Day 2: Through the pines, off the Mogollon rim, to Tonto Natural Bridge

May 4, 2003

As expected, it got fairly cold overnight. At sunrise it was 37F inside my tent, but there was a little bit of ice on the picnic table outside. Unlike yesterday, the skies were clear and wind was light. It felt very good in places where the sun was shining. The temperature was still a cool 44F when I got on the road shortly after 8 AM, but it was rising rapidly. The temperature was in the 50's by 10 AM.

Forest Road 3 winds through Coconino National Forest on the Mogollon plateau.

I rode south on Forest Road 3 to Happy Jack, which turned out to be just a ranger station. No store, no town. I continued south with a moderate headwind, gradually climbing to 7700 feet elevation, then gradually downhill. I stopped for lunch at a National Forest lodge 2 miles before Forest Road 3 connects with Highway 87. That was a pleasant and unexpected surprise after Happy Jack had nothing to eat. When I got to Highway 87 I turned southwest towards Strawberry. The road has good pavement but no shoulder! The highway has more traffic than the forest road but still only 5-10 cars per minute. There were very few trucks on the road because it was Sunday. This would not be a pleasant road to ride on a weekday when trucks are out. The trend was downhill for several miles, dropping to 6700 feet elevation. But then the road climbs to 7450 feet elevation at the junction with Highway 260.

After the junction was 8 mostly downhill miles, dropping off the Mogollon Rim to 6047 feet elevation in Strawberry. That was nice. I could feel the temperature rise into the 60's as I descended. And there were great views to the west looking up at the Mogollon Rim.

Looking back at the Mogollon Rim that I just came down.

I got to Strawberry at 2:30 PM. The weather was nice and I felt strong, so I decided to quickly check into the Strawberry Lodge, drop off the panniers, and continue south to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. I knew it was 10 miles each way to the park and that the park is 1500 feet lower than Strawberry. I expected it to be all downhill to the park. It was downhill 3 miles to Pine, but then there was a 500 foot climb before continuing the descent to the park. I knew the final distance to the park was steep downhill, but I was surprised to see the sign announcing a 14% grade. I'm glad I didn't have my panniers! I could feel the temperature steadily rise into the low 70's as I descended to the park at 4530 feet elevation. Tonto Natural Bridge state park has a large natural bridge that is 183 feet high over a 400 foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet wide at its widest point. There aren't very many trees at that elevation but the canyon area under the bridge is very lush and has many small springs dripping from above. Over time the dripping springs have created travertine formations that resemble what you would see in a cave.

Springs dripping down the wall of the canyon at Tonto Natural Bridge.

I walked all the park's trails for a total of 1.5 miles and took many photos. None of the photos came out wonderful because of the bright sun and deep shadows. It was difficult to get pictures of the entire bridge even with my '24mm' wide angle lens. Nevertheless, my eyes could see it just fine and the weather was wonderful.

Deck where the trail ends under the bridge.

Looking upstream from under Tonto Natural Bridge.

After walking around the park for over an hour I went back to the bike to begin the 2000 foot climb back to the motel in Strawberry. The 14% grade was difficult but I barely managed to complete the steep section without stopping to catch my breath. Even after the grade eased there was still a very long climb ahead. Fortunately it was late enough that traffic was light on Hwy 87 which has no shoulder.

I took a short break in Pine to buy groceries. Afterwards the last 600 foot climb to Strawberry was very easy. Back to the motel room at 7:15 PM, just after sunset. The temperature dropped to 51F by then. I ate dinner at a nice Italian Restaurant a block from the motel. As if the long strenuous day wasn't enough, 3 Moretti La Rosa beers I had with dinner would definitely make me sleep well tonight.

Distance: 74.7 miles (119.5 km)

Climbing: 4630 feet (1412 m)

Average Speed: 10.7 mph (17.1 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 41 mph (65.6 km/h)

Hiking: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)

Today's ride: 75 miles (121 km)
Total: 106 miles (171 km)

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