On Tuesday, April 10th, I (Bryan) snuck away on a day off, to attempt a sub 24 hour ride through and around the Chiricahuas. It turned out to be 26 hours and about 110 miles. I left our cabin at about 8:30 am left the Monument and headed up Pinery Canyon. The morning was gorgeous and traffic free. Before long I was back in the Coronado National Forest and slowly gaining elevation as I approached Onion Saddle. This would be the high point and I wanted to get it out of the way early in the trip. As I switched back my way up the pass the occasional car and Border Patrol unit passed me by but it was pretty quiet other than that.

Leaving the park and heading up Pinery Canyon

Pinery Canyon road

Freshly graded road in Pinery Canyon

Forest service road 42 heading up to Onion Saddle

The view back down Pinery Canyon and out onto the Sulphur Springs valley

The views were long and the air was crisp in the morning light. It took me just about two hours to ride the sixteen or so miles to the top. Once there, I sat and ate a banana, had some water and then started to make a quick descent down the other side. I was headed to an old mining town called Galeyville which I wasn’t sure still existed but I had to find out.

The descent itself was raucous and made me smile the whole way. There were numerous stream crossing and the occasional big water bar that I caught a little air on.  Eventually, the road came to a split – uphill to Portal or downhill to Paradise. The choice seemed obvious. Now, there isn’t much in Paradise – 12 full time residents, an old truck, an adobe cabin and maybe one business, The George Walker House which is a small bed and breakfast (err.. you cook your own breakfast but they provide the food). If you are a birder this is the place to stay.  Jackie, the owner feeds birds in her yard and you are welcome to sit and tick off your life list.

Rolling with just rear Ortliebs and a handlebar bag

Looking out at the "boot heel" of New Mexico

The road ahead

The split - right to Portal and left to Paradise

Old Truck

Old one room adobe cabin

After turning back from Galeyville, which was completely gone I found a small bridge over the Turkey Creek. I soaked my feet in the cold water, enjoyed the shade under the bridge and ate some lunch. By this time everything on me and my bike were covered in dust.

About five more miles I came to the the small town of Portal. A nice, small cafe/ lodge is located here and the whole place is for sale. I took a small break and then headed onto Rodeo, New Mexico. Rodeo is small town on route 80 right on the Arizona/New Mexico border. There are some small stores and businesses. I didn’t stay long as the heat was now in the 90′s and I was dealing with a head wind and a slight grade uphill. It felt pretty exposed after coming down out of the mountains.

Road to Portal, AZ through the polarized lens of my sunglasses

Store in Portal, AZ

Near New Mexico border

Store in Rodeo, NM

The next stop on the trip was 22 miles later at the Geronimo Surrender Monument in Apache, AZ. There was a small pavillion which got me out of the sun but gave no shelter from the wind. I ate some more food and then headed on. The wind was bringing me down a bit and there was nothing out here but me and the flowers. Somtimes bike touring makes you wonder just what in the heck you are doing but if you stay with it it all changes and better feelings eventually pour in. In another hour or so I was able to turn off the paved road and started up Tex Canyon. It felt great to ditch the headwind and be back on the gravel road. Again, I re-entered the Coronado National Forest and stayed on a small single lane road until a little bit before 7pm and then found a place to disperse camp near the base of Swede peak.

I was tired and the evening was quiet. Not one car had passed me  since I got off paved route 80. So nice. I saw one coyote running parallel to the  road. He stopped to look at me and I howled at him and he took off through the field. The sunset was brief and I cooked a little pasta, hung my food in a bear bag and called it a night.

Looking back at the Chiricahua Mountains and Portal, AZ

Geronimo surrender monument

Mexican Goldpoppies

Looking back toward Apache, AZ on Rt. 80

Back on gravel heading into Tex canyon

Tex Canyon Road

Conditions just right, sun is setting and the road is smooth

Sun setting on the Chiricahuas

Easy disperse camp site in Coronado National Forest

Bear bag up and hopefully safe

The next morning, I woke early with the wind and headed on toward Rucker Canyon. There was a campground where I hoped to refill on water. When I got there, there were no campers and no water. That was OK, I still had two liters left. The ride out of Rucker canyon was uneventful. Eventually I came back out into the Sulphur Springs Valley where I found pavement and a tailwind! I flew north and rolled back to the cabin at about 10:30 am on Wednesday.  Good to be back!

