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Yet another bicycle ride about which to pontificate. If it weren't for this vice, I would be "news-less".
Highway 177 running between Superior and Winkleman has three stretches identified as 10% grades (the steepest I have seen in Arizona), and I have long thought that it would be fun to try them on a bicycle. On Vetrans Day, I did so. With the total distance being fairly short (31.6 miles) it was supposed to be an easy ride, but (as usual) it didn't turn out exactly that way. The first 10% grade is in the 6.8 miles between Superior and the pass, giving the entire leg an upward slant of 2.4%. The other two 10% grades are in the next 8.8 miles, ending near the entrence to Asarco's open pit. This leg has a downward tilt of 3.9%. From there, the route parallels the Gila River for 15.9 miles (upstream, over ups and downs created by drainage) and has a total upward grade of 0.24%. |
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Barbara drove me to the Dairy Queen in Superior (which, unfortunatley, wasn't open yet), and met me again at the convenience store on Highway 77 in Winkleman. |
| I broke my glasses (by slaming them in the hood of Barbara's car during an oil change). The replacement pair arrived the evening before this trip, but had not yet had time to fit them. There are those who believe anything can be repaired with duct tape. I had been wearing these spectacles to drive, but then taking them off at work so as to not scare my patients... They worked well enough on this journey. |
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The road had (over much of its distance) been recently refinished, but was surprisingly rough along the edges. The wind was forecast to be from the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. The direction was correct, but the speed was only half right (at least 10 to 20 mph). |
| The notch up ahead is where the road crosses the ridge. I don't know how, but I rode from here to within 50 yards of the top without stopping. |
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And, no, this hasn't been "Photoshopped." It really is steep. |
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And then it goes down the other side with the same wild adandon. In retrospect, I am quite disappointed. Something about the whole setup just didn't "feel" right. I ended up laying on the brakes and traversing the steepest downhill portions at 20 mph. My top speed on the entire ride was 33 mph, and I routeinly hit that on Timberline between the first and second stop signs. So much for my version of Mr. Toads' Wild Ride... |
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The case for the Sony Camera that I carry on rides leaves something to be desired, as removing it from the pouch sometimes changes it from auto to manuel settings. I never remember to check, and the result is that I come home with many under or over exposed images. This was about all I could salvage from the open pit mine, and it is on the north side of the mountain, and it may even be a sand and gravel operation. |
| The cemetary in Kearny is one of the most desolate places I have ever seen. I can't decide if they have treated the ground such that nothing grows, or if they clean out the weeds and vegetation on a regular basis. What ever their policy, it is the closest to a "scortched earth" landscape I have seen covering a burial ground. |
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I find the erosion patterns on the tailings in Hayden fascinating. This image doesn't do it justice, but it was the best I have. Some day I would like to spend a day there with a camera, a tripod, and a long lense. |
| For the second time it two trips I had a flat tire, this time on the rear. The nut on most bicycle spokes has a rounded head with a screwdriver slot. Pugeut, following the French tradition, prides itself on being different and has a hexagonal head. A corner of one of the spoke nuts had worked itself through its protective inner rubber cover, then managed to puncture the tube. Fortunately, I brought my tools, as well as a spare, so this time it was just a matter of spending a little time and expending a little effort. My average speed (while I was moving) with just over 10 mph, but the 31.6 miles took about 4½ hours. I have to admit, I was glad to see the car when at last it came into view. |
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Barbara (who skipped breakfast) talked me into going out to eat on the premise that it would be faster. Ee went to the "Old Time Pizza" in Kearny. At 3:30 in the afternoon, they were not busy, but they were slow, and when it was all over I suspect it may have been faster to have gone home and made our own pizza. But I do appreciate her help driving and waiting. |
| Kearny is a typical mining town, but has it own personality. Barbara was taken by the arched archetecture, and too several photos. I counted four cars in five minutes, so the "No U-Turn" sign seemed superfulous, but then, what do I know? |
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The end of another trip. I had actually hoped to spend the holiday, along with the next four days completing the ride from San Diego to Casa Grande, but demured on two counts. First, the weather forecast... Need I say more? |