June 12 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Huckleberry Pass, Tour Divide Riders and a Big Black Bear

Cooper's Lake to Lincoln MT

Mileage - 25.43

We climb out of our tent early in the morning.  Shawnee and Carlos are already making cowboy coffee and invite us to join them.  We sit and chat with them for a bit, and enjoy their hospitality.  Then it's time for oatmeal prepared on our camp stove.  Finally it is time to break camp and load up our bikes.  This is our first time camping out, and the whole process takes us awhile, so of course we get a late start.  What a surprise!  We are further delayed by some workmen who have come to fix up the campground, and we stop to chat with them.  This is a beautiful, small campground, and is usually pretty quiet.  Most of the land around the lake is privately owned, and we are glad that this little section is open to people like us.

Riding up to get to the campground means riding down to leave, but that doesn't last long.  Soon we enter the Helena National Forest and start a 6.4 mile climb up to Huckleberry Pass.  This is the first significant climbing we've had to do, and Kitty is a little anxious.  We are starting out at about 4200 feet elevation, and Huckleberry Pass is over 6000 feet, so it is quite a climb, all on gravel roads.  We take our time, and it isn't too bad.  Much of the time we are able to keep going by "paperboying" - that is, switchbacking from side to side on the gravel roads where there is very little traffic.  When that doesn't work we use an approach which we decide to call RPR/Repeat.  Ride, Push, Rest - Repeat.  As always, the views along the way make it all worth it.

Along the way today we keep meeting tour divide riders.  First we meet Dylan, who has a picture of his sweetheart to motivate him.  Then we meed Catherine from New Zealand, who is a very happy person and seems to be really enjoying her adventure. Later we meet George from Germany and then Mike.  All of the riders take time to stop for a few minutes and chat.  They are very friendly and seem to be impressed that a couple of old folks like us are riding the Great Divide MBR.  We start to call ourselves "Gramps and Granny of the Great Divide".

We make it to the crest of the pass and stop for lunch.  There is snow here, but not so much that it is a problem to ride through.  Still, it is chilly and we are thankful for our warm clothes. We enjoy our lunch - PBJ burritos of course.  Then we start the ride down to Lincoln where we plan to spend the night.  The ride down is not too hard, but some of the gravel is a little tricky.  When we are almost to the paved road that goes to Lincoln, a big black bear crosses the road in front of us.  He stops on his way up the hill on the other side and looks back.  This is probably the biggest black bear we've ever seen, with a beautiful, thick, shiny black coat.  When he pauses CC yells to Kitty to take a picture.  But the bear turns and continues up the hill before she can get her camera out.   CC is disappointed, but Kitty is relieved that the bear didn't find us that interesting.

We ride into Lincoln in good time and decide to stay at the Three Bears Motel, which turns out to be a fantastic choice.  They have a sign out welcoming GD Riders, so we know we can't go too wrong.  The owners, Kevin and Louanne, recommend the Montana Steak House for dinner, and that's where we eat a very satisfying dinner.  Back at the hotel we chat with the owners, who are very friendly and helpful.  The rooms are clean and comfortable and the price is right.  It is cold and rainy out, so we are glad to be in a warm, comfortable bed.

June 11 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Meeting Tour Divide Racers

Seeley Lake to Big Nelson Campground 

Mileage - 47.82
Monday morning we head back to the Chicken Coop for a hearty breakfast. We are the first customers in the restaurant.  We get an early start, and head out on a beautiful forest road.  It feels good to be off the highways and away from traffic. 

Kitty doesn't have much experience riding on gravel roads, but with hard packed gravel like these roads the riding is easy.  We have some rollers, but no big hills and we make good time to Ovando.  We are ready for lunch by the time we get there, so we ride a little out of the way to go to Trixie's, a bar just outside of town.  We order the standard Montana meal - a cheeseburger and fries.  Neither of us is used to eating a lot of red meat, but when in Montana, eat as a Montanan.  That means beef.

Trixie's is a treat.  Many of the bars in Montana also serve great food, and that is the case here.  The server is also the cook, and there are others in queue ahead of us, so it gives us some time to explore.  CC talks with a local who has obviously been at the bar for a few hours before we arrive.  Kitty explores the information about Trixie McCormick, who was quite well known in the area as a cowgirl and rodeo performer in the early 1900's.  She also ran the local bar, where we are now having lunch.  And, as you can see, she had quite a sense of humor.

After we enjoy our hamburgers and fries, we opt for a piece of homemade rhubarb berry pie a la mode.  A wonderful way to finish off lunch and get ready to get back on the road.  We head into the town of Ovando, and notice a bicycle that seems like it must belong to one of the Tour Divide racers.  The Tour Divide began on June 8 in Banff, and is a race along the Adventure Cycling's Great Divide Route, the same route that we are leisurely following.  We've read about it, and we know you have to be really tough to do it.  We've been kind of following the race, and are excited to meet one of the racers.

