Grand Canyon to Flagstaff (80 miles, approximately 3,300' of climbing): Enjoy the cooler temperatures at higher elevation and the scent of the pine forest as you pedal along the shoulders of the San Francisco Peaks,

Grand Canyon was amazing!

Flagstaff to Payson (94 miles, approximately 5,600' of climbing): Ride by Lake Mary in the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest. Crest over the Mogollon Rim and enjoy steep descents through the small towns of Strawberry (great pies) and Pine.

10/05/07

Day 4: Flagstaff to Payson

102.79 miles 38.7 max speed 12.1 average speed

3% average grade    11% max grade Trip Alt 5,042 feet

Max Elevation 7,774 feet Total Elevation 19,615 feet

8 hours 28 minutes

Wicked headwinds!

Payson to San Carlos (95 miles, approximately 8,000' of climbing): Savor a thrilling 9 mile descent into saguaro country, past Roosevelt Lake. View historic Roosevelt Dam, and travel over the world’s longest steel arch and suspension bridge. Test your legs on the steep climb to follow, cycling through the old mining town of Globe, and on to San Carlos Apache country.

10/06/07

Day 6: Payson to San Carlos

97.35 miles 40.7 max speeds (Yippee!!) 13.4 average speed

3% average grade    8% max grade Trip Alt 4,588 feet

Max Elevation 7,774 feet Total Elevation 24,211 feet

7 hours 14 minutes

Jerry got his fourth flat

Total Trip Stats:

494 Total Miles

Total Elevation 24,211 feet

The Saguaro has a surprisingly shallow root system , considering its great height and weight. It is supported by a tap root that is only a pad about 3 feet long, as well as numerous stout roots no deeper than a foot, emanating radially from its base. More smaller roots run radially to a distance equal to the height of the Saguaro. These roots wrap about rocks providing adequate anchorage from winds across the rocky bajadas.

When Route 66 came into existence on November 11, 1926, not all cars could speed up the mountain through the pass. The most widely sold vehicle of the time was Ford's Model T which was produced from 1909 to 1927. The Model T, like other vehicles of the era, lacked a pump to bring the gasoline from the gas tank to the engine. Gravity was quite adequate to bring the fuel to the engine unless the tank was low and the vehicle was traveling up an incline. The solution to this problem was to back up the steep and winding mountain road.

Pleasant Valley War (also sometimes called the Tonto Basin War or Feud) was an 1886 Arizona range war between two feuding families, the cattle-herding Grahams and the sheep-herding Tewksburys.

Frederick Russell Burnham participated on the loosing side in the real-life Tonto Basin Feud and narrowly escaped alive. After the feud, he went home to California and left for Africa only a few years later.