If it were not for the red and silver trailers you might not know that this was Desert Camp. The mileage was lower, the pace slower, and more people were inclined to “smell the roses” along the way. OK, so there were actually no roses to be seen, but there was plenty of dead grass. The riders were also older. Many were in their 60’s and a few were even in their 70’s. We did this trip for two reasons. First, the mileage seemed perfect for Althea. Although she developed a knee problem that slowed her down, she still had fun. Secondly, it was the only Desert Camp I had not been to. I generally rode alone, as usual, and daydreamed about the upcoming mountain biking season.....
The itinerary took us from Tucson to Patagonia, Tombstone, Douglas, Bisbee, and Sonoita. The
weather was perfect with most days reaching the 80’s. On the final day we returned to Tucson's
95 degree heat. But, as they say out there, “it is a dry heat”. I was actually comfortable unless
I was standing in the sun. There seemed to be far less wind than most Desert Camps I had been to. And unlike last year, the only hint of snow was on the highest peaks behind Fort Huachuca..
The roads we traveled on were a mixed bag. Often there was no shoulder and lots of traffic, or there would be a shoulder loaded with debris that never gets cleaned off by a good rainstorm. Many people had punctures, mostly due to riding in breakdown lanes. I flatted three times, pulling out a two inch piece of metal on one occasion. Some people lamented that we were on such busy, rough roads, but that is Arizona riding. After all, we were there mostly for the weather. Touring on serene country New England roads is not possible at this time of year. So, we counted our blessings, soaked up the abundant sunshine, enjoyed the scenery, and stayed as far to the right as possible. This was often easier said than done due to the rumble strips!
For Althea and me, staying in Bisbee at the Copper Queen Hotel was the highlight of the trip. While we had passed through Bisbee on many occasions, we never really had time to poke around the town or eat at some of the restaurants that looked so inviting. The town of Douglas was probably the low point. Sitting right on the Mexican border, it is a depressed town. We "made do" by spending our time inside the “haunted” Gadsden Hotel. It is magnificent as long as you do not leave the first level. Many of the rooms were reportedly terrible. One couple told us an amusing story about how they could not sit on their toilet without getting dripped on by the toilet above! Personally, I found our orange and red shag carpeting a charming throwback to the 70's. One thing is for sure.....this was the best hotel in town! Without a doubt the coolest place we stayed was with hosts Cheryl and Tom at their Hacienda B&B in Sonoita. The place was filled with Southwestern artifacts that could have filled a museum.
We certainly got our fill of Cowboy and Mexican food this week. Most menus were loaded with beef entrees but there were also a surprising number of seafood choices. At the Copper Queen Hotel there were actually seven seafood dishes on the menu. Althea and I both loved the almond crusted trout. Most of the portions were enormous. When you ordered Mexican you better be prepared for deep fried, plentiful lard, and a pound of quesa. The tortilla chips always seemed to be double-deep fried and the salsa left us wanting for a good bottle from Trader Joe’s.
The trip was accompanied by at least five Bike Friday employees. They promoted the "Bike Friday Community” and gave presentations at night on various subjects including their “Ticket’ commuter bike. As the owner of an S&S coupled bike, I find the whole concept of the Bike Friday interesting. My coupler bike breaks down and assembles in the same amount of time and travels on planes for free. Parts and tires are readily available. But most importantly, there is no compromise in riding a bike with small wheels. Each to his own, I guess. The exception was petite Lynette, the “gal from down under”, for whom the Bike Friday seemed a perfect fit. As a Bike Friday “Evangelist”, she seems to travel the world making movies and promoting sales.
Nice gig.
As for Pac Tour, this new trip may have strained them at times. However, their on-road water/food stops worked like clockwork as usual. I think the flaw in the trip might have been accepting many more riders than originally planned. Plus, I am not sure they really expected some people would have a 10 mph moving average. I am quite confident this was a learning experience and they will fix any bugs.
All in all, this was a fun tour. Althea did her longest ride ever.....55 miles! As usual, we met many new friends who we hope to see down the road sometime. We even adopted a few into our Boston travel group.
Many thanks to all the Pac Tour personnel for their tireless support and hard work! |