As we are admiring the bike, Erik Lobek comes out on the porch.  We've been watching the race, and we know that he was in third place the last time we looked.  But today he is nursing his Achilles' tendon.  He said coming over Whitefish Pass, Red Meadow Pass and Richmond Peak had involved pushing his bike through about 30 miles of deep snow.  That pushing had taken its toll, and he was taking a little time to see if he could recover and keep on.  We find out the next day that he has scratched.  

We head out of Ovando towards Big Nelson Campground on Cooper's Lake.  It's a little off route, and it requires riding up a big hill - but it is definitely worth it.  We pitch our tent for the first time and roll out our mats and sleeping bags.  We had a big lunch, so we opt for PBJ burritos for dinner.  There are signs warning about bears and fines for not hanging our food, so we hang all of our food as best we can.  Shawnee and Carlos from Helena are also camping there, and they invite us to join them around the fire they've built.  We sit for a spell with them, and then head to our "casita".  We are delighted to find that it is quite comfortable and we sleep well, with no visits from bears thank goodness!

June 10 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

It's All About The Weather

A Day in Seeley Lake 

We had hoped to get back on the Adventure Cycling route today, riding our Surly Long Haul Truckers out onto the Forest Roads for a night of camping out.  But the weather is still cold and wet, and the forecast is not good.  If we were twenty years younger, then maybe camping out under these conditions would be acceptable.  But we are in our mid-sixties and we enjoy the comforts of a warm hotel room when it's cold and wet.  So we opt to spend the day in Seeley Lake.

This town is a long strip along Highway 83.  There isn't really a "downtown."  We head out walking down the strip to The Chicken Coop for breakfast.  It is Sunday morning, and we walk by the local church and hear the choir practicing for Sunday service.  The restaurant is full of local people enjoying a good big breakfast.  On the way back, we stop by the farmer's market to look around.  We buy some yummy cinnamon rolls (one of our basic food groups on this trip) and also some Amish cheese for snacks along the way.

We spend the rest of the day resting and exploring the little shops here in this small town.  It is obvious that the town depends on tourism, and the tourist season is being delayed by the cold weather.  The feel of this town is different from Big Fork, which was very trendy.  This town is much more down home, and it feels like it caters more to local hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.  We like the feel of it.  Like many of the businesses out here, there are carved wooden statues at the entrance of some of the shops we walk by.

We spend time watching the weather channel and hoping for some improvement.  We have a little more of our camp food for lunch and dinner, followed by ice cream of course.  It's never too cold for ice cream.  Then we pack up all of our gear, planning on an early departure on Sunday.  We will be back on route, out in the woods.  We may even be glad for that expensive, heavy bear spray we are carrying with us!!

June 9 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

A Side-Trip to Holland Lake

Condon to Seeley Lake MT

Mileage 38.03
We enjoy the good hearty breakfast Bud prepares for us, and enjoy seeing the photography gallery he has.  He and his wife give photography workshops there, and their students leave some of their work there to display.  A very interesting place and person.  And a beautiful location, as you can see from this picture we took before breakfast.

It takes us a while to get on the road.  CC has warned Kitty about misplacing things, and this morning we both learn how frustrating this can be.  Kitty can't find her bike computer and wastes time looking everywhere for it before she finally finds it buried in the bed covers.  Then CC can't find his gloves.  He took them off when he discovered that the garlic oil we have brought along for camp meals has leaked.  He got the oil cleaned up, but now his gloves have disappeared.  Again, we both spend time looking before we finally give up and CC gets out his fingerless gloves for today's ride.

We enjoy the scenery along Route 83, and the traffic is still not too bad.  We come to the entrance to Holland Lake and decide to go on in, hoping to have lunch at the Resort there.  It is Saturday, so we figure they should be open.  It is a long 4 miles in on a dirt road with a hill, and it seems to get colder as we head in.  But the pay-off is the beauty of the lake.  As we pull up to the resort, three friendly dogs come out to meet us, but they seem to be the only living creatures there.  Another car pulls up just as we are finding that the door to the restaurant is locked.  We are all disappointed to miss lunch.  But we have the good fortune to meet Mary Lynn, who puts her arms around us and invites us to bow our heads in prayer as she asks for the blessing of safe travel for us.  The blessing, the beauty - a trip well worth it even if we do leave with empty bellies!

