This photo gallery is still under construction, but right now it is viewable two ways: 

My waywardmuse AOL Public Gallery -- slide show format with individual captions for each photo on the East and West Trail

or

by specific location but without captions as follows: (these links not enabled yet -- if you want to see by location, email me and I'll email you the individual albums with captions.) 

DESERT DESECRATION (general)

These are 63 general photos showing random shots of illegal off-road vehicle tracks.  Photos of the posted "no off-road travel" signs are also in this group.

DESERT DESECRATION (East Trail)

These 112 photos sequentially represent a hike down the illegally made road that heads east from the access road.  This road only one year ago did not exist.  It was a primitive horse trail created by winter visitors who used to live down the road.  "Before" and "After" photos to be posted soon.  At one point in the hike, I head off the illegally made road heading due south into the Vekol Wash and head back west through the wash.  These photos trace my steps and document extensive damage done by off-road vehicles. 

* DESERT DESECRATION (West Trail) *

These 56 photos are the most graphic and disturbing.  North of the Vekol Wash along the old cattle bob-wire fence is a gate with the posted sign banning off-road travel.  The access road continues west from the gate and dead-ends on the north bank of the Vekol Wash.  Right before you get to the end, an illegally made ORV trail goes off the access road to the right and is rapidly turning what was almost  a nice hiking and riding trail -- and I say almost because even though the route was sometimes used by hikers and horseback riders, it was not a visible trail -- but now this route is becoming an illegal road heading due east toward the power lines, the Maricopa/Pinal County borderline, and the borders of the Sonoran Desert National Monument.  This is the most wild and remote section of this fragile ecosystem.  The Vekol Wash widens considerably with two major corridors.  In the middle are lush islands of riparian habitat.  The illegal trail parallels the wash to the north less than 50 yards away in some places and travels through dense vegetation including a large strand of young Saguaros alongside the hills.  Some of these photos document damaged vegetation -- mainly cactus & creosote.  High traffic animal trails abound heading into the Vekol Wash.  Illegal ORV tracks cross them multiple times, going right next to and over animal burrows and visible animal tracks.  Several illegal ORV tracks shoot off from this main westward trail going north closer to the hills and  south directly into the Vekol Wash.  From there the illegal tracks travel through the riparian islands -- cutting across to the other corridor of the Vekol.  My hike then heads east again until I come to the most egregious desecrations of all -- deep, disfiguring tracks heading up the south bank of the Vekol into a densely vegetated area at the foot of a hill where mountain lion tracks were recently sighted.