Tucson – Picacho Peak SP - 70km
The morning started promising, revealing a lovely tailwind until it
suddenly changed direction and became a fierce headwind. Warnings
of an approaching storm made us pick up food and pull into the small
but pretty Picacho Peak SP. I dashed to the viewpoint to watch the
sunset over the desert before the weather came in. Regrettably, the
temperature turned icy cold accompanied with rain during the night.
Picacho Peak NP – Coolidge via Florence - 88km
Luckily, the rain subsided and, albeit windy and bitterly cold, the sun
peaked from behind the clouds. It became an enjoyable day of riding,
and Coolidge soon appeared.
Coolidge was an interesting village and home to the Hohokam who
built a massive compound - today known as the Casa Grande Ruins.
Being early, we made a detour to Florence, a quaint and historic
community that looked straight out of a Wild West movie. Following
lunch and snapping a few pics we returned to Coolidge.
En route, I heard a phone ring and discovered one lying in the road. I
answered, and it turned out to be the owner. I gave him directions
and he soon arrived. The fascinating part was that he appeared
apprehensive and nervous as he parked a reasonable distance away.
His wariness perplexed me and thought I clearly came across fiercer
than ever imagined. Still, he must’ve been super pleased to retrieve
his phone as he slipped me a $20 bill.