We didn't leave at exactly oh-dark-thirty as planned. I still had to clean out and then pack the van. We didn't take off until 9:30am for the scenic drive toward Safford.
Snow was still on Mount Graham when we arrived in town by noon. Our lunch was in Thatcher at Ray's La Casita. We both had the bean burro special. The wait was long but the meal was tasty.
We were on Highway 70 now, driving northwest toward Bylas where we bought a two-day permit for the reservation at the Apache Market. This was the first town on the reservation. The two day permit cost $20 and "expires at midnight." Midnight? That's an odd time to cancel everything!
Vendors were in the parking lot selling fry bread, beans and Apache burgers. What were Apache Burgers I asked one woman, expecting a graphic answer. It was a cheeseburger with chilis.
From Bylas we drove on toward Peridot where the Apache Cultural center was. We were in the middle of the reservation, in a flat alkaline valley where little can grow.
The center was closed. It was 2:30pm. The opening hours on the museum door stated 8-5pm weekdays. The website said the same thing. Did the staff take an early weekend? We drove down to scout out Lake San Carlos, then the Basha's grocery store where all the main aisles were bilingual: Athabascan and English. Only pork had no translation.
When I asked the cashiers how to pronounce some of the words, one replied that she was Hopi and couldn't read the language, and the other replied that she only knew some words. A woman in line answered for both and blurted out the answer in perfect Athabascan.
Prices in the store were also much higher than we are both used to.
We returned to the Apache Culture Center at 3:30pm. It was still closed. Now we were disappointed as our early departure from home was dependent on visiting this center. Although the building from the outside looked like an abandoned building one would see in Mexico, the interior looked well laid out and I could see displays through the front window. Perhaps not enough people stop at the center on a Friday afternoon to merit it to stay open. Still, we were both looking forward to this museum.
Tired of driving, we headed south toward Lake San Carlos. A humble stop at the Old San Carlos Memorial reminded us that even on the reservation, Apaches sacrificed their homes when the Coolidge Dam was built in 1929 and flooded the old town of San Carlos. The new town was rebuild four miles up river.
Beer cans and bottles littered all the roads on the reservation, more so than any highway in southern Arizona. For a place that forbids alcohol, the reservation was replete with empty and discarded beer cans.
We drove along dirt roads along Lake San Carlos, trying to avoid crowds. We could see lines of cars camped along the lakeshore along one open stretch. One promising spot was quickly abandoned when we spotted a rattlesnake. It didn't rattle at us and the dogs were oblivious, but the snake didn't look like it was ready to go anywhere and it was resting right off a path to the river.
We instead found a spot near the lake shore. After a short move to get away from sticky burrs, we satisfied ourselves with an open spot near the lake where the dogs had easy access to the water. All three dogs reveled in the cool lake, chasing each other and barking with delight. Sadie at one point was up to her head in the water, chasing ducks that were off shore.
The sunset was quite lovely, but the subsequent night was cold. I woke up several times from cold feet. Once midnight rolled around, everything around us was quiet. The evening stars were quite a sight.
1 comment:
Here's an article from the Silverbelt, an Apache newspaper for the Rez. It tackles the trash problem.
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Apache Moccasin Monday, March 23, 2009
REZ ISSUES AND FORUM: Do we need trash?
By Dale Miles
Published: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 11:33 AM CDT
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Lately tribal members have come to me and said, “why don't you write about the trash problem here?”
Well, I have to say that I have covered that topic before, but in all honesty I agree with them in that we need to solve this problem and make this place better for all of us.
I think the trash problem comes partly from the attitude many of us have that this is our land and we can do anything we want, even trash it up. But there is also another factor, and that is we really don't have a complete waste removal system in our local infrastructure.
To put it simply we don't have enough garbage cans out for people to use. There are people who would throw their refuse away if they only had something to throw it in.
I know we have the Mt. Turnbull Sanitation and this entity does the best it can, but I think it needs to be improved with more funding and structure.
Since this tribe officially supported President Obama, we need to be concerned with what is really important. I think cleaning up the rez is of greater importance than some of the recent things the council says they are doing for the people.
But it has to come within us ourselves too. We need to teach ourselves and our children the importance of not being trash or garbage bugs.
