Saddle 'em up boys!

November 22, 2021

Tucson ride take 3

It was partly cloudy this morning and I told Don I wanted to do a ride on my own or on the tandem. Either one was fine, I just needed to get out!

But first we had to get our laundry done. Don volunteered to do that on his own. That took a while and as he hadn't gotten an early enough start, it was lunch time by the time he got back. But he said he was up for a ride. We grabbed a quick bite, then headed out on the tandem.

Today's ride was an out and back route going north on Oracle Rd/Highway 77 to the upscale Saddlebrooke Ranch development.

We first cut over onto the Canada del Oro bike trail for a short while until we could get onto a road that curved through a business park. That took us off of the highway and lessened the climb for a few miles.

There was a surprising amount of traffic past the businesses including some dirt trucks as there was construction happening ahead of us. But we had a nice bike lane to work with so it was tolerable.

Eventually this road took us back to Oracle Rd where we had MUCH more traffic. This 4-lane divided highway is busy since it takes you to the Phoenix area, bypassing the interstate.

At least it had a big shoulder, although I was afraid we would get a flat due to all of the debris along the roadside. The desert and mountain scenery was nice, as long as you didn't look at the trash.

Going north we had quite a climb until we reached the town of Catalina. Then it leveled out a bit. There was a bike trail along the highway that we took for a short way. That was nice as it took us off of the highway but when there started to be too many driveways intersecting the path to contend with, we hopped back onto the road.

Last year we had ridden out this way but had gone into the neighborhoods to the east of the highway. I wanted to do that again so we turned onto a side road that deadended into a crappy, low income area with dogs barking and lunging at us from behind fences. The street we were on was equally rough and potholed, so as soon as we could we returned to the highway.

I knew that there were nicer homes out there, but we were winging it today, so hadn't quite picked the correct through street.

When we got to the turn into Saddlebrooke, we only rode to a fork where we turned around when Don said he had done enough miles. There was a steep hill ahead of us going one direction with the other road climbing even higher up to the actual development. My legs told me I had done enough climbing for the day!

We did a u-turn and got back onto Oracle Rd which was fast downhill run. When we got to the business park area, we turned off and continued screaming downhill - up to 30'ish mph!

I just hung on, stayed still and hoped for the best! On our Seavo we have disc brakes which work fine but sometimes I miss the drag brake that I could control on the Screamer.

The downhill was fun but I was glad to get to the state park. To cool our legs off, we rode up to the parking lot where there were hiking trails, then also did a couple of loops in the campground area to check out if any other Airstreams had checked in. There seem to be about a half dozen or so every day that we've been here.

After we changed clothes, we drove back to the business park where we had earlier spotted the Western National Parks store. Don had stopped in during our ride, and said it was a big store. He thought we should come back to look more closely at things.

They sold a lot of cool things, including Pendleton blankets. We couldn't resist a small lap blanket that will be perfect for covering my legs in the trailer. It's purchase helps the American Indian College Fund. Some spice blends, a collection of national park stickers and a nifty Xmas ornament with a saguaro cactus scene on it also hopped into our basket.

We ended up joining the Western NP organization which helps fund various programs at our national parks. You get a 10% discount on merchandise online and at their other stores across the country, in addition to other benefits and discounts.

Overall it had been a good day but I'm done riding Oracle for this trip. I sure hope that the rain holds off so we can do another ride tomorrow.

This is wildlife overpass on Oracle Rd. It was one of the widest ones we've ever seen.

The fruit on this cactus caught my eye. It was about the size of an apple. I think this is a Senita Cactus?

I believe this is a Barbary Fig - a type of spineless cactus that grows as high as a tree.

I think this is a Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus. The pads were quite large - bigger than my hand, and it had a thick trunk.

These colorful House Finches love our feeders. Very common bird around Tucson and even back home in Denver.

Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 163 miles (262 km)

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Scott AndersonI’ve lost track, but have you ridden the extension of the Loop out northwest along the Rillito River? It’s one of my favorite sections of the whole system and not too far from you. You might give it a try, maybe starting at the parking lot by the sports center just west of La Cholla Boulevard.
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2 years ago

marilyn swettTo Scott AndersonWe rode an out and back ride yesterday from Catalina SP (which really isn't close to many trails) on the Canada del Oro Trail down to the Santa Cruz River, then onto the Rillito River Trail. We took that trail for a short ways, then turned around. We haven't really gone NW since that part of town is a long ways away from us, but might ride the Loop if we can find a place to park so we aren't finishing a long ride with an uphill.

We also want to ride in Saguaro NP and do a ride to the Mission both of which we've done before. They require us to load the bike and drive to a starting point.
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2 years ago