Back on the highway, we are eager to get to Seeley Lake, our destination for the night.  The weather seems to be getting worse, colder and the clouds closing in.  We have our rain jackets on to deal with the occasional sprinkles that we are riding through.  We actually get sleeted on for about 15 seconds, and are very happy when it stops.

 We have a room for the night at the Seeley Lake Motor Lodge, and it is a real relief to finally arrive there.  The rooms are clean, the people are friendly.  We find a safe place to leave our Surly Long Haul Truckers, and unload everything into our room.  We decide to use the microwave in the room to cook dinner.  We have been hauling around too much food, thinking we would be doing more camping out, but the weather has been cold and wet.  So we lighten our load and fill our bellies with camp food, and then head out for ice cream just down the road.  Cold and wet outside, warm and comfy inside.

June 8 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

The Senior Alternate Route

 Ferndale to Condon MT

Mileage - 41.25
We wake up hungry and enticed by the smells of coffee and good home-cooking coming from the kitchen.  Megan's breakfast is tasty and hearty - a soufle with roasted red pepper sauce, a fruit and coconut smoothy, and a pineapple coffee cake.  Breakfast is served at 8:30, and we take our time and chat with the other guests, Bea and Clain, who are from Canada.  We have already decided to bypass the regular Great Divide route today, which would take us up towards Richmond Peak.  Instead we will head to Condon along route 83.  Megan is kind enough to suggest a B&B there, and even calls to make sure we have a room.  What service!

When we finally get our bikes loaded, it is late morning again.  We don't seem to be able to get an early start, but we are enjoying our mornings.  Route 83 proves to be a pretty nice alternative to the Forest Roads we chose not to follow.  There is traffic, but it isn't too bad. 

There is weather all around us, so we spend a lot of the day watching the skies.  It is raining or snowing all around us, and we figure it is just a matter of time before we get soaked.  We stop at the Trading Post in Swan Lake, hoping for a cinnamon roll and coffee, and have to settle for just coffee.  Things seem pretty dead around here.  The late snows and wet weather are delaying tourist season, and it has an impact on the local economy.

Along the way, we meet a couple of young bicyclists  who are on their way from Buffalo NY to Alaska!!!  What an adventure.  We chat across the road for a while, and exchange URLs for our blogs.  Hope things are going well for you, Emmalee and Joe!

We're not sure exactly where The Standing Rock B&B is in Condon.  Rain is threatening when CC suggests pulling over to call.  Thank goodness we do.  We thought we had about 6 miles to go, and we are only a little over a mile away.  Bud tells us that the only place to get food between here and there is a little place called the Mission Mountain Mercantile just up the road.  It is just starting to rain when we get to the store, but then the skies open up and it pours down.  What a good break for us!

The turkey and provolone sandwich, chips and chocolate milk make a great dinner, which we enjoy on the deck outside the Merc.  George strikes up a conversation with Butch, who has lived in the area for a long time, has been a logger, and has some suggestions for the Forest Service.  We also get a warm welcome from Jost from Holland, who met his wife when he was biking in this area and got lost.  The Merc seems to be the center of social and economic activity for Condon MT.

The rain finally lets up, and we head down the road to The Standing Rock B&B, where Bud is waiting to show us where to leave our bikes, and then to our room for the night.  Nice and comfortable.  Out of the weather, warm and dry.

June 7 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

On The Road At Last

Whitefish to Ferndale MT 

Mileage - 53.78
We finally get on the road on Thursday, June 7. Of course, we don't get started quite as early as planned, but we are happy to see beautiful weather. We are sorry that we missed the first part of the Adventure Cycling route from Roosville on the Canadian border, but are happy to be following their route now. We head out of Whitefish on side roads, through the countryside. Most of the roads are paved back roads with very little traffic, with a few gravel roads thrown in to keep it interesting. The views are breath-taking, as you can see from this picture.

 We stop for our lunch of peanut butter and jelly burritos at a city park in Columbia Falls.  We are finding Montana to be filled with friendly people, so we aren't surprised when a woman stops to chat and asks us where we are headed.  When we tell her New Mexico, she cheers us on by telling us about a horse named "Believe You Can" who had just won the Kentucky Oaks.  It was the first time a horse ridden by a woman had won that race.  Kitty remember this, and "Believe You Can" becomes part of her mantra when the riding gets tough.  
The afternoon riding goes well.  We are both very happy to be started on our journey, and the riding is great.  The road surfaces make for easy riding, there is very little traffic, and the scenery continues to be inspiring.  There are a few rollers, but the riding is relatively easy.  A great way to get started!  Even so, we are ready to arrive at our night's destination.  We find Candlewycke Inn B&B easily and are welcomed by Megan.  We drop off our gear, ask for the nearest place to get a good dinner, and ride over to Rosa's Pizza. This is a family-owned business with great pizza and excellent service.  We sit outside and fill our empty stomachs.  It is so nice to eat lots of good food when you know you've already worked it off!

