Tag Archives: Grand Canyon

You Can Go Home Again

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By Fred Smoak

In 2015, I had the once in a lifetime experience of riding my bike down the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was am wonderful experience of just pedaling to the South Gate, and then  coasting for miles as the ground fell away. For awhile you saw little other than scrub, but then going over a small rise, the vista opened up. I could see for miles across the Canyon. Of course the fun couldn’t last forever. Around 40 miles we reached the desert floor, and it just as hot and desolate as a desert is supposed to be.

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A Grand Weekend

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A number of riders have faced some personal challenges this week.  One was felled by an intense headache.  Another fainted (not while riding the bike).  And another got word that his 100 year-old mother had passed away.  In each case, this community of bikers mobilized to help.  For most riders, the “non-cycling” aspects of the Fuller Center Bike Adventure are the most impactful, not only for the riders, but also for the support staff.

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Uphill Climb

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By Mike Rutherford

Today we ventured out of the Arizona Desert and up to Williams, AZ, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. We were looking at 60 miles of headwinds leaving Peach Springs and the group wasn’t thrilled with dealing with the headwinds yet again. Thankfully, the route was a little more forgiving with less climbing, calm traffic, and it seemed the wind wasn’t quite in our faces. After the 65 miles of headwinds we turned east and joined I-40 to climb to Williams. 
 

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Rain is a Good Thing

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Written by: Stephany Escalante Galindo 

Today we rode 78 miles from Grand Canyon, Arizona to Flagstaff, Arizona. Wake up time was at 5 a.m. During the night you could hear the rain drops fall on our tent. As we were having breakfast, those of us who hiked asked each other how their legs were, and some said thighs were hurting, others said calves, and others said the soles of their feet were hurting. After breakfast, the tents were put away. Everyone wore their rain gear because it was forecast.

A Grand Golden Hour

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Written by: Alice Little Caldwell

We reached the Grand Canyon on Thursday and got the tents set up before a light rain started . . . and stopped. The weather improved and we watched the sunset over the Grand Canyon- a magnificent sight. Friday arrived, and the Bike Adventure team had a day off. Some chose to rest and recuperate while others set out on a different kind of adventure – to explore the Grand Canyon.

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Climbing to the Canyon

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Written by: Dan Sheridan

Today was a relaxing day of desert cycling. We began our long climb out of the Valley of the Sun by pedaling up a steady 1% grade for about 25 miles. We’re about 1,000 feet above Phoenix, so it’s 2 or 3 degrees cooler here. It was a short day, 46 miles, with a tailwind. We started at about 5:30 am, about 10 minutes after sunrise, and the last riders arrived by about 10:15 am.

Tomorrow the climbing gets more serious. We will ride 68 miles and climb 6,250 feet. We will have some downhill too, but will end up about 3,000 feet above our current elevation. I think many of us are a bit nervous about the climb in the heat, but are excited to climb to cooler temperatures.

It’s amazing the hospitality that our church hosts show us. Peace Lutheran church in Peoria offered great hospitality, and today St. Alban’s Church in Wickenberg welcomed us with cool beverages, fruit, and comfortable places to spread our gear in air conditioned comfort.

We will continue our journey north to the Grand Canyon, where we will arrive on Thursday