March 12, 2012
Day 16: To Globe
I left the motel in Oracle at 8:30, heading north. The first two miles are uphill, through town. Then a very long descent to the San Pedro valley, dropping 2000 feet and transitioning from sort of forest to sparse desert. Highway 77 passes through the small towns of Mammoth and Dudleyville. Not much there.
The larger town of Winkelman is at the bottom of the descent. I stopped for an early lunch because there are no services on the remainder of today's route.
After Winkelman the highway follows the Gila river upstream for several miles. I was tempted to camp along the river, even though it was only about noon. After a rest next to the river I decided to do the big mountain climb today.
Winkelman is at 1928 feet elevation. The pass between Winkelman and Globe is 4983 feet elevation. 3000 feet of climbing. The temperature was 70F and the sun was shining. Pretty nice. The grade is sometimes 6-8%.
I saw many flower-covered hillsides and was surprised to still see saguaros on south-facing slopes. I didn't expect to see saguaros in the mountains.
I got to the summit about an hour before sunset. The temperature had been pleasantly warm all day, but most of the descent was in the shade of the mountain to the west. So it was a chilly descent.
I arrived in Globe (3509 feet elevation) just minutes before sunset, and got a $45 room at USA Inn. Globe is a good size town and seems to be thriving. Apparently the copper mines are doing well.
Today was another long hard day, both distance and climbing. Second day in a row. Tomorrow will also be long, but it will be mostly downstream.
Distance: 73.5 mi. (118 km)
Climbing: 3794 ft. (1150 m)
Average Speed: 10.5 mph (16.8 km/h)
Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 916 miles (1,474 km)
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