A bit better than yesterday's dumb outing. Way better, actually. Unbelievable, in fact. One of the best mountain rides of our lives.
Finding myself getting on in years and fifteen days into a tour without a rest day, I was a bit apprehensive about this climb. It is rated as fairly easy as far as long climbs go - 6,000' over 25 miles, at a steady 3-4% grade. Lately though I've been feeling ready for a rest day, and wasn't sure. I didn't really question my ability to complete it, but I wanted to feel strong enough to enjoy the experience.
I needn't have worried. It really is an easy climb, made easier by the smooth road surface (a big relief, after what in general have been pretty rough roads on this tour), a decent shoulder on the way up, and above all the spectacular scenery. For whatever reason, I hadn't read up on the nature of this climb, other than its cycling difficulty; so I was completely taken by surprise by how beautiful it is.
Spanning an almost 6000' elevation range, there is of course great variation in variation as you climb. The lowest elevation transitions from the Sonoran desert landscape that borders the outskirts of Tucson into a band where saguaro cactus is the most visibly dominant species. This tapers out around 4'500', and the road climbs through a fascinating band of intensely eroded rock. Above that we continue climbing into a greener zone that tops out in ponderosa pine forest. At the top there are massive views across the surrounding basin and range formations.
We started climbing at about 8:30, and took our sweet time climbing. We kept a decent pace when moving, but there are endless reasons to stop, look at the astounding views, and break out the camera. The weather couldn't have been finer - windless and comfortably warm. It was about 60 degrees when we started and gradually warmed up as we climbed until about the 6000' level, when it got progressively cooler and almost chilly at the top.
And so it begins. After a seductively flat first several miles, it's all uphill for the next 25.
Looking back on the first few miles of our ride. We began about where the straight road tapers off. Beyond that is Tucson; and I think beyond that is Keystone Peak. In the distance on the left side behind the large cactus, is Mount Wrightson, the range that includes Madera Canyon that we rode into a few days ago.
I was completely surprised by the saguaro. I expected to see scattered cacti here and there. I had no idea that it grows with such density that it feels like a cactus forest.
We're just transitioning out of the saguaro zone. After a last look back toward Ticson the road bends into the ridge and comes out the other side. We won't see the plains around Tucson until we drop down again.
A few hundred bikers barreled downhill as we climbed. I think we only saw one other biker climbing our direction. Most bikers must get out here at the crack of dawn.
Through this part of the climb, the road executes two immense hairpin turns. It's very dramatic to look back down the side of the mountain at the road snaking below.
At the top - or at least at our end of the ride. The road snakes and rolls on for another mile or so toward the ski area, but this picnic area was a great spot to stop and survey the world below. The darkest band on the horizon,three ranges out,is Mount Graham.
At the top we stopped for lunch, looking over the nearest basin and the next three ranges to the east, ending with Mount Graham. We didn't stay long though - it was breezy and borderline cold. Then, layer up and play the tape in reverse, speeding back through the zones in triple time. It is a glorious descent - smooth, gradual, easy to maintain as fast a speed as you're comfortable with.
We'd call it the ride of a lifetime, but we've been blessed with so many. It certainly ranks high on our list of best climbs ever though. Worth the whole trip down, and the best way to end a tour that I could imagine.
