Day 15: Oak Flat Campground to Phoenix

March 6, 2024

Morning dawned with dew and frost on our tents and panniers. We love when we camp because we always head to bed early and end up getting plenty of sleep. Even with plenty of sleep we were still sluggish to get out of our warm sleeping bags. We bundled up for the anticipated cold ride downhill. We got back on US60 and gripped our handlebars tightly. We had about 5 miles at speeds around 30-40 mph. Thankfully, only one pickup truck passed us on the most dangerous part of the downhill. We passed through a tunnel and over a beautiful arched bridge over Queen Creek. We arrived in Superior and stopped at a gas station to warm up.

We climbed for a bit out of Superior, but soon hit another downhill. The miles clipped by and the shoulder was now smooth and wide. We had mostly smooth sailing right into Phoenix besides Jude getting one flat tire when we stopped for a hearty snack. Once we hit the suburbs of Phoenix, we still had almost 30 miles to our first destination: the Scottsdale Bike Co. Basil took care of Jude’s bike and Patrick replaced the cassette, replaced the rear hub, replaced both tires and tubes and added some slime to help with all the wires and thorns. He should be ready for his next 2,000 miles!

We had an excellent lunch at Tacos Jalisco. Once Jude’s bike was done, we headed the 4 miles to Ayo’s apartment. As a college student, he lived with us for a semester and now we get to be his guests here in Phoenix. We caught up on our lives and repacked our belongings before heading to dinner at the tire shop which becomes a taco truck after hours. More conversation after dinner with Ayo and his roommate, I packed up my bike in a box from the bike shop for the flight home tomorrow, and Jude showed me his route plan ideas for his next 7 days to LA.

I’m so grateful I’ve been able to spend this time with Jude and join him on his journey. As he turns 18 this summer and heads off to college, this trip has marked a transition for him and I as father and son. It is no longer I who am leading and guiding him, I have taken a back seat (or tried to) and let him take the lead and dictate the routes, the mileage, the rest breaks and even the wake up times. While Elizabeth and I have spent 17 years teaching and training him and pointing him in the right direction, it’s now up to him to make choices that will direct his future even as we trust that God will continue to guide and shape him into the man he is becoming. It’s been such a blessing to watch him grow and change and mature before our eyes, and I look forward to following along from afar as he continues to pedal through this adventure.

We started to see Saguaros on this side of the mountain

The bike path system along the canals are fantastic

We followed the Mesa Connection bike path between the spring training facilities of the A’s and the Cub’s

Watching the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race while Jude’s bike was getting worked on

Today's ride: 66 miles (106 km)
Total: 1,117 miles (1,798 km)

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Jude HubbardLove you Dad. Thank you for doing anything that I needed. Or sometimes didn’t even know I needed. Miss you. Love you.
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