It's been difficult to think about posting to a cycling-related blog during the Portland winter we've had. Studded bike tires are generally not required for winter cycling in Portland but after the snowstorm that left 18" of the stuff all over the place I wondered if I needed to reconsider...
After snow, more snow, cold, and rain we decided that some enjoyable cycling might be in store. We packed up the Bike Fridays in late February and headed for some spring training in Tucson. It seemed important to try traveling with the bikes, since we are now dealers and gung ho about the performance and utility of the bikes. After all, that's their true purpose! So, I spent some time on the Bike Friday website reading tips on packing and unpacking and picking up hints about how to avoid hassles with the airlines and with TSA. Send me an e-mail if you want to know what I figured out.
We stayed in a centrally located hotel in Tucson and with a little help from a friend who had lived there and biked extensively, we found that we could easily ride in any direction from our hotel. The city has well-marked bike paths on virtually every major street, and we found the drivers to be cautious and considerate. In 5 days of riding no one honked or yelled and we had NO close calls. (Wish I could say that's the case in Portland...)
On our first day we decided to head to Saguaro National Park East. Our ride included the beautiful 9-mile loop within the park.
We headed back to the hotel more directly and logged 38 miles that day. We found that our winter commuting had given us a reasonable base of fitness, but we felt a little wimpy after that first day's ride!
There's art everywhere in the desert. Check out this scenery!
After 30-40 miles of cycling in the desert in temperatures of 88 to 90 degrees, one can pretty consume one's choice of cold drinks and fine Mexican food. There is a plethora of both in Tucson. Some of the places we enjoyed were El Toredo and Micha's in South Tucson, and Rosa's Mexican Food and the Blue Willow in Tucson proper. Our friends David and Nicole had given us a long list of places to try, but even our hungry, thirsty biker selves couldn't get around to all of them in 5 and a half days! Just more reason to go back again next spring... if I can wait that long...
4 comments:
Ahhh...the pics of Tucson make me long for a long dry ride with an authentic margarita waiting at the end.
Take me with you in your suitcase next time. I'm ready for any nicer weather than in Portland. You may need a bigger suitcase for me than for your Bike Friday though. Nice photos!
Will you take me too? I think Pia and I can both fit into a large suitcase :) I enjoyed reading your blog. It makes me long for the summer in Portland. Only 4 months away, right?
While I am apparently third in line for a spot in the suitcase, let me cast first dibs on the bicycle sidecar! Glad your trip was sunny and gorgeous (nice tan, by the way!). Welcome back to Portland and our various states of precipitation.
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