A day half spent beneath and intemingled with the van. Erica and Ralph fitted a new speedometer cable, which was an interesting sort of job, especially getting the bloody thing to go through the grommet between the engine and the dashboard. It finally went through lubrucated by a lot of bad language and liberal amounts of washing-up liquid.

We also fitted the remaining part to the cruise control — now for the road test!

In the afternoon I strolled a couple of peaceful miles south of the campground to the rim of Devils Canyon, and envied the rock-climbers relaxing by a pool hundreds of feet almost vertically below me.

I became grumpy about the state of this "wilderness" — I discovered a dead-end trail which ended in a glittering carpet of broken glass. I will never understand this human need to dirty their own nests.

In several places on this trip, notably on US10 into California and through the Canyon de Chelly reservation, we have passed thousands, if not millions, of glass bottles, presumably thrown from cars onto the road-side.

Near Oak Flats the trails are scarred and scuffed by dozens of four-wheel drive vehicles that appear to do nothing except give access to the wilderness for the uncaring and idiotic. Here and there the rocks bore evidence of some violent revenge taken on the undersides of vehicles, which made me feel a little better.

If this goes on, in the end what little is left of nature will have to be enclosed by electrified fences and barbed wire.

This isn't elitist — the yahoos who are messing the place up can obviously afford to run 4x4s (which I can't) and drink a hell of a lot of beer...they aren't hungry peasants attempting to scratch a survival from the stony soil (to mutter a cliche).

Even the top of the rockclimbing site is scattered with empty cigarette packets (mostly discarded, apparently, by Marlborough men). Hmmm.

Oak Flats is a pleasant camp ground, apart from the noisesome pit toilet. The only drawback is the loud munching noise the local cattle make as they graze outside your tent in the middle of the night.

Oak Flats camp site

Erica and Ralph work underneath the van

Erica works on her bike, while Lenore helps...not!

ARIZONA

LENORE'S TRAVEL DIARY

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