Circling the U.S. Chapter 63: Almost to Tucson

Sunday, December 22 - Monday, December 23, 2019

By now we knew that we would be spending Christmas in Tucson. We certainly did not expect anyone in the Warm Showers network to host us for the holiday, but figured we'd give it a shot anyway. And  Cheryl and Chuck invited us to spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas with them. But first, we had to get there.

Sunday morning we left Gila Bend for Casa Grande at 7:45, when it was still getting light. 

We weren't on the road long before Rob said, "Even though we've been on the road for over six months, I still can't believe we're doing this."

And a few minutes later, "I'm always happy to get on my bike in the morning. Are you?"

I said, "Not always."

Rob has never talked about quitting. I don't know if I would still be getting on my bike every day if not for his companionship. Sometimes I just get tired of living out of panniers, and I think about what I would be doing if I weren't on the road. I have a happy life, both in New Hampshire and Colorado. But I made this commitment and there is still much to look forward to, more new places to see. Like Texas.

I added, "I have a muscle in my butt that hurts."

Since we are traveling off the Adventure Cycling route we are pretty much on our own to find the best roads and sights to see in southern Arizona. After returning to Gila Bend from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, our next destination was Tucson. We looked to our Warm Showers host in Casa Grande and the head of the bicycle/pedestrian program in Arizona for advice. And riding the interstate won. Which wasn't so bad with light traffic and a wide smooth shoulder. 

With 60 miles to cover, a gradual climb, and a headwind slowing us to eight or nine miles an hour I didn't stop to take any pictures. The views from the interstate were pretty much what we'd been seeing - mountains in the distance, desert shrubs, and lots of saguaro. Rob and I rode together the entire day, taking turns pointing out the more interesting cacti we each noticed. When we saw a cluster of cacti with more than the usual one or two arms, Rob called it the Catholic community - the more arms on a cactus, the more flowers, and the greater the reproductive capacity.

After leaving the interstate we made good time on State Hwy 84 where we passed what looked to be giant cattle feedlots and a dairy. We found out from Brian, our Warm Showers host, that it used to be the world's largest ranch. John Wayne started it. This is where Temple Grandin did her studies. The cattle never see a pasture. They are fed on hay and only live for 9 months.

After 45 miles we stopped in the tiny town of Stanfield with nothing much besides a convenience store. We both really needed a break so we stopped in for a snack where they had tables we could sit at.

I said, "We've sunk to new lows on this trip." Pepperoni pizza, honey mesquite sausage, and cherry coke, all for only $5.  I don't know about the pizza, but my sausage was delicious. I had it on a pretzel roll. Rob didn't want to acknowledge his involvement in our decadence.

Our bikes are all decked out for Christmas.

After 61 miles we arrived in Casa Grande where we stayed with Brian, our Warm Showers host.

Brian had some fascinating stories and videos to share. His first love is sky diving which he discovered on his 27th birthday. In addition to running camps and winning competitions, he has helped orgainize the world record for the largest parachute formation:  https://www.dropzone.com/articles/events/85-way-crw-world-record-set-r598/

Brian was certainly an inspiration, someone who grabs  onto life and doesn't let go. Not only does he skydive, he also bicycle tours, having done a cross country ride on a tandem with his wife, Pam, who was also a skydiver. But in 2011, he and Pam were out riding and a motorist stuck them, injuring Brian and killing Pam. He has since remarried and has no plans to stop bicycling because, after all, life is full of risks. Unfortunately we were unable to meet his present wife because she is also a skydiver and was in Florida training for a competition.

As I've said before, we've been meeting some pretty amazing people on this trip. 

Monday, December 23, was rough. After 13 miles we had a strong headwind, about 10 mph for most of the rest of the day. I had to work hard just to keep us going about 8 mph. At 20 miles, with 40 more to go, thinking about 5 more hours fighting the wind, I wanted to cry. We stopped for lunch at a Dairy Queen. (We've figured out that we can eat our own food discreetly at fast food establishments, but I did get an order of fries.) Rob tried to convince me that the wind was dying, but it wasn't. The scenery didn't help. We were sandwiched between traffic on the interstate and freight trains speeding by - eight in all - with no saguaros to cheer us on. Only mountains off in the distance looking down on our suffering. 

After 57 miles of hard work, we made it to our evening lodging. Motel 6 isn't much, but we had only a short walk to the Mexican restaurant that Brian had highly recommended. I enjoyed grilled vegetable fajitas and Rob had his usual burrito. 

Following are some pictures from the day, a study in what to worry about in this part of the country.

"Flash Flood Area Next 4 Miles." We've left the danger of tsunamis on the west coast. Now we have to worry about flash flooding.

"Do Not Enter When Flooded." Over the course of many miles we'd see one of these signs after another. If we couldn't enter the dip in the road in front of us, we also wouldn't be able to go back.

I'm guessing the water would rush under this bridge, taking anybody in the dip in the road with it. I said to Rob,"I can't see anywhere we could go." He said, "Climb up on the bridge." 

I said, "There's barbed wire. What would you do then?"
Not even stopping to think about it, Rob said, "Cry."