On the way back to the B&B, we ride through Big Fork, a little tourist town that is filled with trendy little shops.  Then we ride along the Swan River Trail.  What a beautiful way to end the day!  CC soaks in a hot bath to soothe his aching knee while Kitty looks at the Great Divide book to get familiar with what is coming up tomorrow.  We fall asleep in our very comfortable bed, tired but happy that our adventure has finally begun, and what a fine beginning it is!!!  

June 6 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Whitefish MT 

Man These Bikes Are Heavy 

We had a great afternoon in Whitefish on Wednesday, June 6.  We picked up our Surly Long Haul Truckers from Glacier Cyclery and began to get reacquainted with them.  Kitty felt really awkward on her bike, as she usually does when she hasn't been on it for a while.  CC lowered the seat, which helped a lot.  Both bikes were in great shape, thanks to the careful maintenance and packing that Anne at Twin Sisters in Silver City had done, and the careful unpacking and double checking that Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish did.  We did a lot of walking in the rain in Whitefish, and of course found a place with great food.  Just down the street from the Super 8 is a little local restaurant called The Shak.  We had been told to go for their barbecued brisket and pulled pork and to stay away from their fried chicken.  We ended up getting a little of everything, and it was ALL fantastic.  We chatted for a bit with Sherry.  She and her husband are the owners, cooks, servers, and dish washers.  They've come up from New Orleans and brought their good cajun cooking with them.  On the weekends they have special cajun entres.  If you are ever in Whitefish and want really good home cajun cooking at a reasonable price, check it out.

We spent the afternoon loading up our bikes.  We couldn't believe how much weight we have, and yet we really didn't see anything we are willing to part with at this point.  So we packed it all carefully, then walked downtown to enjoy the town.  Whitefish is a touristy little place that looks like it has been invaded by people from California.  We walked by one of the little espresso places and saw three bikes parked out in front, so of course we had to go in.  Three young people (when you are in your 60's everyone looks young) from Seattle were enjoying a meal in a warm, dry place.  They were doing the Northern tier Adventure Cycling route, and had come down through Eureka, where it had been snowing.  They were laying off a day because of the weather.

Kitty had been silly enough to go on this walk with sandals and no socks.  She stopped in one of the trendy little shops and bought a pair of wool socks for $20.  Those of you who know Kitty will realize how cold her feet must have been to spend that much on a pair of socks!  In spite of the cold, we found a great place to find ice cream for dinner.  Then we went ot a grocery store to buy more food.  Go figure!  We already had too much, but we HAD to have peanut butter and jelly.

One more night in Whitefish, with a promise to ourselves to get an early start the next day.

June 5 - Gramps and Granny Decide to Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Is it a Road Too Far?

Socked in by Weather in Whitefish

The Silver City Kitty (Kitty) and Corre Caminos (CC) first started talking about riding Adventure Cycling's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route over six months ago.  Our plans went through several iterations, but we finally decided to ride as much of the route as possible, given our time limitations, going from North to South.

We really want to do this, but there are times we ask ourselves, "Is this a bridge too far?  Are we really capable of doing this?"  Well, we won't know until we try. 

We trained and we planned.  We promised ourselves and each other to be flexible, given that we both are in our mid-60's, CC has knee problems and Kitty has only been riding a little over a year.  We carefully packed the necessities a little over a week ago, and loaded them into a friend's car.  Then we spent four days on the road, helping a friend move from Silver City New Mexico to Montana.  We finally arrived in Whitefish last night, to flash flood warnings, thunderstorms, and rain, snow and ice.  So much for well-laid plans.

We are both eager to get on our bikes.  It feels like the prologue to the trip is taking too long, and we want to get started on the first chapter.  Unfortunately, the 7-day weather forecast on the Weather Channel in our Super 8 motel room is filled with pictures of clouds and rain.  We think there was one picture that showed a little sun peaking through a cloud, but that was a few days out.

Thank goodness we talked about the need to be flexible.

We just finished a yummy breakfast at the Buffalo Cafe in Whitefish.  CC is returning our rental car at the airport while Kitty is at the Whitefish library, where she is about to be asked to relinquish the computer because my one hour limit is up.  Thus the terse entry. 

Our plans for today are to pick up our bikes, sort through and repack our stuff, and see if there is any way we can reduce the weight.  It looks like there may be a short window of lighter rain tomorrow morning, so we are going to head south to Bigfork.  We talked to the Forest Service yesterday and they said Whitefish Divide still isn't open, and they are supposed to get another 6 to 10 inches of snow today.  So we will start our journey south from Whitefish instead of from Roosville.  Maybe someday we'll start in Banff and do the part of the trail from Roosville to Whitefish.

