South Bisbee - Elfrida, AZ - The cat named Chevy won't stop this tour, and neither can COVID

June 1, 2020

South Bisbee - Elfrida, AZ

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735 feet elevation gain

Jacinto and I both slept poorly. The bed was a double and had far too thick of covers for Arizona. It didn't take me long to overheat and wrestle the fluffy comforter to the floor. There was a window cooler, but I don't think it cooled at all. I was up and down all night long using the bathroom, and finally getting some Zquill. Jacinto had suggested that I didn't need any since I was exhausted from the big day. I thought he was correct. No.

I had set my alarm for 4:40 AM, the better to get out the door and beat the heat. I woke up at 4 and gave up. Tom was already up and about.

Last night we had a phone call from the Elfrida Motel. They only have seven rooms and there had been a booking error. They only had one room for us, but Dan offered that someone could stay with him at his house. Tom wasn't interested in that. We offered that he could bunk with us, since there were two beds. Instead, Tom decided to end the trip a day early and have his wife pick him up. I was sad to lose my riding partner. Very sad. It is nice to have someone to chat with during the day.

Jacinto and I would ride to the border at Naco, to take an official border photo. Tom would skip that 18 miles and head north.

I enjoyed having the time in the morning to chat with Tom. We rode about a half mile together before we turned our separate ways on Arizona St. I'm forever navigationally challenged. Tom and I spent a couple of minutes going over the map. Then I turned the wrong way on Arizona St. Bertha was on the job and beeped at me to turn around. Then Tom and I had to look at the map some more to orient ourselves.

There was the convenience store that Jacinto walked to last night for ice. It was unexpectedly closed. I read this morning that the governor has issued an 8 PM curfew for the entire state of Arizona. Perhaps that is why the store was closed? We are disconnected from society right now. Most of our lodging does have TV, but we haven't watched the news yet. There are riots throughout the country in protest of the death of George Floyd.

It was a crisp 68 degrees as I headed slightly downhill to the border. This was the life! It's like riding in Colorado, with fresh air and blue sky. In the back of my mind I knew I would be retracing my steps uphill, but I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the cruise. According to Garmin, I was on a 2% down slope and coasting 20 miles per hour. I hope your day started as pleasurably as mine!

I saw signs for fresh gravel. That is not good on a bicycle. But I was early in the morning and they were just getting organized. Whew! Soon I saw a tall reddish brown wall. That must be 'the' wall. I snapped a couple of photos and considered myself officially starting at the Mexican border. I turned around and headed north. North for another 2,000 plus miles! Let's not think of that, let's think about the easy cruising day today. My legs could use an easy day. Most of all I was happy that I got out early to beat the heat. Jacinto says I just need to acclimate, but I've tried and never done hot sun well. Tom's opinion is that you have to be good at sweating to be able to stand the heat. I feel as if I sweat plenty, but I still melt into a little puddle.

It was indeed a slight uphill grade back to town. But for a Colorado girl on a brisk morning, it was nothing. I was soon back on Arizona Street with just a little jog of the road, all of the sudden I was on a perfect downhill. The grade was perhaps 3%, I coasted or pedaled lightly for ten miles. Fabulous! Then I joined up with Highway 80. Wow. All the sudden this is far, far too busy. I was enjoying the backroads. Wait. Turn left on Central Highway. I can do that. It would be interesting to know how roads are named. This 'highway' would be a country road back home. Lovely. I pedaled down the road thinking how ordinary life feels. COVID and riots over unjust deaths seem far, far away and unrelated to my current life. Then I had a jog back into reality at a house out in the middle of nowhere that had a small building labeled jail with a noose hanging out front. I'm sure it's been there for years, but the display didn't seem sensitive to the times.

I passed a canning factory. What in the world could they be canning out here? I see no crops at all. I asked Dan when I arrived at the motel. He said it's a green chili canning factory. There used to be chili fields all around until border control shut down the migrants that came to work in the fields. Now the chilis are grown in Mexico and transported here to be processed. Dan said there are a number of pecan groves in the area. I should see them tomorrow.

I arrived at the motel at 9:22. I think that's a new record. It was 84 degrees. Dan was installing a new AC unit in my room. I was happy to sit in the shade in a chair while he finished up. I sat there long enough that I had to move the chair a time or two. I have excellent internet connection here, so I was happy to post photos and catch up with happenings. Last night I only had a connection on the porch, and then it was just the left side of the porch. Not the right side. Crazy.

Dan chatted for a minute about bicycling and where I was from, etc. I'm not sure if Tina is his wife or an employee, but she was very nice giving me ice. They both went way out of there way to make me comfortable. Dan said he and his wife are going to a lady's house for lunch and she's the one that's making the tamales we will be having for dinner. I suggested I could pay for an extra meal and have lunch also. That slowed him down a little, but he said they were having lunch at 1, and since we'd asked for dinner at 5, that would be too close together. He doesn't know bicycle riders. We can always eat.

I asked Dan when he wanted me to pay. Whenever I wanted. Now is good. When I pulled out my credit card, he said we had to go next door to the hardware store to process it. I thought fast enough to say I had cash to pay for dinner.

