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Arizona Scapbook Page 5

December 27th. 9:40am. Second breakfast of cheese, apple, and cookies, sitting here by Duckworth Ponds a few miles south of Safford. The sun is finally out after a cloudy morning. Feeling good, glad to be moving again, rolling down the highway. Good shoulder so far.

The Ponds here are fed by an artesian spring and average 95degrees F. The ducks seem to like that.

12:30pm. Roadside Rest Area. Lunch Time. Stayed at Duckworth Ponds a little longer than I'd planned. Had to find and fix the puncture in my front tire, where I've had a slow leak for several days now. It had obviously graduated to something more than a slow leak as I started to pedal out of the park, so back I went to fix it in the relative comfort of the picnic area by the ponds. Since leaving that oasis it's gotten fairly hot and I was glad to find this roofed rest stop since it's the only shade around. A nearby outhouse would be a good addition but I guess I should be thankful for what is here. Being kept company by little robber birds, trying to steal my lunch.

9:00pm. Sands Motel, Willcox. This place definitely leaves a few things to be desired. But it's the cheapest place in town at $20 plus 2.50 tax. Not very clean, fridge barely works and smells moldy and something melted in the microwave - not using either. My dinner of burgers and fries at Carter's Drive Inn was barely passable as food. So far this town is not a hit. I'm quite tired, hopefully things will quieten down outside. Lots of activity at this motel since nightfall - I suspect drug and people smuggling is how this motel makes money, not from tourists. Mileage today: 78 km.

December 28th. 1:45pm. Texas Canyon Rest Area. Left Willcox around 10:30 after dealing with another hole in my front tire, then treating myself to a real breakfast at the Desert Rose Cafe. 32 km so far, all on the interstate. Tons of traffic but also wide shoulders to make it tolerable.

Balancing rocks at Texas Canyon.

Cool balancing rock formations at this rest area, makes for a scenic lunch stop. Very busy with trucks and RVs etc though. It's getting colder and cloudier as I sit here; might have to put on my fleece pants for the descent to Benson.

7:30pm. Benson Motel - my room is expensive at $35 for what it is. If I didn't know I'd be back to a decent paying job in a few weeks, I'd be camping, even if it is bloody cold at night. Today's mileage: 58 km.

December 29th. 8:20am. Getting ready to leave. Sun is shining. I'm hoping to get in to see Kartchener Caves this morning. Unfortunately the phone here is on the blink, so I can't phone ahead to get the scoop on how booked their tours are - guess I'll have to take my chances.

9:30am. Finally leaving. Another flat to repair, this time the rear tire. The joys of desert riding!

Kartchener Caves lie below these limestone hills.

10:00pm. Budget Inn, Sierra Vista. A long day. I lucked into a spot on the 1pm tour of the caves, but that meant not leaving the park until 3pm. Boggied to get here in 2 hours and beat the dark. The caves are very cool. They've done a lot of work to ensure that the formations aren't damaged by opening them up to the public. It's almost like entering a space station - you have to go through a double airlock, so as to preserve the right atmosphere - very humid - inside the caves. And touching is strictly forbidden as skin oils ruin the limestone deposits that make the various kinds of formations.

This motel is pretty swanky compared to last night's digs and only a dollar more (I bargained the price down). After settling in, I went across the street to the chinese restaurant and took full advantage of their all you can eat buffet for 7.50 - not bad food. Then I veged for a bit with a movie on the telie. Rather an upscale holiday for me with all this spending nights in motels. Today's mileage: 52 km.

December 30th. 9:00am. About to leave Sierra Vista. No flats this morning!

12:45am. San Pedro River. Stopped here for a lunch break. Left my bike up near the road, where I thought I was avoiding the worst danger to my tires. NOT! I must have set the bike right on top of a huge thorn. There I was getting my lunch stuff together to take down to the river when I heard the loud escape of air. P f f f f f f f f f f f f ! My back tire is completely flat. Decided to wait till after lunch to deal with it.

some of the five million stairs up to the hostel

5:30pm. Stair Haven Hostel, Bisbee. 63 km today. Except for the five million stairs I had to lug my bike up to get into the hostel, this looks like a nice place to hang for a couple of days. Steve, the manager is very accommodating, and at 15 bucks a night it's a little easier on my budget than the last couple of nights. The town is rather neat too. Old mining town way up in the hills above the desert, pretty different from all the other towns I've been through around here. Huge old pit mine on the outskirts of town.

December 31st. Rest day.

January 1st, 2002. Happy new year. Still at the Stair Haven Hostel. It's around 6pm and I'm waiting for my rice and brocolli dinner to cook. Feeling quite wasted. Some party animal I am! Had one beer around 10pm last night, then danced in the streets until just after midnight. Feels more like I drank a whole case though and stayed up all night. I suppose other people around here did exactly that - quite the small scale Mardi Gras last night in the Old City of Bisbee. Lots of hippy kids and all kinds of folks really. Lots of music and other performers. Just about the right size street party for my taste in crowds.

I'm quite comfortable at this hostel, but I'm finding the constant blather, especially from one guest, is getting a bit much. Also having the TV in the middle of the common room is very irritating, at least for me. Definitely time to hit the road again.

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