In other news, I had no idea browns ranch was an actual place. I just assumed it was similar to cholla mountain, or whatever. Anyway this trail is really easy and you get to see *a lot* of iconic Sonoran desert flora, and fauna if you’re lucky. If you live on the area I highly suggest it.

https://www.mcdowellsonoran.org/hikes-trails/#brownsranch

It’s actually pretty neat. There’s a bunch of signs giving historical info about ranch operations, which were active up until the mid 1950s (what!)

The cattlemen would drive cattle down from there through Scottsdale, before the roads were paved all the way down to the stock yard in Phoenix.

I’m not really into cowboys and larping as a cowboy, but the actual ranchers and stuff we’re living pretty neat (destructive, too) lives. Okay not the ranchers as in the white land owners but the ranch hands who ran the ranches. Which here was mostly Mexicans, and still to this day is.

Another cool fact: the seal of the city of Scottsdale features a man riding a bucking bronco. The man is a Mexican vaquero that was one of those legendary people who drank and smoke every day and loved to be 104.

#arizona #hiking #bikeTooter