Finally I could get into my room. Tina gave me the key. But I couldn't find the room. #9. I could see 1,2,3. But that's all. I had to go back and ask. #9 is upstairs. Tall, skinny, rickety stairs. Oh, boy. Tina said that of course I would want my bike with me and Anthony could carry it up. He was quite a character. I wanted to ask to take a photo, but I didn't dare. He's a young fellow. Maybe 20. Dressed very cowboy style with a big Bowie knife on his belt. Tattoos. He got the bike upstairs and then had to stand it on end to go around the corner. How am I going to duplicate that tomorrow? We were in a living room area, which I though was ours, but it's a common area. We are in the last room down the skinny hallway. Anthony wheeled the bike down. I don't see how it could get in the room other than to stand it on end again. I asked if it could just park in the hallway. There were two rooms next to ours. Anthony took out his trusty Bowie knife and tried jimmying the lock on one of the doors. I'm not quite sure why, but I wasn't going to question a guy with a big knife in his hand. In the end he told me I could leave my bike in the hallway, blocking the doors. Pretty soon Anthony came back and said I could put my bike in #7, which was storage. Yes, it sure was. My bike wouldn't really fit in there. But we made it work.

Tina had originally given me a couple of cups of ice from her kitchen. Dan told me what store to buy ice, but it wasn't the Dollar Store. I asked Tina where was it I needed to buy ice. She said she'd bring me some. I waited in the living room area quite awhile before giving up and going back to the room. After a bit, here she came with an insulated soft side cooler with an entire bag of ice. She must have gone to the store. I think I owe her a big tip.

Jacinto made it in. He took Highway 92 down to the border and hit road construction. His biggest news is that he dropped his phone in the gravel at the airbnb. It made one ding from a piece of gravel, but that's enough that the top 1/4 of the screen doesn't respond to touch. Phones are ubiquitous now. There's nothing better than a phone that works, and nothing worse than one that doesn't. Remember when I drown my phone in the rain in Montana? That was not good!

Jacinto bought us a 12 piece chicken last night. We didn't eat much. He's carried the rest of it here. I"m hungry enough it's looking pretty good! I have requested BBQ sauce or something to dip it in as it's very dry. Jacinto is gone to the Dollar Store. He firmly announced that he would not be carrying anything he bought, I had to use it, carry it myself, or leave it. He further announced that his bike was too heavy and he would most likely be going back to two panniers for the second part of the trip. Last night he rode to Safeway with empty panniers and raved over how light the bike was riding to get groceries. I just carried all four panniers up the stairs for him. They ARE heavy.

Here it is 12:30 PM. We are both in town . . . it might be a long afternoon. There's not much to see in Elfrida. Tomorrow is 59 miles with only 400 feet of climbing. Is it even possible to be that flat?

Sometimes it feels reckless to be out cycling right now, with COVID and the civil unrest. But, if I don't listen to the news, life looks so normal out on the road. I haven't been anywhere but the motel today. Dan shook my hand when I arrived. I did think twice about that, but old customs are hard to break. I haven't seen anyone here wearing a mask, although I did see a man in Bisbee at 6 AM who was wearing a mask. There was not a soul in sight, other than me passing by . . . but he had a mask on.

Evening update - Elfrida is one of those no stoplight towns that I love. It has one motel and one restaurant. The tricky problem is that the restaurant is temporarily closed. When Dan from the motel called to tell me about having only one room, I asked about food. I reminded Dan that we are on bicycles. He paused for a moment and then said the Dollar Store has food. Then he added that they could fix us dinner. Sure! I'm in for that. What's for dinner? Tamales with beans and rice for $10. Excellent.

After chatting this morning, Dan suggested that we come and eat at their house. I thought he was making a polite suggestion, but he showed up at 5 PM to take us to dinner. We had a memorable evening with Dan and Irene. Dan still lives on part of the 80 acres his parents owned. The house he grew up in with 10 brothers and sisters is right next door. I called it short at 7 PM as I've been getting up earlier and earlier each day to beat the heat. Tomorrow's ride is flat as a pancake, but 60 miles. We are waiting for that southern tailwind to show up. So far we haven't been lucky. I'm planning to be out early again. Very early. I have already put Jacinto on notice that he will have to help me get my bike down the stairs. He's not excited about getting out of bed at 5 AM for such a chore.

Even later in the evening - Since internet is so good here, I made the map in advance for tomorrow. Wait. The distance is off by 14 miles! That is huge. I look at ridewithgps. It says 59. I get Jacinto to map it on his program. 45 miles. What the heck. I look at mine again. Somehow I started the route in Sunizona, backtracked to Elfrida, and went back again. I've got to pay more attention, since I'm the cartographer! This was a happy mistake.

Tom departing our rental at 5:15 AM. The sun wasn’t quite up yet.

We’ve seen lots of cool old cars going down the road this trip. Most of themAren’t fixed up, but are rusty like this one. They are driving though!

Our goodbye photo. Tom went one way on Arizona Street and I went the other. It was fun, and far too short, Tom.

This is my border photo. Now we head north!

I’m sure this has been there for years and it’s some crusty old fellows sense of humor. With today’s current climate, the noose feels raw.

We lived on the eastern plains of Colorado for years. Grain silos usuallymean town is near. This is true of Elfrida also.

The plume on this plant was amazing!Bill thinks this is a non native plant, a foxtail agave.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 208 miles (335 km)

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