Juan Bautista de Anza Trail

In 1772 Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza proposed an expedition to Alta California to the Viceroy of New Spain (Mexico). This was approved by the King of Spain and on January 8, 1774, with 3 padres, 20 soldiers, 11 servants, 35 mules, 65 cattle, and 140 horses, he set forth from Tubac (Arizona) to blaze a trail to California. The expedition took a southern route along the Rio Altar then crossed the Colorado River at its confluence with the Gila River. This was in the domain of the Yuma tribe with which Anza established good relations. He reached Mission San Gabriel Arcangel near the California coast on March 22, 1774, and Monterey, Alta California's capital, on April 19. He returned to Tubac by late May 1774. This expedition was closely watched by Viceroy and King and on October 2, 1774, Anza was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel and ordered to lead a group of colonists to Alta California.  The expedition got under way in October 1775 and arrived at Mission San Gabriel in January 1776. In 1781 the Yuma revolted against the Spanish and de Anza's route was blocked, thereby slowing the growth of California. He founded the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose. De Anza was the commander of the presidio at Tubac.

Today, the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail can be hiked although parts still need a lot of work and cleanup. Yesterday, Christine and I started out near Rio Rico (10 miles north of the Mexican border). As we headed south along the Santa Cruz River toward Mexico it became increasing sad to see all of the human trash that littered the area. So, even though we hiked along the river and there were lots of birds, we decided to drive further north and join the trail in Tubac. This part of the trail is not littered --- for the most part. The river which flows north from Mexico obviously picks up trash from the south when it floods, so parts of the river bed are lined with trash. The trail itself is a nice trail, although it marches between the river on one side to recently developed areas on the other side. Bottom line: good "community trail" and good trail for birders. Here are some photos from the day's journey:

Northern Cardinal

Great Blue Heron

Vermillion Flycatcher

Great Egret

Black Phoebe