We rode from Eloy to Tucson on Friday, a day which we were assured by the locals was a little cooler than the weather they normally get this time of year. By the time we arrived at destination one for the day we were just about boiling. I had a nice sunburn to match (Badger sunscreen turned me milky white and somehow still didn't save me from the rays).
When we arrived at Teresa and Mike's house in the Catalina Foothills just north of Tucson we were ready for some shade. Their daughter was in town, and the group of us shared some delicious sandwiches while Will and I waited out the sun a bit. Their house is in a beautiful area with amazing views of the adjacent mountains.
After our late lunch we rode down into the city. The operative word in that sentence? Down! We could see the mountains in the distance, the sun was just starting to set behind them, and we could see the city in the valley. We were really impressed with the ample bike lanes and cyclists, most of whom were equipped with lights and helmets.
We met my cousin Valerie, her boyfriend Esteban, and their friend and bandleader at Borderlands Brewing Company for a beer and then headed back to Valerie and Esteban's place for the night.
On Saturday we met Will's childhood friend, Mallory, and her husband Ethan, for a delicious breakfast at their house. We all went up to Mount Lemmon, the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains, for some weird desert/ alpine ecology exploring and amazing views of the city. Mount Lemmon is a popular destination for cyclists, especially while training for races. We were on our rest day, so nope.
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| Mallory and Ethan on Mount Lemmon |
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| Valerie and me on Lemmon |
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| The ecology changes as you ascend the mountain from saguaro cactus dominated low desert to these low-lying waxy-leaved shrubs and small cacti. |
Fun fact! Mount Lemmon is named for Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon, a botanist and the first white woman to ascend to the top of the peak.
After the hike, Valerie took me and Willie out for Sonoran dogs to tide us over until that evening's street fair!
We went to Mercado San Augustin that evening and in between courses of incredible street cart food with Mallory, Ethan, and Nancy, we got to see Valerie and Esteban dance with their group! My amazing, beautiful goddess cousin is not only a empathetic and super smart teacher, but a killer dancer. They are part of a drumming and dancing group called Sol Axe, and I am so glad our visit lined up with a performance. We ate tacos, taquitos, ice cream, churros, drank tamarindo juice and local beers, and totally fueled up for today's ride.
Here is a video of Val and Esteban dancing!
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| Esteban on the right looking tough! |
It was hard to leave Tucson after all the fun we had, but these roads must be traveled! Today's ride to Whetstone was hot and hilly, but the views were so distracting we almost forgot to eat lunch. Don't worry, we remembered.
Now you find us, spoiled yet again, staying in what must be one of the most hospitable states in this fair union. Lance and Liz have a really comfy spot for us warm showers guests and made us a really nice home cooked dinner.
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| Amazing bike paths run all through Tucson |
Good night, dear Readers! Tomorrow we head to weird little Bisbee. I can't wait to see the little town that everyone from Joshua Tree on has told us is a little hippy art haven in the mountains. Hopefully we don't stay anywhere too haunted- word on the street is that they take their ghost town status quite literally.
<3 SLL
Nice to meet you both and Safe travels!
ReplyDelete-Robert