Day 11: Tuesday 03/15/16, East Tucson, AZ to Tombstone, AZ

Day 11 distance: 73 miles

Total miles:  587 miles

Elevation Gain:  3813 feet

Map of today's ride: 

Today's ride took us 73 miles from our East Tucson campground to Tombstone, Arizona. We are staying at a Tombstone motel tonight. The weather was very good for bicycling today with the sun out and the temperature reaching 75 degrees when we arrived in Tombstone. There was a light wind forecast at 8 mph from the SSE, but throughout the ride it felt like at times we had wind from all directions. Regardless of that, it was light enough to not really bother today's ride. We had our second most challenging day of climbing, with over 3800 feet gained. However, I would rate this day the most difficult to-date as we rode 73 miles whereas the day we climbed slightly more than 4400 feet, we only rode for 32 miles.

This photo was taken early in today's ride on E. Sahuarita Drive, about 8 miles south from our campsite in East Tucson . The cactus in the foreground are Prickly Pear. The Prickly Pear fruit is used in many cactus jellies (and milk shakes) and it is also the state cactus of Texas.

 

A Prickly Pear cactus growing on an abandoned bridge along AZ-82 E.

There was a gradual but steady 20 mile climb on AZ-82 E that increased to a grade of over 7% for the last few miles. This picture was taken as I was approaching the high point which was 5200 feet high. The elevation at last night's campground was a little over 3000 feet. The over 3800 feet of climbing along with the 73 mile ride made today's ride the most taxing to date.

Your blogger as he approaches the top of the 20 mile climb.

I must like this spot as I see I took the same shot last year!

This picture was taken a few miles west of Sonoita. Beautiful high country! We remained at over 4100 feet of elevation all the way to Tombstone.

This is a closer view of part of the mountain? seen in the distance of the previous picture.

The vegetation changed dramatically after passing through the mountains seen in the previous two pictures. There is a lot more "scrub" type brush. This area will be very pretty when the shrubs turns green.

The San Pedro River. This crossing was about 8 miles before reaching Tombstone.

That is Tombstone on the hill ahead. The last 8 miles, starting at the San Pedro River, consists of several rolling hills similar to the one seen in this picture. It was a difficult way to end the 73 mile ride.

This is the view tonight from our room at tonight's motel.

Dinner tonight was delicious and would have been even without riding all day!

LINK to Day 10 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 10: Monday 03/14/16, Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ to East Tucson, AZ

Day 10 distance: 43 miles

Total miles:  514 miles

Elevation Gain:  1061 feet

Map of today's ride: 

I need to start today's blog with a confession. I actually rode today's ride route yesterday but didn't include it in yesterday's blog. Everything in yesterday's blog was factual, but I did not want to get the ride's overall schedule out of sync, so I omitted summarizing the ride. The ride today was on a new route that I proposed and sent to Bubba last December for his consideration. Bubba, always looking for better and safer ride routes, recognized the route I proposed had merit. He then sent it on to Joyce Gillette, Bubba's official route guru, to put the final map and cue sheet together. Last year, we rode through Tucson on bike paths for about 8 miles and on city streets and roads for 35 miles. This year, the ride is on bicycle paths for the first 38 miles and on streets and roads for only the last 4 miles. This would not have been possible a year ago but Tucson recently finished several missing trail links to make this possible. I recognized this since I winter in Tucson and ride these trails all winter. Yesterday I rode the route with two staff members and two other coasters to physically mark the trail for the coasters riding today. Marking the ride route is done at critical junctures every day to remove any question a rider may have on the direction to proceed. Bicycle trails are especially difficult to follow because of the many unmarked junctures normally encountered on these trails. 

This is a photo of the bio-degradable arrows that we installed yesterday. These arrows usually dissipate and are gone within a week. An estimated 70+ of these green arrows were place on today's route.

SAG staffer Hans Meinesz installing a route arrow at an intersection on the bicycle trail.

Yesterday was another beautiful day for a ride. This view looking from the bicycle trail near I-10 at the Tucson Mountains to the NW .

The other four riders who rode the Monday route on Sunday taking pictures from the Canáda Del Oro bicycle trail. From right to left, John Murphy, John Ilinin, Hans Meinesz, and J.T. Turner.

The Loop Bicycle Shop was open and a food cart was available for bicyclists to stop for food and drink. We estimated close to 100 riders were stopped at the time we were there. Too bad the shop is closed Mondays when the other 35 coasters pass by.

The Catalina Mountains as seen from the bike trail when looking to the NE.

The University of Arizona "A" on the mountain at Sentinel Peak. The view from the road on the mountain by the "A" is fantastic and allows the viewer to get an excellent view of the geographical layout of the Tucson area. The bicycle path we rode is in the lower left.

