Day 21 - The Good, Bad, and Ugly - PedalPushin 2024

February 27, 2024

Day 21 - The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Green = Excellent, safe ||| Orange = Limited shoulder, impatient drivers ||| Red = No shoulder or sand, impatient drivers, dangerous cycling conditions

Today we will start with the map of our ride labeled for the different conditions we experienced. Green is the cycling we’ve become quite used to in the Tucson area and on the various trails we’ve ridden this trip. Orange is what happens when you verve off the trail system to take other roads that might appear nice on the maps, but the reality is often a bit different. Orange is usually the result of either bad road conditions or the human factor of impatient people in cars who see cyclists as something that might cause them to fall 3-5 seconds behind their frantic drive from spot to spot.

The final, red, is usually the result of a bad decision on the part of the cyclist or simply wrong place, wrong time … this is a real danger spot.

For those reading this, today’s ride was simply not for an inexperienced cyclist. We’ve cycled all 50 states and ten of thousands of miles for the last 3 decades and I didn’t really enjoy the parts coded in red.

This is a cyclist’s dream off the trails and paths, new pavement, wide lanes and an 8-10 foot shoulder.

This is a cyclist’s nightmare and for us the result of following a previous posted track and finding ourselves in deep sand. We probably should have simply turned around, checked the maps and choose a different path. Not dangerous, just stupid.

Section of orange until the drivers showed up driving at high speeds and aggressively passing

This road MINUS the impatient drivers is a cyclist’s dream but today became a definite section of red due to the people in the cars in too much of a hurry. The scenery though was outstanding and sometimes you have to find the beauty beneath the circumstances. Don’t let this picture fool you. One truck came within a few feet of sideswiping me into the ditch while also expressing his stupidity with his horn. I might have had a few thoughts about his demise.

The view … Saguaro National Forest … in between the ugly drivers

So, we obviously lived through the experience today and I now know some areas of Tucson that won’t see me again. One of the goals of this trip was to find out these things first hand. While the loop and trails are wonderful, one has to also experience the various bike lanes and other areas to get the full experience.

Tomorrow … designated bike trails and NO traffic areas.

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Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 1,759 miles (2,831 km)

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Scott AndersonIt looks like the bike path Twin Peaks must be open again? Its been closed in stretches for the past year but it looked like they were finally about done when we left.
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8 months ago

marilyn swettWe've camped several many times at Catalina SP and rode the Oro Valley trails. One route we often did was to go north on Innovation Parkway past the hospital and going north of Tangerine Rd. When we got to Rancho Vistoso Rd, we would go right to Highway 77 where there is a light (you miss the BIG climb from the state park). There is still a climb, but it's more moderate and by going through the Sun City area, there is a bike lane and less traffic.

Continue north on Highway 77 (it has a wide shoulder) past the next community. The road levels out here. You can turn east into the neighborhoods and have a nice tour around those properties - rolling hills - before returning to the Highway and zooming downhill back to wherever you started which could be at the shopping center across from the state park or further south at the Steam Pump park.

You can also ride into the state park and up to the east end where the road ends.
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8 months ago

Larry MitchellTo Scott AndersonThe bike path is good all the way now … and very nicely done.
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8 months ago

Larry MitchellTo marilyn swettOne could spend quite a bit of time mapping the Oro Valley out. We’ve succeeded in getting bits and pieces now. Might just have to come back next year to continue the quest.
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8 months ago

Larry MitchellTo Scott AndersonDepends on who you ask … we’ve been through it 3 times now but today got stopped by a Civil Engineer working the project asking us if had seen the trail closure barriers. Said we went around them like everybody else which got us a much longer chat as other cyclists rode by. Officially the line is liability, unofficially the pavement is in, the lines are painted, and the only other work is landscaping. There were no construction vehicles or workers anywhere to be seen.
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8 months ago