When Worlds Collide

Susan RBA for Arizona Brevets, and Yours.

Hey there Gentle Readers of This Blog--Susan is in town and will be running the Mt. Lemmon 200 KM Brevet this coming up Saturday, November 13th. She has stopped by to camp out at my place in Dog Mtn. Great to have company for a change--and Callie and Susan are BFFs.


Dove Mtn Rd and Tangerine Will open in just a few weeks.

I lamented the construction of this road--but here it is--cutting through pristine desert. A pristine road that saves you a few miles driving. Of well--soon there will be a Wal Mart or a Target. Wish we had money to buy something...


Susan on Dove Mtn Blvd--or is it Twin Peaks Rd now?

Just driving past all this construction now for a year--and it is about ready to be opened--so we went out on bikes to check it out--before cars come and all that. So today it is still closed to traffic, and I have been wanting to check out exactly where it leads. Susan is here to pre-ride the brevet, so this gives her a chance for a warm up.


Pictured above is Mt. Lemmon, 30 miles East.

What this road will do is make a short cut down to I-10 and a part of Tucson called Continental Ranch, where there's shops and movie theaters, etc--and will connect Marana to the next big growth spurt in Northwest Tucson.


Panther Peak up ahead.

So instead of going down Tangerine to I-10, which was and is for the most part, the only East-West road, Twin Peaks Rd makes a B-Line to Dove Mtn, and the soon to be developed desert out here. Actually, I believe the road went this way on account that one of the long time ranchers didn't sell out his land, so they went around...


About to the I-10 entrance-exit.


Still closed off to car traffic for a few weeks.


I don't know--will be tricky on a bike with lots of car blasting though here...


There used to actually be two peaks back in the day, but the first peak was mined down and only one remained--and of course the name of the road to the old mine.

Susan and I crossed some other new and big streets and found ourselves in Continental Ranch. It was pretty nice too--then I thought I ride over to my friend John's house, but he wasn't home--but it was still cool how fast and nice the ride was to this part of town.


Heading back to Dog Mtn.

This would be great for brevets, as before we used to have to ride in the sticks and over some beat-up old back roads. I actually miss the old beat-up back roads--less traffic for the most part...


Sorry I haven't written in awhile, Gentle Readers...

I'm looking for a commute route that I do every day to the office, but it seems the new roads still take me pretty far West--about 7 miles out of my way. Mornings I like to take the fastest most direct way in because there's less traffic and I can ride fast--going home these might be okay, but I'd like to have a straight shot North and South, mes amis...


A friendly horseback rider enjoying Sunday afternoon too.

Most of the roads I've ridden on a few years ago connect to the new stuff, but there's that in-between part where the road is still narrow and kind of cracked--and still has rednecks tromping around in their big pick 'em ups.


Heading back to Dog Mtn.

Its a great Sunday afternoon and I ask Susan if she'd like to ride to the top of Dog Mtn--to the newly completed Ritz Carlton Hotel. It is supposed to be pretty cool so I hear. Kelly, the young woman at the gate, is friendly and let's us ride in for a quick look. I could never in a million years afford a major luxury stay at a place like this--so having a chance to ride up here was fun.


Ritz Carlton entrance.

Before this was built, it was just jeep trail, and then the canyon. The Apache Indians used to have this place as an out post to watch the US Army and stage coach line pass to the West of here. Our brevet rides take us on the old Army trail and coach line as well.


The Ritz-Carlton--very well done and not too over-the-top.

Used to be you would only find hunters up here, having to had hiked up about 10 miles from Tangerine. Used to be nothing up here, and now a world-class motel. Only thing is, mes amis, is these mountain as so freakin' hot in the summer that I would not want to be up here--this is only for the winter. Summer it is deadly hot.


The driveway of the Ritz-Carlton.


What is used to look like.

Believe it or not, there's still a lot of the area that's not developed--for example the wash is pretty much the road that hunters use. Susan and I can ride on them for aways on road bikes.


Susan


Yours!


The locals.

This is still ranch land--for now. The desert is beautiful and I hope that the Ritz-Carlton actually helps keep some of it from getting bulldozed. It took a year to complete the Twin Peaks Rd, but what I found disturbing when that first began is that in about two days, the razed about six miles and hundreds of acres of Sonoran Desert. That means that the cactus you see there in background, each about 50 to 75 years old-- the larger ones 125 to 175 years old-- were gone in a blink of an eye...


Heading down Dog Mtn back to my modest adobe...


