Of course, perhaps that is an overvalued and nonsensical expectation, and I have already found what I am looking for - pure, isolated nothingness. There is something about being out here, propelled only by determination and peanut butter, which makes the world seem so simple. It is an incredible thing, to gaze off into the past from the top of a mountain, contemplating how such a grand formation came to be.
Maybe it's not that my mind is stalled - only that there is nothing to preoccupy it.
All of this riding has left me anxious for something though. It seems my days are filled with little purpose other than eating, biking, and sleeping. They are certainly not without learning, but that almost seems empty without the ability to contribute to society. Constantly moving from one community to the next, I long for the time at which I have a community to call my own.
It is fascinating how individuals can maintain this lifestyle for years at a time. Always moving, no permanent connections, and no impact. The world is a changing place, and although I've found touring to be a great way to relax and reflect, I'd rather not witness it from behind the handlebars.
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Day #29: The Apache Gold Casino and Resort to Tucson, AZ
Today would be our first day of riding on a two day trek down to Tucson, AZ. Although our route technically leads West to Phoenix, TJ's parents have friends in Tucson that we promised to visit. We were looking forward to a few days rest (not to mention tons of food and beer), but it came with a price - 120 miles in the wrong direction.
Detours are always a depressing sort of thing. Similar to my 100 mile detour to the Grand Canyon in 2011, they almost always lead to hitchhiking. Luckily for us, Route 77 is a road with only one destination - Tucson. A few miles into the ride we vowed to stop at the next gas station and procure a ride into the city.
The nearest gas station? 35 miles and one mountain pass away...well, nothing comes easy. I think that we're both in agreement that those 35 miles were some of the prettiest we've traveled as of yet though. Arizona has proved once again it's the master of traversing mountains, and the desert landscape gave huge views in every direction:
And look at all these huge cacti:
When we arrived at Winkleman (that's actually the name of the town), we were faced with a desert abyss to the south that stretched as far as our eyes could see. We had reached the desert floor, and the beautiful riding from this morning was over. At that point it was solidified - we would be driving to Tucson.
...In this:
The truck was being driven by an incredibly nice guy named Omar, who owns an ice manufacturing / delivery service in Tucson. He was about to head back into the city, and was more than willing to let us throw the bikes in the back. It was almost too easy - he was the first person we asked.
Excited to take the express route south, we sat in the cab and watched mile after mile of scorching desert pass by. A quick 70 miles later we arrived in Tucson, unloaded the bikes and said goodbye.
15 more miles of easy (albeit urban) riding, and we were at the front door of the Huettner's, and couldn't have been happier.
Miles Biked: 50 (not such a bad day after all)
Miles Driven: 70
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Day #28: Three Way to The Apache Gold Casino and Resort
The original plan for today was to ride to the theoretically beautiful San Carlos Reservoir and do some back country camping. Unfortunately for us, we learned too late that we would need a back country permit to camp on the Apache Indian Reservation, and had to avoid the detour altogether. As a consolation, here's what we might have seen:
At least the ride was easy today, with the first 65 miles almost completely flat (minus the one "mountain pass" that kicked off the day).
In the morning, we ran into another cyclist that was on his way to Florida. Although he seemed like a pretty cool kid, he gave us a bit of misguided advice about the upcoming reservation. He basically told us that we didn't want any part of it, and would probably die if we spent the night within its boarders.
We were pretty skeptical of that idea right off the bat, and later found out for ourselves that everyone we encountered on the reservation was incredibly nice, and we were more than happy to spend a night on their land.
In other news, we finally consumed all one million cookies that we've been carrying since Roswell...so of course we had to buy more.
And what a deal we found! 50 cookies for $5, AND they're delicious? Yes please.
The final 40 miles was a rough departure from the flat ground we had been cruising through all day - short, steep rolling hills.
Check it out - a hill covered in huge cacti!
With sundown fast approaching, we pulled into the Apache Gold Casino and Resort to find out that we could spend the night on the edge of their RV park. Although it probably doesn't sound like the most glamorous gig around, we actually had a ton of fun. We went in a hot tub, got to shower, and took a stroll over to the casino. Lucky for me I even didn't walk out bankrupt, leaving the blackjack table up 100% on my messily $40 buy-in.
That night we went to bed pretty satisfied, and certainly happy our back country alternative turned out better than anticipated.
Miles Crushed: 105
Free Monies: $42.50
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Day #27: Silver City to Three Way (Not Actually a Town), AZ
In hindsight, I might have short changed Silver City since we went to the library before we actually did anything in the city. Since we only rode 20 miles, we had a lot of time to explore, and we were pleasantly surprised at what we found.
Ironically, if you ask anyone else within 200 miles of Silver City what they think of the place, they will tell you that something is a bit...off. TJ and I have mainly come to the conclusion that this can be fully attributed to the town being filled with hippies who ride bikes and recycle - sort of like a bunch of Ithacans living in the desert.
There were at least three bikes shops (all of which TJ visited searching for the holy grail of insulated thermoses), a food co-op, a farmers market, and thousand independent businesses (most of which were coffee shops).
We enjoyed our stay, ate some tasty food, and procured an awesome campsite at the local fire department. Even better, the firemen let us shower (our first shower in a disgusting amount of time), and we finally broke down and went to a laundromat.
Now, onto day #27...
Occasionally, right when you think you fully comprehend something, you will see something else that completely shatters your understanding. Today was that kind of day:
Although Emory Pass was a good 2,000 feet higher than the actual divide, it seems that it was a hoax. The true divide was actually a bit of a disappointment, and if there wasn't a sign we probably wouldn't have even thought we were going though a pass at all. It did lead into a fantastically long decent though.
After a glorious stretch of downhill, we stopped for lunch at the intersection of Routes 180 and 78. Next we would be turning on 78, which would lead us to Arizona, more mountains, and nothing else.
Views from our lunch spot:
Other scenes from the road:
And then we made it...Arizona! Conveniently positioned at the foot of a mountain pass...
TJ, rolling to the top of the pass:
One thing which I have found Arizona does incredibly well is mountain passes. Generally speaking, climbing to the top of a pass on a bicycle strapped down with touring gear leads to a feeling of great accomplishment. When the pass is accompanied with huge views though, the feeling is unmatched. Arizona has somehow not only capitalized on epic views, but constructed beautiful descents that wrap around the mountains in a series of hairpin turns that leave your jaw dropped and your eyes drowning in a sea of endless views.
It was an easy ride down to the non-existent town of Three Way, where we stayed the night on the National Forest Ranger Station's front lawn.
Miles Crushed: 80
Mountain Passes: 2, technically
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