Our plan, then, is to ride south on the road to Bigfork.  There is a state park there - and we may camp out.  If the weather is bad, we will see if there is a room we can stay at.  From there we will head out to Seeley Lake, again on the road.  Given the weather, we are pretty certain Richmond Pass is snow-covered.  Perhaps the silver lining to all this bad weather is that we won't be spending time in bear country right now.  And we will bypass the beautiful but infamous Richmond Pass.

This is beautiful country, even with the gray, rainy weather.  People have been friendly and helpful.  And we are still getting along well together.  Now if we can only get some better weather, we'll be all set. 

As silly as it seems given the weather we have right now, one of our big concerns is wildfires.  We drove up past the Whitewater-Baldy fire soon after we left Silver City.  The huge plume of smoke looked like a mushroom cloud.  We had talked doing this trip South to North - and that would not have been possible given the fires.  We also hear reports of fires in Colorado.  Given that the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains was lighter than usual this year, this may be a bad year for wildfires.  It is certainly starting out that way. 

Time to sign off for now.  So long from Kitty and CC.  We'll post another entry as soon as we get access to a computer. 

Spring Break in Southeastern Arizona

Another Senior Biking Adventure

The Silver City Kitty and Corre Caminos planned to do a week-long bikecamping tour over spring break, but the weather changed our plans.  The winds were vicious, sustained winds up to 35 mph with gusts up to 60.  It was difficult to breathe, let alone bike.

Finally it looked like the winds were going to die down a bit on Thursday.  So Wednesday evening we packed up all our gear, gave our Surly Long Haul Truckers a good inspection, and headed down and over to Duncan AZ to spend the night so we could get an early start the next day.

Duncan AZ is one of those surprising places.  At first glance, it doesn't look like much is there.  But take a closer look and you'll find some real gems.  There is a wonderful B&B, the Simpson Hotel - a great place to stay.  The hotel first opened in 1914, and the most recent renovation begun in 2005 has honored the rich history of the place.  The rooms are comfortable, the rates are reasonable, the coffee is great, and the people are friendly.  Duncan is one of those towns that understands the contributions that bike tourists make to their economy, and they are happy to have us. 

If you decide to stay at The Simpson, you can choose to have breakfast at the hotel, and if you ask for a biker's breakfast you can get one.  Or you can walk about a half block down the road to Hilda's and have breakfast at her little restaurant.  We've enjoyed her breakfast burrito and the breakfast sandwich.  We've had dinner there too - Green Chili Cheeseburger and Meat Enchiladas.  Both excellent.  For a treat, walk just a little further down the road to Three Sisters Bakery.  In fact, you might want to start your morning there - we usually do.  The warm donuts melt in your mouth.

Look, I've been accused of blogging more about food than about biking - but let's face it.  Food is a really important aspect of biking!  Before I started biking, I wouldn't have been able to eat warm donuts and still fit into my jeans.

Thursday March 8 - The Adventure Begins

Thursday morning, Corre Caminos and I enjoy our morning coffee and donuts while we are packing up, then have breakfast at Hilda's and come back and load up our bikes.  We always have great intentions of getting an early start, but as usual it is later than we'd hoped - maybe about 9:30 by the time we are on the road.

We head north on state highway 75.  It is a sunny morning but cool - in the low 40's.  The wind is out of the north at about 10 mph, gusting into the 20's - better than it has been, just a little annoying.  Still, it is a beautiful morning to be out on the bike.  The vistas here are huge - the Black Hills to the west, the Peloncillos to the south and west, and the Big Lue Mountains to the east and north.  For someone like me who has spent most of her life in the midwest, it is always a real treat to see the peaks in the distance, the rolling hills and desert terrain close by.  We make it to Three Way, about 20 miles, in good time.  It is the first either of us has been on a bike in about 10 days, and it is good to be back in the saddle.  We stop at the roadside picnic table in Three Way to fix ourselves our favorite biker lunch - a peanut butter and grape jelly burrito.  Sugar for the quick energy boost, carbs for medium-range energy, and fat and protein to keep us going for a while. 

There is a National Forest Visitor Center here so we stop in to get a weather forecast and any information they might have to share.  The Ranger there is very friendly and helpful.  We get an up-to-date forecast (cold!) and pick up a BLM brochure that is filled with good information about the Black Hills Back Country Byway.