I have seen children in cars and pickups driving ahead me on the road to or from town throw trash right out the window or the back of the truck. What was worse was that their parents either didn't correct them or just didn't care.
This must change (remember President Obama said we can change) and must come from each and everyone of us. The sad thing is that many of us (but not everyone) just don't care about anything. Either they weren't raised right or they just didn't learn or listen.
It's time we began to care and teach our kids a better way. I always told my kids, “You can trash up this car but not the land.”
Instead of working on projects that don't help anyone much, our leaders need to contact D.C. and get some of that stimulus package money.
With funds we can build a better waste system then we have now and maybe employ some people. Instead of fighting people who want to do business with us, we should talk with them and see how they can help our economy with jobs and bring self esteem to the people.
Then I sometimes think; why can't we have those people in jail do more community service by being part of the system that gets rid of the trash in our community?
I mean they broke some laws so maybe they can pay back the community by working for it. After all, Joe Arpaio makes prisoners work in Maricopa County so why not make them work here?
Who knows, after cleaning up the area in the carrot suits they might even not want to go back to jail anymore and may even learn better respect for the law. It's certainly worth a try.
All kidding aside, we all need to work toward cleaning up our community.
Change your attitude about trash and let's ask the powers that be to work on something really important. After all they're supposed to be working for you.
Comments
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Supporter for Cleaning UP San Carlos Rez wrote on Mar 18, 2009 11:16 AM:
" You know, there is a group of concerned citizens who have started to meet and have made strategic plans to clean-up the S.C. reservation. In fact the kick-off event is this Friday, March 20. Everyone really should look into attending the meetings and step-up to the challenge. Our actions will always speak louder than our words. "
charlie wrote on Mar 16, 2009 11:45 AM:
" dreamwoman its not an excuse to leave trash on the Rez and not do anything about it, it’s a problem, how do we deal with it, for one thing they can create a office in San Carlos, you can have all the office staff working inside the office, but you need the man power the people who will do the work outside in the fields, no man power no services that’s the problem in San Carlos, or they just don’t want to pick up the trash, because it’s not part of their job description? Open up a land fill in San Carlos so they can take the trash out there, than the tribal government would have to hire people to over see this land fill with heavy equipment operators and labors, maybe this will stop them from throwing trash out in the back country of San Carlos area, there’s nothing sacred or wrong in opening up a land fill in San Carlos, put the traditional apache believes aside than the problems will be solved. "
MG wrote on Mar 16, 2009 11:07 AM:
" I strongly agree with Dale on using the prisoners to go out and clean up the trash aroung the community. A friend of mine once visited and worked in San Carlos for a summer of fire prevention, and when I she came to tell me about all the wonderful people, and relatives she had met there, she mentioned one thing that really stuck with me....It was all the glass and garbage that she had seen on the reservation. She had asked how it could have gotten so bad and why there was no interest in cleaning it up!! "
dreamwoman wrote on Mar 13, 2009 6:45 PM:
" Charlie,
You make a great argument for making excuses on behalf of the tribal government and others; but what solutions did you recommend?
Dale,
You make sense; A small percentage of individuals do care, San Carlos EPA included! When will the people of San Carlos get up off their butts clean up their mess and take pride in their "Apache" land? "
charlie wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:49 AM:
" blame it on the tribal government and the traditional apache believers who don’t want to open up a public land fill in San Carlos for everyone to use, while the traditional apache believers to them all of the land in San Carlos is to sacred to live on or develop on it and the cattle association also has their say in this part in this sacred apache land, for the people who have a narrow minds about this they don’t see the future for our apache people they turn a blind eye to the trash around us in San Carlos, as you drive around in the community all you see is trash around the homes, junk cars sitting in their yards, the San Carlos EPA has failed to do their jobs, has the San Carlos Housing Authority also failed to do their jobs also in cleaning up the yards of members who rent from them? Trash and weeds, are they blind and don’t see it themselves? Has our Environmental activities failed to do his job as a tribal chairman? Who worries about the land being sacred and not seeing all the problems in San Carlos, jobs, health issues, community relations? "
http://www.silverbelt.com/articles/2009/03/11/apache_moccasin/apache04.txt
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