Arizona Trail Experience
Four days off-road from Superior to Tucson. Headwinds a mother fucker and Oracle control road is the longest, hardest climb I’ve seen in a while. It reminded me of Columbine (but longer), climbing out of the ruins at the Tour of the Gila (but dirt) and the Whiskey’s Skull Valley ascent… all generally despised climbs rolled into one great big fuck-job called the Oracle Control Road. And its as if it never happened in a way. Already back to the grind fixing huffies and crap up here. Let’s let work wait another day…
Thursday saw this and that was a good start to the ride. In fact, it was Yuri’s 3rd go on the AZT and I was able to see the practicality of GPS units & water filters the following day.
Yuri has Day one Pics Here… Friday morning, we rolled from camp early, setting out towards Box Canyon & the Gila (before it becomes a canal). I’ve already forgotten about the washes walked. The temps were prime and the trail was exceptional with only a few wrong turns in the labyrinth of options. The terrain, so convoluted and violent it seemed to take hours to get out of the shadow of Picket Post Mtn. We made it into box canyon where we rubbed elbows with local moto & quad nuts, touching the outskirts of civilization if only by proxy. Refueled the h20 supplies in the stream bed & continued on to the Gila. 
The Gila is an amazing thing. In the middle of nowhere, there sits a deep river between cottonwoods & cacti that is funneled into a concrete canal near Florence. The less molested side of it is beautiful. The canal, sacrifice to progress. Gordon abandoned the ride there abouts with his guts bound up in a knot. He limped out towards the Florence-Kelvin hwy from there. Down to five. From the Gila on out towards the 24 Hour race course, the headwinds hit hard @ about 30 mph from there to Oracle. It took all day with roads splitting off left & right. I never would have guessed that the route we were on, was the correct one. It was insignificant for the most part. Just a general jeep road beginning nowhere & ending nowhere, in between bigger more prominent roads here & there. Somewhere out there on day two, we made camp not far from a cattle tank that we were able to refule from.
Saturday we made it to Oracle. A place with two Dollar Stores, and two Circle K’s. I browsed the dollar stores for a cup to no avail. We rested under a tree, down in a hole inside Oracle State Park that night with 12 Beasts of comfort. The next day was to begin what would be an almost complete day of ascension less a few reprieves along the route and the bonus pavement of Mt Lemmon Hwy to that nights camp, at Prison Camp. On the backside of Lemmon, past Peppersauce, the road bent up and over a few cross sections of terrain and then finally pitched for permanence for the last 20 miles to Summer Haven @9000 feet or so. It was hell full of exposure and degree. It reminded me of The Whiskey. And the Gila, and Leadville. Blair had a good ride on that hill. Upon reaching the cafe at the top, he’d already be basking for a bit, and had just finished his $9.00 burger. I ordered the same & waited 20 minutes for it. That reminded me of the Mining Country. I know how Big John feels. And there, we waited for the regroup.
The consolation prize for the effort of that day, was riding down Lemmon Rd to Prison Camp where beat and sun-baked, we once again made early camp. The fun part was just below Windy Point where my sleeping bag decided to eject from my seat straight into the rear wheel at about 30mph. Glad the hands were on the bars. I rode a skid for about 40-60 feet to the stop, never really knowing what was going on. Just riding it out. My tread was a bald spot and I thumped thump thumped it into camp.
Having no real significance beyond a chili dog & beers, the crew awoke and got on the trail late that following monday morning. From there we hit Molino over to Milagrosa. This was the first time for me on Millie and I have to say that it took too long. That trail, as Blair said, is “high quality” and one of the finer Tucson ribbons.
Le Buzz called from there and we regrouped for the last time, Scott finding it by Clairvoyance, and indulged in the gloom of coffee & the return to real life. Calling it good was a foggy idea. with a blown out head and achy legs, I climbed into the van with the others while Blair, god bless him, decided to keep on keep’n on and made it out to Patagonia in the following days where he will meet up with tRoy and the rest of the AZT 300entrants.
I think I’d like to do the ride again. I’m already thinking about next spring, maybe a little earlier. Would I rather have cold nights, or warm days? Choices choices… The fall may also be a good time for me to hit the trail to Phoenix from here.
I wish I had continued with him, but life & child & work & rising temps consumed my spirit to be gone longer. So much for the AZT300. I didn’t really want to do it anyway. Can’t wait for the next long ride.
Slowly, close the door.
Thanks to Yuri over at Upsideout for the imagery