With the exception of only a handful of streets, the bicycle trail passed under the streets. 

If you go under a street, you must come back up!

On the Julian Wash Greenway Trail, the last of the three trails ridden. The bicycle path dips down into a concrete lined "wash" designed to carry the rain water away during the monsoon season. It is a unique spot for a bicycle trail. At this point two "wash" drainages were merging. Note to self: Do not ride this section of the trail during heavy rains!

On Sunday the US Air Force Thunderbirds were putting on an air show. We got to view part of it from the trail.

Typical Julian Wash Greenway Trail view. 

There is a very large solar energy farm along the Julian Wash Greenway Trail.

Hans, John I., John M., and J.T. under a trail arch a few miles before the end of the Julian Wash Greenway Trail. The symbols on the arch represent the Hohokam people that once lived in the area. 

Cheryl took me to the campground we are staying late this afternoon so my "home" visit for the rest of the trip is complete. I will not see Cheryl again until I arrive in San Augustine, Florida on April 25.

 I was very pleased with all the positive feedback about today's route. Apparently it is a keeper!

LINK to Day 10 of my 2015 C2C blog.

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Day 9: Sunday 03/13/16, Rest Day at Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ

Day 9 distance:  0 miles (Rest day)

Total miles:  471 miles

Elevation Gain:  

We were all ready for a day of rest after bicycling 8 consecutive days over 471 miles. Everyone slept a little later than on ride days with breakfast not served until 8:00 am. The rest of the day, people cleaned and oiled their bicycles, shopped at a close by shopping area, and/or rode to a nearby bicycle store to pick up needed items.

Late this afternoon, Cheryl and I went to Catalina State Park so she could sample the delicious food Anne, our chef, prepares for us every night. Cheryl came along last year, and brought cookies she had made to go with the ice cream that Anne served for dessert. Cheryl continued that tradition this year by bringing three different kinds of cookies totaling 22 dozen cookies that were appreciated by all. She had been very busy baking before I returned home!

Tonight's dinner menu.

This evening's dinner at Catalina State Park. Our main entree was grilled steelhead and chicken. The dessert was Cheryl's cookies along with several flavors of ice cream. Everything on the menu was very tasty and good as usual!

Either after or before dinner each night we receive copies of the next day's ride map and cue sheets, and are briefed on what to expect during the ride.  Tonight we were informed that we will be riding a new route through Tucson completely different than last year. Last year we rode about 8 miles on bike paths and 35 miles on city streets. This year, the route will be on bicycle paths for the first 39 miles with only the final 4 miles on city streets.The trail system in Tucson continues to expand by leaps and bounds which now makes possible spending that many miles on trails.

A Day in the Life of a C2C Rider

A blog reader, Curious in Deerfield, (hi Linda!) asked me yesterday to summarize a day's routine. Actually, I had planned on using the day off blog as a place to discuss aspects of the trip I have not been covering in the daily ride blog. Today I will start with a day's routine.

A rider is flexible in almost all aspects of his day except in the times for eating breakfast and dinner. First, every morning at 6:00 am, Anne will have a fresh pot of coffee ready for anyone who is up and wants it. Breakfast is served at 7:00 am sharp! Breakfast each day consists of oatmeal with fixings of craisins, coconut, almond slivers, and brown sugar. There is also yogurt and cold cereal available, several different kinds of bread, bagels, croisants, and occasionally pastry items. There is a continuous toaster so the bagels and bread can be toasted. Also butter, whipped cream cheese, peanut butter, and jelly is available. There usually are three flavors of juice along with fruit such as bananas and oranges. Occasionally, Anne will also have a hot baked egg dish prepared. On days off, breakfast includes eggs, bacon, sausage, and hot cakes.

Dinners are served at 5:30 pm and are complete with dessert. I will attempt to more frequently post the evening menu so you can see the wide variety of food served.

Before you touch anything on the food table and beverage area, or at a SAG stop food and beverage area (including ice chests), everyone is required to use a hand sanitizer that is located in all food and beverage handling areas.

Every night before a ride day, usually before dinner at 5:15 pm, Bubba has the next day's ride meeting where maps and cue sheets are handed out. He will go over any peculiarities on the cue sheet if any exist. This is an important meeting that all riders are expected to attend.

Other than the preceding, all riders are pretty much on their own other than being required to check in at every SAG stop and at the completion of the day's ride. The time you get up in the morning is up to you, but everyone gets up automatically from shortly before  6:00 am to probably as late as 6:30 am. I rarely hear an alarm clock waking someone. We can start riding whenever we want, but must wait for it to be daylight. However, before you start your ride, you must have your bags packed and placed in front of your tent along with your air mattress deflation valve opened. Once everyone is gone, the Wolf Pack loads your luggage and takes down your tent, placing it in a truck for transport to the next night's location.