Morning ride heading toward Rucker canyon

Roadside meadow in the morning

Moon still high up as I head back to the Sulphur Springs valley

Yours truly

Pavement and a tail wind back to the monument

To interact with the route visit : http://g.co/maps/j76gr

Stay tuned for more of our low cost adventures!

Bryan

Our extended stay in the Chiricahua mountains has afforded us plenty of hiking and biking in our off time.  The  mountains are rugged and isolated and we have been having a great time getting to know the region. There has been a tremendous amount of wildlife crossing our path and sometimes  we are lucky enough to get a decent photo or two.

Vermilion Fly Catcher in Whitewater Draw Wildlife area

If you squint real hard you can make out a Bobcat prowling through the grass

Merriam Wild Turkey in Pine Canyon

Last guests (Coues Deer) leave the ranch

Bull snake on the trail to Fort Bowie

Cactus Wren nest

Gila Monster hiding out at Apache Spring

Tail end of a Mohave Rattlesnake seen on trail in Monument

Lizards scamper all around us and blend in

On one of trips to Willcox with our friend Jim, a woman brought this hide into a Mexican restaurant we were eating at and laid it out on a table for all to see. No one seemed to mind and she was quite proud of it. It spent 18 months at the taxidermist and measured 6’1″ from nose to tip of tail. It had killed a calf on her farm.

Mountain Lion hide

Often, while we are hiking we see canine/coyote tracks and now that we are in Cat country we see tracks of the feline too. Cat tracks such as the Mountain Lion and Bobcat are often more rounded than that of a coyote. Cats retract their nails while walking and typically the track will not show nail  marks. Another way to tell the difference is to draw an “X” centered above the rear pad, with the bottom legs of the “X” on either side of the rear pad.

Mountain Lion track in Whitetail pass

Small Mountain Lion track or large Bobcat track

We are still waiting patiently to spot a coati.

See you down the trail!

B+D

Sometimes when opportunities present themselves at precisely the right moment you must jump on them. On Monday March 15th, during an afternoon tour of  the Faraway Ranch in the Chiricahua National Monument we began chatting with our tour guide, Jim. He informed us of an opportunity to become volunteers with the National Park Service (NPS), and Chiricahua National Monument was short on volunteers. We could volunteer to give tours of the ranch working 4 days on and 3 days off  in exchange for housing. The idea of staying appealed to us and we were starting to realize that it’s still a little too cold and snowy north of here to continue bike riding comfortably. A little stall in the trip would actually be in our best interest! This place is like no other we have been and is extremely beautiful with plenty of area to explore.

So, we signed up.

We committed for a short term and began moving ourselves and our few possessions from the campground into a two bedroom house. We have a full kitchen and bath, internet and laundry. We have no neighbors other than the passing deer we see each morning and evening. We have been furiously reading and memorizing the history of  Faraway Ranch and the surrounding area. There is an immense amount of history in Bonita Canyon and the Chiricahua Mountains and we are thoroughly enjoying the full immersion. We will share a bit more about the work we do as volunteers in a later post.

For now, we are excited about the opportunity to gain experience working in a National Park.

The other day we heard about some warm temperatures up in Vermont and New York. We were having the opposite,  a bit of a cold snap. Snow even. We received about an inch here and the next day the high temperature was 42 deg. The following photos are from that morning.

Our new digs in Bonita Canyon

View from our front door

The Ranch, where we will be giving tours

View up canyon from our new house

Outcrop behind our house

Snow doesn’t last, and that’s the only precipitation we’ve seen here. Most days it’s clear blue skies, sunshine and pleasant temperatures.  We’re at approximately 5500 feet of elevation.  We’re in what’s called a “Sky Island” where the Sonoran Desert meets the Chihuahuan Desert.

View of Faraway Ranch from a high outcrop

Welcome to Faraway

So, for now we are going to sit tight, give some hours, do some hiking and soak up a break from the road. Stay tuned for more from the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeastern Arizona.

Bryan gives a tour

Temporarily uniformed and happy!

