Got out this AM without breakfast as that is the tradition, you gotta earn it. Besides, I get kinda tired with a full belly; no sense in starting out tired. Breakfast ended up being half a bag of Funyuns and a Monster energy drink at a gas station outside of Fountain Hills. Mmm Mmm Good. You know, I’ve lived in California for more of my life than I’ve lived anywhere else combined but Arizona always “feels” like home to me. There is no place I’ve ever been that’s quite like the Arizona desert. Today the cactus was blooming and the weather, while warm, wasn’t too hot – perfect. I tried to find a Saguaro in bloom but they were mostly just starting to bud. The ride up toward Payson took me up to 5,500 feet before descending into the Tonto Basin and Roosevelt Lake. From there I went through Globe down to San Carlos. It did get hot while I was standing next to my bike for 25 minutes in a line of stopped traffic – based on the wadded up cars on the flat beads, it was a pretty bad accident – glad I missed it (one is enough!!). On to Safford for lunch then a left turn up into the mountains. One thing I found quite strange when I was leaving Arizona and going into New Mexico. I stopped to take a “Leaving Arizona” picture at the crest of the mountain and in less than a mile I was in New Mexico. The funny thing was that on the Arizona side of the mountain it was high desert landscape. As soon as I started down the mountain on the other side the pine trees were everywhere and 80 feet tall. There weren’t even any scrub pines on the Arizona side. Imagine the early settlers going through that pass; what a surprise! It’s cool enough here in Silver City. Last year it was going to freeze overnight so I got a Kozy Kabin at this KOA instead of tenting it, this year I was going to Motel 6 it ($15 cheaper than a Kozy Kabin) but the weather is good so I’m back at the KOA in my tent. Met a real nice guy with a side car Harley here we talked for an hour about this and that but I’m already long on this post so that story will have to waitsome. So much to tell, so little time….. Rest assured though – It’s ALL Good.
Four Peaks – April 21, 2014. I used to laugh when I saw people taking pictures of cactus…..
On the left is a yellow prickly pear blossom and the pink flowers are something we called “loco weed” because if the cows ate it, they got crazy. On the right the Ocotillo cactus (actually not a cactus) are sporting red flames at the ends of their stems.
That’s Arizona in the background – New Mexico is just a mile away. The other side of the mountain has 80 foot pine trees everywhere – not a cactus in site.
I have a few Continental Divide pictures from my travels, this is the first one with my new bagger. Hwy 180 just north of Silver City, New Mexico. April 21, 2014.