Our goal for tonight is the Owl Creek Campground, about four miles from the northern end of the Black Hills Back Country Byway.  Neither of us has ever been there, so we consult our map to see how far before we need to start looking for the turnofff.  About 5 1/2 miles up the road, we see the sign for the Byway and turn onto the dirt road.  Now the adventure is about to really begin!

Let me diverge for a moment to say that I'm 65 and I've been riding bike for almost a year now, which means that I got a very late start.  Corre Caminos is about my age, but he's been riding a lot for many years.  I'm always a little afraid I'm going to get in over my head, and this time is no exception.  I just started using clipless pedals, and I know they help me on the hills.  But I'm also having nightmares about navigating steep hills on gravel with a loaded bike using clipless pedals.  Really - can you blame me for being a little nervous?  But the crazy thing is that I LOVE it!  Somehow, being right on the edge of what I'm able to do is really exhilarating. 

We start on the Byway, and it's pretty easy going.  Good gravel, pretty flat, and a little less than four miles to go before we get to the campground.  We pull into the campground with plenty of time to pitch camp and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The Owl Creek Campground is under the administration of the BLM.  It's very clean with bathrooms and campsites that each have a picnic table and shelter.  It costs $5 to stay there, and we leave $10 in the envelope because we don't have any smaller bills.  (Another lesson learned - always carry small bills.)  It feels quite comfortable and the scenery is beautiful, so we are happy to contribute to the maintenance of this beautiful place.

We choose a campsite that gives us a great view of the Gila River below us.  We are the only people in the campground, and haven't even seen anyone else on the byway yet.  The scenery, the solitude, the adventure that awaits us tomorrow - what a treat!  Corre Caminos cooks us a delicious meal of Scooby Chicken - Mac&Cheese, foil packed chicken breast, onion, and garlic.  It tastes like a gourmet meal!  We climb into our sleeping bags just as the sun is setting and the full moon is rising.  We stick our heads out the tent door for a big-sky view of the stars.  It's cold, so we are glad for our warm bags and our Patagonia long johns.  A very peaceful night, with just a couple of vehicles passing by on the road, and the sounds of coyotes celebrating the full moon.

Friday March 9 - Travels with our Little Buddy

It's a cold, clear morning, and we snuggle in our sleeping bags a few minutes before we gather up the courage to step out into the cold.  We are greeted by blue skies and wonderful scenery.  Coffee is the first order of the morning - we find that Starbucks instant works pretty well for us.  Then breakfast - oatmeal with boxed milk (a luxury) and a little trail mix.  It's a good, hearty breakfast and we feel ready to be on our way.  We break camp as quickly as possible - something we're still learning to do since this is all new to me. 

We start out riding down to the Gila River.  We cross the river and the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area on the Old Safford Bridge.  The walls of the Gila Box, formed of Gila Conglomerate, are very steep here.  There is a launch point on the south side for people floating the Gila River.

We leave the Gila Box and start climbing the Black Hills.  The gravel road is in pretty good condition, but climbing on gravel with a loaded bike is slow going, especially for me.  Not far past the river, we ride by a ranch and a little black dog comes running out.  "Nice puppy," says Corre Caminos.  (He always assumes a dog is friendly until he finds out otherwise.)  The dog falls in beside his bike, and trots along with us.  She obviously has pups somewhere, and we figure she is just in need of a break.  She is very well behaved and friendly, and she becomes our companion.

The Byway is rich in history.  The first known inhabitants were Mogollon about 1000 years ago.  Coronado passed through in 1540 in search of gold.  The Chiracahua and Apache arrived around 1600.  In 1846 Kit Carson led troops through the Gila Box en route to California.  Pioneer ranchers and farmers arrived in the 1870s, and mining began in 1872.  The brochure we picked up is full of information about interesting things to look for along the way.

But the beautiful scenery is what I focus on most.  We are fortunate to be here when the Arizona golden poppies are carpeting the ground all around us.  Wherever we look, there are fields of gold.  And we are surrounded by mountains, with peaks all around.  I suspect the views we see for the most part aren't that different from what the early pioneers saw.  There are also towns here, and as we climb we get quite a view of Morenci and Clifton behind us.

Climbing is hard work, and I'm still not well-adjusted to the altitude.  We both use heart rate monitors, and I am running almost 30 above Corre Caminos.  So when he is in the 120s, I'm hitting the 150s.  Not good for me.  We always stop and dismount to cross cattle guards, and I take a fall when I stop for one after riding in the 150s.  It's an easy fall - I just forget to unclip on the right side and I'm not hurt.  It is a good reminder that I need to keep my heart rate down a bit, so I don't do stupid things.  So on the way up, I average about 3.5 miles an hour.  We climb about 2500 feet in 10 miles.

