In Globe: the Superior ride

January 18, 2020

We’re happy to be leaving Tempe behind this morning as we drive east out of town on Route 60, the Superstition Freeway, with the Superstition Mountains slowly growing larger in front of us. As we drive, we marvel at the scale of this freeway - six lanes wide, in each direction - and the immense swath of land it covers. A gigantic ribbon monument to our society’s insane car culture.

Fifteen miles later we’re still looking forward to leaving the city, but we’re not there yet. We won’t really leave the city behind until we’re nearly 30 miles into the drive. Finally though we’re out in the country again on a reasonably small four lane highway, with a reasonable shoulder. This until recently was the the route the Southern Tier followed between here and Globe, so I’m thinking about how it would be as a cycling route. Busier than we’d like, but it appears safe enough here at least; and the further east we get, the more inspiring the scenery gets.

By the time we get to Superior, it’s spectacular. We’ve found our spot. We pull off at the rest area at the entrance to town, unpack the bikes, use the facilities, and start biking south toward Kearny, 22 miles to the south down quiet Route 177.

The road is a relief after traumatic Tempe. Minimal traffic, and for much of the way there’s a paved but rough shoulder. Much more our sort of riding conditions. The ride begins with a gradual climb, then a steeper one before summiting out. After that it’s generally easy sailing all the way to Kearny, our planned turn back point. Long stretches of 10% downhill grades, then long flattish stretches.

Yes, the views are worth a look here. We’ll be staring at impressive peaks and ranges all day long.

We’re on the Copper Corridor West Scenic Route! We’ll see where it gets it’s name soon enough.

And, we’ll be staring at a lot of signs like this all day long too. It’s not a flat ride we’re taking today.

Over the pass, the high point of the tour. Up 10%, down 10%. We try not to dwell on the fact that we’ll be biking it in reverse later this afternoon.

Mystery plant for the day. Someone will recognize this, no doubt.

We pass several signs like this, intimidating us just a bit when we consider the return leg. The views are incredible though.

Partway into the ride we see why this is called the Copper Corridor when we come to the start of immense Ray Mine. Originally owned by Kennicot Copper but now by ASARCO, it is one of the largest copper mines in the country. The scale is staggering - we bike past it for miles - and the appearance is both appalling and strangely beautiful at the same time.

Finally we’re past the mine and enjoy a less dramatic but enjoyable ride the rest of the way to the outskirts of Kearny, where we turn back. We’re 21 miles in so we’ll make Rachael’s magic distance, so there’s no need to bike further.

The ride back to the car is the same old scenery, with more uphill but fortunately a decent tailwind to give us a boost when we most appreciate it. Along the way we pass the same set of striking miners at the gate to the Ray Mine that we passed going the other way. There’s a sign in front telling us to honk our support, so I shout out ‘Honk, Honk’ as I bike past. Rachael is biking ahead of me at this point, and later in the car we have a good laugh when she says she did exactly the same thing.

Kearny comes into view. We could drop down the hill to get a closer view, but why bother? We’ve already got our required miles in for the day.

Teapot Mesa rises above Ray Mine. See if you can figure out which of those formations it is.

Here’s another hint. Teapot Mesa is in this frame also.

Rachael just keeps pulling further away - you can barely make her out here. I’m not worried though, because I have the keys.

The drive from Superior to Globe is absolutely stunning, passing through rugged, boulder-strewn country that reminds me of the Chiricahua Mountains. It’s a scary, white knuckle ride though, one that I don’t really enjoy driving. The whole way I keep looking at this narrow, shoulderless, busy road thinking about that until recently it was the route taken by the Southern Tier. No way!! Fortunately, they finally rerouted it recently after too many complaints about how dangerous it is.

We’re in Globe for two nights, staying in the Chrysacolla Inn - a lovely and characterful B&B that began life over a century ago as a flophouse for copper miners. Our host tells us that it originally had 53 tiny rooms, and miners slept in shifts. And that we’re sleeping on the bed frame from a whore house. Photos tomorrow.

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Ride stats today: 43 miles, 4,000’; for the tour: 1,068 miles, 58,300’

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 1,068 miles (1,719 km)

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Suzanne GibsonReally incredible scenery!
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4 years ago