Just one more thing I wanted to mention as I left Top Of The World....when I reached the top of the mountains beyond Superior the terrain seemed to change from arid to semi arid. The mountains began to have vegetation growing on them and there was almost no cacti.
Now onto Day 32. Up early and left the RV park. Headed over to Circle K to stock up the cooler and eat some breakfast. I left Circle K and went about a block or so when I ran into 2 guys in a pick up truck. They asked me about my walk across America. One of them asked " Are you doing it because you are dying"? I said no, I'm just doing it because I want to. He replied "I know that, but why are you doing it"? Another guy who walked across America said people never seemed to accept that he was walking just because he wanted to, so he would say he was walking to win a bet. So that is what I told these guys. The driver also told me that I would be mugged along the way, so be prepared for that. I'm not sure how to be prepared for that , so I think I'll just wait until it happens and then I'll be better prepared the next time. Then he told me that I would most likely be attacked by a wild pig. That being about all the good news I could bear for the morning, I thanked him and headed out on the road.
The road leading out of Globe was a very gentle downhill for the first 6 to 8 miles. The weather was good and the traffic was not heavy. After I had walked for several miles, I came to the Apache Gold Casino and Resort. It also had a small airfield across the road. I guess for bringing in the high rollers and entertainment. Shortly after that, I saw a sign that said I was entering the San Carlos Apache reservation.
Most of the rest of the day was spent walking through the reservation. It covers many millions of acres and is beautiful land. It looks like it could be fertile ground if the water was available. One thing I have noticed throughout my walk both in CA and AZ, is occasionally I will see a grave marker. Because the grave markers are not very close to the road, I am assuming that maybe it is an immigrant that tried to cross the desert. Eventually I reached a community called Peridot. Peridot appears to be one community within the whole reservation. There was lots of houses, libraries, etc. It seems like most of the Apaches who live on the reservation, live in central areas. There was a grocery store there, so I stopped and picked up some supplies for the next day. Almost everybody I encountered at the store was an Apache Indian. Then I inquired about places to camp for the night. The people there told me there was no campsites nearby but if I went up the road I could camp in the field. Which is what I ended up doing. I waited until almost dark to pitch my tent so I wouldn't draw any attention to myself. Before long, I had it up and after a long day went right to sleep.
Acts of Kindness and Generosity for the day:
- While I was sitting outside at Circle K reading the paper and eating a biscuit, a man walked up to me and asked if I was the man walking across America. I told him yes, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of money. He started peeling off dollar bills to give. Of course I thanked him and took his money.
- I was walking down the road through the Indian Reservation and a guy in a pickup truck pulled over and put a bag out the window. I walked across the street and thanked him. Inside was a large bottle of water and a sandwich from the convenience store. The man, an Apache, had seen me walking and went to the convenience store to get it for me.
- As I was having my mid-day rest, I was laying in a shady spot almost asleep. A truck pulled up beside me and a young Apache women leaned out and asked if I wanted a soda. Of course I never turn down a soda. They also gave me a bag of Doritos. The woman's husband also reached into his pocket and gave me a handful of change.
- Finally when I was at the Peridot grocery store I was standing in line to pay and the man in front of me told me to add my groceries to his and he would pay for them.
hi jeff
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