About halfway up we stop at a picnic area to have a lunch of peanut butter jelly burritos.  Our Little Buddy is still with us, in spite of our telling her to go home.  She's a great companion, but at the end of the byway we'll be on the highway - and we can't take her with us!!  While we're eating, Corre Caminos drops a bit of his burrito and she gobbles it up.  Oh, oh - we've just fed her.  Well, what's done is done, so we both give her a little bite of our burrito, and a drink of water to top it off.  She is very grateful.

We continue climbing after our lunch, and finally make it to the top.  I keep my heart rate in the 130s and 140s and I do much better.  Corre Caminos is very good about stopping every now and then so I can rest.  One time he stops around a corner to wait for me, and Little Buddy comes back to make sure I'm okay.  Now I'm really getting attached to this creature.  How I wish I could get her to a safe place! By now, we've decided that she was probably dropped off by someone who didn't want her.  Maybe she was being given food and water at the ranch where we met her, but we're sure that isn't her home or she'd be going back by now.  Along the way, when we stop, we yell at her to go home but she ignores us.

We stop at the top of the climb to enjoy the view, to look back at how much we've climbed and relish the accomplishment.  A retired couple in a big SUV come by and stop to chat.  They are visiting the area from out of state.  We ask them if they'd be willing to give our Little Buddy a ride down to the ranch, since they are going that direction.  We explain that's where she joined us, and that she'll be in danger if she continues to follow us.  But they politely decline, saying they are sure she can get back there on her own.

Now we begin the downhill part of the Byway.  It goes a bit faster, but it is a steep downhill with loose gravel, so it takes some time and skill to navigate it.  There are fantastic rock formations here, and the fields of gold continue to delight.  There are other wildflowers too -- little white flowers, small lighter yellow flowers, and even a few blue flowers.  What a treat!  Parts of the trail are carved out of the side of the mountain, and from a distance it looks like a goat path.  There are steep drop-offs, but the road is wide enough for a car, so it isn't too scary.  Just a short time into our descent, I am on a switchback above Corre Caminos, looking down on him and our little buddy.  It is such a beautiful sight - the man on a bike wearing a yellow jersey, a little black dog trotting along beside, the mountains and rock formations in the distance, and fields of gold all around us.  I know this is an image that will come back to me every time I think of the Black Hills Back Country Byway.

We finally come to the highway.  We're a little over an hour later than we'd hoped to be, and we have a long way to go to get to tonight's destination - Roper Lake State Park.  Our Little Buddy has kept up with us, but is obviously getting tired, hungry, and thirsty.  She's been with us all day, and has traveled about 18 miles.  We are about to get onto highway 191, and the traffic is heavy.  Not a safe place for a dog.  So we both yell at her again to go home.  I stamp my foot at her, and she yelps and cowers, looking up at me with sad eyes.  This creature deserves better, but there is nothing we can do.  So we take off as fast as we can on the highway.  With the help of a slight downhill and a tail wind, we get up to almost 30 miles an hour.  She follows us for a while, but finally can't keep up.

We make good time, but even so it is getting late when we get to Safford.  We decide to forego a hot dinner and head straight to the park, and it turns out to be a good decision.  It is twilight when we get to the park and we are both tired.

Roper Lake State Park is a real find.  We highly recommend it, but be sure to make reservations.  If we hadn't had a reservation, we would have been turned away because it was full. It is about 6 miles south of Safford just off US Route 191.  There are more RVs than tents in the campground, but we are quite comfortable in our little campsite.  A little further into the park, there is a natural hot tub fed by a hot springs - but we are too tired to head up there.  Next time.  There are very nice, clean hot showers which we DO take advantage of.  And maybe best of all, there is a wonderful view of snow-covered Mount Graham right out the door of our tent.  Corre Caminos make another one of his special dinners - garlic mashed potatoes with ham.  Life doesn't get much better than this.  A full belly, a hot shower, a warm tent, a beautiful view, a great companion, and a well-earned tired-on.  The only thing that weighs on our minds as we fall asleep is our Little Buddy.

Saturday March 10 - Safford to Duncan

We wake up early Saturday morning to the sound of rain falling on our tent.  Rain?!  How can this be?  We are in the desert and it isn't rainy season.   It's a light rain, just enough for us to be glad that our tent is effective at keeping us dry.  It doesn't last long, and soon we open our front door and are greeted with a wonderful view of snow-capped Mount Graham right in front of us.  What a beautiful sight!  If I ever wonder why in the world I am a bike gypsy, moments like this give me my answer.

