Yellow Sky

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

One of my favorite westerns and one I've watched maybe 10-12 times and there is a part in it which always kinda puzzles me.  The gang has just robbed a bank and are being pursued by the US Cavalry and to escape they opt to cross a stretch of 75 miles of salt flats desert.  My question is: On all sides of the salt flats there are mountains.  Why did they not choose the mountains where there could maybe be a chance of finding water?  I've never been west of Oklahoma so I'm not at all familiar with anything out there, but it bugs me they selected to follow a route which could easily lead to death?

 I know it's just a movie.

This beside the fact that it's supposed to take place in 1867 while everybody is using SAA's which came out in 1873 and 1892 Winchesters, but if we forgive The Duke in "the Comancheros"  we can forgive this one.

Anybody?

[Alpo]

Did one of the gang have whiskey in his canteen?

 

I recall a movie where the gang of bank robbers is crossing a desert and one of them had put whiskey in his canteen, and was trying to persuade some of his fellow criminals to let him drink some of their water. They would not.

 

Just wondered if it was the same movie.

[Sedalia Dave]

36 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Did one of the gang have whiskey in his canteen?

 

I recall a movie where the gang of bank robbers is crossing a desert and one of them had put whiskey in his canteen, and was trying to persuade some of his fellow criminals to let him drink some of their water. They would not.

 

Just wondered if it was the same movie.

 

Yes

[Sedalia Dave]

I think the reason they chose the crossing the desert vice staying in the mountains is to get the posse chasing them to give up.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Maybe they were just stupid. A lot of criminals are.

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

Did one of the gang have whiskey in his canteen?

 

I recall a movie where the gang of bank robbers is crossing a desert and one of them had put whiskey in his canteen, and was trying to persuade some of his fellow criminals to let him drink some of their water. They would not.

 

Just wondered if it was the same movie.

Yep.  "Walrus" had his canteen full of "good" whiskey.  

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

5 hours ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said:

but if we forgive The Duke in "the Comancheros"  we can forgive this one.

 

I never forgave him for that one. You do have to draw the line somewhere.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

If it's the Great Salt Lake desert you would spend a LOT of time going across it and around it, say 4-5 days. That desert is huge.

 

Figure maybe 17-18 miles a day on horse back and you're looking at better than a week, maybe two...... and horses need a lot of water, too.

 

Consider that salt air and desert heat will teach you things about dehydration that you don't want to experience.