Day 8: Saturday 03/12/16, Casa Grande, AZ to Catalina State Park (Tucson), AZ

Day 8 distance:  62 miles

Total miles:  471 miles

Elevation Gain:  1664 feet

Map of today's ride:

When I rode the first 29 days of last year's C2C ride before my accident, I considered the ride between Casa Grande and Catalina State Park to be my hardest physical day of the 29 days. It probably was due to several factors, but the one I remember the most was the strong head winds encountered while riding to the SE between Casa Grande and Tangerine Road, the bulk of the day's ride direction. That, followed by the long but gradual grade up Tangerine Road was extremely exhausting. One year later, the same ride over the identical roads was just the opposite. We did not have the headwinds and for most of the ride only a very light crosswind. The crosswind got stronger right before Tangerine Road which was to our advantage as the wind was then at our backs and helped push us up the Tangerine Road grade. All in all, today's conditions were ideal and the Dairy Queen cone I had at Pacacho at 9:30 am apparently provided all the energy I needed to finish the ride with energy to spare!

This picture was taken about 8 miles south of Casa Grande looking at Pacacho Peak in Pacacho Peak State Park, about 18 miles ahead. Note the two coasters riding ahead on the wide shoulder of the road, 

We rode through a pecan orchard between the towns of Eloy and Pacacho.

Roadside view a couple miles east of Pacacho Peak State Park.

Pacacho Peak as it appears looking at it to the SW.

Looking to the east a short distance south of Pacacho Peak, you can see the Pinal Airpark Airport, where up to 400 Commercial and government airplanes are stored in an airplane "boneyard." The dry, low humidity of the Sonoran Desert provides an ideal storage environment.

Picture of farmland taken at our last SAG stop of the day in Marana, Arizona.

Picture of the Tortolita Mountains about 20 miles north of downtown Tucson.

A beautiful Saquaro cactus along Tangerine Road. This is a very old Saquaro as it takes up to 50 years before the first "arm" will begin to grow.

What are the odds that a bicycle ride from coast to coast will go right by one of the gates to the community your blogger resides in the winter months? The really nice part is that I get to spend two nights in my own bed since tomorrow is our first day off from riding almost 500 miles over the eight days it took us to get to this point from San Diego!

My wife Cheryl, neighbors and Rotary friends who met me as I passed by our community. What a great welcome! Thank you all for taking the time to wait for me to bicycle past!

Our first good view of the Catalina Mountains which rise above Catalina State Park, our next two day's camping site.

Goal reached!

A few of the tents set up for the two day stay.

LINK to Day 8 of my 2015 C2C blog.

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