Brevet season is upon us, mes amis!


Callie greets us when we arrive home!

Thanks for reading the blog! Cheers! Bruce

Time For Gloves on My Rides

Morning ride into the office--gloves this morning, mes amis!

I'm enjoying the rides into work--the route is a bit more urban jungle--but hey that's just about all Tucson now it seems. My new office is in the heart of an aging Tucson neighborhood. Still seems like there's room for bikes but oddly I feel out of place. I'm a fast roadie and everyone else on bikes rides them because they don't have or can't afford a car.

So the mornings are just such that under-armour and gloves are needed--going home is perfect. Going home means a lot of traffic but the traffic lumbers along slow. I find it surreal that I'm passing cars fast and close instead of the other way around. I squeeze past everyone as the bike lane runs out the last few miles to Arthur Pack Park.


The sun is going down, and I'm still a few miles out from my car parked at Arthur Pack.

As I got off the rive bike path--which was tricky because now its closed off and a rider has to maneuver through a parking lot--I met up with a strong young rider named Randy. Having two bikes helped us squeeze onto La Cholla, and then we had a green arrow for the left onto River.


Riding fast on the way home, even in that evening headwind that's always coming out of the West.

Randy was riding almost as far up as me on Thornydale, and he road fast and strong and I kept up with him all the way up. It was good to have a friendly roadie on the busy street. The sun was setting, and as we chatted we switched on lights and he put on reflective ankle straps.

Randy told me he road several times a week 23 miles one way to his office near the Tucson Airport. So when he told me he set out from home at 4:30 am I didn't feel so bad. I'm leaving the house here in Dog Mtn at 5:45 and rolling by 6 am. after parking the car. Randy is well on his way by the time I'm starting out. I'm sure I'll see him again on a trek home.


Bike light on my car--to the car just in time to see the stars...

Good to see the hardy bunch of cyclists out cutting that morning darkness with their determination and gusto!

Allure Libre--Cheers! Bruce

The Perfect Metric Century

Boss on Oracle Rd, heading south down from the town of Oracle, Arizona.

I finally got out on the bike with The Boss and we did his about 63 mile, or 100 kilometer ride from his shack to the old mining town of Oracle.


This club was pulled over by the police.

We saw a big pack up ahead of us get stopped by the police. They were pulled over and cautioned for riding too close to the white line you see there of the bike lane--which is crazy because although its a bike lane, legally we can ride on the road. Anyway, the club was a friendly bunch and they asked us to ride along.


Riding in the club's pace-line.


Boss and I took a turn pulling up in front.


About twenty riders this morning--it was a good pace and everyone was calm and friendly. Boss knows the Cardiologist who started the club as rehab for heart transplant patients...

We actually got pulled over by a motorcycle cop as the lead group pulled through and ran a stop light. The rest of us went through the light as well--I have to say no one was paying attention as we were just rolling along. The police officer, a veteran of working El Tour, let us off with a friendly warning.


The Boss.

The group was riding up to Biosphere but by some back way I don't know. We're going to ride up about 10 or so more miles to the town of Oracle. We had hoped we'd ride with the group up to there, but they pulled off to re-group and get off of busy Oracle Rd (becoming Hwy 77 now)


I snapped this after we pull off the front from our pull. Soon after this, the pack turns off to go the back way through Saddlebrook.


The sun is coming up but its still a bit cool, and we're climbing gradually to about 4,000 ft.


On our way to Oracle.


About 10 miles from Oracle, making the big climb up the road.




We're going in the back way up to the second Circle K--I've never been this route so this will be all new for me.


One of those old funky motor hotels shaped like tipis--and still in operation!


Oracle was an old mining town--it may be again soon as a company wants to start mining up on Mt. Lemmon again.


Mining in the State of Arizona has become way unpopular, mainly because the mining companies left the mines and the areas they mined environmental disaster areas.


The second Circle K store. We'll get water and take a short break.


The Mighty Trek.


Not open yet--maybe next time we'll stop in.


On the way back to Tucson.


Still a bit of a chill in the air--perfect riding weather.


There some sort of old paper mill, or some old smelter at the top of the hill there by Oracle. This will be our last big climb up to the top there.


We actually have some moderate headwinds on the way back down into Tucson.


Its that time of year-


We will ride around and be on the South side of Pusch Ridge that you see up there, mes amis


Back on Ina Rd heading East.



Thanks for riding along and for reading my blog!

Cheers! Bruce