B+D

On Wednesday, March 14th we woke up before sunrise to find that our water bottles had frozen solid. Camping in the base of the valley proved to be a little colder than we thought. A beautiful sunrise greeted us and we were packed up and back on the road by 7am. Traffic was nonexistent.  We travelled down 186 toward the small town of Dos Cabezas not sure what we would find. It turned out to be almost deserted with the few remaining homes spread out on both sides of the road and not a store in sight. You could see the various attempts at settlements that either failed completely, barely hung on or now quietly occupied. There were a few places for sale too. From the Willcox Playa Wildlife Area,  in the Sulpher Spring valley we slowly climbed up to just over 5,000′ at Dos Cabezas. As the day wore on we decided to split up in order to get a  campsite before the campground filled up. We had called the day prior and the woman at the desk informed us that hey were typically filling up by 1 or 2 pm. We were feeling a little anxious so, Bryan headed on ahead and secured a campsite. Splitting up is something we rarely if ever do. It was a different ride for sure. Being solo you had to keep a look out for your own safety. Traffic was really low through these parts which was good. Bryan got to the campground, checked in and secured a site and then rode back out to meet up with Debi who was not far behind.

Dos Cabezas Peak in the morning light

Near Dos Cabezas

That day we met our campground neighbor, Vern who was camped in a Casita travel trailer. They are made in Rice, TX and there is a four month waiting list for them. Very cool and very light. We spent a couple of days hiking almost all the trails in the park  with Vern. We had a great time chatting about all sorts of topics. We took a lot of pictures together as we hiked through the park. At 8:30 am every morning the park provided a shuttle to the top of Masai Point which was about a six mile drive from the campground. From the top, hikers can make there way down their choice of trails eventually making their way back to the visitor center. A fine service indeed.

Debi on the Echo Canyon trail

Echo Canyon

Along the trail

Wonderland of Rocks

A balanced rock

Debi and Vern

Gravity defying

More rock formations

On the C.C.C. built trail to Sugarloaf mountain

Looking back over the Sulpher Springs Valley we were in the day prior

Rhyolite formations from an old volcanic eruption

One night we took an evening shuttle up to the Echo Canyon trailhead parking lot for a stargazing session with Kevin from the Kitt Peak Observatory. This was a fascinating evening. Kevin had a high power laser pointer and could point out constellations and other features. We looked at Jupiter with three of its moons, Venus, Mars and a whole bunch of other things trough a very high powered telescope. Thanks Kevin!

Fence post in Bonita Canyon

The elusive Chiricahua Fox Squirrel

Bonita Canyon

Mexican Jay

Debi next to a Lechuguilla

In May and June of 2011 a human caused wildfire tore through the Chiricahua Mountains. The photos below are from our hikes through the burned area almost a year later. The fire was named the Horseshoe 2 Fire. Almost a quarter of a million acres burned.

Burned area along trail

Temporarily devoid of vegetation

Burned tree

Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from Chiricahua National Monument. This place is too good to leave! See you soon B+D.

On Tuesday, March 13th we woke early to a quiet campground. We packed up, ate our breakfast and headed out before anyone else. The air was crisp but the sun was out. The first 12 miles were relatively traffic free and windless. Not a bad combination at all. We are starting to see the value in getting an early start to beat these Arizona winds. They usually don’t pick up until late morning. We retraced some of our route a couple days prior and then picked up 191 and headed north a couple of miles toward Coshise, AZ. Once we came to the Union Pacific and Amtrak railroad tracks we took a hard right  and followed their access road toward Willcox. This decision allowed us 8 miles of motorist free travel while avoiding a longer route that would involve I-10 again. This route also afforded us the opportunity to cross a dry lake on bicycles. Back during WWII the US military used this area as a bombing range. Fun stuff and we were glad no bombs were dropping or that the wind did not pick up. Not sure you would want to be out here in inclement weather.

Morning sun glow from camp

Precision pruning on Walnut trees in the Sulphur Springs valley

Haven't seen these yet

Debi in the distance

Debi, going, going...

...gone

Looking out across the dry lake / bombing range

Heavy Duty

This is going to be good

Fantastic!

Too much fun today!

Not one, but two trains on an 8 mile stretch without motorists = Awesome

Once we arrived in Willcox it couldn’t get any better. We found a small park with water, a BBQ joint, no traffic and big easy streets to navigate, an ice cream stand with wifi, thrift store, supermarket and a depot converted into a town hall. Bicycle touring is just about the best way to visit a new place. You never know what you are going to find and some days it just does not get any better.