We climb out of our warm sleeping bags and fix a hot cup of coffee to sip while we are making breakfast.  I say we, but Corre Caminos does most of the work.  Warm oatmeal - delicious as always.  We start thinking about another cup of coffee and a warm cinnamon bun, so we break camp and head out.  Break camp is so easy to say, and only two words to put in a blog.  But it takes time, especially when things are wet and muddy.  But eventually we are all packed up and on our bikes.  We take time to explore the camp a bit.  The hot tub looks quite inviting, and we regret not having had the energy to get in it last night.  We ride up the road along the side of the lake - quite a large lake.  This is a really nice park, and we decide we'd like to come back one day.

We head up U.S. 191 all the way into Safford in search of coffee and cinnamon buns.  We drive down Main Street, and I spot a little place called Main Street Cafe - 523 West Main Street.  Nothing fancy, and it looks just right for us.  There is even a covered place to leave our bikes right next door - but it's not raining so we don't need it this time.  We are greeted with a friendly hello when we walk in the door.   We order coffee and a biker's breakfast - eggs, home fries and toast.  And there they are, right there on the menu - cinnamon buns!!  Our waitress assures us they are homemade and delicious, so we order two.  One warmed up to split here, and one to take with us.  After we eat the first one - well, of course we ask her to go ahead and warm up the second one.  They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  


This place not only has great food, but a warm, friendly down-home atmosphere.  Everyone is interested in knowing about our biking adventures.  While we are there, a local family comes in all dressed up.  They are the first to arrive for a baby shower that is being held in the adjoining room.  We assure our waitress we will be back.  It's no surprise to find out later that Main Street is not only an excellent restaurant, but also a non-profit that employs the handicapped.

Fully satisfied, we get back on our bikes and head out of town on back roads for as long as we can, to avoid the traffic on U.S. 70.  We finally have to get on the highway, but it is Saturday and the traffic isn't too bad.  There is a short distance where the berm is closed, but we are soon passed it and the berm is pretty good.  We glance back every now and then to enjoy the view of Mount Graham behind us.  Truly a majestic sight.


Down the road a bit we stop for a drink and a snack, and a motorcycle pulls up beside us.  We spend the next 10 minutes or so learning a little more about the local area.  We learn that Roper Lake State Park was almost closed down, but the locals rallied and were able to save it.  Safford is an old mining town, and it is going through some changes now.  The mines are active again, and the town is getting more activity as a result.  Freeport, the world's largest publicly traded copper company, is opening another mine near here.  It sounds like it is viewed as a mixed blessing.


We spend the early afternoon climbing over the Peloncillos, but it isn't a hard climb.  We finally get to the top of our climb, and enjoy mostly zooming down to Duncan, with a few rollers along the way.  The views are amazing as always, with mountain peaks all around.  Steeple Rock is a special favorite.  We got a late start so it is beginning to get dark when we get close to Duncan.  About 1 1/2 miles out of town, Corre Caminos shifts gears and his chain locks up.  A serious case of chain suck, he says.  He tries to fix it to no avail, and convinces me that I can pedal for both of us.  He grabs ahold of my shoulder, and I pedal - convinced that we are both going to end up crashing.  But we take it slow, the road is flat here, and we are able to limp into Duncan.  We are delighted to find that Hilda's is still open - and we order a big dinner - a green chili cheeseburger, fries, and a meat enchilada plate.  A lot of food, but we eat almost all of it.  We walk our bikes back to the Simpson hotel, glad to not have to pitch a tent tonight.  A hot shower, a little reading, and it's lights out.

Sunday March 11 - The Long Way Home

We take our time Sunday morning.  Deborah, the owner of the Simpson hotel, has left the coffee pot ready to go, so we press the button and enjoy a couple leisurely cups of great coffee before we head to Hilda's for breakfast.  After breakfast we spend a little time chatting with Deborah - a warm, interesting woman.  Then we load up our bikes and gear and start back - but not directly to Silver City.  We head west on 70 and pick up 191 heading back to where we exited the Black Hills Byway.  We drive slowly, looking along the side of the road for a little black dog.  We dread finding her dead, hope to find her alive.  Neither of us can keep a dog right now, but we would love to find her and give her a ride to the Humane Society.  When we get to the Byway, we turn in and stop to talk with some folks who are parked there.  We tell them about our Little Buddy.  People are always dropping unwanted dogs out there, they tell us.  They are headed over the mountains on the Byway, and assure us they will keep an eye out for her.  We drive in to the first rest area, and I get out and call in all directions.  And wait. 

We drive up and down 191 one more time, looking, stopping, calling.  Nothing.  We finally have to settle for a feeling of gratitude that we didn't find her dead by the road, and a hope that someone found her and gave her a home.  We know she deserved it.  Thanks for being our companion for a day, Little Buddy.