Day 6 - Arizona is COLD

Departure: Casa Grande, AZ      Finish:  Tucson, AZ        Distance:    75.2 miles

Elevation gain:  1,308 feet (gradual over the miles)

Winds: Slight headwind early. Slight tailwind after lunch.

Weather:  Overcast, 42 degrees on departure. Broken clouds and 60 degrees at the finish

On bike duration:     4 hrs, 53 minutes. 

Average speed: 15.3 mph

It was more than chilly when we departed and the roads were still wet from the big storm. So, my bike quickly got dirty again after I hosed it off and cleaned it last night. The significant cloud cover kept the temperatures down and kept the hands & feet cold. We pushed against a mild headwind in a single-file. Most of the roads had narrow shoulders. However, we had many miles on some frontage roads along I-10 that had very little traffic.

In the early part of the morning I saw a mountain peak way off in the distance that had a Stratus cloud hanging over it. To my eye it looked like a smoldering volcano. So I took a couple photos. The second shot is from the other side of the mountain. It is called Picacho Peak. It’s a significant landmark along the Interstate between Phoenix and Tucson.

After lunch our electronic map placed us on The Loop. It’s a system of bike paths in Tucson that covers 140 miles of beautifully paved surface. Our section of it took us along the Rillitio River for 20 miles and dumped us off two blocks from our hotel. Normally, I’m not a big fan of urban bike paths, because I am normally traveling at 15-20 miles per hour and baby strollers, dogs and skateboards make that somewhat inconvenient - if not dangerous - for all involved. However, The Loop was a delightful way to end our first week.  It was relaxing and void of any semi-trucks, pot holes or road kill. 

AND, the baby-joggers, the dogs, and roller-skaters were well behaved (as was I).

There was a fun sculpture on the bike bath. It looked like a Razorback (but it’s supposed to be a Javelina). It thought Henry would get a kick out of it.

We have now come 463 miles from San Diego. 

We have the day off tomorrow. There is a bike shop 100 yards from the hotel. I dropped it off for a quick tune-up and degreasing / regreasing. I plan to spend most of the day with my feet up and doing laundry. I also have a noon appointment for a massage. Back at it Sunday, the 10th.