The San Gorgonio Pass           The Mojave Desert

Chapter 8 ~ Trekking the 80 Gringo Miles to Indio

In this chapter the setting changes and plays an important part in the events of this chapter. As you read, think about how the landscape and climate affect their journey. They must go up into the mountains and trek through mountain passes until they come to the desert and then trudge through the Mojave Desert.

Some words you will encounter depict features of the landscape: ditcha long narrow channel dug in the ground, usually for drainage, culverta covered channel that carries water or cabling under a road or through an embankment, gullya channel or small valley, usually carved out by heavy rainfall , canyona deep narrow valley with steep sides, often with a stream running through it .
For other words you would like to look up, use this dictionary. [Open Dictionary][Close Dictionary]



1. According to Seņor Rodrigo, what brought la migra to the cafe? How did Salvador and Lupita manage to evade  escape or avoid them  them? Who was arrested?

2. What did Lupita have to leave behind? Why?

3. Why did they travel at night?

4. As you read, list all of the advice the cook gave Salvador for his journey.

5. Explain Lupita's thoughts: "What strange roads gringos built - sometimes up in the sky, at other times out of sight in the earth!" Scan for the usual name for the roads in the sky (p. 108).

6. As you read through the chapter, list the places they sleep each day after walking all night. Which place do you think is the most terrifying? Why?


7. Describe the incident that occurs in the Mojave Desert. What do you think drives some people to terrorize others?


8. Does the service station attendant in Palm Springs recognize them as Mexican nationals? How do you know? What information and what warning do they receive from him?

9. How did Lupita know the word wetback? What people did this racial slur originally refer to?

Oral Summary:
Prepare a two-minute oral summary of the most important events in this chapter.

Vocabulary: Finding descriptive language that appeals to the senses
Metaphors and similes make comparisons between two things that are not usually compared. Metaphors can be various parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives. A simile makes a comparison using the words like or as.

Example: "Its radiator was boiling over, and clouds of steam rose from under the hood." (p. 110) In this example, the writer sees steam as clouds. This metaphor creates a visual image.

1. Find two phrases that are metaphors that describe the sounds of the freeway. The first one ends with a simile. (p. 108-109)

2. What metaphor describes the headlights and taillights? (p. 108)

3. Find a phrase on page 112 that uses a comparison (simile) within a metaphor - just like the previous example, roars like the sea. Which adjectives describe the noun mist? What image of the desert sunrise do they convey?

4. The present participle (verb + ing) has an active meaning and can be used effectively to create a scene.
Example: "To her horror, the pickup came in pursuit, jolting down the unpaved road behind them."

Scan pages 112-115 for seven more examples of present participles used for description. Note that these participles can begin a sentence or even be in the middle of a sentence. Most often these participles function as adjectives.

Index