Patagonia: The Spirit World

February 5, 2025

Two years ago we had our first experience in Patagonia on our tour around Santa Cruz County. We rode up Harshaw Road past where the paved road turns to gravel. The wild and rugged scene took up space in my head and convinced me that we had to come back with our gravel bikes to see more of this country.

Two years ago, riding past giant Sycamores through gravel on our skinny road tires

Since then I've read about The Spirit World, a gravel race in October that starts up Harshaw and continues into the San Rafael Valley to the Mexican border. The event filled up soon after registration opened in January this year.

I have no FOMO about the race, I just want to see more of this region. The race organizers have published courses of 30, 60, 80 and 100 miles on RidewithGPS. Thirty miles of gravel sounds like plenty of fun so we're driving down from Tucson for the day to ride the short course.

We park by the Patagonia Lumber Company, built in 1915. Heidi and Zander Ault, organizers of The Spirit World race, have converted it to an outdoor coffee/ wine/ beer and food truck venue with a bike shop next door.

Patagonia Lumber Co looks like a good spot for a brew when we get back.

A warning sign at the bike shop describes a U.S. Department of Defense mining operation on the route. The project is accelerating the production of manganese, which is used for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries. I wonder if the new administration will be coming for this project too.

The sign says we should expect big mining trucks on the road and several water crossings that are normally dry. We'll take our chances.

Several big trucks rumble along with us on the first few miles of the route, messing up the bucolic vibe of the place. Fortunately there's plenty of room on the road.

Most of the climbing comes in the first 12 miles on Harshaw Road. Eight of those miles are paved, with two creek crossings. The first one is easy, the next is deep, mushy and slippery. Hank's mountain biking advice works here too - just keep pedaling.

At mile 10 we get past the mine, the trucks are long gone and all is quiet.

This is a popular place. Several cyclists pass us on the road.

This one is deeper and sloppier. We wait while the waves from the pickup trucks subside, then wobble across without losing it.

Harshaw townsite, where we turned back two years ago

At Mile 10 we pass the mine. That’s the last we'll see of mining trucks. All we hear is the gravel crunching under our tires. The road isn't too chunky and the scene is gorgeous. At the top we take a break in a shady spot and pull out our sandwiches.

One tantalizing bend in the road after another

The descent is fairly easy at first until we reach San Rafael Valley Road, where the surface turns to rough washboard. The bumps are hard to read in the shade and the bouncing wears me out. I stand on the pedals to get better control and keep my knees bent to absorb some of the shock. How do people race on this?

We are in what the locals call the Borderlands, where the Sonoran desert and the Chihuahuan grasslands meet. Native Americans, Spanish Colonials, Mexicans and Anglos all traveled through this landscape. I suppose that might be what they mean by the "Spirits." We stop now and then to take a break from the bumps and contemplate the sprawling grasslands.

Looking east towards the Huachuca Mountains

My hands ache from squeezing the brakes down the hill.

One more creek crossing. We ride across eight of them - four going up, four down.

Sometime during this stretch Barry notices that one of his hearing aids is missing. The bumps must have shaken it out. Not knowing how long it's been gone he despairs of being able to find it in the dirt. Then I spy it on his neck, hanging on the back of his sunglasses strap. That was lucky! He puts both hearing aids in a zipper pocket for the rest of the ride. Ah, the perils we seniors face on our bicycles.

When we turn onto Harshaw Creek Road the road is smoother, and the ride down the gentle grade is pleasant. We're in ranch lands. There are lots of cattle guards, and a few cows that we can see.

Interesting white grasses mixed in with the yellow

Take out the road and this would be a great location for a western

Near the end these three guys rode past us. One of them said "Hi Barry." No idea who that was.

Back on the pavement with a view of Mount Wrightson

We circle back to the Patagonia Lumber Company to celebrate with a local brew. Even with the rough spots, this is a wonderful ride. There's a lot more territory to explore here. I'd like to come back sometime and get deeper into this world.

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Today's ride: 29 miles (47 km)
Total: 308 miles (496 km)

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