The Loop South
Another wonderful day in Tucson!
We headed south today hoping to discover a different section of the loop and noticed there were a few more people out today. We cycled from Grant Street to Valencia enjoying the sun on our faces and a slight wind at our back which was just a bit different from many other days on this trip.
Before we knew it, the dreaded “path ends” sign showed and we stopped for a moment as two roadrunners decided to stop with us and entertain us for several minutes. One danced in the parking lot while the other went up a tree and “talked” to us for several minutes. Of course, we scrambled for our phones and camera to capture the birds as we don’t have roadrunners way up north.
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From there we turned north again and decided to then take the Jullian Wash turn and thought we would cycle as far as the airplane boneyard. We stopped a few folks asking how far, would we see it, and mostly got some stares and “just up ahead” type comments. By the time I pulled out my phone, I realized we still had several miles and we still needed to get back to our start point. So turn around.
So … the loop has been an extremely nice ride but I must comment that the one section of the Jullian Wash that goes through a congested area isn’t quite at those standards. In fact we spent several minutes slowly following a homeless lady who had acquired a mattress that was perched on her cart that completely blocked the pathway. Admittedly, something I’ve never seen before. A few more painted lines would definitely clarify for cyclists some of the cross intersection pathways.
Back on the Loop north we almost stopped at Grant Street but decided to do a few more miles to go check out the Sweetwater Wetlands I’d seen on the map. But before going I saw a Bike Friday coming and took the chance to see if it was Rachel Anderson, another cycleblaze member. Turned out it was! We chatted for a few minutes before she headed south and we headed north and got one final treat for the day, two coyotes feeding up the wash seeing what the recent rains left behind.
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You’re right about that corner of the loop at the base of Julian Wash. it’s by far the worst segment in the system. It’s a shame, because the rest of the Julian Wash is maybe the best.
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
Hopefully we will be back in a few days to ride the other side of the Loop but first we need to head east to add New Mexico to our 50 state quest.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 227 miles (365 km)
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