Now that Redington Road has been repaved, it's fun to ride the rollers to the base of the climb. From there, it's 0.4 to the end of the pavement having an average grade of 7.5%. I ended the day with 18 miles, saving myself for a longer ride the next day. The runoff has again reached Tanque Verde Loop Road. The city was doing a fine job cleaning the sand when.... ....it left the pavement and promptly sank. The machine thrashed about wildly to improve its situation but was unable to do so, it stuck, like so many vehicles at this wash. Across the wash, someone had killed some time and erected a teepee. Been a long time but I headed for Painted Cave Road. It takes one over the Tucson Mountains but the road has no berm and very busy so I rarely come this way. I rest at a gas station and contemplate replacing my laced cycling shoes with SIDI or something similar. The laces are a pain and I miss the simplicity of the closure system of other shoes. I recross the mountains at Gates Pass. It's newly paved on both sides of the mountain. I've been climbing for about 12 miles and am glad when I reach the top and a nice down hill thereafter. Finish with 51 miles and. 2600' of climbing. I need to work in more steep climbing cause I'm headed to Ohio for an extended stay. More on that soon.
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With two children and a grandson visiting soon, I wanted to refresh my memory on how to navigate up canyon to the 80' falls. I thought the 8 year old would enjoy this adventure. Lots of people were enjoying the sun and water as I descend off Redington Road. A healthy flow of water greets me. I actually thought to bring water shoes with me so slip them on and stuff my hiking shoes and socks in my pack. Every visit, I'm struck by how huge is the bolder on the left side. I have to cross the water several times to reach this point so glad I brought the alternative shoes. Check out the falls, upper left in image. At this point, I had to cross the water yet again but now, the water was waist deep and flowing strongly. I've never hiking wearing these water shoes and was unsure of the quality of the traction. Plus, my feet bottoms were getting round by the constant presence of pebbles and sand. I look wistfully at the opposite bank but decide, I probably should come back in a few days when the water flow diminishes. Disappointing but fun, nonetheless.
One more systems sweeps out of Southern California and deposits about 1/2" of rain on us as I visit Sabino Canyon for a hike. So grateful that I have hiking as an alternative to cycling on days I deem unfit for riding (although there are plenty of cyclists out during my drive). The clouds are just beginning to break up. I pass the dam on Sabino Canyon Creek as I push up canyon.... ....looking for a place to cross. All those boulders but none placed strategically close together to allow me to hop across. I decide not to remove my shoes and socks so reverse course... ...heading back to the parking lot. Finished with 4 miles. The next day.... ....I drive to a nearby wash to check if water is flowing and sure enough, it is. As I'm standing, chatting with a couple who live on this road..... ....a guy on a gravel bike pushes through but alas, once his tires reached the thicker sand, he had to dismount and walk the rest of the way.
The bike touring companies can be found, most days, in front of La Buzz, getting ready to send their guests up Mount Lemmon. On this day, I drove to Oro Valley and headed to Saddlebrook. Love the mountains! Skiers are still finding enough snow on the north facing slope of Ski Valley, to make their runs.
Some one got a haircut! I frequently include Woodland Road on my routes. Many horse farms and with the winter rains, the grass is green. I paused at this fence and these two came over to investigate. And than.... ....we received more rain along with mountain snow. Driving to Oro Valley, the setting sun created a beautiful view of the western Catalinas as we... ....sat on the patio of Harvest Restaurant for dinner.
A day off the bike but still wanted to do something active so I drove out Redington Road, passed the trail that takes one to Lower Tanque Verde Falls and parked close to another trail bound for the Upper Falls. The signage is pretty serious, including warnings for clothing optional. I descend into the canyon and face the usual very fun bouldering challenges as I go up canyon. There is still a nice flow of water so I may have some difficulty crossing where I need to cross. Whoa! Impressive cairn. And there you have it, a warning about what is ahead. The upper falls and a gorgeous location. There is a 20' climb up a wall on the right side that I managed to ascend and then, with head firmly looking forward.... ....walked through the nudist beach. OK, sure I shot a few, very quick, sideways glances. One woman had a "nice tan" the others, put your clothes back on. lol. The next day, I showed up for a 50 mile group ride of 25 people. As I sat in my SUV, applying sunscreen, I watched a cyclist emerge from a truck driven by her husband, wearing a mask. She kept the mask on as she busied herself preparing. Once ready to join the group for the pre-ride announcements, she removed the mask. Kept it off during the ride, during regroups, during a rest stop at a gas station, etc... Covid broke some people. It's sad to witness.
I arrive at a dirt parking lot and look at today's destination. What was I thinking, signing up for this!?! I have not done a climb even remotely similar since last August and the "Climbing to the Sun Road" in Glacier. Thirty of us departed at 10am well, I left 10 minutes early. I wanted to take a few pics as people passed me. I had taken a short break at mile 6 of the 12 mile climb. My legs felt pretty good, so far. The route is shown above. The scenery is spectacular. At about mile 9, the distinctive Baboquivari Peak comes into view. The average grade of the climb is 5.7% but that is skewed low because the first 3 miles are flatter. The final 6 miles is over 6%. I had to take a second pause at about mile 10 with the observatory now in view. I rounded a shade corner and.... ....yikes! a field of ice. There was a dry tire width in the middle so I kept pedaling but it ended and I had to choice but to keep pedaling while maintaining a straight line. It worked out. Others dismounted and walked the section as I did on the way down. The proof, I made it. I did considerably better than my expected last place. My legs actually still felt relatively good. This was my 5th attempt but I was 30 minutes behind my best time at 1:09. Not good but ok all things considered. This climb should be on every cyclist's bucket list. It's ranked as the 3rd most difficult in AZ. It was kind of cold up here so I did not linger for long. Coyote Peak in the foreground, Mount Lemmon in the background. I coasted down, accompanied by spectacular views. I had to stop a couple of times to warm my hands, lol. At the bottom, the temperature was a very welcome 70 degrees.
Some of the washes, like this one on Wentworth Rd, have taken a beating from the runoff. Obvious evidence on Tanque Verde Loop of vehicles having successfully made it through this wash, despite the barriers warning not to. With serious snow melt set to begin.... ....we drove 21 miles up Mount Lemmon, stopping at Palisades where the snow was about 8' deep. Jack had a blast chasing an orange ball, over and over. We got out on a short ride that included a pause to take a pic of a camel, at least its head. It was a beautiful, dry day except when crossing some runoff on Redington Road. I signed up with 30 other people to do a ride up Kitt Peak to the observatory. I've not done a climb even remotely as difficult, since last August in Glacier NP. I anticipated much suffering and was thusly rewarded. More to come.
Too cold or windy (for me) to ride so back to Sabino Canyon for a hike. So grateful to have this and other nearby parks. It rained overnight. Mount Wrightson's peak, peeks through a layer of clouds, in the distance. And now, the water is flowing over the previously dry bridge. Lacking a hiking pole, I arranged for one of the above hikers to throw theirs over to me so I could use it to balance across the side of the bridge. Part of my route included the Creek Trail, a beautiful setting. Check out the mountain now! I participated in a group ride, observing all the area peaks now have snow, which reaches down to the 3500' level. Briefly of course. Rincon Peak above. More snow as I finish the ride. Thankfully, good weather news.... Winter, here, is officially, finally and definitively over.
While the forecast may say 90% chance of rain, almost always there are dry windows throughout the day so I drove to the end of Speedway, about 5 miles from our home and headed out. Looking to the northwest, from where the weather was coming I saw a partial rainbow partially obscured by a cloud burst. Fantastic! I planned to head up the above ravine. A fun collection of slick rock and obstacles but.... ....oh boy, rain is moving in fast. Late that afternoon, the snow had moved almost to the valley floor. The next morning, wet and snow on the front range of the Catalinas! I was out early and headed to a nearby wash. Healthy flow of water. Blackett's Ridge with snow just visible in the opening, beyond. And the stupid drivers are out. Why would anyone drive into the above?
Another system moved through and dropped several inches of snow on the mountain. The ski resort up there, the farther south one is located in the US, is doing booming business. I joined a group ride with a start temp of 52 degrees...brrrr. We climbed to where the pavement ends on Redington Road and took a break, admiring the great views. Finished with 37 miles, 1400' of climbing and a 17.3 average speed. Our morning view as the sun rises. The next couple of days were cloudy and cool so I headed to Sabino Canyon for ....a loop hike that included part of the Phoneline trail and a close look at a curious road runner. Mount Wrightson also covered with snow. The trail rises steadily above Sabino Canyon Road. At some point, I took a connector trail that.... ....dropped me down to the flowing wash on the right. I was able to cross the lone, unflooded bridge but that would not be the case on my next visit. Finished with 4 miles.
The main parking lot at Sabino Canyon is always packed this time of year, making finding a parking spot a challenge. I exited the parking lot and began a 3 mile hike that included.... ....a bridge that is always the last to be covered with water draining from the surrounding mountains. Dry but barely so it likely will be covered in another day or two. Farther upstream.... ....water is already flowing over this bridge. A beautiful site, the Sabino Dam with a healthy flow of water. I walked above the dam which provided a good view down stream. I had not crossed the aforementioned bridges so didn't have to make another river crossing. Instead, I took this trail and linked with..... ....Sabino Canyon Road and a return to the parking lot.
It seems as if there are more days when it rains, recently. Every time a system comes through the lingering..... ...clouds produce awesome images. At last, the washes are flowing and with the forecast rain and snow melt, they'll continue to do so for quite awhile. I took Jack to a wash that was not yet flowing so he could....., ....chase a ball. He loves this activity. The above wash is now under water and with that, I wonder if I'll catch any cars stuck in it. Why yes I will!
Our group advanced to one of many area wineries to..... ....make our own wine! Well, not smashing grapes but being presented with 4 different red wines, experimenting with mixing, finding a mix that appealed and.... ....then our host collected the 4 wines in sufficient quantity to.... ....and in the correct % of the 4 original wines, pour..... ....into a bottle, cork it and add the foil top. With that..... ....our visit ended and we drove back a way, different from how we arrived. Various state routes brought us to Palm Springs..... ....which also has some mountain snow, on to the I-10 and home. In our absence.... ....what's this??? Must be a lizard but I put a tennis ball down for size reference. The little pests!
Wow. Spectacular views as I rode a 16 mile route with 1100' of climbing. Several mountain ranges having snow capped peaks could be seen as I rode up and down, rarely encountering a flat stretch of road. The timing of our visit was fortuitous as rain was forecast for 9 straight days after we were to leave and it had been raining prior to our arrival. Practically every home had its own private vineyard or orchard. Some homes had vineyards even before the home was finished. Very nice as I neared the return to our place.
We departed our beautiful southern AZ, crossed into CA via I-8 and passed through extensive sand dunes. Of course, made sure to fill our gas tank on the AZ side of the border as we drove 8 hours to Temecula, CA. We had been invited by a friend of Amy's, to celebrate her 40th. We arrived at a beautiful setting, a "chateau", high in the hills.. This was my first visit to Temecula and it was quite a revelation. We shared the house...opps, I mean chateau with 10 others. I must say, I think this was a first for me, rather than staying in a hotel, staying in a large house....opps, chateau and sharing all the space other than our bedroom. How nice, overlooking the pool and the adjoining garden had a.... ....statue of David! Once inside, we roamed into various rooms and discovered not one but two.... ....medieval suit of armor. Like, who doesn't devote their home's space to this, lol? For me, one of the highlights was the arrival of a personal chef to prepare our dinner. The chef's assistant laid out numerous plates as we.... ....sat and enjoyed being served, truly, a fabulous meal. We were in wine country, not that that would have made a difference, so the wine was flowing. I drank way too many glasses of wine. Meantime.... ....Jack was exhausted from the drive. It was an anxiety filled 8 hour drive for my buddy who simply hates car rides.
Approximately 2" of rain fell during the recent multi-day event. Following these, I enjoy getting out early to see the clouds and mountains. The views are always different following each rain event. The pavement was too wet, too much standing water so I headed, once again to.... ....Sabino Canyon for a short.... ....1.5 mile hike. On this day, a rare sight as very few people came out to enjoy the scenery. And then this! OK, it did rain again after my hike and someone took out our northern monument. But, the street sleuths are on it and searching Ring video footage. The truck that did the damage and left behind truck parts has been identified but not with a license plate to tie it to the owner.
OK, so yes it's our short winter and typically, systems emerge from southern CA and sweep across AZ, bringing rain from time to time. But gosh! Two inches in three days is a bit much but still, welcome. Jack and I went to Aqua Client Park for a walk between showers. Jack, ready to get started. Clouds obscure the peaks so can't see snow, yet. Meantime, back in Ohio.... ....a guy with whom I once rode, did a double metric century on his indoor trainer. Amazing for a variety of reasons.
Ya got to give it to this homeowner, lol. First erected for Halloween than costume changed for Thanksgiving, then for Christmas and now this for St. Patty's Day. Probably somewhat motivated by storage space or lack thereof but I am curious what comes next. On Saturday I made the 30 minute drive to Bicycle Ranch, a popular shop in Tucson. The owner sponsors several racers who show up at regional races and typically dominate with averages of 25+mph. Rumor was there would be a "B" group for today's, 50 mile route but alas, no. I rode out with the 20-something cutthroat's. A guy touched the wheel in front of him and went down at mile 2. Amazing in this tight group of 35 cyclists, going well more than 20mph, we all (thankfully including me) were able to divert and avoid. Ahem, I was left gasping at mile 8 and soloed back. I came up with the idea of hosting a "Heat of the Day" ride each Tuesday and that has been well attended, at 1pm with the Cactus Club group. It's kinda depressing, riding with so many retirees who ride 10,000+ miles each year. I get blown out the back of similarly aged cyclists but I'm happy to give back to the group by organizing a weekly ride. Today's was in Oro Valley, highs in the 70's, NICE! Another system comes through out of southern CA and drenches us with 3/4"+ of rain. We had a nice 5+ days of sun and warmth but that ended with this. Fortunately, it did not bring in cold temps so highs stayed in the 50's during the rain. And of course, there were breaks in the rain. Not long enough for a ride but enough for a short, 1.5 mile hike in Sabino Canyon. We're on our way to Temecula, CA in a few days. The weather there, during winter, is a crapshoot but it looks like we'll be good for the duration of our stay.
I drove about 45 minutes to the south, passing the Santa Ritas to join a group of about 18 cyclists on a 51 mile loop that included a stop at.... ....the San Xavier del Bac Mission. Built in 1797, it is a popular destination and my first time visiting it. Quite impressive. Finished with the aforementioned 51 miles, 16.5 average and 2100' of climbing. The next day.... ....I went for a short ride which included checking out what progress has been made on the paving project, east of Wentworth Road, on Reddington Road. Wow, all the pavement has been stripped, graded and rolled so perhaps now the paving begins.
I returned to Tanque Verde Canyon to resume a canyoning experience that would include a stop at the lower falls. Of note, my drive on a very bumpy Tanque Verde/Reddington Pass Road will be repaved in a week so that adds a cycling segment opportunity. The temperature was a around 45 degrees as I begin the hike in the shade with the promise that the sun would soon provide some warmth. It's hard not to be a little excited. There is no trail to follow, just a series of figuring out answers to the question, "Huh, now where do I go?" There was a nice flow of water but not so much that it prevented me from jumping over the stream if I found myself blocked on one side of the water or the other. Occasionally, the rock would give way to a short, flat section of sand prior to the next obstacle presenting itself. Many pools were passed. Confronting this, I had to scramble high on the adjoining hill to bypass and then drop back down, above the above wall. And there, at last, is a mature Palo Verde tree, guarding the entrance to.... ...the falls. The 80' falls is quite impressive, more so when there is a heavier flow of water but always a great sight. I relaxed for a few minutes and then headed back. The return is just as challenging for route finding as coming in. I finished with 2.5 miles and a lot of fun was had.
I've become a temperature weenie, no doubt. I've got clothing that enables me to ride in the 20's and I had to drag some of that clothing out to prepare for today's ride. Start temperature was 45!!! Good group ride of 37 miles, 1500'+ of climbing with a stop at Colossal Cave Park Nice views from the parking lot. The first 21 miles contained most of the climbing so as I stood looking to the north..... ...ahhhh, much of the balance of the ride would be down hill. Old Spanish Trail Road in the distance, part of our return route. Our "cold" days continue with another front approaching. I thought I could get in a short hike at Sabino Canyon and was lucky to do so. A few more inches of snow dropped at higher elevations so.... ...got out the next morning to see the mountain. Ahh, our forecast is improving!
I drive east on Reddington Road with the Rincons growing on the horizon. They received some snow as did the Catalinas and Santa Ritas. My destination this morning.... ....with my buddy Jack, who is anxious to get going is.... Tanque Verde Canyon and the falls. What a fantastic bouldering experience, climbing up canyon to the falls! Of course, reaching the falls was never realistic with a dog on a leash and all the additional complications but Jack loved that which we did visit. This is the entrance to the real fun. So beautiful. We made it a short distance into the canyon and did so one falls. We turned around but I'll be back soon to finish the hike.
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