Mt. Lemmon Day

January 24th, 2014 - Climbing Mt. Lemmon

This was one ride we had planned months ago, the scaling of the highest peak in the Tucson region, which covers an elevation gain of nearly 6000' over 25 miles.  It's a popular route for Tucson locals, with the traditional starting point being at Le Buzz coffee shop near the base of the mountain. Jerry and Barb, also spending some of the winter away from their home in Seattle, volunteered to lead a group and provide a support vehicle for the day.  What a nice thing!
So the mountain road has lots of switchbacks, beautiful views, and decent pavement.

The grade rarely exceeds its steady 5% rate, but it's relentless for 25 miles.  So we were happy to both enjoy the climb, and also to get to our destination at the town of Summerhaven near the top.  After a lunch break we headed back down the mountain, of course not taking nearly as long to descend as it had to get up in the first place.

Mission accomplished!

A dilemma...Chicago in January or Tucson in January?

When friends Susan and Kirk Reed told us nearly a year ago that they had booked a trip to Vietnam for this January, something in the back of my mind set off a spark.  But not to go biking in Vietnam, as fascinating as that trip surely is.  So eventually we volunteered to "cat sit" for the Reeds while they're traveling.  It's a thinly veiled reason to escape the winter weather, but...hey, it's good enough for us!

Our back yard just after Christmas

Arizona desert view on January 19th

We'll let the photos speak to the matter!
Both of us are fortunate to have jobs that allow us to plug in remotely and work from our laptops. This made staying for an extended period an easier decision.  We packed up the bikes and shipped them via Fedex to arrive the day after Jeff's flight, which came a week before Mark's due to some other commitments.  Jeff had a chance to ride around town once with Susan, visit with Kirk a bit, then dropped them at the airport early the next morning.

What a year to have had this opportunity!  Back home winter was working on becoming the 2nd or 3rd coldest ever recorded, with temps well below zero on multiple days and nights.  In contrast, Tucson was a little warmer than average, typically 65-75 during the days.  Jeff wasted no time, even while working virtually full time, finding enough daylight to ride 650 miles for the month.  We met up with some other biking friends of Susan, some of whom we had met on previous trips, and others who became new ride connections. Mark jumped into the fray when he arrived as well, biking several hundred miles and swimming outdoors in the YMCA pool.  Ah, the simple joys are really the best, aren't they?

Rain in Death Valley???

Saturday, February 26th, 2010: The group we're with for the next 5 days is organized by an outfit called AdventureCorps, which runs some of the toughest races in the country for endurance athletes. This trip is more relaxed; kind of a Spring Training Camp for cyclists to help get in shape for the nice weather that will eventually come to the Midwest.

We flew into Las Vegas Friday morning and met up with our good friend and neighbor Susan Reed, who was already traveling in the Southwest. Driving out to Death Valley we began to get some hints that there was more to this area than we realized. It sort of sneaks up on you, as we crossed a mountain pass at 5000' elevation and then began a long 30 mile drive downhill. The Furnace Creek Ranch resort sits at 190' BELOW sea level, in the middle of the mostly barren basin of the valley. Who would have ever thought that rain could threaten the first day of a trip to Death Valley? Average February monthly rainfall for Death Valley: 0.30" - rainfall for today only: 0.36". In spite of this our group of 50 riders went out for a warm-up ride of 25 miles through the area known as Artist's Palette. The potential for rain had been in the forecast but we laughed it off, saying to ourselves "how bad can a rainstorm be in Death Valley?" hahaha...we were completely soaked, our shoes filled with water, and our lack of rain gear a definite mistake on Day 1.

Over the next few days though, it was warm and dry.  Discovering the valley in all its splendor - barren yet beautiful, with rock formations, geologic strata, vistas that stretch for miles, was a real American experience.  We hiked, biked, ran, attended a Park Service presentation on the origins and makings of Death Valley (fascinating) and the week culminated in a Century ride with a dust storm swirling all around us.  All in all, a grand week in a remote and spectacular area.