We recommend NOT reading the description ahead of
the site you are at.
Site 1: The Beginning
If you were to walk across the street, the wash become just a
drainage way and quickly dissipates into nothing. DO NOT walk down
into this wash. You are looking for a very small container.
You could go straight to the next site but we really recommend
that you do what we did: try to follow the wash through the
neighborhoods to each stop.
Site 2: School Crossing
Along this wash are many small bridges like this one, for children
to get safely across to educational institutions. Be careful where
you park. You will need to enter the wash. No container at this
site. I figured one would "walk" away with nosy children.
Coordinates are written like: 32-10-652. March 5, 2006: I work at
the nearby school and recently their were reports about strangers
asking children help them in a "Treasure Hunt" at a nearby wash. My
heart leapt into my throat. All I could think about was this
geocache stage. Please don't ask children to help you. We have 2
registered sex offenders living not far away and parents are
nervous. If children ask what you're doing just tell them you are
looking for some numbers on the underside of the bridge.
A block north of this spot (several years ago) a van became
entangled one monsoon season. A young child, from the nearby
school, was washed out of the van, and swirled quickly downstream.
A valiant police officer chased along the wash, running across
Wilmot as fast as she was pulled under Wilmot and finally he
rescued her near the old Handyman. For years, any sound of thunder
made the young lady very nervous. The Alamo is a killer wash.
Several people have lost their lives in different parts of this
wash and many more vehicles have been lost in it. Do be careful and
respectful of all our washes when they have running water in them
or when thunderstorms are in the area.
For those following the wash, it curves west here and crosses
Wilmot to go under Park Place Mall. It emerges above ground north
of Broadway. I've heard rumors of high schoolers, in particular,
crawling through under the Mall and hanging out. I would not
recommend that anyone attempt this.
Site 3: The Graffiti Artist's Palette
DO NOT attempt to climb down into the wash from the main street.
You will need to get under that bridge. We recommend that you take
the road, aptly called Alamo, north and park where the wash crosses
a nearby side road off Alamo. Then walk upstream about 0.25 miles.
It is a really easy walk and climbing down from the main street is
very dangerous. The bridge is a beautiful canvas for several
graffiti artists. You will have to look up to find the coordinates.
When we last visited, Dec. 2004 this bridge had been recently
repainted by the city and the better graffiti artists have not yet
revisited site. April 2008, coordinates placed in 3 spots. The
artists have repainted a plenty.
Site 4: Cache in and Trash Out Site
This must be the trashiest spot along this wash. Be nice and pick
up a bit of it please. You must climb down into the wash. Be
careful, sides are a bit steep. Look up to find coordinates. When
we visited in Dec. 2004, to recheck our coordinates some beautiful
grafitti artists had visited this bridge and the trash wasn't as
bad. Looks as thought the winter and recent rains have scoured out
the wash and deterred 2 legged trashy visitors. April 2008, Many
many thanks to the Southern AZ geocachers for adopting this area
and keeping it picked up over the last 2 years. It was trashy today
but nothing, nothing like the first time! Coordinates are in 3
spots on this bridge.
If you are following the wash through the hospital grounds, you
will see some interesting pedestrian and car bridges.
Site 5: Confluence of Two Washes
Another wash joins the Alamo here. The Alamo becomes REALLY big
after leaving this spot. DO NOT ENTER THE WASH at this site. Look
around and find another way to the cache. March 5, 2006: Had
reports that the container was missing. Went to check and sure
enough it is gone. We keep replacing this spot so now I've written
the numbers on the guard rail that the GPSr will lead you to. Wrote
them in 3 spots so hopefully they won't fade too fast. Numbers are
to two geocaches. The final stage of the Alamo and The Alamo's
Kissing Cousin.
An interesting story happened at this confluence spot this past
summer. A fellow cacher emailed me this story. They were out at the
nearby parking lot looking at this spot and pondering how to get to
it. It was during our quite active Monsoon. Both washes were
running high and their was a person, appeared to be homeless, out
on the end of the pennisula. Thunderstorm came up. Lightning and
thunder. This person was quite agitated. Police and fire people
came. Couldn't talk him into going back on the pennisula to come
out behind Health South. (It's an easy walk too!). So finally the
fire department put a ladder from the parking lot over the wash and
proceeded across it to rescue the man. I think it would have been
easier and safer to send some men down the pennisula and muscled
him back up it. You're probably here when the washes are dry but
they can run over 5 feet deep and be very noisy at this site.
Heading to the final site you have 2 parking options: We parked
at N 32° 16.238' W 110° 53.515' to walk to the site. But we checked
out parking at N 32° 15.698' W 110° 53.149' and found there is a
walking path leading up the wash that will take you to the final
site.
Site 6: The Alamo at the Rillito
The pedestrian bridge over the Alamo is impressively built. Nice
views. The river was running the day we set up this geocache. Cache
is in a medium red tin away from the wash in an area that rarely
floods. It is not far off the main trail of a heavily used park, so
please be discreet and do not leave the trail just above the cache.
Be wary of geomuggle traffic and please do not give the site away.
April 2008, looks as though much of the sides of the parkway have
been bulldozed to clean up the flood damage from a few years ago.
So the original hide bush as well as the cache were swept up in the
clean-up. I've moved the cache quite a ways away but you'll still
have to watch for muggles. Please recover the cache up so it can't
be seen.
I hope you've enjoyed this trek along the Alamo. We enjoyed
tracing this wash that travels through our own neighborhood and
often it is an obstacle for driving during monsoon season.