Grand Canyon Connector Spring 2019

By Lawrence SutherlandDecember 9, 2019

The Journey April 21 – 29

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

Disappointed again with another job coming to an end. Instead of hurrying to go get another job immediately, the Grand Canyon bike trip seemed to be the better idea. Everybody was notified I’ll be back in a month. Off to the wilderness I go to loose my mind and find my soul. I work for my own dreams. I don’t work for somebody else’s dreams anymore.

Complete Photography Portfolio Link @

https://lawrencesutherland.me/

Wickenburg

Strava: Tempe to Wickenburg

https://www.strava.com/activities/2308780903

It’s going to be a warm ride through the desert coming from Phoenix or from Yarnell the good news there’s a cool camping spot in Wickenburg.

The Aztec Village RV Park has nice camping amenities with showers and laundry and management provides clean towels. A very nice shady grassey camping area for cyclists.

It’s always interesting meeting new people along the way and learn a little bit about their stories.

Camped with the CyclingSisters @mckynlee9 and @asloan35 they’re riding the Adventure Cycling, Southern Tier Route from San Diego CA to St. Augustine FL for World Bicycle Relief raising money for rural developing countries. To put a bicycle into the hands of a student trying to go to school, or a doctor trying to reach a patient……

A great friend who rode with me is @rideabout57 an individual who rides all over America. In the winter months he works at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Spring is in the air and it’s time for the snowbird to fly. He travels very frugally with a minimal amount of money to his name. Honestly I don’t know how he does it.

Congress – Yarnell

Strava: Yarnell Hill Climb

https://www.strava.com/activities/2311452177

The landscape is changing from the Sonoran Basin to the Arizona Transition Zone the temperate sierras ecoregion of the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains. It’s where the Saguaros meet the Joshua Trees…..

Gold discovered 1860 lead to the Old Congress Mine, Arizona’s largest gold mine. By the end of World War I Congress turned into a ghost town.

Today Congress opens up for business on the weekends one bar with live music. Otherwise during the week just move on now……

There’s only one gas station where everybody in the surrounding area meetup and it’s a very conservative rural American community. Just fill up the water bottles and move on now. A steep hill climb into Yarnell is ahead……

Weaver Mountains, Yarnell is on the other side of the mountain

Yarnell, 1873 gold mine community. There’s two coffee shops that are never open at the same time and that’s if they are open. It’s an eclectic community of artist and writers that’s only open on weekends…..

Oak Park Motel & RV Park has bike camping accommodations with showers. However, the place is under new management and the new management has a lot of maintenance and repair. The bathrooms and showers in need of repair, but it works.

Prescott

Strava: [ ( none ) I forgot to start the record ride button ]. Another great hill climb from Wilhoit into Prescott.

Peeples Valley some of the prettiest ranchlands in Arizona……

Looking back towards Peeples Valley and Yarnell from Wilhoit

Wilhoit would be a great place in the early summer for astrophotography and for Monsoon storm photography. It’s a small community. There’s a small general store with a post office next to the fire station at the base of the mountain entering the Prescott National Forest. Also a library with limited hours of operation during the week. Otherwise it’s a long haul ( 16 miles ) up the mountain to Prescott.

The people one meets on a ride. Samael has been on a two year ride which originated in Argentina his home up through Mexico all the way into Canada. He was coming from the Grand Canyon on his way back home…currently Nov. 5 2019 he’s in La Paz. Amazing lifestyle!

White Spar Campground has great camping sites, but has no showers. The best place to shower is Prescott YMCA of Yavapai County….

Give thanks and gratitude to the America Conservation Experience organization. These are the people who volunteer to keep America’s public lands maintained. They are university graduate students who get reduced tuition based on the amount of their service. They don’t get paid but have everything provided to them during their service commitment duration. These are the people who keep America great.

Good place to do a little bike maintenace and repair

Cyclist and photographer my kind of lady

Drake

Strava: Middle of Nowhere

https://www.strava.com/activities/2319263920

My photo escapade got killed! Seriously freaking out is how the day started. I have no idea what I did to my camera settings. The photogaraphy thing just went horribly south. The pictures were kind of cool, but I lost complete manual control of the camera.

I did figure out my camera still worked in auto settings. That’s like getting one arm tied behind my back. With that said I might as well use my phone only. However, after I got home from this trip, I learned the camera picture quality beats the phone handsdown. Then the kick in the ass! I learned I could have gone to camera menu and reset my settings…..

Heading into Chino Valley and Pauldin the air was filled with the smell of mustard weeds. Looking across the vast fields of Grama grass you can see patches of yellow flowers of the mustard weeds. The somewhat pleasent smell can be bad news. Unknowingly causing a sinus and upper respritory irritation. Talking with the locals it’s a common problem for almost everybody. It’s good idea to have a face shield!

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”
Henry David Thoreau

Leaving Chino Valley into Paulden and then entering into the Coconino National Forest. There’s a general store in Paulden to fill up water bottles for a night of wild camping right of Forest Service 680 Rd. near Drake……. Last chance until Ash Fork.

Ash Fork

https://www.strava.com/activities/2321089171

The ground is so soft to walk on. Sink about an inch with every step. It’s hard to say the last time someone walked on this…..

Entering Ash Fork Elvis Presely is here……

There’s something haunting, once upon a time a thriving railroad economy, famous Route US 66 and a early Hollywood filming location. A lot of history in this town. A forgotten community torn apart by the changing face of America bypassed by the Interstate 40 and a relocated railroad.

Somebody does show an interest in a forgotten town hanging on to whats left

Williams

Strava: William’s , Kaibab Lake

https://www.strava.com/activities/2325427157

Finally within a days ride to the Grand Canyon. A rain storm is in the forcast and decieded to make this a couple days stay.

Politcians sold the souls of Americans for Interstate 40 and Williams was the last gasper fighting for the preservation of historic Route 66. It was 1984 when Interstate 40 was completed outside of Williams and that was the end of Route 66. Williams Historical Business District and Urban Route 66 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989

Kaibab Lake has nice camping for bicyclist away from the RV campers, but no showers are available.