Historic Railroad Park in downtown Willcox

Statue of Rex Allen

If you wish for BBQ hard enough it will come

More class than is measurable

And one more view for those of you who don't have cable

Willcox Depot - now the Town Hall

As we finished up our re-supply at Safeway and the ice cream shop we met a few road cyclists who were on a supported tour from Tombstone. We chatted a for awhile and then headed out of town toward the Willcox Playa Wildlife Refuge where we learned there was free camping.

On our way out of Willcox

Campsite near the Playa

Epic sunset over the Dragoon Mountains

Tomorrow, we begin our ride to Chiracahua National Monument. Stay tuned.

Bryan and Debi

On Sunday, March, 11th we arrived in Cochise Stronghold campground at the end of the day with only one site left. This place was a little busier than we thought.  That night we met Jim and Cathy and had a fine evening telling stories around their campfire. happy trails to you both and maybe we will meet up in Colorado! On Monday, March 12th we woke early and immediately decided to stay another night. We waited as few people headed out and then we claimed a better site. We just picked up our tent and moved it without taking it down and then rolled our bikes on over. Then we fixed some breakfast and watched as the other campers rose and and got started with their day. We lounged around and went through our gear for most of the morning and afternoon and then decided to take a hike on the Cochise Trail. The birds in the campground were just spectacular. The Acorn Woodpeckers and the Mexican Jays were everywhere. We were gifted some oranges and we sliced one up and set it out in our campsite to see if we could get some to come a little closer. It worked.

Acorn woodpecker eating from an orange slice

Acorn woodpecker lookin' at us

Mexican Jay

Our new campsite

Many places to hide in the Dragoon Mountains

Along the Cochise Trail

Rock formations

The hiking was good and we took it slow.  We are still adjusting to the arid climate and the higher elevations. It is said Cochise is buried in these hills but no one knows where. We looked around but didn’t find any clues.

Hiker Debi

Hiker Bryan

Sun glow on the Dragoon mountains

That afternoon we met a nice couple from British Columbia, Sherry and Allan. They told us some super stories about landing small planes on the beaches in Baja.  Allan had built his own super light, Styrofoam and fiberglass truck camper that just was just fantastic. It even had an outdoor shower attachment. After a nice chat we cooked our dinner and then spent the evening with Sue and Newt from Wisconsin. Lots of good stories! They were camping in a cute little Casita that they towed behind their pick up. Happy trails to all of you!

We decided to get an early start the following day so we could roll into Willcox, AZ to re-supply. See you there! D+B

After leaving Benson, AZ on Sunday, March 11th  we hit the road about noon leaving our luxurious RV life behind. We made a quick stop at a Circle K for a couple of goodies and then headed east taking the east bound entrance ramp onto  Interstate-10.  Several stretches of the interstate in Arizona allow bicycles, especially in rural areas where no other alternative exists. Back east they don’t allow any pedestrian or bicycle traffic. It is not great riding, as generally traffic is blazing along at about 80 mph however there is plenty of room. Often we had a good shoulder of at least 12′ in width which just feels quite safe. Mostly the traffic was tractor trailers and RV’s.  The side of the interstate is like a war  zone. Broken everything, blown tire treads, trash, cooler lids and the occasional pillow and lawn chair. The interstate proved to be a great place to re-supply  on bungee cords. A big savings for us as they seem to be rather expensive these days.

We followed I-10 east for approximately 12 miles from Benson, AZ to the Dragoon exit. Along this stretch we crossed over Dragoon pass with the little Dragoon Mountains to our left and the Dragoon Mountains to our right. It was an easy  grade and as we reached the top, trucks were driving at a reasonable speed as they were under heavy loads.

Debi finishing a little more blogging in the RV before we head out

Eastbound on I-10, leaving Benson, AZ

Big shoulder and bigger speed limits

Looking back toward Benson from Dragoon pass

I-10

After our 12 mile stint, we were glad to be done with it and took our exit to a town with no services. As the traffic dwindled off we made our way along a curvy road to the small town of Dragoon where we stopped for a snack at a small gallery that was closed.  Once we passed through town we caught a nice tail wind and a slight downhill grade as we descended into the western edge of the Sulphur Springs valley.

Little Dragoon Mountains

On the way to Cochise Stronghold

Brief break on the road to Cochise Stronghold

Sign near campground

Leaving a nice tail wind  behind we turned and headed south into a choppy cross wind making our way through Walnut and Pecan plantations to Cochise Stronghold in the Coronado National Forest. By sundown, we were glad to be done with the last few miles of dusty washboard and when we arrived at the campground there was only one site left. So we took it. See you in the morning.

B+D

We left Tucson again on Thursday March 8th.  We exited the hotel we were staying at and resupplied a grocery store.  We climbed up to Redington Pass and camped near the top, waiting until the next day to climb the rest.  Friday was quiet except for the sounds of the gravel beneath our tires.  We worked hard to climb and the descents abounded.   We found peace in the simplicity of our surroundings.  Saturday we arrived in Benson to stay with our warmshowers.org Jerry and Lainie.   Thanks to you two for a great stay!

Pavement leading up to Redington Pass

Here's where the pavement turns to dirt for the next 25+ miles

Redington Pass is in the Coronado Nation Forest

Our new mustache handlebars make the dirt flow

No traffic out here

Debi gets some downhill

Bryan says goodbye to the Saguaro Cactus

Stealth camp site between Redington Pass and Benson near Cascabel

Another view of the campsite with a giant leaning Barrel Cactus

Jumping Cholla forest-these things will destroy you with their barbs

Our gracious warmshowers.org hosts in Benson, AZ let us stay in their camper in the backyard

This post is short and sweet.  We are in Willcox at the moment.  We’ll again further down the road.

Thanks everybody for following along and supporting us on our journey!

Debi and Bryan

The other day we almost quit. The whole trip. Some days just don’t go well and we get a mean reality check and wonder what on earth we are doing. We left Gilbert Ray campground and headed southwest into a mean headwind. We were progressing slowly. There was a forest fire looming on the horizon and Border Patrol SUV’s were whizzing by us seemingly endlessly. Food options were lack luster and the camping scene was about nil, even for us.  We pulled over on the side of the road and we both agreed it wasn’t much fun. We thought about our options and decided to turn right around and  return back toward Tucson. Our headwind turned into an awesome tailwind and we just about flew back to town. With this decision, it put us back into town with rush hour just getting revved up. The traffic was absurd. Even with a bike lane, the traffic was driving way to fast for the area we were in and drivers still seemed  distracted. Not fun. We rode as far as we could but could not escape the the sprawl of the city. We camped in a sparsely vegetated field across from some gas stations and near some housing development. We got a restless sleep at best and still weren’t sure how much more of this we could take.

When the sun broke, we decided to walk our bikes back on the side walk a couple miles and get some breakfast at a local restaurant. Food helps settle the mind and restore the body which we badly  needed. There was a Quality Inn across the street. Debi called them, $74 a night check in at 3pm. It was 8:30 am. We asked if they would consider an early check in. They said sure come on in! OK, things were starting to look up. If we checked in after breakfast we could be behind closed doors for 23 and half hours! Not bad. Hot showers, three soaks in the hot  tub and pool and we were starting to come around. A little Jimmy Fallon and a king size bed can go a long way to restoring ones mood. The continental breakfast the next morning was too good to be true with waffles, suasage, cereal and coffee.

We spent our time in the hotel re-planning our route, methods and strategies. We are ever refining this process and it sometimes just seems endless. …micro managing our gear, checking the weather, changing where we resupply…and it goes on.  We left renewed on Thursday morning with the destination of Redington Pass which leads to Cascabel and Benson.  As we reached the edge of Coronado National Forest at the end of the day our hearts were smiling as the road turned to dirt and the traffic was non-existent.  Our new mustache handlebars help our touring bikes handle more like mountain bikes in the rough terrain.

We have a mantra that we swear by “Situation Temporary”.  Keeping in motion we can change any situation and inevitably it gets better or just changes completely.  People may wonder-why bother with all this?  The people we meet and the sights we see remind us that this life is special, precious, and it’s not a dress rehearsal.  We most certainly can do anything really…..faced with this is like an existential crisis everyday.  We have to remind ourselves that we have free will and we can turn around any time we want and go in a different direction. This time we did.

Keep on moving

Our new friend Jimmy Smith sent us an email the other day after we shared our recent difficulties.  He said “It’s not quitting ever if there is change.  Creation unfolds itself in mysterious ways for us to be open to.”  Thanks Jimmy.

See you down the road,

Bryan and Debi in Cochise County, Arizona