Chandler canals

February 12, 2025

Paula and Bill MacMann, friends from St. Louis, have fled the snow at home to ride bikes in Phoenix for a few weeks. We’re driving up to meet them today for a ride on Chandler's extensive network of bike trails.

Paula is the original owner of the “Going to the Sun Road” jersey that I wore to ride up the road in Glacier National Park on our Northwest Trails tour two years ago. She encouraged me to pass it on, and last year Kelly’s friend Genny documented the jersey’s third ride up Going to the Sun in her journal "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jersey." It’s still up for another trip if you’re going there and wear a Women’s medium.

Genny and the jersey on its third trip up Going to the Sun road

We meet at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler for a canal ride up to Gilbert. Much of this bike path system has hard-packed dirt that is fine to ride. Sometimes you have a choice between dirt on one side and pavement on the other.

There aren't many underpasses or bridges on the path so we do have to wait at a lot of road crossings for the signals to change. It's all pretty easy and flat. I don't mind a nice chill ride for a change, even if its chillier than usual, in the 50s.

Startling to see big swaths of green grass here in the desert

Ticking off the miles on long fast stretches of trail

On the Heritage Trail Paula spies a pile of fruit and pulls up to investigate. Good eye! Bags of unwanted grapefruits and lemons are sitting out by the path for the taking. Why yes, thank you, we love grapefruit.

Paula stashes half a dozen grapefruits in her capacious rack bag

We're staying in a Airbnb casita behind a home in the historic Coronado district of Phoenix. Much of this neighborhood was built in the 1920s. During the Depression many homeowners converted backyard garages into living quarters and rented out the main house. This little studio looks like one of those conversions.

Compared to the little trailer the casita feels palatial, with a good amount of elbow room, a full-length bed (ours is 6 inches short of a Queen length), even space to roll out my yoga mat.

The experience validates a decision we've come to lately. This trip to Tucson is the last one for our tiny home on wheels. The shopping has begun for a something larger that we can move around in without taking turns or bumping into one another. A comfortable chair would be nice too.

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Bill ShaneyfeltWhen I lived in the area (Jan '67-Dec 70), that region was all desert or orange groves or cotton fields or alfalfa.
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4 days ago

Janice BranhamTo Bill ShaneyfeltWe saw a lot of alfalfa by the highway, and I thought I saw cotton blowing around too.
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3 days ago

Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 511 miles (822 km)

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