Today I finally defeated an old enemy I feared would come to haunt me on the Southern Tier. When we rode the TransAm through Oregon five years ago I began to suffer heat exhaustion in the scorching weather we were experiencing. It was so hot the state was on fire – quite literally. At one…
Under fire in the last stronghold of the Apache…. Globe to Jakes Corner
“Hey, who the hell is on my campground?” we heard someone shout. Terry and I turned around in alarm to find a large chap striding towards us with a couple of his friends. It was clear they’d been drinking and in truth, so had we. We’d arrived in Jakes Corner, a remote outpost tucked away…
A well rounded day of culture, coffee and cinnabons…. Globe
Globe proved to be the perfect place for a rest day after some hard slogs on the road. Founded as a mining camp in 1876 by English, Welsh, Cornish and Yugoslavian miners, its location in Apache territory and proximity to the San Carlos Reservation saw it begin life as a frontier town and it has…
Falling between the cracks in the richest country on earth…. Safford to Globe
“What is it with America? How come a nation that has the technological ability to fly a man to the moon, walk around on it, turn around and fly back to earth using a heat shield capable of withstanding the incredible furnace of re-entry, can’t lay tarmac that can cope with normal daily temperatures and…
Raising Arizona…. Lordsburg to Safford
If you were wondering why we quoted King Lear at the end of yesterday’s blog then, aside from the references to the wind, it was to pay tribute to our nightstop – Lordsburg (population 3,195). Founded in 1880 on the route of the Southern Pacific Railroad and near the route of the Butterfield Overland Mail…
A Powerful Story of 2 Strange People…. San Lorenzo to Lordsburg
If you’ve ever seen the John Wayne movie ‘Stagecoach’ then you’ll know that the film follows a group of nine strangers riding a stagecoach across Apache country to Lordsburg, New Mexico. Along the way the travellers battle Geronimo and his warriors, as well squabble and fight among themselves. The strapline for the movie reads: ‘A…
The Southern Tier hits a real high…. Hillsboro to San Lorenzo
Today was always going to be about climbing, because 16 miles into today’s ride lay the Emory Pass on the Black Range, at 8,228ft by far the highest point on the entire Southern Tier. The key to riding a big climb is to get there early, before the sun is up, and pedal during the…
Beating the cold in the chilli capital…. Leasburg Dam State Park to Hillsboro
We’ve finally found the answer to how to pack up camp and hit the road in double-quick time – get up in the freezing cold and chuck in the added risk of getting caught by state park rangers for camping illegally. This morning we woke at the Leasburg Dam State Park at 6am and were…
Goodbye Texas – hello New Mexico…. El Paso to Leasburg Dam State Park
Let’s get one thing straight. Texas is huge. It’s vast. Bloomin’ enormous. The Lone Star State makes up nearly a third of the entire Southern Tier route and it has taken us three weeks to cycle across it. Our journey has seen us cycle through lush forest, to hill country, to ranch land and through…
Soaking up the sights in Sun City…. El Paso
For a zero day off the bike El Paso surpassed itself. We had great architecture, a presidential political rally, bike racing in the streets, art, jazz, great food and historic art deco trams which got me so excited I could barely contain myself. The day started at the Beto O’Rourke political rally where the El…