Chris has had to work while we've been in Tucson (after all, someone's got to continue the role of cubicle monkey) so back in December he vowed to make the most of every weekend. Most Saturdays and Sundays he's taken off for places unknown or, at least, unknown to me until after the fact. Sometimes, a "don't ask, don't tell" policy is best.

Arizona Trail
The Arizona Trail is an 800+ mile recreation trail from Mexico to Utah that connects mountain ranges, canyons, deserts, forests, wilderness areas, historic sites, trails systems, and points of interest. It serves day hikers, back packers, equestrians, mountain bikers, trail runners, nature enthusiasts, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and mule and llama packers. On two occasions it also served Chris.

Arizona Trail, Passage #16, Gila River Canyons

Passage #5 - Santa Rita Mountains

Mt. Hopkins
The Mt. Hopkins Road twists and climbs its way to the second highest peak in the Santa Rita Range. The narrow, winding mountain road provides access to the Smithsonian Institution's Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. Six miles of the road --- a steep section somewhere in the middle of the climb, I'm told --- remain unpaved, so normal people use mountain bikes rather than road bikes to ride up to the observatory. Chris feels that a mountain bike should never be ridden on a road so he takes his road bike on gravel and dirt roads if at all possible. This was no exception.

dirt section; observatory is the white dot on the peak to the left

the long and winding road

the road behind; the road ahead

last push to the top; apparently, if the climb up didn't kill you this last section might

reward at the top; anyone got a dollar?

Mt. Lemmon
This is the premier riding mountain for road cyclists in Tucson. There are always hoards of them going up and down the mountain. Most cyclists consider the town of Summerhaven, 28-30 miles up, to be the top but, always a purist, Chris declares the official "top" to be the end of a road that goes another 1,000 feet above the town to a ski hill. I've been riding Mt. Lemmon in sections rather than in one big push. Generally I ride 12-14 miles, around 3,200 - 3,600 feet of climbing, before calling it quits and turning around. In cooler weather I start at the bottom, and as it's gotten warmer I've started further up. For every five miles up the mountain the temperature drops about 5 degrees. There have been days when it's been a toasty 85 degrees in the valley and by driving 15 miles further on I begin my ride at 70 degrees.

Riding up the main face of the mountain on his road bike was never going to be enough for Chris. There are two other possibilities. The first is a 25 mile dirt road, called the Control Road, that goes up the back of the mountain. It's a rough, winding road that was the first major access route built to the upper reaches of the Santa Catalina Mountains. It's generally recommended that one not attempt the Control Road except in 4 wheel drive.... or on a road bike.

Mt. Lemmon, Control Road

the fun begins

still a ways to go

traffic jam

at the top; somebody was tired

Mt. Lemmon, "Lemon Drop"
What goes up, must come down. There are many mountain bike trails on Mt. Lemmon and it is possible to piece some of them together to create one very long "drop" down the mountain. However, it still requires quite a bit of climbing as the trail peaks and valleys around natural obstacles. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that the snow high up on the mountain melted enough to consider this ride. I shuttled Chris and a friend to the top of Mt. Lemmon and seven hours later they popped out near the bottom.