A few weeks ago I told you about meeting an interesting cyclist who lives here in Warrenville. His name is Paul Hayes, and he and about a dozen other cyclists are doing an Adventure Cycling Tour called the Southern Tier--a ride from San Diego to St. Augustine. At this writing, Paul is in his second week of riding. The photo was taken as they crossed the desert.
The second week found them threading their way between the Harcuvar, Harquahala, and Vulture mountain ranges, rolling into the cowboy town of Wickenburg and swooping through Phoenix.
Their first layover day was spent in Tempe, home of Arizona State University and taking advantage of an opportunity to explore the Valley of the Sun. From here they headed east through the desert before climbing in the copper mining towns of Superior, Miami, and Globe.
Paul posted the following on his blog. “Today we biked from Globe, AZ to Safford... Lots of ups and downs,” That day, the group met a student from Japan who is riding from Los Angeles to South America, being gone from his home for a year. “We invited Masaki to stay with us, eat and spend the night. He’s asleep as I write.”
And Paul continues, “Tomorrow we have an 82-mile day with two long climbs, ending in Buckhorn. New Mexico. Please keep us in your prayers”. What’s ahead for Paul and the group? After enjoying their descent into Three Way and proceeding into Nee2 Mexico, rolling steadily toward Buckhorn, they will then move on to Silver City, the legendary land of outlaws and renegades like Billy the Kid and Geronimo. Here they may choose to kick back and chow down on some spicy Mexican food during their next layover day.
Rested up and ready to go, they will then surmount the Continental Divide and zoom down in Members, readying their legs for the scenic climb up 8,228-foot Emory Pass, the high point of the Southern Tier.
From there it is smooth sailing to their campsite at Cabala Lake State Park, and onward toward Las Cruces.
