A tempest in Tempe

January 17, 2020

We stopped off in Tempe, one of the suburb cities clustered around Phoenix, because it’s the natural stop if you want to break up the long drive from Kingman to Tucson. In fact, we booked a place here for four nights, thinking we’d get a feeling for Phoenix, a city we’ve never visited, and take some rides into the country.

One day later, we’ve seen enough to satisfy our curiosity. We cancelled the last two nights of our reservation and are moving on to Globe tomorrow. The city itself isn’t so appealing to us, but the main thing is the biking. Phoenix is such an immense sprawl that you need to drive about 20 miles to get to any place interesting unless you just want to bike on urban bike lanes all day.

The ride we chose for today was route 88, from Apache Junction to Tortilla Flats. On paper it looks promising - it’s currently a dead end road because it’s been washed out beyond Tortilla Flats; and we found two different articles that describe it as a beautiful ride - including one from REI. It’s a weekday morning, so we anticipate a quiet, scenic ride.

In fact though, it’s one of those highways to hell. Narrow, two lanes, absolutly zero shoulder, surprisingly busy with aggressive and impatient traffic. Think Death Trap.

From my 40+ years of cycling experience by now, I’ve pretty much seen it all. I’ve got a big mental catalog of all the unlikely events that could end your day’s ride or your cycling career, and I don’t really trust anyone. I look both ways before crossing a one way street, because mistakes happen. I wait and watch when the light turns green, because scofflaws will run the red on occasion and mother didn’t raise me to be a hood ornament. I watch the oncoming traffic on open roads, because once decades ago a pickup crossed the lane and drove straight at me in my lane, forcing me onto the shoulder - no other car was on the road for miles in either direction, so he must have meant to take me out. Not that much really surprises me any more.

Today though is the first time in awhile that I added a new one to my mental gallery of horrors. We’re biking east on Route 88, a couple of miles past Apache Junction, with a car behind us waiting for an opportunity to pass. I hear a loud squeal, look in the mirror and see the pickup behind him fishtailing and kicking up a cloud of dust, apparently avoiding rear-ending the car waiting for us. It’s obviously time to leave the road and let the cars pass, so I start pulling off onto the gravel and shout back to Rachael to get off also.

I almost become the hood ornament I’ve tried to avoid becoming all my life. That pickup just couldn’t stand it any longer apparently, and decided to pass. Not on the pavement of course, because there is oncoming traffic. He’s passing on our right, racing up the gravel shoulder I’m just pulling off onto. I’m watching the road traffic in my mirror, and I don’t hear him until he’s practically right on my shoulder. I straighten myself out just in time as he speeds past and jerks back onto the pavement. This is a new one on me, just one more thing to be aware can happen.

It didn’t really scare me at the time, because it all happened too fast; but it did moments later when I started thinking it over. That did it though. Who cares if REI thinks this is a swell ride - we’re turning back as soon as we can find a gap in the traffic. We put in some miles biking through neighborhoods before calling it a day, but that’s it. We’re out of here.

The Superstition Mountains. I love the name of this range, and should look up the history. This is not Route 88 by the way, although it would look just like this if you add more cars, pickups, campers, and cars towing boats. Here, we’re biking down into the residential neighborhoods of Apache Junction, looking for a side route to avoid the highway for a few miles.

A bit south of Kingman we transitioned out of the Mohave Desert and entered the Sonoran. Suddenly, saguaro cacti sprout up in forests everywhere we look. Expect to see a lot of crazy cactus sculptures in the coming days.

And tree-sized cholla. Totally different vegetation down here.

Still biking down into the Apache Junction neighborhoods. Quite a pretty ride really, as far as it goes. Which isn’t very far.

I’ll save you a bit of research. Regardless of what the GPS routes show, you can’t cut through Apache Junction to cut a few miles out of the ride on 88. The pavement ends on this short trail, which looks like it would continue on and reconnect to the grid on the other side of a small wash; but it’s all private land, protected by barbed wire fences.

It was worth coming down this dead-end route though for this. Kestrels are normally flighty teases that keep their distance, flying off just before you get close enough for a half way decent shot. This one kindly stood its ground for a change.

This is an attractive area, at pavement’s end in a different corner of Apache Junction. Looks like a nice spot for a hike, but it was also a good spot to just sit off the road a ways and enjoy our lunch.

We could keep looking for other dead-end residential streets to bike down just to add up the miles, but I’ve had enough. We drop down from here toward the car, waiting for us about four miles ahead.

Ride stats today: 18 miles, 700’; for the tour: 1,025 miles, 54,300’

Today's ride: 18 miles (29 km)
Total: 1,025 miles (1,650 km)

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Jacquie GaudetYikes! I know there are good places to ride in the USA but I hear too many stories like this. Not exactly the same, though, yours, Scott, is a a new and terrifying one.
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4 years ago

Susan CarpenterWhat a harrowing experience! And so totally beyond the pale. So glad you both made it back to the Blue Whale physically unscathed.
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4 years ago

Bill ShaneyfeltYou stopped too soon! Traffic would have thinned out soon, and you always have idiots who think they are invincible and do stupid things.

Lost Dutchman State Park is a great place to hike, and likely was the destination of the idiot. I "camped" there in '07, but ended up sleeping in the car because my campsite got washed out by a monsoon. Camped there a couple days with my brother in '13. Glorious time hiking.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetI still can’t quite believe this really happened. It’s one I won’t forget though, I’m sure. This would never happen in Spain!
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterThanks, Susan. Definitely an unnerving experience.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltOh, thanks, Bill. Don’t you want us to at least survive until the snakes and lizards come out?
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4 years ago

Patrick O'HaraHey Scott. Glad you guys are okay. It's always unnerving and off-putting to have a scary cycle experience like that. Kind of hard to enjoy your cycling day after that. Good decision to call it a day.
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4 years ago

Bill ShaneyfeltTo Scott AndersonYou might have even seen a lizard or two up there if it was warm enough.

I understand the feeling. I endured idiots so many times commuting over the years, and at times I felt like they were out to get me. Getting yelled at, having stuff thrown at me, and of course the ones that drive like they were demon possessed. They always made me feel like never taking that particular street again.
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4 years ago

Bruce LellmanI'm so glad you guys are all right. What a horrible experience. The people in SE Asia are so mellow I can't imagine anything like that happening here. Expressing anger over here is just not done in public. On the other hand we nearly got rubbed out on a bridge yesterday by a large truck simply because there wasn't a lot of room and he apparently thought there was. It was close. This is risky business this cycle touring!
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Bruce LellmanSo much luck in life, isn’t there? No harm fortunately, just another learning opportunity. Glad to hear you’re fine too. It would be a shame to have that free cup of Spielman’s best go unclaimed.
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraIt was an easy call to turn back here. It wasn’t even all that easy to cross the road to turn back. All’s well that ends well though. Better to be lucky than smart, I always say.
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4 years ago

Bruce LellmanTo Scott AndersonWe had sheets at a guest house once that said, "We in life lucky."

I'm taking you up on that coffee offer at Spielman's the next time we see each other.
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4 years ago

Steve Miller/Grampies
As usual, adversity makes for good reading! I quite "enjoyed" your account of the traffic hazards one has to be aware of when cycling. Actually, it probably isn't even comprehensive - as shown by the new one added in this post.

I dropped the Google man somewhere on Highway 88, and yikes, I really see what you mean. Good move getting out of there!
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4 years ago