The temperatures are getting warmer down here in southern Arizona. The leaves on the cottonwood trees were yellow when I arrived in November, dropped their leaves in December, and have now grown back green and lush. There are shoots of green grass sprouting up everywhere. New-to-us bird species pass through the yard, such as hummingbirds, Little egrets, and Vermilion flycatchers. The Morning dove's songs are constant, an indicator of warmth. Western rattlesnakes are emerging from their holes to bathe in the sun. The pollen is off the charts, flowers are blooming on the cacti, and I am allergic to everything. It's time for me to say goodbye to this place until next winter and return to Durango, Colorado.
As I write this post, we are packing up our belongings and saying our goodbyes. Goodbye to the view of the Mustang Mountains from the dining room table. Goodbye to our feathered, furred, and scaled neighbors who provided constant entertainment and curiosity. Goodbye to the long exploratory day rides with friends and the afternoon bike rides around the ranch bathed in golden light. Goodbye to the Sonoita characters, to Cristina, Ben, Suzanne, and all the bicycling visitors who shared a conversation and a beer over sunset at the ranch.
With Covid cases on a significant decline in the region, visitors could return to the ranch over the last couple of months. My parents came and so did some close friends. Many of the visitors were bikepackers passing through along the Sky Islands Odyssey routes. Due to having so many separate lodging buildings, camping options, and outdoor conversing spaces, the ranch provided an opportunity to meet new people and to spend time with loved ones in a safe way outdoors. I appreciate these interactions more than I ever did before Covid.
At the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, we have laid a solid foundation for the future of more cycling infrastructure and opportunities at the ranch, so stay tuned. Incorporating bicycles into the daily operations and outreach of a non-profit wildlife sanctuary that used to be closed to the public before 2018 is a slow process but certainly one of the most exciting ones to me. I'm looking forward to returning in November to pick this work back up and to share this place with more of you.
Over the last few weeks as we have been cramming in last-minute experiences for ourselves by venturing off the ranch to do some new-to-us rides in different parts of Arizona. One of the days, Hubert, Sean, Adam, and I tackled a single-day ride on the Arizona Trail from Picket-Post Mountain to Kelvin, a 36-mile ride on 100% single track with over 3,500 of climbing (and we were riding it in the downhill direction!). This ride follows an incredible and remote section of the Arizona Trail and one of the few consistently rideable single-track sections of the entire trail system. It was so cool to see the number of people from all over the world, thru-hiking and bikepacking this section. The Arizona Trail is truly a gift to Arizona and the world! Our ride's biggest challenge was that we just so happened to time our ride with the first major heatwave of Spring with temperatures reaching into the low 90's. Even with nearly 4 liters of water per person, the tole of a big day on challenging terrain and sun exposure resulted in chaos by the end of the ride. We all ran out of water with 5 miles to go, Adam abandoned the final climb of the route by bailing to the railroad tracks, and Hubert and Sean ended the ride with a medium case of heat exhaustion. We were lucky that their conditions improved eventually, and we did not have to call in support. This was a humble reminder that the heat in Arizona is no joke, to only stop in the shade for breaks, drink plenty of water with electrolytes, and cover up as much as possible. After some time to recover, we cooled ourselves down by floating the swollen Verde River the following day.
We also visited Sedona for some more mountain biking, which was my first time being there. Wow, is that place stunning and swarming with people. The single-track was incredibly fun and the perfect amount of pucker for my developing mountain bike skills. The crowds of people made me feel like I was in some weird natural amusement park. The landscape of red sandstone bluffs, cliffs, and slick rock immersed in evergreen cedar and pine forests, dotted with prickly pear and agave, was something out of a Jurassic Park or Star Wars movie set with tourism helicopters flying overhead. I didn't have the time to help plan these trips. Instead, our crew relied on the incredibly informative and hilarious graphic guides by the one and only Cosmic Ray and his Arizona guide book, Fat Tire Tales and Trails: Arizona Mountain Bike Trail Guide (New Mighty Moto Locals Only 23rd Edition). Cosmic Ray just recently passed away, and while I never had the chance to meet him, our crew honored him by staying true to his recommendations for route choice and flow direction. We were sure to quote all the salad bars we found ourselves in, too (according to the "G-narly G-lossary of Arcane Trail Jargon" in Ray's Book, salad bar means turfing it into the shrubbery. "The shmorgy of shred").
While the last few weeks have been hectic, I'm savoring these final moments and looking forward to slowing down a bit in Durango. I didn't get to see everyone and do everything I wanted to during my stay in Arizona. Still, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend time here, especially during such a challenging year. I am confident that the winter of 2021 and 2022 will bring more opportunities to be together, to share a ride, a sunset, and a conversation.
I'll be changing my focus back in Durango. I will be assistant coaching for Devo Exploras, a 6-8th grade all-girls bikepacking group, and fundraising through The Cairn Project to create more opportunities for young women and girls to get outdoors. All the while I will be preparing my mind, body, and equipment for the Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race in June.
While I will miss the beauty and the solitude of southern Arizona, I am looking forward to being back in Durango, having fewer splinters daily, taking baths, being around trees, floating down the Animas River and not driving an hour and a half to the grocery store for a while. Thanks as always for reading my ramblings. On to the next chapter!