Tag: Luna Lakes tour

2018 Luna Lakes I Day 3

Posted on August 1, 2018August 19, 2018 by Rich

All photos courtesy of Isam This is it! The other two days of this tour are splendid in their own right, but today’s route is the best, well, on paper anyway. Still, you never know what you’re going to get on tour. Isam rose at 5:30AM to fix breakfast. Coffee, Spam, onions, red and green peppers. Delicious! How lucky are we? No messing around this morning. Two and a half hours of steady climbing (and OK a few breathers) from 5700’ to nearly 8000’ . The route doesn’t climb one particular mountain, but rather up the eastern side of a

2018 Luna Lakes I Day 2

Posted on July 31, 2018August 19, 2018 by Rich

All photos courtesy of Isam Today’s route promises an easier day, but that’s not always the case on a bike tour. It started with coffee and breakfast from the Largo Café. The server there said she even remembered me from last year – says she never forgets a face. Quick stop at the Country Store. We had sandwiches and plenty of leftover nibbles from yesterday so only picked up a Gatorade. South down NM32. It was then I discovered I’d been bitten last night, almost certainly by bed bugs. Six or seven bites down the torso, which itched a lot

2018 Luna Lakes I Day 1

Posted on July 30, 2018August 19, 2018 by Rich

All photos courtesy of Isam Up early. I grabbed some coffee in the lobby and got permission from the motel proprietor to leave my car for a couple days. When I returned I found Isam had discovered his cycling shoes had somehow not made the trip. Hmmm, what to do. I considered going to get the shoes from home, and sliding the whole trip back one day, but this would be easier accomplished with a phone (mine is in for repairs). A “bike shop” exists in Springerville, but all photos of the store show them to be skiing-specific. The closest

2018 Luna Lakes I Pre-Ride

Posted on July 29, 2018October 16, 2018 by Rich

Though neither of us is really conditioned for it, Isam and I quickly put this tour together. Since he’s in town, and Phil had generously loaned us his Surly LHT for Isam to use, it seemed like a perfect opportunity. Isam and I drove up the long way out US60 through Superior and Miami. We soon got a strange message on the car GPS that asked us if we wanted to re-route due to traffic conditions. Out here? Hoping for further explanation, we pushed yes. The re-route was a 7 hour detour around Show Low that actually took us up

Luna Lakes 2008: Reserve to Springerville

Posted on May 26, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Monday May 26 – We decided to leave earlier this morning, but I guess everyone else had the same idea. We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, and an interesting pumpkin streudel with a tasty topping. I had a rare cup of coffee that gave me a good morning jolt. After stowing our stuff for the truck, we found ourselves again the last riders on the course. Monday’s route started directly into a 14-mile climb from 5770 feet in Reserve up US180 (the Colorado Trail Scenic Road) to the Luna summit at 8000 feet in the San Francisco

Luna Lakes 2008: Quemado to Reserve

Posted on May 25, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Sunday May 25 – Electing not to use an alarm, Mary Ellen and I awoke about 6:20AM the next morning. Unfortunately, our pre-paid breakfast was 5 – 6:30AM at the high school, nearly a ½ mile walk from the hotel. We dressed in a flash and practically ran there, arriving about 1 minute late, then grinned and pleaded our case for service. I was happy to see cold cereal and milk, my favorite, and downed several bowls. They also served leftover chocolate cake, which Mary Ellen started with, then added 2 pancakes on top of that. On our walk back

Luna Lakes 2008: Springerville to Quemado

Posted on May 24, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Saturday May 24 – We arose to temperatures in the low 30s and spitting skies. Riders met in the Safeway parking lot, tossed luggage into a truck, and we were basically ready to go. I took observation of riders’ cold-and-rain clothing, which ranged from full head-body-and-shoe rain gear to poncho and jeans tucked inside knee socks. I wore all of my new purchases, with several layers inside the rain jacket. The route headed due east on US60, with temps in the low 30s, and skies heavily overcast. Mary Ellen and I made two small climbs to reach the New Mexico

Luna Lakes 2008: Preface

Posted on May 23, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

I’ve been riding with the PMBC for a couple months off and on, and I’ve started to meet other riders, particularly those who ride about the same speed I do. We call ourselves “tweeners” since we can’t quite keep up with the fast group, but always pull away from the slower group. One is Mary Ellen, a device manager who works for Medtronics. On our Saturday rides, she is a popular and sociable member of the club, and a strong rider. In April, she mentioned the Luna Lakes Tour, a GABA sponsored ride out of the Tucson chapter. I was