Fantasy ride planning

February 5, 2023

"Where shall we go today?" I ask Barry this morning. After three days on one bike or another the legs are feeling good and I have all sorts of ideas. Maybe a trail ride, or a hike on Brown Mountain?

"How about we stay here?" he suggests. As the operations manager for all of our wheels he has a bunch of maintenance items on his mind, starting with a brake adjustment on my recumbent. Okay sure, I have other things to do too. While he attends to the bikes, I start searching in earnest for my fantasy two-day overnight ride.

Feeling pretty lucky to have such a cheerful resident mechanic.

One objective while we're here is to train for a ride in June from Glacier National Park to Portland. We've brought along the panniers and camping gear for a full-on overnight shakedown ride. It'll be a chance to air out the tent, take a break from cushy RV life for a couple days and see something new. I'm fascinated with the possibilities in Santa Cruz County south of Tucson...Tubac, Tumacacori, and Rio Rico look interesting and we could ride out to Patagonia Lake to camp.

Yesterday at lunch I asked Kelly Iniguez about the rides she's done in this area and she mentioned it could get pretty cold at night. When I hatched this idea back at home I didn't research the weather, just thought it'll be springtime in the desert - lovely, right? Well sure, except at night when it's gets down well into the 30s. I have higher standards for camping. A quick check of some other cool destinations in the region – Chiricahua National Monument, the Gila Cliff Dwellings – reveals the same issue. They're at elevation and it's cold at night into April at least.

You can't have everything. We can still do some great day rides in Santa Cruz County. Here's my latest idea. Could be one or two days, could be extended to add miles. Any advice on the route or must-sees is welcome.

Between Rio Rico and Patagonia Lake it appears there are decent, mostly paved alternatives to the highway. Anybody ride that stretch?

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Scott AndersonI think so. Back in 2016 we biked from Tubac to Sonoita on our way to Silver City: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/tucson16/to-sonoita/. We passed through Rio Rico, Tumacacori and Patagonia, so I imagine it’s basically the same route. We didn’t keep a map for it though. I’d like to ride it again myself.
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1 year ago

Kelly IniguezShow this map to Hank and ask if this is where he went accidentally. He might not have a happy face. I was in front, didn't get stopped by the train, he did, then he went left when he should have gone right. It's quite a story!

The road to Arrive is a nice ride, as is 286 up to Three Points. Between there and town, it gets busy.

Madera Canyon is good climbing practice.

The paved backroads around Sonoita/Elgin are very nice, some rolling climbs. 82 is busy, doable, but no fun. In Sonoita, the Copper Brothel Brewery is a good place to eat. The Xanadu Ranch is where we stayed with Hank.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Scott AndersonScott, this is just what I was looking for. I wondered about traffic on 82 but it looks like a fine road. Good to hear you'd go back there.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamKelly, I just found your journal from your ride here with Hank- https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/tucsonarea/, look forward to reading all about it. Will see what he has to say about the route.

We loved riding the Sonoita & Elgin area last year, had a great stop in the Autumn Sage vineyards - food trucks, live music, NCAA basketball with Barry's beloved North Carolina Tarheels.

Thanks for all the tips.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Janice BranhamMore information: I forgot about the ride down from Sonoita to Patagonia two years ago. The best part was the ride east from Patagonia up Harshaw Road, another ride I’d love to repeat some winter. https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/winterlude2020/in-sonoita-the-ride-to-patagonia/
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamThat looks like a beautiful side trip to add to the route, many thanks
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamHey Kelly, you were right - that turn I was going to make off of Pendleton near Calabasas Park was exactly the turn Hank made that put him on a gravel road on your Thanksgiving tour. He followed it for miles until it turned into a sandy Jeep track and he had to turn around. I would have done the same were it not for your story, although Barry wouldn't have followed me very far. I loved your blog about that day btw - https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/tucsonarea/amado-patagonia-az/
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1 year ago

By now Barry has finished up his bike maintenance list and moved on to investigate the water slowly dripping under the trailer. While he's occupied outside I get the camper cleaned up and gather the laundry. Might as well get all the chores done. As soon as I finish up inside he's back, having traced the leak to the water pipe that goes into the pump under the sink.

As RVs go, ours is a tiny house. There was a rare and fleeting moment of perfect order and cleanliness before the plumbing repair project moved inside.

Turns out the leak under the sink is just a bad connection. It has nothing to do with the freeze last week so there really wasn't any damage from the weather. Barry dispatches the problem with some Teflon pipe wrap and tightens up the hoses. He's on a roll now and moves on to repair a malfunctioning light switch. He has a lot more to show for his day so far than me.

I'm looking at the camping stuff we didn't need to bring along that's taking up space in the car. It will still be good to do some loaded training rides. For today, the panniers work pretty well for the one-mile round trip to the laundry room. At least I got that done.

Today's ride: 1 mile (2 km)
Total: 130 miles (209 km)

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Rachael AndersonYou hit the jackpot with Barry! It sounds like he can fix anything!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Rachael AndersonI think I’m a little resentful over the enthusiasm Rachael’s showing here. Hey Rocky, at least I can change a flat tire!
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1 year ago