Arizona's Grand Canyon Tour 2006 GABA
7 days, 546 miles, 32,200 feet of climbing
This marks the third time that I journeyed to Arizona for essentially a Grand Canyon to Southern Arizona tour. The last tour that I attended was almost 10 years ago. I didn't think I would come back because of the traffic in Arizona, but my hard-core biking buddies talked me into doing this one.
These rides are exceptionally well orchestrated. They always originate at the Airport Best Western Motel in Phoenix. The motel reserves a room to store your bike shipping equipment, and prior to the tour, allows you to set up your bicycle there. Bicycles can be shipped there by UPS or through the local bicycle shops. I elected to take my bicycle with me on the aircraft. Southwest Airlines charged me an extra $50 for this each way, and lost my bicycle on the way back. The bicycle was shipped to me the following day.
After checking in, getting your credentials, and preparing, you board a bus the next day for the trip to the Grand Canyon. Your assembled bicycle goes by a separate moving van, carefully and professionally packed.
Grand Canyon National Park does not allow in park camping by tour groups now. You motel or camp outside the park at Tusayan. The day we arrived was spent touring the western portions of the Grand Canyon south rim, and all the attractions which are west of the turning point for the route the next day.
The start of the bike tour takes you along the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, and then drops from Desert View down to Gray Mountain. After Gray Mountain the real up-and-down climbing begins.
This tour involved a lot of climbing. Gray Mountain to Flagstaff. Flagstaff to Camp Verde. Camp Verde to Payson. Payson to Show Low. Show Low to San Carlos. San Carlos to Tucson.
Gray Mountain to Flagstaff was relatively uneventful, although we did have some wind and heat as we went through the ancient Indian ruins on the climb to Sunset Crater. Flagstaff to Camp Verde was a lot of fun, as it was mostly a long down. The route passes through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona before finishing at Camp Verde. Camp Verde to Payson involves hard climbing up through the mountains.
There are few roads in Arizona, so they are shared with traffic and riders alike. As the population of Arizona has exploded, so has the traffic. I found that they are not particularly fond of cyclists. The route from Payson to Show Low was particularly arduous. The road shoulders are not wide, with rumble strips taking up the inside portion of them. This means you either have to ride just on the white line, slightly to the right of it, or else you have to ride way over to the far right through all the road hazards, that are thrown there by the traffic. One cyclist was hit, and knocked down just outside of Payson. Fortunately, he was not severely injured. I had a number of trucks who slowed, and yelled at me to get off the road, or made obscene gestures. The traffic on that road seems to be semis, pickup trucks, dual wheel pickups, or campers of some type. Mostly locals in good sized machines, not sedan traffic.
Coming in to Show Low in the late afternoon, it began to rain. I ended up riding in the rain to Show Low, and of course, it rained steadily all night and through the next day. The route from Show Low to San Carlos went through the Salt Creek Canyon. This road is exciting and spectacular. I think it is a great secret, and in many ways rivals portions of the scenery around the Grand Canyon. However, going down this steep road was dangerous in that most of the time I was in rain or mist. As it turned out, less than half of the riders rode that rainy day. Of the Sioux Citians, I was the only person who rode that rainy 92 mile ride; which included the most elevation gain in a day -- 6,200 feet of climb. The last 100 miles from San Carlos to Tucson also included some steep climbing, but some 8% grade downs, which were thrilling. The last three days of the ride were essentially three centuries in a row. This is probably the furthest distance in succession I've ridden. I will say, however, that riding this distance up-and-down the mountains in Arizona is certainly easier, than if I had been riding this distance in Iowa. Once you get used to the higher elevations, the dryness, and the mild climate, I think the riding seems easier to you. Also, much of this mileage involved 20 to 30 miles of down. You get to rest all this way, rather than riding 100 miles with continuous peddling on the flat. Whereas there is wind, wind at altitude does not have as much power to it as at the lower elevation.
Although the scenery was spectacular, and the ride was well organized, I will have to think long and hard about doing this ride again. The severity of the traffic, lack of adequate riding space, and the attitude of the passing drivers, is working to kill any future enthusiasm for riding in Arizona. From Payson to Show Low, I think the drivers there have more respect for a skunk or deer on the road than a cyclist.
Below is a montage of some of the interesting pictures in the included directory. Slide your cursor over the thumbnails for a caption, and click on the thumbnails for a larger picture. If you want to see them all, follow the link below to the virtual directory.
Virtual directory -- pictures are 500 K. or less.
