January 7, 2021
Another Benson Ride and Heading Home
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 3 | Link |
3 years ago
3 years ago
I woke up long before dawn this morning and just lay in bed reading since I didn't want to bother Don if I got up. In the Ascape's tiny space, there isn't a separate bedroom and kitchen. It's just one continuous area to share which we have been trying to adjust to.
There was another pretty sunrise which is sure a bonus to staying in this park!
After eating and watching a few dance videos, we drove back to Benson where we continued north to Pomerene. We were happy to be able to park on the street in front of the school. That allowed us to bypass a nasty, narrow underpass that went under the railroad tracks into Benson. There was a blind corner here where drivers wouldn't see us slowly climbing up the hill.
It was 10:30 when we started to ride - a bit chilly since we had a little downhill at the start.
Pomerene was a small town with a mix of nice homes to dumps. We also went by several large hay farms. Obviously there is access to water here on the east side of the San Pedro River. It's probably underground since we couldn't see any surface water.
For a bit the road surface was rough with a crappy shoulder but conditions improved the further we went, although we lost the shoulder. Traffic was light in town, then nearly non-existent.
We were a bit closer to the mountains and about 4 miles north of Pomerene, we began a climb. It was only maybe 100-150 ft of elevation gain, but did take us into our granny, and had us huffing and puffing! Don says he wants to do some adjustment to our gearing when we get home so we have a lower gear or 2 in our middle chain ring.
At the top of the mesa, we had great views of the desert which had quite a few ocotillo, forests of cholla and some barrel cactus. It's interesting how only a slight change in elevation can change the vegetation here.
We dropped downhill for a ways, then turned around as we didn't have time for a longer ride. This road is also called Cascabel Rd since it goes to the town of Cascabel.
The climb up the mesa was easier going this direction! Soon we were back in Pomerene and by 1:00 were back in camp. I was glad that we had chosen this route for our last ride in Arizona - with its scenic views, light traffic and interesting ranch gates it was definately worth doing again.
We've decided to head home later today, rather than tomorrow morning as planned. It will mean driving all night since we intend to do the drive all in one day. But we need to beat a snowstorm that's heading soon into Colorado and New Mexico.
The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind. First we had to drain out water tanks and then put antifreeze into our water system. This is necessary because it winterizes the trailer against potential freezing in Denver. We only have outdoor storage at an RV storage lot.
Don had done this back in October so he had the drill down pat. He had completed this chore in less than an hour. It helped that he was able to use the campground's dump station to drain the water from the tanks.
Next we had to repack the trailer and van for the trip. That means no loose stuff on the counters in the trailer with all drawers locked.
We also wrap bubble wrap around the microwave plate, and any pots, plates and cups etc. that would rattle around in any storage spots. We've had stuff fall out of some cupboards on other trips! Then we had to clean up our site and make sure that everything was picked up.
While we haven't had the variety of birds visit our feeders here, they were just beginning to find them. So I felt bad in moving on. Sorry guys, look for us next time!
Luckily it was a sunny warm day and by 4:00 we were ready to hit the road. It will be all interstate driving and we'll be switching out drivers. We also are carrying some turkey wraps I made for dinner along with plenty of snacks, water and coke to drink.
Other than stopping to get gas or at a rest area to the use the bathroom, we don't plan to stop. I dislike driving at night since you can't look at the views to distract you. All you see are the lights from vehicles. Oh well, it is what it is.
We did enjoy the trip and learned a lot about RV'ing in Arizona at this time of year. But we were both kind of glad to be heading home to a state that has a lower Covid positivity rate and has moved from a level red to orange!
We'll be back again soon!
Today's ride: 16 miles (26 km)
Total: 440 miles (708 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |