Day 8 - Tucson - Huachuca City

72 miles








What an awesome day.


Left Tucson at around 6:00, and was able to get on the loop to leave town. It's really nice not having to deal with cars, unfortunately I cannot say that for the rest of today's ride.


Once I got out of town, things got a little dicey. Taking 83 to Sonoita was not the most fun. There really wasn't a shoulder, and it was pretty much all uphill. And there were a lot of twists and turns. All of this is fine, except when you add cars. Especially cars that are speeding through the hills. Very dangerous. I was extremely cognizant, I'm was almost always looking over my shoulder. There were no real close calls.


The riding was hard. Elevation was also a factor. But essentially, I was just writing a hill all the way to Sonoita.


Once I got to Sonoita, I sat down on the bench and I was exhausted. It was about 50 miles to get there, but it was all uphill. Tough day. But, the temperature was extremely cool compared to what I was used to. So I was able to take a 3-hour break, rest up, and do some more riding!


While I was sitting at The bench outside the post office, an elderly lady came up to me and asked if I wanted any mangoes or oranges. She had boxes of them that a store was going to throw away. So I helped her unload the mangoes and oranges, and I feasted on them for the time I was there!


After that I filled up my waters and headed to Huachuca City. 


Once there I stopped at a city park, did some stretching, changed clothes, and then started to figure out where I was going to camp that night. I walk up to this group of people, and ask if they thought it was okay to pitch my tent in the park. They said probably not because the police station and fire station are right next door


We got to talking, and before you knew it they invited me to sit down, join the conversation, and we all soon became close friends! A little after that, I talked to the chief of police of the town, who informed me that camping in the city park was forbidden.


Thankfully, Rod, a new very close friend, offered me shelter on his property. You can't ask for much more than that. I left that park with a new very close friend, and two new extra mothers (Tess and Joan).


What a day, what a day!

Popular posts from this blog

Epilogue

Image
Well, that is that. I've ridden my bicycle from sea to shining sea. Over 2,700 miles in 39 days. About 70 miles per day. A few days above 100°, maybe one day below 50°, a few rainy days, and many sunny days. Highs and lows. The first week was very challenging. During and after day one, I wanted to quit. Day one, caught me so off guard and hit me so hard, that was scared, scared of failure. Quitting after day one? How would that look? How would people perceive me? Quit after one day, after spending a year+ planning this out. Well, it wasn't out of the question. Day one broke me. It took a few rides that first week to rebuild the confidence within myself. Once I rebuilt that confidence again, I was back to my old self, laser-focused on the goal at hand. To rebuild that confidence, I leaned on my support, family, friends, and mentors. They helped convince me I could complete this when I didn't know if I could. Thank you for that. All of you know who you are. Little by little i
Read more

Day 0 - Flight to San Diego

Image
 I packed up the bike yesterday (5/11), moved out of my room today, and jumped on an airplane and went to San Diego.  During the fight I sat next to the wonderful Jessica and Katie.  Once I landed in San Diego, things started happening very quickly. My warmshowers host, and my new good friend, Steve pick me up at the airport and took me to the ocean. There I set up the bike and dipped the tires in! A wonderful start to the trip. Already met many great people. You know who you are! Tomorrow morning will mark the start of the trip.
Read more

Day 2 - Jacumba Hot Springs to Holtville

Image
52 miles I left the Desert View Tower at 5:45 and started with a 3500 foot decent. Essentially, 12 mi of straight downhill going 40 plus miles an hour. After that road in the desert for a little bit with a slight headwind. The roads were a little rough. The last hour and a half was in more rural land. They were bailing hay! There was a much heavier headwind. 15 miles per hour. Arrived in Holtville around 9:30. So about 3 hours and 45 minutes total. Pretty easy day. By the time I quit at 9:30, it was already 84° Once I arrived I set up shop at Holt Park, and stayed there for about 9 hours! I sat in the shade, and was finally able to enjoy the 15 mph wind! It got up to 99°, and stayed there for several hours.  
Read more