Day 13 Globe to Bylas 44 miles

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Oct 1st
I overslept today, meant to get up at six but lay in till six thirty, I'm away by 8.15, the target is Bylas about 40 miles up the road with a halfway stop at Peridot, there is no camping at Bylas but there is nothing beyond for another 35 miles and after yesterday I'm not up for that. Its good cycling, a bit of up and down followed by downhill listening to a definitive collection of Scottish world cup songs, if you thought the famous ones were bad !
Into the San Carlos Apache reservation, I am met with a lot of kindness in Peridot, at the supermarket one employee offers me the opportunity to stay at his place in Bylas, but he doesnt get off work till late so I'd have to hang about for a long while. Its an enjoyable cycle to Bylas pop 1200 where there is a gas station , store and laundry and not much else. As I'm in at 2pm I take the opportunity to launder my clothes and get chatting to people around the store. The poverty is palpable here, even in the restricted range of stuff available in such a large store , mostly welfare qualifying goods - milk, butter, eggs which people buy with coupons , there is no liquor.
I'm told I can camp anywhere and noting that camping is forbidden in the 'highway rest zone' I pitch up off road in da desert as its getting dark I'm a bit uncomfortable with this and its with huge relief that a guy pulls up and tells me it aint safe to camp there, he authorises me to camp in the well lit rest area, he is a security officer and says his men will look out for me there, well done Chris Duncan !
The next morning as I am striking camp one of Chris's men brings me a hot burrito and fruit for breakfast, out there on me own and without having had internet contact with the family for a couple of days its hard to describe how touched I am at this simple act of kindness directed toward me.
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Photos

Local plant
These are like what we call sticky willies in Scotland , but these are nasty and jaggy

Comments

[Joyce]

sticky willies.....
Do you bite your toenails?????????

[Mike]

Go Dave Go
Dave i cannot believe you get up so late in the mornings, Remember our trip to Dakar... lol ,,,,, keep going Dave would love to meet you in El Paso....hey Hows the Kilos doing........... you nut Be safe Mike