AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1 9 6 6 double issue - Desert Magazine of ...

was stationed far enough from shore to
elude watchful eyes aboard mission vessels
carrying supplies up and down the
coast, and the harbor could safely accommodate
the pongos of native pearlers.
Even the old Rock House might fit into a
latter-day pearling enterprise. It lies within
in easy burro ride of this bay.
There's some pretty potent looking
country both north and south of El Barril—country
without roads—and someday
we'll camp again at the Rock House
and explore it all with a fleet of Chapu-
Iinos.
Those were the things we talked about,
and. dreamed about, while bumping toward
El Arco on Highway No. 1, which
is little smoother than its less dignified
offshoots. We stopped there, at El Arco,
for lunch at the modest casa-restaurant
of a nice lady who dispatched children of
all sizes into all directions to acquire the
ingredients for a grand machaca. It's
rarely, along this route, that such a large
contingent as ours appears for a meal.
Perhaps to stretch a limited supply of
beans, our lady chef mixed them with
cooked barley. And it was delicious. The
firm texture and subtle flavor of barley
kernels does great things for beans. You
should try it.
Ynez, our Yaqui guide, had an abandoned
ranch in mind for our campsite on
this night. It was about 28 miles west of
El Arco and far enough from the main
road to be hard to find. But it was a gorgeous
spot, this Cueva Colorado Ranch,
with plenty of dead wood. While we sat
around our fire, gusts of wind from surrounding
canyons split the splendid silences
and hoodoo shadows moved among
the twisted trees. An old well, a corral
f • •
«
and an empty concrete reservoir hinted of
former prosperity, but many years of
drought had left the land improvident.
This year, however, it would come alive
again at round-up time when the vaqueros
move their cattle through the region and,
with another good year of rain, the ranch
might be reactivated.
I was curious about the painted cave
for which the ranch was named, but
Uncle Erie had already explored this area
when he was enroute to Scammon's Lagoon
to gather material for Hunting the
Desert Whale, so we left early the following
morning and drove directly to San
Ignacio. There we were scheduled to meet
the celebrated Mexican archeologist, Dr.
Carlos Margain, two Fairchild helicopters
with crews, and the greatest adventures
we've ever had! •
To be continued
Primitive oven is used by Villavicencio
families for baking at their El Barril
ranches. Below: Jean and Sam visit with
the children.
Above: Mysterious mound of shells may
date back to pirate days. Below: This
abandoned ranch was one of our prettiest
camps.