Willcox - Safford, AZ - The cat named Chevy won't stop this tour, and neither can COVID

June 3, 2020

Willcox - Safford, AZ

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616 feet elevation gain

3 AM seems to be my wake up time. I tossed and turned and got out of bed before 4 AM. Jacinto mentioned last night that he hopes we can sleep in once we get to the mountains. Even though he doesn't get out of bed, he hears me rattling around and is awake . . . I was out the door by 5:15 this morning. A woman crossing the parking lot stopped and said she was also a bicycle tourist. We chatted a little. She assured me that the wind around here does not blow from the south, we were mistaken about that. She had previously toured Wyoming and said the wind there comes from all directions. I certainly agree!

It was 66 degrees and the sun was rising right in my eyes as I rode down business highway 10. The shoulder was wide, but not in good condition. I rode close to the white line where the road was somewhat cleaner.

Every morning this trip I have seen all sorts of vehicles on the road at this early hour. I am speculating that it gets so hot here that people go to work early? There were few enough vehicles that I waved at everyone. One white bearded man in a semi was most enthusiastic about his returning wave. That put a smile on my face for a few miles.

Today there was a choice of 69 miles on a back road to Ft Grant. Or 48 miles that included some interstate riding. While sitting on the sofa at home, I planned to ride the quiet, backroad. When faced with triple digit heat and upcoming Mongollon Rim, I decided to conserve my energy. Interstate it is! Happily, this piece of interstate was much cleaner. I was able to look around instead of concentrating on weaving through alligators (Tom's name for retread tire wires).

There were a few slight rises and dips. I think I've spent too many days out on the plains. I'm getting used to flat riding. Now if I have to shift gears more than a couple of times, I think I've hit a real hill!

I had read a CG journal that stated the road between Willcox and Safford had fast traffic and no shoulders. This morning ridewithgps warned me of potential bad road conditions. I've never had Bertha (my name for ridewithgps) tell me to be cautious before. The further I got down the road, the happier I was about the wide shoulder. I expected it to disappear when I got on 191 North, but the road was exceptional. It continued to be a divided highway with ten foot shoulders. A bonus was smooth pavement. I couldn't believe this! A car passed every few minutes, but it's a four lane highway. Maybe Jacinto is correct and COVID has really reduced traffic. The reader board on I-10 was announcing curfew between 8 PM and 5 AM. That's no problem for tired cyclists!

I enjoyed the farmland yesterday. This side of I-10 was all desert. There was some green stuff all of the time, but not a lot. I saw exactly one barrel cactus. I should have photoed it. I saw a very few tuna cactus (that's what Jacinto calls them because they eat the fruit in Mexico and the fruit is called tuna). I didn't photo those either. I think I might be out of cactus country. I haven't seen a saguaro since Tucson. That is disappointing.

This country is very flat, with no washes or draws. For the entire day I passed four guard rails. I counted them! I like guard rails because i can lean my bike against them and hide behind them for a potty break. At least, I think I'm hiding. It's probably like the ostrich sticking it's head in the hole . . . if I can't see you, you can't see me. That shows how exciting my day was, that I counted guard rails!

At mile 30 I saw the turn for highway 266 to Fort Grant. That's where we could have ridden.

In the distance I could see a developed area. It's too soon to be Safford. The map shows a series of towns. Riding through, I'm not sure i would even say towns, as there was little to no commercial development, but there were homes lining the highway for the last 5-7 miles before Safford proper.

I made a right turn and saw a Jilberto's taco shop. That sounds great! My Spiz meal replacement drink was starting to run out. I could waste some time before arriving at the motel. It was take out only. None of the workers had masks and there wasn't a partition at the register. I took my fish tacos (excellent!) outside and sat under a tree in the gravel to eat. The things I do when touring that I would never do at home.

I was happy to be to town. It was already 88 degrees here at 9 AM! Jacinto hadn't left town yet. It's supposed to be 107 here today. This heat could dry you up into a mummy in no time.

Last night I had changed our reservation from the Best Western to the Quality Inn because the Quality Inn was on route. Originally we had planned a day off here and the Best Western was close to the movie theatre. However, we no longer have a day off here and movie theatres are closed. A side note is that the BW was going to let me check in early, but QI ended up charged me $35. extra because I checked in at 9 AM. I debated about going ahead and going to the BW, but I was too lazy.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon going over the route and making phone calls to change lodging so we won't hit Navajo Nation during the weekend lockdown. I had called the police department in both Chinle and Kayenta. Both said that we could bicycle, if we were stopped by an officer, just let them know we are riding back home to Colorado. However, everything is closed - no food. The motels said we could stay there because we have reservations. But we would have to carry food. Plus, even though both officers I spoke to said we could travel, the fine is up to $1,000. and up to 30 days in jail. The worst would be getting 30 miles into the day and being turned around and sent back! The fine for violating the state wide evening curfew is $2,500. Jacinto accidentally did that in Bisbee, walking to the convenience store. But he didn't see anyone along the way . . .

My report today isn't too exciting. It wasn't near as fun of a ride as yesterday, as far as things to see. The riding itself was fast and easy. Tomorrow we get to try our legs again with 2,900 feet of climbing. I don't think I'll be able to get to town before it gets hot. Wish me luck. Today I wore shorts and didn't burn my legs, but they are lily white!

Evening edit - Jacinto had another flat on the front today. He found a wire, but didn't check the inside of the tire to see if it had gone all the way through. Just now he patched the tube. The hole is again very near the valve stem, but this time on the outside of the tube. This is a new tire (the one that was supposed to be our spare) - so the source shouldn't be tire related from before. I was suspecting the rim tape, but now the flat is on the outside . . . . we shall see what happens next. In the meanwhile I had felt my rear tire was a bit soft the past few days. Jacinto pumped it up for me right now. The air pressure was only 35 psi! I hope I don't have a slow leak.

We went to dinner to the steak house across the street. The food was good, but I wasn't happy when the bill came. Jacinto asked for an extra cup of ranch dressing. It was $1.49. The menu had said one side with dinner, but when the bill came, we were charged for our sides. I asked about all of those things, but the charges stood. Not happy. My Jilberto's fish tacos were much better in price and in taste.

Here's the big news - Navajo Nation lifted their weekend curfew five hours ago. We just changed all of our reservations yesterday afternoon to avoid traveling that area on the weekend. We ended up adding four rest days to arrive in Chinle on a Monday. I'm darned if I'm changing the reservations again . . . we will be well rested between climbs!

Speaking of climbing, we have an almost 3,000 foot climb tomorrow in 44 miles. Then the big climb up the Mogollon Rim. Jacinto says depending on how he feels after the climb tomorrow, he might send home his front panniers. I have had a higher average speed than him the past several days. That is a blow to his ego. The man who wanted to carry extra things to fill his panniers is now having second thoughts!

It's 105 degrees here today. I don't think I could ride a mile in this heat. That's my concern tomorrow. Not the climbing, I know I can climb. But can I get it done before it gets hot. The forecast says 75 degrees at 6 AM, 100 degrees by 11 AM. I will be out at first light again!

What good manners! Seen at the motel in the early AM.

Look at this huge shoulder on Highway 191. You would think it was an interstate. Not a car in sight.

I'm sweating already. Typical scenery in the background.

I did not see any COVID billboards on the drive through Colorado or Utah. But there have been several in Arizona.

I have almost 50 miles in and it's not even 9 AM. That almost feels like riding at home, except I don't have to do any housework after my shower!

Fried fish tacos from Jilberto's. They were SO good. Too bad I had to eat them sitting in the parking lot in the gravel. At least I was under a tree.

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 300 miles (483 km)

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