Gene Ho reports on a trip he and other CRW members took to Tucson, Arizona during the winter months while most of us were enduring the cold weather. We hope you enjoy their adventures and are possibly motivated to travel to a warmer climate next winter. The riders are Steve Carlson, Bernie Flynn, Gene Ho, Robin Frain, Jerry Skurla, and Steve Delaney.
We're not on the Argentine pampas but we are in cowboy country. Bernie and a few others have been doing the snowbird thing and spending some of the winter in warmer biking venues. Not Florida but Tucson AZ.
|
|
|
|
|
The man said "bring your gravel bike. Lottsa dirt roads here."
The "here" he's talking about is the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Sanctuary, about 1.5 hours South of Tucson. The prominent peak in the distance is Baboquiveri (accent on the "qui" which sounds like "kee"). "Babo" is on the same ridge as Kitt Peak Observatory which puts it in the middle of nowhere. To the local Indians, on whose reservation Babo is located, the peak occupies the same place in their foundation mythology as Mt Olympus does in Greek mythology. Its distinctive appearance make it a useful navigational landmark to which we actually referred during the ride. |
 |
|
The "we" are Steve, Bernie, me, Robin, Jerry, and the other Steve behind the lens. |
 |
|
"What the?" Only 2 miles in and all our GPS devices stop working. Only Bernie appears unconcerned. He's been here before and it happens every time. Must be the Chinese spy balloon hovering above or a rogue Russian satellite. "just re-boot" he says. We do and it works
"What the?" Only 2 miles in and all our GPS devices stop working. Only Bernie appears unconcerned. He's been here before and it happens every time. Must be the Chinese spy balloon hovering above or a rogue Russian satellite. "just re-boot" he says. We do and it works.
|
|
It's not like the navigation is challenging. Even I can follow this road
|
|
"Lookit the xxxx" Lottsa wildlife in the area. Mule deer, road runners, hawks, feral cattle, you name it. If you enlarge and look at the peak above Bernie's head, you see what looks like a power line cut. It's actually a cut for the border wall. But, the grade was too steep to actually build the wall. The contractors had to use the valley below after spending the bucks to make the cut. |
 |
|
"We're in the middle of the desert. What's this coming up?" It's Rancho de la Osa, whose location belies some of the events that happened there. |
 |
|
Having an urgent need to do what we all need to do, Steve heads for the nearest building. This turns out to be one of the oldest Spanish buildings in the US and dates from circa 1700. In its day, it was a church built by missionaries. |
 |
|
The ex home of the holy spirit in now the home of liquid spirits. |
 |
|
After sitting on his racing bike saddle, this model feels a lot more friendly. |
 |
|
A bubbling fountain in the middle of the desert. This place is something else |
 |
|
The guests ate pretty well in this dining room, one of several. The many pictures on the wall at the left give some of the ranch's backstory. A political ally of Franklin Roosevelt, along with some NY investors, bought the place in the late 1930s. It served as an off-site meeting venue for various worker bees in the Roosevelt administration. |
 |
|
Okaaaay.....so, who's this guy? You heard of the Marshall plan? This guy, William Clayton, whose day job was buying and selling cotton, also dabbled in government affairs, serving as undersecretary of state for economic affairs during and after WW2. His report on post war reconstruction needs in Europe was the genesis of the Marshall plan. Here he is working on it. |
 |
|
Everyone needs a break. Dancing to western swing to clear the mind. Except the hardcore on the right. If it wasn't 1946, I'd swear he was checking his iPhone. |
 |
|
"What are you doing here?" The original egghead is the last person I'd expect to see here. But, Adlai Stevenson was so enamored of the place, he built a home there. |
 |
|
"What are you doing here?" We need you back in DC. William O. Douglas, conservationist (not conservative), one of the early progressive supreme court justices. |
 |
|
Relaxing and listening to the staff discussing the current state of affairs. Contrary to the above, they've had a lot business housing contractors working on the border wall. |
 |
|
Back on our bikes heading further south. |
 |
| We're getting close. |
 |
| At the wall itself. Note the razor wire and height. |
 |
|
At the crossing. Zero traffic while we were there. |
 |
|
Not only is Sasabe (rhymes with "sassy") a one store town, the owner was the only person in town that day. They apparently do a good business selling gas. The pickup on the right clocked 143 gallons on the pump meter. Gas is more expensive in Mexico and truck owner fills up the large tank in the bed for resale on the other side of the crossing. |
 |
|
"Head 'em up and move 'em out" We channel Gil Favor and Rowdy Yates as we encounter stray cattle on the ride back. |
 |
|
We head back north toward Baboquivari in the distance. The dark area on the right is a controlled burn site to provide a fire break for the upcoming dry season.
Looking forward to biking there again next winter.
While it's not for sure Cole Porter ever visited the area, his song from the heyday of the Rancho de la Osa is evocative of the vibe of our ride. If you've forgotten the tune, it'll come to you when you read the lyrics. "Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above, |
 |
