter Hannah, and both their sons Will and Jake are living
in LA. We split the difference and met them for lunch in San Clemente (Nixon
hangout) and had a great time catching up.
We are now in Arizona visiting friends and checking out some
of the quiet National Monuments – the ones managed by the BLM. Today we drove through
Ironwood Forest National Monument, established by Bush Jr. in 2000. I swear
there are more saguaro cactus here than in the Monument’s neighbor to the
South, Saguaro National Park!
Then we found it! The sign! Every Monument we have been to
has a sign like this at its various entrances. We suspect, however, that there
may only be one of these here. A 25 mile loop that you can only navigate at
speeds of maybe 10 MPH means slow going.
