From Phoenix, AZ to Tucson, AZ
From Phoenix, AZ to Tucson, AZ
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Unfortunately there are no pictures today due to a minor technical snafu. (Note: Photographs added after my return.) I slept in a bit this morning again -- it feels good. I ate a really so-so breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Then back to the room to round up all the gear and get it loaded back on the bike. (Lesson: First Floor Rooms). Four trips aren't that bad but lugging a bunch of bulky stuff gets to be a hassle.
Finally out on the road, first order of business was gasoline. I've noticed a couple of things about Phoenix (and maybe Arizona in general). I rode to the gas station without a jacket. It was already getting warm and the air felt that great at once being tinged with warmth and chill. Arizona does not have a helmet law. Motorcycle attire runs the full gamut from nylon athletic shorts and muscle shirt to full dress leather. The other thing is that the ride to the gas station was fairly long due to the need to make a Phoenix Figure Eight. Phoenix is not very left turn friendly. It's just easier to make three right turns rather than one left turn. So it was about a six-mile loop and loop as I circled the closest gas station.
Finally back out on the road. The route was fairly straight forward utilizing first Arizona 51 southbound to Arizona 202 heading east. At Arizona 101 I turned south to meet up with US Route 60 heading east. All of this was on fairly new three and four lane freeway. I have to say the newer freeways in Phoenix are very attractive. Most are set below grade with a great variety of trees. At Apache Junction, the freeway reduces to a four lane divided highway.
Up until this point, I could have been in most any metropolitan city in the western United States. The Superstition Mountains rise to my left. These mountains look like most any desert mountain range marked with deep ridges, minimal erosion, sharp edges, lots of colors in the rock.
To
my left, I pass a sign that indicates the turn off for the Phoenix
Renaissance Fair grounds. I thought that was sort of a charming
anachronism when out of nowhere a medieval English village appears --
or at least the backs of the false fronts of a medieval English
village.
At Florence Junction, I turn onto Arizona 79 heading south. The road is now one lane in each direction. The desert environment is close to the edge of the road. The saguaros stand guard for the road. These plants / trees are magnificent.
At Florence, I am again greeted by a collection of Arizona prisons. I turn toward Florence's historic district. There are some interesting buildings, but I may have missed the actual historic district. Overall the town is drab and forlorn. The community has a number of building under restoration so things may look up. The Pimal County Courthouse is a great Victorian structure that needs more upkeep but clearly speaks of a grander age in this small town.
Outside Florence, the highway becomes the Pimal Pioneer Parkway. The
vegetation is dense and varied. The small plants on the edge of the
road seem to make a continuous linear bouquet: blues, yellows, white
and a rust / pink hued grass. I have seen many Harley riders going in
the opposite direction. I'm slowly overtaking by a pair of Harleys
and we caravan together through Oracle and into Tucson.
I check in at the Flamingo Hotel. This building is a remnant of maybe the 1950s. It seems to be a bit of a favorite with German tourists. I dump my stuff and head out to look for a restaurant recommended in the excellent guide Eat Your Way Across the USA. I'm looking for the Cafe Poca Cosa recommended for its diverse offering of Southwestern cuisine using fresh fresh ingredients. Unfortunately, the proprietors are observing the Easter weekend and will not be open again until Monday.
In desperation and dehydration, I turn to the arches. The crispy chicken sandwich never looked so good. I also had a green salad shaker. I was frankly surprised by the quality of the salad ingredients but the serving design is impossible. If you are supposed to add the dressing and then shake to mix (as the name seems to imply) it would help if the ingredients were not so tightly packed as to be unshakable. But it was tasty.
The afternoon included a drive out to San Xavier del Bac. A beautiful church constructed when Tucson was at the end of the earth. The building needs continuing upkeep and lately the curators have decided that the previous maintenance methods were causing problems. Experts from Mexico now recommend a mixture of nopal cactus and sand.
Back to the hotel for a nap. Then out to the hotel pool for a short swim and a soak in the hot tub. Almost time for dinner.
Depart Phoenix southbound on Interstate 17 and then eastbuond on Interstate 10 finally onto US Route 60.
We turn off of US Route 60 onto Arizona Route 79.
At Oracle Junction Arizona Route 79 joins Arizona Route 77.
Arrive Tucson.
