In Douglas: a ride out Route 80

January 31, 2020

The Gadsden Hotel

We’re staying here in Douglas in the Gadsden Hotel. First though, a brief history reminder about this region for those that may have forgotten it since their US History class back in secondary school.

Everywhere we’ve traveled since leaving Globe two weeks ago is in land purchased from Mexico in 1853 in the Gadsden Purchase. It was the last expansion of the borders of the continental United States, and marked the completion of the Manifest Destiny.

Prior to that, the border with Mexico was drawn along the Gila River, the southern border of the land taken from Mexico in the Mexican Cession in 1948 at the completion of the Mexican-American War. The Mexican Cession was a huge block of territory, including all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, all of Arizona and New Mexico except for the small part later added through the Gadsden Purchase, and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

The United States purchased the Gadsden block primarily because they needed the land to complete the planned southern transcontinental railroad line, which needed to go this far south to avoid the mountains further north. They bought it for ten million dollars, and Mexico sold it because they needed the cash.

The purchase was named for Stephen Gadsden, the US ambassador to Mexico who negotiated the agreement. In Mexico, they refer to this transaction as Venta de La Mesilla (the sale of the Mesilla).

The Gadsden Hotel opened in 1907, and was named after the Gadsden Purchase. After being leveled by fire, it was rebuilt in 1929. It is a very impressive building, that startles you with its scale and grandeur when you first enter its spacious lobby. Here’s how Wikipedia describes it:

The Gadsden's spacious main lobby is majestically set with a solid white Italian staircase and four soaring marble columns. A stained glass window mural of the Southwest Desert by 5th generation artist Ralph Baker, who studied under Louis Comfort Tiffany, extends forty-two feet across one wall of the massive mezzanine. An impressive oil painting by Audley Dean Nichols is just below the Tiffany-style window. The hotel’s vaulted stained glass skylights run the full length of the lobby.

The mirror behind the reception desk, with a reflection of the central staircase and stained glass windows.

Stained glass windows, the Gadsden Hotel

One of the two stained glass lobby skylights, the Gadsden Hotel

Another take on the ocotillo. We’ve seen a lot of these in this journal now.

Today’s ride

Let’s have dessert first today and start with the video:

Video sound track: Wind Spirit, by Bill Miller

Today’s ride follows a model we’re getting familiar with by now: an out and back along a lonely desert highway under cool, clear skies. Today we’re riding northeast from Douglas up US 80, to no place in particular - just as far as we feel like riding. In fact, there’s not really any place in particular in this direction until tiny Rodeo, fifty miles away at the state line with New Mexico.

If you were riding cross country, Rodeo would make a natural next stop. And, if you’re riding across Arizona this is the route the state of Arizona recommends you take, not the ACA Southern Tier Route. The recently designated US Bicycle Route 90 follows this road, Route 80, all the way from Benson to Rodeo.

Route 80 is the only paved road across deep southeast Arizona, and I’ve wondered how safe or quiet it would be. We’re keeping an open mind as we bike out of a Douglas into a mild headwind. If it seems too busy or the shoulder inadequate or the wind too annoyingly strong, we can just cross the highway and head back.

Actually though, it’s a terrific ride. It’s startling how quiet and empty the road is. I imagine all of the significant east west traffic is up north on the interstate freeway, leaving this road just to the locals - and there aren’t many locals down here, so it’s a darn quiet road. In our five hours out here we saw only one long haul truck that I can recall.

And, the scenery’s not too shabby either. In a different season (a bit warmer than now), I’d be pretty happy to just keep riding.

Eastbound on Route 80, a few miles east of Douglas. We have a slow, easy climb for the next seven or eight miles, to a low saddle.

Our route bends around the College Peaks, crossing through the saddle on the left before dropping back into the basin on the other side.

About eight miles into the ride we come to the first cattle we’ll see today. Also the last, until we pass them again going the other direction.

I’m not sure, but I think this colorful yucca-framed butte is Castle Dome. For the purposes of this journal we’ll assume I’m right.

As we’ve just learned, this is Castle Dome.

I have no idea what these are; thistles, perhaps. Pretty though.

Dropping into San Bernardino Valley, looking ahead to the low formations around the New Mexico border.

We stop for lunch when we reach Rachael’s magic distance - if we turn back here we’ll just hit 42 miles, her ideal length ride. It’s pretty featureless country, so we just look for a spot to lean the bikes and squat on the sand by the side of the road to eat our lunch, staring at Mexico just a few miles further south.

I’m not sure, but I think only a single car passes us while we eat lunch. When we’re done though and head back to the bikes, he’s back again. It’s a patrol car. The officer stops, rolls down the window, asks if we’re OK. He apparently saw our bikes and doubled back to check on us. We let him know we’re fine, we’ve just stopped for a lunch break, and thank him for stopping to check on us. Later though, it occurs to me that this close to the border he’s probably checking to make sure we’re OK in a different sense than I was thinking.

The ride back goes faster than the way out. It’s more down than up this way, and we have the wind with us. It’s a breeze.

Douglas is the far eastern edge of our loop. Tomorrow we start working our way back toward Tucson, climbing up into the Mule Mountains to Bisbee.

Looking south into northern Mexico. We’re only about ten miles from the border here.

On our way back to Douglas, biking toward the College Peaks again.

Rachael thinks this ridge looks like a dinosaur. Not sure why.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 42 miles, 1,300’; for the tour: 1,549 miles, 74,600’

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 1,549 miles (2,493 km)

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Bill ShaneyfeltAn interesting place just north of Rodeo is the Chiricahua Desert Museum. I attended a Lizard Biology Conference there spring 2 years ago.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47180-d2226818-Reviews-Chiricahua_Desert_Museum-Rodeo_New_Mexico.html
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4 years ago

Jen RahnLove the song for today's video .. made me want to get out there and ride that rode.

I can imagine after living in NW Oregon again, we'll want to take some trips out into the desert. So cool that we have your journals to reference for road trip/ride ideas!
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4 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnWasn’t that a good music selection though? It really brings out the isolation and loneliness of this region.

You won’t have to go far from Silverton to find riding like this, either - just head over to central Oregon and check out the country east of Dufur. No roadrunners though.
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4 years ago