Third Weekend: Sampling and West Mesa (aka – I learn the power of trucks with 4-wheel drive)

Over the last few days, I have become personally aware of the reasons
to have, and in fact, embrace trucks and 4-wheel drive. Although there
are many great things about the people who are out here with me, one
of the great things is the diversity of everyone's backgrounds. There
are students here from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas who are
accustomed to the hot and dry southwest and there are people from
places like Alaska and Virginia. There are city slickers (New York,
Philly) and folks from rural Oklahoma. On the scale of sheltered city
person to hillybilly, I am much closer to the city mouse. Considering
that most of my childhood was spent in a small Massachusetts town (but
not one out in western MA in the Berkshires or something), I had never
quite understood the reasoning behind owning large powerful vehicles.
Even SUVs were a pretty large overkill where I grew up. In fact, I am
pretty sure that I was just generally confused by the existence of
pickup trucks before I came here a few weeks ago.

There are two types of vehicles at the Sev field station: 12 person
passenger vans and pickup trucks. For trucks, you have the fine choice
of those with two bench seats or simply one. The large vans are for
use to shuttle many people around to and from civilization (grocery
shopping / entire group field trips such as to the Grand Canyon). The
trucks are the true workhorses.

Let me refresh your memory: the Sev is a wildlife refuge. Paved roads
are few and far between (in fact, I can think of only two stretches,
one of which is leading up to the visitor's center). To get anywhere
else involves adventurous driving along unpaved, dusty, rocky, bumpy,
washed-out-by-flash-flood, twisting, winding roads. To get anywhere to
do fieldwork requires traversing this confusing network (and not
getting lost – more on this to come…) This is where the trucks come
in: not only do they navigate crappy dirt roads better than the
average minivan, the truck bed is also extremely convenient for
throwing all sorts of field work supplies such as buckets, ice chests,
shovels, pipes, etc. Other things can go in the back too, such as
propane grills – I discovered this Friday night. Basically, what I am
getting to with all of this is that: previously in my life, there was
no reason to place for a serious off-road, work vehicle. Now, they
comprise my most common form of transportation.

Friday was a monumental (and fun!) day for me. It was my first day of
field work for my own project – collecting samples that I would
analyze for my own data! Okay, okay – so maybe it's not that exciting,
but I just would like to note it.

At the crack of 7:30 (actually, that's really not early here – 4:30 is
"early"), I headed out triumphantly and excitedly with one of my
fellow REU students to go to my field site. It wasn't long, however,
before we encountered a minor snafu. Private roads belonging to the
refuge – maintenance optional. Signage – even more optional.
Navigation of the Sevilleta is done by feel and experience. I am
working on both… but clearly there is progress to be made. Due to my
poor directions, we made a wrong turn pretty early on. Things only got
worse when we tried to conduct a three point turn on a desert road
that quickly turned to loose sand off of the main path. The
whirlwhirwhir of tires digging themselves only deeper into the sand
instead of going forward greeted our ears.

oh. shit.

It would be pretty embarrassing to have to call for help because we
stuck somewhere because of a wrong turn. My friend called her mom
(she's from Oklahoma/Texas and apparently knows such things.) The
truck's owner manual was cracked. I remembered some tricks that my
mentor used last week when we got stuck in the sand. 4-wheel drive was
applied. We escaped the sandy roadside. There was no rescue call
required. Win for us. Win for trucks. Win for 4-wheel drive.

Later in the day on Friday, we took a group field trip (to celebrate
Friday, of course!) to a place in a remote portion of the refuge
called West Mesa. It was an hour's drive over some very, very rough,
sandy roads. 4-wheel drive required? Yes. We barbequed, watched the
sunset over the desert and the mountains and then looked at the
countless stars for hours.

If only the picture did any justice to the beauty.

(ps. On the way back, we got lost in the dark. Took a turn down a
"road" in the bed of a dry arroyo. By which I mean, long, twisty sand
trap. 4-wheel drive? Applied.)