Sharon Hawley

Sharon Hawley
Click on this map to open Michael Angerman's detailed map showing my current location. There, you can pan and zoom.. Thanks Michael

Thursday, May 1, 2014

King Copper

Sunrise west of Safford
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I left Safford Arizona, yesterday, and entered Indian country.  I came to what’s left of  Fort Thomas, which we built to protect us from the Apaches.  It’s in some way analogous to the high fence we built recently along the Rio Grande in Texas to protect us from the Mexicans, all done to provide justice and liberty for all.  Today, the Fort served me eggs over medium and offered woven baskets made by the savages we came to conquer.  







I crossed the Gila river which gives life to this entire broad and long valley.  It flooded the farms along it in 1980, but its last 15 years have dwindled in draught, bringing bitter disputes as to who has the right to limited water.










 I entered the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, and stopped at its Hallelujah Store in Peridot.  A young apache woman was sitting outside the store, and I joined her with an ice cream cone and can of Dr. Pepper.  Her plan for the afternoon was to catch a ride down to the river for a coming-of-age celebration for a young female relative, an Apache simile to bar mitzvah.  Other Indians joined us, and it became apparent how the store got its name.  They talked of mystic revelations within their Christian faith, about casting out of spirits and dealing with demons.  They have blended this into the old Apache beliefs.  Today, a white woman and an Apache rested here.  Both stopped in the courses of lives on different tracks.  At least one of them wondered if one course is better than the other.  Both rested and then continued their lives.   







I travel the shoulders of roads, where roads have shoulders, some clean and good for riding, some littered and cracked.  I have repaired four flat tires on this trip, caused mostly by debris on road shoulders dropped by passing loads. 









Still on Apache land, I came to its modern casino and hotel.  I went inside to its clanging slot machines and poker tables, reminded of Las Vegas.  And like Sin City, this casino stands alone in a parched desert.  I watched a woman at a slot machine, face blank, pressing buttons dutifully to the sound of electronic clatter.  Gone are the days of pulling a handle dutifully, watching the drums turn, hoping they land on sevens, the periodic jangle of coins in the winner’s trough and into her little coffer.  Today, she enters her pin number and presses keys that are harder to understand than AutoCAD.  I know this because I checked into the hotel and had to use up twenty dollars of free gambling credits.  I still don’t understand the system, but walked back to my room with five dollars in winnings.  



Cobre Valley Center
 for the Arts in Globe
La Luz del Dia Cafe
on Broad Street in Globe
Leaving the Apaches this morning, I pedaled to Globe, a hill town with a quaint old downtown and a sprawl of modernity all around it.  Globe exists because of copper and the people who get ore out of the ground and extract the metal.










Freeport McRan Copper and
Gold plant in Miami, AZ
open pit copper mine east of Miami
Copper is the king of these steep mountains and the towns of Globe, Claypool, Miami and Superior that feed the families employed by big companies.  I worked hard to get up the steep grades and concentrated hard to avoid the many trucks and cars.  










I came to rest at the Copper Mountain Motel in superior, the nicest motel I’ve had on this trip, even though some cost twice as much.  

7 comments:

  1. Wonderful this blog and discussion of the tribe. o see three or four tanka though I'm not sure I will write that many
    At any rate, the worse part a trip like this city roads.

    Smiles

    Gary

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    1. Yes, and I have a maze of city roads coming up in the Phoenix complex. There is a bike path through most of it, and I expect a easy passage.

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  2. Wished there was a pic of the Indian women but I suppose that might feel too touristy or exploitive. I know I always have misgivings about taking photos of locals when I go to San Miguel. However, your inate storytelling abilities gave me a sufficient portrait of you and the others enjoying an ice cream at a local store. Good to hear the hotel is a nice one. It's always a kind of reward for the weary traveler. See you tomorrow. x

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    1. Yes, I liked the feeling of being trusted, perhaps because I was seen as a poor person as they were, who cant afford a car, with their conversation, somewhat intimate, religiously, as it was. I didn't want to ask if I could take their picture. In normal dress and normal life, they may not have shared with me as they did.

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  3. Sounds very strenuous, amazing. I am glad you came to a good motel and that must be a fine relief. Yes, the visions of the locals and sharing is nourishing from afar... to us and there to you, I am sure. The little treasures of this trip... many have been to warmth and simplicty of sharing and the personalities and the insights into everyday life, and kindness. Your bike looks so bright and beautiful "la Luz" indeed del Dia... smiles and hugs into your adventures ~ oh when I learned to make jewelry... I was paid for a time in copper wire and sheet, since money was scarce... (in NM) ... so I learned to appreciate and make lovely things from that...love ~k~

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    1. Copper turns green when exposed for some time, so I imagine you were happy to switch to silver and gold. We do with what we have though, and say sometimes that green is beautiful. It’s not just saying it, it really is.

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  4. Globe sounds like an interesting place. Perhaps I will plan to drive (in the car!) and visit it sometime. Glad you are being careful. Gwen

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