(Tues, 3/4/25; 38 miles, 1387 feet of climb)
I enjoyed tailwinds the entire day today! But still faced some tough riding due to road conditions. And was amazed by a couple of remarkable obscure connections at the end of the day. I spent the entire day on the reservation for the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
It started out cold: 39°F when I woke up. I was glad I only had to walk down the hall of the Apache Gold casino for a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns.
Looking at the predicted tailwinds today, and the fact that I rode an extra 8 miles yesterday, I began to think…hmmm…I could do TWO days’ ride today and go all the way to Safford! It didn’t seem too bad to do 70 miles with a tailwind.
But then I realized that I wouldn’t get to stay with Joe & Debbie in Bylas. I really do enjoy meeting people, especially gracious Warmshowers hosts.
I suppose I should explain what Warmshowers is. It is an international network of people who agree to host other people traveling by bicycle. We have actually been Warmshowers hosts for over 30 years in Chippewa Falls, and have enjoyed hosting bikers from all over the world who happen to be passing through western Wisconsin.
Also, if I did 70 miles today, then the day from Safford to Duncan is when I’d be facing the headwind. That day is relatively tough at 41 miles with 2000 feet of climb. I think I’ll stick with the original plan of fighting those headwinds on a much easier day of 33 miles and 500 feet of climb from Bylas to Safford
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Once I decided to stick with the original schedule, I knew today would be easy— 38 miles and 1400 feet of climb with a tailwind. So I decided to get a later start.
The longer I wait, the warmer it gets and the stronger that tailwind gets. So I slept in (8 hours!), ate breakfast, reorganized some gear, and worked on logistics, all while watching other people’s YouTube videos of bike trips on the hotel TV.
I finally hit the road around 10:00 am. The winds were definitely in my favor, but it wasn’t all roses. Sometimes a gust was so strong that it made me swerve! Scary when going at speeds up to 35 mph.
I did still have a few climbs today, but nothing like yesterday. The road was worse, though — sometimes the shoulder was too narrow or had obstacles. So I often rode in the traffic lane, and swerved back over the rumble strips into the shoulder when cars approached from behind.
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I made it to Bylas about 5:00 pm but couldn’t find my hosts’ house. But google maps led me to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, and the parsonage was right next door.
Pastor Joe Dietrich made us a great meal of spaghetti and green beans. I am used to people barely knowing where Wisconsin is, but when I told Joe I’m from Chippewa Falls, his first question was: “Do you know Pastor Pitt?”
HOLY COW!! Our son David took his daughter Shelby to prom in 2014! What are the odds of that connection? Here we are in a remote Indian reservation in southeast Arizona in the middle of nowhere.
But wait, there’s more. When Debbie got home, we started talking about her background. She used to teach at St. Matthew’s Lutheran School in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin— where my niece Leah Strong sends her kids! In fact, Debbie’s best friend was Leah’s daughter’s kindergarten teacher!
After dinner, three kids from the Apache tribe came to visit. They had heard a biker was in town. (Word travels fast.) They wanted to hear some stories, and wanted to charge their phones, since their trailers do not currently have any electric power. I got a quick interview with each of them (and with Debbie) that I’ll put on YouTube later.
Joe and Debbie are really doing God’s work here on the reservation. I was so honored to be invited into their lives for one night.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “CANTBIRD” = CA-AZ-NM-TX Bike Ride, my own nickname for the 1000 miles on the western half of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route, from San Diego to El Paso, using maps from ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). (I did the 1500-mile eastern half in March 2024, which I called GUMBIRD [Gulf of Mexico Bike Ride].)
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066334039590
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):