Day 33 : Peridot to Bylas

Up early, packed, and was ready to hit the road before it got light. I waited a while until the sun came up so traffic could see me. Although I haven't seen a lot of cacti since I left Top of The World, one of the mountains on the left was lined with the Saguaro cacti. I don't know if they were planted there, but it just seems impossible that the whole mountain could have been lined with them. Another thing I am seeing is a lot of Joshua Trees and a pale orange poppy looking flower with a dark reddish-orange center that is really beautiful.

Most of the morning was spent just walking. The terrain was rolling, but nothing extreme. Some up, some down but it made for good pushing. I stopped for my midday rest. I was laying there in the shade, staring at the sky, when all of the sudden there occurred the loudest roar followed immediately by a large boom that sounded like dynamite. Across the sky came a jet fighter, which must have just broken the sound barrier. Coming out from the back of the fighter was 10 or 20 of the defensive flares that they shoot out to confuse the missiles. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. A few seconds after that jet came by, another one came right behind it. The second jet must have been pursuing the first one. They both disappeared out of sight, but I could still hear them performing their chase maneuvers. Sometimes it got so loud it sounded like they were coming down on me, but I couldn't see them. Then all of the sudden, one of the jets appeared again, shooting out his defensive flares and shortly after the other appeared in hot pursuit. Obviously this is a practice area for the fighter planes.

After my rest I headed on to Bylas. It was a pretty easy walk. I passed over the Gila river. At first it looked dry, but then I saw some water. Probably a fraction of what was once in it. It was one of the first rivers I remember seeing that had water in it. I also passed a large field of cotton growing in Bylas, which surprised me. As I continued to walk along, a young Apache came out and introduced himself as Harrison Talgo Jr. He inquired about my trip and wished me luck. He said they were having a prayer group tonight and would pray for me to continue to have a safe trip.

I soon reached Bylas, which is another community much like Peridot, on the Apache reservation. They have a store here called Mt Turnbull Apache General Store. I stopped there for food and drinks. They also had a laundry, so I was able to wash my clothes and charge my cell phone. Near the store was the Bylas Rest Area. I asked a policeman if there was any camping nearby and he said I could camp one night at the Rest Area. It had bathrooms and places to wash up, so that worked out well.

To give you an example of the size of the reservation, I have walked two full days and have not left the reservation. I still have a way to go before leaving it. The Apache people have been kind, helpful, generous, and seem very interested in my walk across their reservation. It is probably the first time I have seen a reservation and it is one of the highlights of my trip so far.

It appears from the signs along the road, the San Carlos Apache Tribe is holding Tribal Council Elections. This is just one example of the signs for one candidate running. Most of the signs are similar, nothing fancy.