At 7am my alarm sounded, but I was already half awake just kind of waiting for it to go off. The motel room smelled musty and when I opened my eyes I noticed that the ceiling needed a paint job. When I rolled out of bed I was shocked to find that my rear tire was completely deflated. Well, that's my first flat...not too bad after 1600 miles of riding. I wanted to deal with it before I showered since it would be a little dirty, but getting my rear wheel off while I still hadn't quite woken up proved tricky. Eventually my brain kicked in and I decided to take all my bags off and flip my bike over, instead of struggling with is weighted down. After removing the tube I filled the sink with water and searched for the hole. I ended up finding two. I searched the tire for the cause and found one persistent little thorn, goat heads no doubt, which I was pretty certain caused the bigger hole, but I could find anything for the smaller one. After a quick patch I put it all back together and crossed my fingers that I had gotten rid the culprit.
I checked out of my room at about 9am, having been delayed by the flat, and headed over to the Main St Cafe. I swear there should be a Main St Cafe in every town with a Main St. It just seems practical. I ordered a coffee and the Breakfast Plate: 3 eggs, sausage, hash browns, and toast...all for $5. That's probably the best deal I've found on the road so far. I worked on my blog and I worked on my food, and 3 cups of coffee later I was finished. When I went to the counter to pay, the giant cinnamon roll that was sitting in the display case refused to let me leave, so another cup of decaf and a cinnamon roll later it was now 11am and I was ready to set out.
It took me a while to get focused on the road ahead. In downtown Safford they had speakers on the lamp posts blasting the local oldies station, which I was quite amused by. A little ways outside of downtown I managed to roll through another bramble of goat heads, and had to carefully pick them out of both tires. It's crazy with those things, it's not like you just get one or two...it's more like ten or twenty! Then I was distracted by the 1987 Bounder RV that was for sale and looked nearly the same as the infamous RV in the show Breaking Bad. I also found it interesting that the RV was within 50 miles from the New Mexico border...hmmm, maybe I watch too much tv. When I turned North onto highway 191, I think I finally got into the groove of riding and was moving well. I could see the road ahead as wound into the hills, and thought to myself things are looking up.
For about 20 miles I was in awe of the view. I was surrounded by desert, but i found it absolutely stunning. The baron mountains surrounding me and the random rock formations, which created unique landmarks among them kept me smiling all day. I hardly noticed the climb as I went from about 2900ft up to about 4700ft, but it was still apparent that I was ascending. I had seen on the gradient profile that I'd be headed to over 6200ft, so when I started to head down into a valley my usual speedy and fun descent was a little bittersweet. Although I sometimes look forward to going downhill after an extended climb, it's always a little rough when you realize you'll be climbing even higher on the next set of hills. It almost feels as if all the hard work is for nothing...well, it would be for nothing if it weren't for the spectacular view.
At the little junction town of Three Way I stopped to get some hot coffee and a snack. I wondered why it was called three way, because it seemed to me that where highway 191 meets highway 78 it actually creates a four way intersection. I didn't think to ask about it, and just got my snacks. The two women working at the little market seemed pretty interested in what I was doing riding my bike through there. The younger one called me crazy. The other one warned me that the temperature was supposed to drop tonight up in the mountains, and that since it was Friday and hunting season, I'd be vying for camping space with a bunch of "drunk ass-hole hunters." She also told me of a place nearby where I could camp, so I thanked her for the advice and left.
I decided to think about camping closer to Three Way over an early dinner. The ranger station for the Apache National Forest was right down the street, so I headed there and found some picnic benches to make dinner. I ate 4 pesto/salmon/avocado wraps and figured that was probably good enough. I then finished my coffee and ate a package of chocolate ho-hos, and watches as a gaggle of geese flew overhead in flying V formation. By the time my meal was finished it was 4:30pm, and through my deliberation I decided to at least bike another 10 miles before setting up camp. 10 miles more today is 10 miles less tomorrow...right?
I was once again thrilled with the scenery. This area of Arizona was turning out to be my favorite on this trip. The first 6 miles of my evening ride were of a marginal grade, but eventually the hills got steeper and the road got windier. The sunset wasn't anything special. Maybe because it was overcast, or maybe because I hardly noticed since I was heading east. No matter the reason, the ride was still spectacular and as I gradually gained elevation I enjoyed the air up high more and more.
It was soon dark. The moon was hidden from view behind the mountain I was climbing, which meant the only light guiding my way was the weak little headlight I have on my bike. It seemed to be enough as the road was smooth and the traffic light. I had to stop occasionally as my mouth got dry and when the grade got steep. At times I could tell that I was probably missing out on some great views of the Black Jack Canyon below, but when i neared the summit I noticed the nearly full moon acted like a flood lamp filling the canyon with light and shadows from the mountain, making it a unique way to experience it all on its own. When I rounded one of the final curves, the stunning moon came into full view, having been hidden from me all evening, and my eyes literally needed a second to adjust to its magnificent glow.
Now with the bright moon guiding my way, I could make out some things as clear as day. The edge of the road seemed to fall off fast, deep into the canyon, but at times giant stone structures standing tall like statues would shoot up high over the road. All this illuminated by the pale moonlight was simply gorgeous. I could feel a slight thinning of air, but for whatever reason my lungs seemed to welcome it and I was able to power through the rest of the way to the top of the pass. I felt accomplished for making it up there, but was ready to take a break.
The road seemed to plateau for a bit before descending, and I found a little trail off the highway that lead up the mountain a little higher. I decided to investigate, and eventually found a great place to camp. The site would be one of my favorite spots on the whole trip. The air up at the top of this mountain was crisp and clean, and I set up my hammock up as a regular tent in between some pines. A month on the road has definitely made me better at setting up camp. Not only was the spot ideal but the actual way I setup my tent turned out to be one of the better arrangements as well. As I laid in my comfortable little cocoon, I spent some time recollecting about the day and fell asleep with the cool night air caressing my face.
Miles: 50 miles
RRD: A blue rectangular storage bin
-D
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