Day 9 Benson - Tombstone - Bisbee, AZ - Gass-powered Tandem: xcountry

March 8, 2021

Day 9 Benson - Tombstone - Bisbee, AZ

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Glenn GassEverything sounds great, except for Ken's cold - that must be miserable. Hope it clears quickly. We LOVED Sagauro Nat'l Park and Tombstone was fun until the OK Corral reenactment terrified the boys (on our 2000 trip). Congrats on making it to the highest point!
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3 years ago

Due to Covid, we get bag breakfasts at the motels. Only today, our motel ran out of "egg mcmuffin" type sandwiches. Dennis had to race to Safeway to buy more for our group. He also gives us bananas and instant oatmeal. We need the calories, so we eat whatever the motel provides but we sure do miss a "real" breakfast.

Today we welcomed cloudy skies and 59 degrees. We found a face sunscreen we really like: LaRoche-Posay's Anthelios 50 . It rubs in well.

Here is your daily early morning mountain picture:

Today's 50 mile ride was a gradual uphill (with headwinds or sidewinds, of course) .

Rode into Tombstone at mile 25.

A lot of nothing east of Tombstone, but did see remote houses and ranches.

Rolling hills until mile 45 when we hit a relentless hill of 4-6% grade for 2.5 miles. The wind died down at least and the sun wasn't out. The top was the highest point we will reach on this whole trip....The Continental Divide, 6030 ft.

I have felt the elevation the last few days...a little short of breath, but still able to cycle hard. Ken is feeling much better after 2 good nights' sleep. We screamed downhill into Bisbee for about 3 miles. Actually Ken's arms ached from braking on the winding road. I got cold and was beat; had to sit down quickly and get food and liquid in me.

Bisbee is an adorable former copper mining town turned Artsy.

Courthouse and statue honoring the copper miners

Bisbee Bicycle Brothel is a museum and bike shop. Owner Ken Wallace is a character. For more...google it.

At dinner, we learned that Jerr is going to go home for 10 days to try to heal his extreme saddle sores (ulceration). He really had not put in the miles before this trip and he was using a rental bike... it caught up with him. He's hoping to rejoin us in Texas. We hope so too. When people say, "put in miles in the saddle", they mean it!!

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 2,269 miles (3,652 km)

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Jeanna & Kerry SmithNothing succeeds like preparation. When people ask us how we prepare for our long trips, we always say "We just ride the bike." No fancy or elaborate training regimens, no special nutritional plans, just go out and ride. Of course, your trip is much more challenging than anything we've tried. You are truly bad ass!
Kerry can relate to the rider with ulcerated saddle sores. That is almost unbearable. I hope he heals and can rejoin you later.
We're glad to hear that Ken is feeling better, too.
Enjoy!
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3 years ago

Steven BanGlad to hear Ken didn’t get any more ill; I was a bit concerned because you two weren’t fully Covid protected at the start, being less than two weeks from your second shot and not much masking around your group.🤨
As to saddle sores, my solution, when I recently lost weight and therefore butt cushion, has been to wear two bike shorts, which doubles the chamois thickness....Ahhhh! And no problem with chafing.
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3 years ago