Periodic Progress Report Southern Tier Cross-Country Bicycle Tour

Date(s): Sept. 30, 1999
Day: Thursday
From: Apache Junction, AZ
To: Globe, AZ
Lodging: Globe Community Center
Segment Mileage: 57.9
Cumulative Mileage: 620.8
Actual Riding Time: 5:03
Average Speed: 11.4
Weather: Sunny, windy
Temp: mid 90's

It was another windy day, although we had a tailwind for the first few miles from Apache Junction. I left relatively late, just before JimN, and stopped at mile 5 to get bottled water, as the water at the RV park was pretty bad. At about mile 17, I came across the rest of the group congregated outside of a convenience store which seemed odd since we are usually very spread out. Oliver had broken a spoke on the freewheel side, and the wheel was very out of true. Janet trued it as well as possible given the conditions, but she thought it would be best to either have the wheel replaced, or to get a new wheel. We were going to be doing some serious climbing in the days ahead, and it would be best to get it fixed while we were near a good bike shop. Oliver and Jimmy hitched a ride with a couple and their baby, JimN stayed with the bikes, and the rest of us headed off.

Thompson Arboretum State Park was our next destination, and a group of us met there, had lunch, and walked the grounds. It is a beautiful place with various desert habitats, with hundreds of butterflys around some of the flowering trees, and birds everywhere. It would have been nice to spend some time there, but we had some tough climbs ahead. I headed out with the women, slowing down before Superior to get a shot of them against the mountain backdrop of the mining city.

At Superior we stopped for drinks and snacks, then I headed out for the climb. Spike, Bob, and Tod were ahead, and we met just after the tunnel. The tunnel was short but a bit dangerous, as there was no shoulder, many of the cars didn't use their lights, and the sound of the tires on pavement was deafening. We climbed on for the next 4 or 5 miles, through a couple of beautiful valleys of reddish, rounded rock formations. The downhill was fantastic. At one point I spotted either a crow or a raven, flying overhead. I called to it and it called back and we went on like that for a couple of miles, him flying just above my head, swooping down even closer occasionally. I think he was just having fun; it was a magical moment.

I stopped briefly in Miami at the public library to get on the Internet, and assured the librarian that I wouldn't be using any chat groups or reading email. I checked the Southern Tier site and see that Kerie has been so busy helping her parents that she hasn't had time to update the pages. Her father, Ray, recently had a stroke and is now in a skilled nursing facility, and she is struggling with dealing with his arrangements as well as taking care of her mother, who is suffering from depression and shows signs of dementia. With luck she will have some time to post some of the daily reports.

We are camped at the Globe community center, which gives us a chance to chat with the neighborhood kids. It's a good site, with grass, picnic tables, and showers and restrooms nearby. Oliver and Jimmy made it back, with JimN following shortly after them. Oliver now has a newly laced wheel, but as usual there something else wrong. The spokes on one side are too tight, and need to be readjusted. Hopefully for his sake, there will not be any more Oliver disasters for while. For dinner we might have started a trend; Spike ordered pizza to be delivered to the camp, and it was delicious. Tomorrow is supposed to be a century day, riding over 100 miles, but after the difficult ride today, we may cut it short.