Desert Wolf Tours
By Lindsay DeChacco

Three hawks dip and soar above me, their wings outstretched to surf the brisk breeze that alternately whips and tickles my hair.

From my perch atop an intricately engineered pile of rocks, a fort expanded from a natural outcropping, I can gaze across the saguaro-dotted dust-and-sage-colored landscape, enjoying the same bird’s-eye view of the desert.

The fort is silent. The only telltale traces of the 19th century militia that once manned it are the strategic rifle slots woven into the tightly packed stone walls.

The rifle-wielding armies, Native American caretakers and horse-mounted heroes have given way to modern ranks of desert adventurers. Off-road enthusiasts and their expanding arsenal of vehicles are the new guardians and gatekeepers of the last vestiges of untouched desert.

Below, my ticket into this pocket of wilderness resembles an oversized go-cart, or perhaps the child-sized offspring of a canary yellow Hummer.  But alas, my Tweety-hued baby Hummer didn’t spring from a Midwestern Humvee factory, nor is it a mutant escapee from an amusement park racetrack.

Rather, the Tomcar is an off-road vehicle developed in Israel to bridge the gap between all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). It maintains the maneuverability of the former while featuring the added safety of a roll cage and shoulder harnessing seatbelts. The company moved its operations from Israel to Phoenix in 2005.

Despite rapid growth in the past decades, Arizona transplants are still finding unique contributions to bring to the 48th state, from olive groves to authentic Italian ice.  It stands to reason that iconoclast Zev Nadler’s contribution would include military vehicles and semi-automatic rifles.

Nadler is the proprietor of Desert Wolf Tours and my off-roading tour guide this morning. The company, named after Nadler (whose first name is Hebrew for wolf), offers guests a day of adventure; a full day package can include a combination of shooting instruction and desert exploration via the military-inspired Tomcars.

Nadler’s heritage and past indeed seem to culminate in this his latest business venture. A native of Detroit, Nadler spent time exploring his Hebrew roots in Israel at the age of 16 and later reincarnated himself as an information technology expert, first in Chicago and later in Phoenix.

He exudes a passionate appreciation for the Sonoran desert, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Israeli landscape from which his vehicles sprung. A bit of the sophisticated technology that defined his more recent incarnation has seeped into the new business model as well in the form of satellite maps, GPS units and the geocaching attraction on his tours.

A few hours earlier, we had set off, me behind the wheel of a Tomcar for the first time, and Nadler on hand to feed me directions.  Saguaro, tumbleweed, prickly pear and barrel cacti made up the forefront of our tableau, with Nadler naming the more distant mountains and outcroppings as we rumbled by: Table Mesa, Tip Top, Crown King.

Telescoped into my compressed tour: an abbreviated shooting lesson – with an M-16 semi-automatic wedged against my right shoulder and weighing heavily on my forearms, I managed to plant six bullets within the rings echoing from the heart of a wafting paper torso.

Next, we stopped off at a soon-to-be-working turquoise mine to sift the blue flecked pebbles from the soft gravel; then visited the site of Nadler’s geocaching stronghold whose location is guarded by Crazy Arms, a cactus that resembles a multi-armed Hindu goddess beginning to atrophy with age.

Tucked beneath the prickly oracle’s thick and numerous appendages, warped from a century-old lightning strike, is a metal strong box whose coordinates have been deftly floated into cyberspace by Nadler.

Its booty, much like the pristine patch of desert where it hides, can be claimed by anyone interested in trekking the globe — or in some cases just a few rough and tumble miles — to discover it.

Photo courtesy of Desert Wolf Tours

If you go
Desert Wolf Tours
877-613-WOLF
www.desertwolftours.com

Official partner of Tread Lightly! a national nonprofit organization with a mission to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities in the outdoors.

Desert Wolf Tours is located behind Roadrunner Steakhouse and Saloon, 47801 N. Black Canyon Hwy. in New River, just north of Phoenix off of I-17. Charming potted petunias grace the front of this eclectic biker-friendly bar and restaurant. The perfect place to fuel up and absorb the local color before or after a tour.

Rates
Full-day tours: $200 to $225 for adults; $100 to $125 for children ages 5 to 13.
Half-day tours: $110 to $125 for adults; $70 to $85 for children.
Full-day tours include boxed lunch, snacks and water. Half-day tours include snacks and water. Call for pricing for parties of nine or more.