March 9, 2012
Day 13: To Sells
Today I pedal halfway across the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (pronounced T’OHN-oh AUTH-um). I expect the scenery to be boring and it will be a long day because I have a strong northeast headwind.
Not many outsiders are familiar with the tribe's name. White people called them Pima Indians, a name the tribe considers to be incorrect and disrespectful.
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Just outside of Why I entered the reservation. There is a small casino at the boundary. 24 miles later I passed a cluster of modern schools (and nothing else) at the community of San Simon. 12 miles later is the Quijotoa Trading Post, where I stopped for lunch and bought a woven bowl. It was the only place in the reservation that I saw native handicrafts for sale.
I could see a long distance across the desert, but no houses were visible from the highway. A few dirt roads lead to settlements out of sight from the highway.
The Tohono O'Odham tribe seems to be more reclusive than most Indian tribes. A major highway passes through, but there are very few services along the highway. The tribe apparently wants to interact with outsiders as little as possible.
Every turnout on the roadside is strewn with broken glass. Far more broken glass than I've seen so far during this tour. Broken glass is much more of a tire hazard than thorns. Fortunately the glass is always off the pavement.
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30 miles east of Why I saw Prickly Pear cactus for the first time during this tour. There is no obvious change in the climate or geography. I have no idea why the eastern Sonoran desert has prickly pear, but the western Sonoran desert doesn't. I continue to see Saguaro and Cholla, but Creosote bushes are the dominant vegetation.
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After the Quijotoa Trading Post the highway turns southeast for 20 miles, turning the headwind into a tailwind. That was nice. But 3 miles before the town of Sells the road turns east again, into the wind.
Sells is a fairly big town with about 5000 residents. It's the main town of the Tohono O'Odham reservation. The town has a shopping center with a Basha's supermarket. I stopped there to buy groceries and a gallon jug of water. The town has no motel, campground, or restaurant (wouldn't want to cater to outsiders!). It was obvious that I would have to free camp in the desert.
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A mile east of Sells the desert is fenced, but I found a dirt track leading south into the desert. A sign said to close the gate, but there was no gate. 1/4 mile from the highway I set up my camp on the bare ground of a shallow wash.
From my campsite I could see a craggy mountain range to the east. I didn't know it at the time, but the Kitt Peak observatory is in those mountains.
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Shortly after dark a helicopter flew overhead very low. Border Patrol, I presume. I saw dozens of Border Patrol vehicles on the road today, same as the previous two days.
Today was a long hard day because of the headwind. The weather was sunny with a high of 65F. Third consecutive day of cooler than normal weather.
Distance: 67.7 mi. (108 km)
Climbing: 2800 ft. (848 m)
Average Speed: 9.9 mph (15.8 km/h)
Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 718 miles (1,156 km)
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