April 5-7, 2018
Being back in the saddle in an English speaking Country was wonderful and we got to add a wonderful warm showers stay to the mix.
Cycling Stats
April 5, 2018
Start Point: Wild camp just past Picacho Peak State Park, Pinal County, Arizona, USA
Destination: Maricopa, Pinal County, Arizona
87.13 km trip, 20.94 km/h average speed, 33.9 km/h maximum speed, 4:10 time on the bike
April 6, 2018
Start Point: Maricopa, Pinal County, Arizona, USA
Destination: Phoenix, Pinal County, Arizona
71.12 km trip, 19.69 km/h average speed, 33.8 km/h maximum speed, 4:10 time on the bike
Route Description:
April 5, 2018 We left our camp spot and were back on the road. It varied between paved, gravel and sometimes with a shoulder. It was flat the entire way. There are plenty of stores along the route and many wild camp opportunities. The last section of the long road was the Maricopa/Casa Grande Highway which was very busy. You likely could try another route which I’d recommend you do.
April 6, 2018 We took Highway 347 out of town which was busy but had a huge shoulder. Then we took side roads the entire way into Phoenix. Closer to the city limits there are quite a few bike paths. The traffic was mostly good and courteous to cyclists.
Accommodations:
On the first day there were plenty of wild camp spots. In Maricopa we stayed at a wonderful warm showers host. On the second day we were in Phoenix proper where there are loads of hotels. We had a house sit lined up for the weekend with a beautiful dog.
What happened…
Amanda writes: After enjoying a lovely night in the desert trying out our new tent which would essentially be our home for the coming years, we headed out back onto the roads. Initially we had planned on trying to find another camp spot but Andrew looked online and found a warm showers host near Maricopa. Because we were calling on the same day he wasn’t calling in hopes of a host, but instead just a recommendation of where to camp. Turns out the host, Dick was just as happy to host us last minute. What an amazing fellow and his beautiful wife Karen! A nice retired couple from Washington State, not far from our home in Vancouver. We enjoyed a lovely meal, warm shower and some great conversation and music. While warm showers hosts are normally wonderful, Dick and Karen were especially great as they opened their doors to us last minute.
Day two we set out on a route that Dick recommended to try and avoid some of the heavy traffic typical for cycling into a large city. Today’s destination; Phoenix! We had lined up a dog sit over the weekend and the home was right near the baseball field so we hoped to catch a game. Turns out our timing wasn’t that awesome as the team was on a road trip. Oh well, wasn’t meant to be. We did enjoy exploring the area and checking out some sites and especially enjoyed the company of a beautiful great dane/greyhound mix dog.
Cycling through this area was a bit nostalgic for us. In years past we came down and stayed with Andrew’s Grandfather at his place in Casa Grande. At the time we had actually tried to buy his place but it had an age restriction so were not permitted. In addition one of my closest friends in the world from high school was visiting the area from Northern Alberta with her family. I have known Jacquie since I was 15 years old (I’ll let you do the math). She was my best friend in high school and while time and distance lie between us, we can always pick up the phone or visit and it seems as if a moment hasn’t passed. Turns out we were a mere 100 km from each other and while we could have pushed harder on the bikes to come and try to visit, I know it would be hard. Jacquie and her husband have 3 kids and I’m sure their schedule was jam packed full with activities with not a lot of room for a visit from a high school friend. We chatted and chalked it up to not this time, but can’t wait to see her another time. Love ya Jack!
The aerial view of our rides: