The Snake River Canyon and the San Carlos Apache Reservation

The drive through Show Low was rather flat, but then turning on SR71 south and the terrain quickly changed. I was now in the White Mountain Apache area. The terrain became more hilly as I drove further south, with expansive vistas on either side. None of the area I drove through was burned in last summer's fire.

Small Apache villages were on the western side of the road, villages consisting of plain adobe or brick homes with messy yards, dirty children and loose dogs. Rusty vehicles adorned the otherwise plain yards. I felt awkward driving through these settlements, as if I were gawking at their misfortune. I was taught not to stare.

The further south I drove, though, the hillier the terrain became. By the town of Cibecue the canyons on either side broke open again, and eventually I was in Arizona's second grand canyon, the Snake River Canyon. I didn't have a special recreation permit from the Apache tribe (it's $20/day) so I couldn't even stop near the water and give the dogs a water break. I was allowed to stop at overlooks and gaze far down into the steep canyon. Rocks around the rest area were spray-painted over and there was plenty of trash everywhere, but I picked up none of it.

I had hoped to be able to drive around the town of San Carlos on the reservation before it got too dark. I was here in April 2009 after taking an anthropology course on Arizona tribes via the local college. The San Carlos Apache tribe were my choice, and Kevin and I went there for a weekend of exploring both the San Carlos and White Apache tribes. I remembered so little of the town, other than the original settlement was flooded over when the nearby dam was built. The homes were all run-down then as they were on this quick drive-through.

I wanted to meet some Apache, though, but I felt awkward approaching them. One gal was jogging along Reservation Road 6, another group had a street-corner diner going, several kids were playing outside the Boys and Girls Club, and an old drunk stumbled down the street. I had to stop and ask the family cooking enchiladas on the street corner where the nearest gas station was; the woman directed me to AZ70 and the town of Peridot, where there's now an Apache Burger rest stop on a hill top.

I stopped at the Apache Burger and ordered a cheeseburger platter. I could see the sun set, and nearby Mt Graham silhouetted in the darkening sky. My time on the rez was short this time. I stopped at the neighboring Basha's where aisle signs are in both Athabaskan and English. A stray black Lab female dog sauntered around the parking lot looking for hand-outs. I gave her a chicken jerky strip but she darted off and toward AZ70 before I could give her a second strip. Luckily traffic was stopped for a red light or else the poor dog would have been killed.

Now where to? The weather in Globe was predicted to be much warmer than in Holbrook. I didn't want to pay for a campsite, or get a hotel room, so I looked around town. At first I walked through Old Town and its historic Broad Street. A few years ago the Kelly's Broad Street Brewery was on a corner here, but this time the place was closed. In fact, the entire street was barren, except for a small theatre across the street there was not much else in the form of life. I knew now that my socializing was over for my road trip. I now had to figure out a place to stay for the night.

At first I parked in a dark corner of an America's Best Hotel. Men were coming and going to and from the nearby convenience store and the dogs barked at each man walking past me. Then a white sedan with a young couple pulled up near me. They weren't doing anything but waiting. That made me uneasy because they were parked in such a way to have clear view of me. After letting the dogs out to pee I drove off, and so did the sedan.

I then opted for a space in a parking lot where other RVs were parked. In this case it was the WalMart on the west side of town. At first I was too far away from the RV crowd and in direct line-and-sight of teenagers walking across the lot. I wasn't crazy about all this weird nightlife
but then joined a line of full-sized trucks, large SUVs and a few RVs for the night. A few more had joined this line after I was asleep.