Dog Days of March (?!) in Arizona

Sunday, March 19

Apparently Arizona is experiencing a spring heat wave.  Phoenix hit a record daily high of 95 degrees yesterday and it was potentially going to set another record of 93 degrees for today. (Just in time for me to bike through the area!)  Given that, plus having a not insignificant distance of 76 miles and an elevation gain of 2595 ft (with 1821 ft down), I hit the road by 6:30am.

Highway 70 sure had some rough shoulders.  The route today was plagued with cracks in the shoulder about every 10-20 feet.  This forced me onto the road when it was really bad, but there was enough traffic that I could never stay on the road for long.  Another problem I ran into was the vegetation--usually with thorns--growing next to the road that covered the shoulder completely.  This was a new road hazard for me, and one I didn't relish discovering...

Today's route took me through the San Carlos Apache Reservation.  Along the way I saw some of the famous Saguaro cactus that this region is known for.

When I stopped for lunch, I was hoping to find a shady place but didn't have any luck (at high noon), so I had to continue to bake in the sun.  A rider heading east waved hello but didn't stop.

Because of the heat, I stopped for a 32 oz Coke which pepped me up for a bit, but when the sugar ran out, I was dragging big time.  I think I'll avoid highly sugared drinks in the future.

Day: 32
Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Distance: 76 miles (Safford-Globe, AZ)

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Monday, March 20

I had a bit of a surprise when I went down for breakfast at 6am at the Globe, AZ, Motel 6, only to discover that they actually don't provide breakfast!

I shouldn't have been surprised.  This is the same place that didn't have towels in the room when I checked in nor even when I asked for them at 5pm.  I have to say that was a first for me.  (They finally provided towels sometime around 6pm while I was out for dinner.)  According to TripAdvisor, they do provide breakfast, so there was clearly a miscue somewhere.  It wasn't a big deal, but I wish I had known as I would have prepared better and gotten some items yesterday to start my day.  Luckily there was a McDonald's across the street, so I just popped in there for a quick bite.

I had a bit of a climb over the Tonto mountains to get to Phoenix.  2300 feet up, but 4000 feet down!  I had a short day planned as I was meeting a friend of mine, Steve (a former manager).  Since I was taking a shortcut to save myself a day of riding (60 miles), I was heading in on Route 60.  Steve had suggested that he pick me up in Gold Canyon before Route 60 got too busy.  It was about a 50-mile ride for the day.  I texted Steve when I started out, thinking that with the climb it would take 5-6 hours.

The road through the mountains was pretty good and the scenery was great.  My only complaint with the road was that whenever a passing lane for cars got created, my shoulder disappeared.  If the passing lane was on my side, it wasn't too bad as there were two lanes and so easy enough for the cars to go around.  However, when the passing lane was on the other side, things got a bit tight.  Did I mention that Globe is a mining town?  So, a fair number of semis were on this road...

Once I got over the top, I made really good time due to the 4000 feet of descent.  I was a little embarrassed about how badly I misjudged when I discovered that I was probably going to reach the meeting point before 11:30 rather than the 12:30-1:30 timeframe I'd given earlier.  Steve was gracious about it and came out earlier to pick me up--and advised me to find some shade while I waited!  Once he picked me up Steve helped me run some errands and pick up some groceries for the remainder of my trip, and treated me to lunch--fried fish tacos, the sort of food that has been sorely lacking on this trip.

When we arrived at their house, I was greeted not only by Kristen but also by their two large--but gentle--Argentinian Mastiffs, Sophie and Judge (at the top of this post).  For such large dogs (about 120 lbs each), they were very friendly, and it was great to be around dogs that weren't chasing me.  Interesting fact: Folks in Arizona have to train their dogs to avoid rattlesnakes!

Steve and his wife Kristen really pulled out all the stops to feed me and to make me feel welcome.  They have a beautiful place in Scottsdale--with a pool and a hot tub, and amazing views.  We spent the afternoon relaxing, walking the dogs, soaking in the hot tub, and enjoying the spectacular views from their place.  It was very tempting to stay longer, but I was afraid that if I delayed departing, I'd never get on the bike again!

We wrapped up the day by grilling some excellent prime steaks on the grill.  Did I mention that it was hard to leave?

Day: 33
Time: 4.5 hours
Distance: 50 miles (Globe-Phoenix, AZ)

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Tuesday, March 21

Steve and Kristen again went above and beyond and got up at 6am to send me off with a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt.  Steve then dropped me off at a point on Route 74 that was beyond the busy traffic.  I must confess that this probably saved me about 60 miles of biking through Phoenix (from where I was picked up the day before and where I was dropped off today).  Funny, but I don't feel guilty at all!

I discovered later that it turns out that I left behind my PackTowl and sunglasses holder at Steve and Kristen's, but (as you can see above) they are clearly getting better use with Sophie and Judge.

Route 74, though off the standard Southern Tier route, was a great road with good shoulders and not much traffic.  I originally had been planning to stay over in Wickenburg, but this turned out to be only 40 miles of biking.  Once in town, I grabbed a sandwich--a Reuben, not a burger or Tex-Mex for a change!  Since I made it into Wickenburg around noon, I decided to push on to Salome after confirming I could get a room and discovering that the elevation change wasn't too severe.  The total elevation change was about 1800 feet up and 1600 feet down.  Salome was a pretty ambitious goal as it would be 90+ miles for the day.  This was also the tail end of the heat wave that was gripping Phoenix for the last several days, but luckily it was only expected to get to a high of 83 for the day.

The cacti around here were bountiful, and scenery was overall very pretty.  I ran into several riders heading East today, including a gentleman from Azerbaijan who was near the end of his round-the-world ride which he started in Azerbaijan last May.

I did see my first (and hopefully last) rattlesnake on a deserted section of highway.  I noticed movement as I passed by, and once I realized it was a rattlesnake, I swung back for a closer look--at a very respectful distance.  You can imagine, given its coloration and markings, how difficult it would be to spot these things in the desert.  Steve said that he used to kill 5-6 rattlesnakes a year on his property before he cleared away all the brush.  Let's just say that I'm very careful when I step off the roadway for a break!

This day ended up being the latest I ever finished.  I didn't make it into Salome until around 7pm.  It was dark by this time, and I was glad that I had a room and not having to set up a tent.  Since I was worried about missing dinner, I hurried over to the closest restaurant after checking in.

Day: 34
Time: 11 hours
Distance: 94 miles (Phoenix-Salome, AZ)