Sky Islands Odyssey (East Loop) - Day 3 - Santa Rita Rolling Coaster
Date: April 7, 2024
42.1 Miles
2,586 Feet of Gain
Sonoita, AZ to Green Valley, AZ
The cold descended on the high desert grasslands complete and thorough as the night wore on. I awoke several times shivering and needing to tighten up gaps in my quilt. And all throughout the night, an owl sat in the tree over us, hooting and jumping branch to branch. As daylight flowed in across the grassy courtyard, I jumped out of the X-mid to investigate for signs of the bird. Sure enough, I quickly located piles and piles of owl pellets; I was absolutely stoked. We packed up wearing our puffies and pushed out on our bikes under the massive entrance sign for the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association. Janna and I both had enough snacks to easily get through the day's riding. But we both wanted a hot breakfast. A quick Google search turned up "Corner Scoop" at the main intersection ahead. What was billed as an ice cream place also had solid hot breakfast options. We pulled in, propped our bikes, and ordered some breakfast burritos and muffins. The two of us grabbed the few seats at the ordering bar and soaked in the warmth. A few locals came in for their orders of coffee and food. They asked us what we were doing and where we were heading. It was good conversation all around before we packed the muffins to-go and jumped back on our bikes.
The morning light led way to increasing temperatures. Janna and I rode down the highway shoulder before swinging a left onto dirt Santa Rita Road. The road headed due west and uphill towards the hulking base of the Santa Ritas. I absolutely love this section of the route for its beauty in the grasslands. The road is all rust-red dirt amid the yellow grasslands while snowy-peaked Santa Rita summits grabbed the eyes on the horizon. We passed by the large cattle feed allotment and range where fresh green grass shot up roadside. The wide dirt road became rocky doubletrack and plunged into the remote foothills of the Santa Ritas. The road plunged up and down a series ridgelines, all while slowly climbing the pass at Hog-Gardner. I jumped off to push my bike up several rocky inclines. We rounded corners with incredible grass meadows blanketing flat plateaus beneath the stark peaks. Pinyon and juniper grew around us as grass gave way to forest.
At the saddle, we swung down on Upper Gardner Canyon Road along what has now become my favorite section of the route that I've dubbed the Santa Rita Rolling Coaster. The doubletrack skates north along the flanks of the mountain range all while repeatedly plunging into valley-washes lined with sycamores and cottonwoods. These drops are followed by rocky climbs onto exposed desert ridges. Oscillating like that across the landscape becomes a giant game for me that I love; and it's all in thickets of Sky Islands grandeur. The spring melt has been strong and every wash we come to beneath the riparian bough of tree branches is flush with streaming water. I remark how this landscape is everything I want and love about southeast Arizona with its biome diversity.
The day is really cooking with heat by the time we merge with Arizona Trail singletrack that bends and winds through the meadow washes of grass and oak to Kentucky Camp. It's only mid-day on arrival so we head to the main adobe-walled building, grab some water, and sit out to eat snacks on the massive veranda with Adirondack chairs for an hour. Hummingbirds flit to the blooms nearby. The sky is crested blue overhead. I can taste the promise of sure summer warmth. I just sit on the chairs with Janna and eat with pure relaxation. An AZT thru-hiker walks up and turns out to be one of the backpackers we camped with at Terra Sol a few days prior in Patagonia. He joins us in the shade of the porch and we all talk about the beauty of the Southwest and its utter perfection (there is nowhere else on Earth I'd rather live than in the Southwestern landscapes of the United States). We offer him some snacks as we have more than plenty which he accepts. The three of us talk for a long bit before I make my way into the main building to tour the rooms and read up on the history of the place as I do each time we pass through.
The day moves to afternoon and we decide to get going. We wish the AZTer luck on his hike, before I top off my water, and the two of us ride out past the cabin we rented with Darren and Dennis years ago for a past Spring Break. I jump off my bike to push it through the gate outside Kentucky Camp and jump back on for the punchy steep climb to near the top of Granite Mountain. The road and AZT meander along a contour here before dropping steeply into a rocky gully. We climb out of the rocky descent along another dirt road that keeps to the hillsides while exiting the pinyon-juniper forest and heading back into the yuccas and grasslands. The full spread of Sonoran high-desert savannahs spills down the mountain side below us to the massive plains beyond. Freaking beautiful.
The Sky Islands Odyssey East Loop joins Greaterville Road and turns west towards Box Canyon on wide dirt. This is one of my favorite sections that's all downhill and uniquely scenic. I ride fast and sharp down the grade where Sycamore Canyon opens up along the dry wash just chock full of oak. A sudden turn brings the full beauty of Box Canyon to a head. Miles of views of the entire mountainside unwrap as the road rides high and adjacent to a creek-bed wash. Exposed geology tumbles down the road's right. It's panoramic and fantastic. I take my requisite photos at my favorite spot and then join Janna on the fast and fun descent. The road bends in and out of side canyon intersections all while passing several dripping waterfalls. Suddenly, splotches of Mexican gold poppies line the road. I slam my brakes to a halt and backtrack to go take some photos. It's my favorite Sonoran springtime flower, and I will always, always stop to admire them. I pedal a little further and find Janna around another curve under the yawning boughs of ocotillos dotting the hillside; she's doing the exact same thing I was with another bunch of poppies. More poppies and more fast descent follow.
The grasslands fade at an ecotone where a rush of low Sonoran cacti pop up. And like that we exit Box Canyon and enter the sprawling downslopes of west side of the Santa Ritas. A rush of desert thornscrub wraps up around us as we turn onto sandy doubletrack on this last stretch to Green Valley. Luckily, it's all downhill through the soft substrate. Chollas, ocotillos, creosote, and barrel cacti line the route. For as sandy as this section has been in the past, it's relatively firm today. Janna and I just coast over and through it, even moving at a laughably slow pace through the really deep sand. I note how green and lush the desert looks. We enter and exit several fences and merge with paved Whitehouse Canyon Road for an even faster decline down to Continental Road. A couple of turns later, we enter developed areas of housing, dip under the I-10 overpass, and pedal up through neighborhoods back to the Best Western with our car. The day is done by 3:30 pm - a perfect end-time that affords us a window to drive back to the Canyon and grab some good food from Tucson along the way.