Computers are handled separately from luggage and there is a bin that all computers are placed in for extra care and protection.

SAG checkins take place about every 25 miles. If food and water are available commercially, the SAG will just be a check in. If no food or water is available, approximately every 25 miles, Bubba's SAG groups will be there to provide those needs.

When a rider completes the day's ride, they will find that, if it is a tent night, your tent will be set up with your air mattress inflated and luggage in the tent. If it is a night in a gymnasium setting, your will find your luggage next to your air mattress on the floor of the gym. If the night's stay is in a motel, when you arrive your will be given a key to your room (shared with one other rider) and you will find your luggage in your room. The Wolf Pack is tremendous in looking after all those details.

Bubba brings in after dinner speakers on occasion to talk about things inherent to the location. Examples of a speaker could be someone discussing the agriculture of the area, the geology of the area, or the head of the area border patrol. These speakers are usually very interesting and provide a perspective on the area you would not otherwise receive.

If we are staying in a tent, I have been in bed sleeping as early as 8 pm (what else are you going to do when it is dark outside, plus we are tired from riding!) In a gym, lights are out at 9:00 pm. If in a motel, it is up to you, but usually people are sleeping before 10 pm.

I think that completes the general cycle of a day's routine. I welcome any questions you may have but offer no guarantees I will have an answer!

LINK to Day 9 of my 2015 C2C blog.
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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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Day 7: Friday 03/11/16, Gila Bend, AZ to Casa Grande, AZ

Day 7 distance:  82 miles

Total miles:  408.5 miles

Elevation Gain:  1379 feet

Map of today's ride:

Today's ride of 82 miles from Gila Bend to Casa Grande was the longest of the last 7 days. The day was overcast for the most part with intermittent periods of sunshine, and although the day started cool, by the time we arrived in Casa Grande the temperature had reached the mid 80's. I was drinking a water bottle every 10 miles for the final 50 miles and still became slightly dehydrated. The first 20 miles of the ride today was up a slight but steady 0.4 - 1.7% grade. Not very steep, but the grade and wind did impact my speed by about 3-4 mph. Shortly before arriving at our motel tonight, the wind got very strong as can be seen in one of the following pictures. All in all, I guess the final analysis would be that this was a typical day of bicycling!

Today's ride took us through the natural desert to beautiful looking agricultural crops on an irrigated desert. We also passed several extremely large cattle and dairy operations. In between the desert and agricultural area, we passed through the city of Maricopa, Arizona, the 18th largest city in Arizona with a population just under 50,000. The area is famous because in the 1950's, John Wayne owned a 50,000 acre ranch close to it, and at one point had a feedlot that supported up to 85,000 head of beef.

The day through pictures:

A typical desert scene for the first 30 miles today.

The large sand hill in the background with the two black rectangles on it is actually one of several landfills along AZ-238 that is operated by cities in the Phoenix area.

This picture was taken along highway SR-347 just south of Maricopa, Arizona. Note the large overhead sprinkler in the beautiful green alfalfa field.

 

 

I stopped this individual along SR-347 and chatted with him for a few minutes. I thought he might be a fine addition to Bubba's coasters until I found out he was a local just out for a ride. :)

Arizona highway SR-347 was very nice to ride because of a very wide shoulder, and for the most part, it was very smooth.

Perhaps a business opportunity at the corner of SR-347 and AZ-84E.

This dairy along AZ-84E is simply amazing in size. The cattle continued for over 2 miles and I believe these Holsteins ranged in age from milking cow to heifers. They were in separate fenced areas by age. It would be interesting to know the number of the gallons of milk produced each day from this operation.

I don't know how far it was to the back of the pens, but like stated in the preceding picture, this continued for over two miles!

I chatted with these two young ladies on their beautiful horses for a short time. I didn't get their names but the one on the Palomino said she lived a short distance away and performs in rodeos.  I should have taken more time to learn more about them. At least I should have taken enough time to allow the dust raised by the horses to settle before I snapped the picture!

 

This picture was taken on the south side of Casa Grande about 3 miles from the motel we are staying the night. It got very windy and was still windy this evening. We all are hoping the wind settles down before we ride tomorrow to Catalina State Park in Tucson.

The motel we are staying at tonight was not ready for us, so many coasters had to wait a long time for their rooms. Not sure what Eddo in the front chair did with his clothes, but he sure did look comfortable in the heat!

Tomorrow's ride to Catalina State Park is 62 miles long. We are all hoping that the wind will not be in our face like it was last year!





LINK to Day 7 of my 2015 C2C blog.