We turned around at the freeway. Soon we crossed paths with the Mexican who had decided to walk away, for help. He didn't break stride, except for a perfunctory "Hi," spoken like it was a foreign language to him.
Soon we were at the dry wash again. I looked back to see if he was there. I was angry at him, and photographed his pickup and the junked freezer in order to turn him in.
It seemed like the right thing to do. Of course, in his own culture there was nothing criminal about dumping junk in a dry wash. That was true of my culture, a couple generations ago. As it turned out, I didn't report him.
...Later that day a car headed north toward Phoenix, right by my trailer. I was surprised because I didn't think this was a through road. I try to camp on dead ends, since they are quieter and safer.
Later that night, or early morning actually, my youngish dog sounded the alarm. I heard a car going by, at idling speed. It's headlights were turned off.
A sign had warned me that smuggling was going on there. I had paid no particular attention to it. The next morning I went in to see the deputy sheriff. He confirmed that Smith and Vekol Roads, west of Casa Grande were well-known smuggling routes.
I had never thought of it before, but this road was virtually an isthmus. From the Mexican border to Phoenix, most of the land is Indian reservation. Presumably the Indians didn't have the budget or the inclination to chase illegal immigrants and smugglers. Why should they?--most of America consists of illegal immigrants to them.
Of all the nights that I have boondocked on public lands--more than a thousand--this was only the second time that I moved because I felt uncomfortable. I hitched up in the morning and drove off, both angry and sad about leaving Table Top mountain. Beautiful land.
I hadn't seen one lousy Border Patrol SUV. For the billions of tax dollars being sucked into the department of "Homeland Defense," why wasn't somebody patrolling a well known smuggling route? All it would take is a solar-powered sensor in a bush, near the road.
I considered picking up some of detritus left by illegals and depositing them at the welcome sign of the Sonoran national monument. Then I would tape a sheet of paper that said, "Your Billions of Tax $$$ at Work." But I didn't.
A BLM ranger, in a 60k$ SUV, with all the gadgets, with his hands full of donuts and coffee, would have mysteriously jumped out from behind a mesquite tree and fined me for defacing U.S. Government property.
