Post 9: Adventures and Away Time in Arizona

Keith had just accomplished his goal of being a race finisher of the Tour Divide bike race. I picked him up at the USA/Mexico border, and we would be spending a couple of weeks in Oro Valley, AZ, before returning home to Utah. This would be a time for him to rest and for us to explore the area a little.

Rest and Recover

After over 27 days out in the wilderness, stopping in small towns, and mainly being alone, it was an adjustment to suddenly go back to "real life." This was one of the main reasons for wanting to find a place to go to and relax, as opposed to driving straight home. It would be an easier way to reenter his normal routine.

Keith finished the race on a Thursday afternoon; that weekend was spent resting and recovering. He basically ate and slept the first couple of days. A highlight of this time was a FaceTime with his parents to start sharing his experiences. This also helped me hear more about his story. I had heard that riders experience different things immediately after the race: being around so many people, the loudness of a busy place, all the questions people want to ask, etc. It can become a lot when you've experienced such solitude for weeks. The first example of this occurred as soon as we got in the car, leaving the border. Keith thought I was driving 80 mph and couldn't get over how fast being in a car felt, I was going the speed limit at 45 mph! With the several-hour drive back to the condo, he continued to check my speed because it felt so fast to him. This continued for a couple of days, and he waited several days before driving the car.

By Sunday, he was ready to leave the condo, so we went to Teaspoon for breakfast. He ordered two breakfast plates! Next door was a grocery store, and we needed to grab a couple of things. Keith got ice cream for his "breakfast dessert." He still required a great deal of food each day to help replenish his body after the race.

Saguaro National Park

Keith still had a couple of days off work, mainly because he finished in less than his planned 30 days. We decided to spend a day exploring Saguaro National Park. We had little knowledge of the park, and we were surprised at just how many Saguaros were in the park, and honestly, in the areas we drove through to arrive at the park.

We entered on the west side and arrived at the Red Hills Visitor Center as a ranger began a short presentation. It was informative and quite interesting since we aren't familiar with the trees or the habitat. Next, we drove to the east side of the park to the Cactus Forest Loop. We were in awe of the trees and all the different combinations of tree "arms." We were laughing so hard and pointing out funny trees to each other.

Returning to Work

We spent the next few days working and then trying to find something to do in the evenings. Oro Valley is VERY hot in the middle of the summer, so most outdoor activities aren't very desirable. We also learned that the community we were staying in is mainly seasonal residents. They leave in the hot summer months and return in the warm winter months. In our building of six units, only one had occupants. From what we saw of staying there 18 nights, I'd guess this was typical of each building. We referred to ourselves as living the "retirement" lifestyle. Restaurants were busy in the late afternoon and closed early. Activities like museums were only open for a few hours in the middle of the day or closed altogether. This made it difficult to do something in the afternoon since we were working, although we were done by 2 pm local time. We ended up enjoying local restaurants, driving around to look at houses, going to a movie, etc.

Mount Lemmon

Another great memory from our time in the area is driving Mount Lemmon. The scenic drive blew us away at every mile! The views were incredible, and the finale was the small idyllic town of Summerhaven. On the way to the top, we stopped at Ski Valley to ride the ski lift and check out this tiny resort. The resort has one two-person ski lift and two surface lifts to access its 21 ski runs. We felt like we were stepping back in time, and everything seemed so small, but the cutest!

Next, we stopped in the tiny town of Summerhaven. I'd guess the entire town is about half a mile long. We knew we wanted to go to the Mt. Lemmon Cookie Cabin for a giant cookie and the General Store and Gifts for fudge. By the time we ate our cookie, the fudge smelled amazing, but we opted to skip it. We walked through several tiny shops and enjoyed a meal at Sawmill Run Restaurant. We even saw a pet chicken riding in a bike basket! Note the picture below where the chicken is resting on the handlebars.

On the way back down Mt. Lemmon, we stopped by Rose Canyon Lake. Unfortunately, it was really sad because the water was so low and didn't look anything like the pictures I'd seen. We wandered around pretty much in disbelief. It was nice to still see people accessing the area, though. We saw some fishing, swimming, and walking pets. Our next stop was Windy Point Vista for sunset. We explored the rocks and the vast views of the valley. It was a great way to conclude our time in this area.

Feeling Like Locals

We really embraced our temporary home during the last week there. We continued to work during the day, relaxed at the pool in the afternoon, and then enjoyed dinner on the patio or visited restaurants and shops. There were a couple of familiar faces in the neighborhood, and it began to feel like home!

Date Night

We wanted to do something special to wrap up our trip, so we planned to spend the afternoon at The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, eat dinner at La Frida Mexican Grill and then catch a wild west show at Trail Dust Town.

We were blown away by the displays at The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. It was mesmerizing to explore the museum and view the intricate designs of the displays. It was fun to figure out "how they did that." We spent several hours there and only left when are eyes began to hurt after such intense focus! It's hard to grasp the displays from the pictures below. Most items were less than a centimeter tall!

Our dinner at La Frida Mexican Grill was everything we wanted it to be. The food was fresh and flavorful. We also really enjoyed the plating of each item. After dinner, we strolled around Trail Dust Town before the Pistoleros Wild West show began. We really didn't know what to expect from the show, but it delivered it all! There was action, comedy, and surprises for everyone. This truly was a memorable day to complete our time in Oro Valley/Tucson.

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Keith and I were overwhelmed by all the support he received during the Tour Divide. Knowing so many of you were dot watching and sending him messages and/or positive energy really kept his spirits high and encouraged him to keep riding! We cannot thank you enough 🫶 💓

Have you ever been away from your spouse/partner for an extended period of time? Did you experience any unexpected emotions? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