PAC Desert Camp - Check in and on your own ride

It was great to get reacquainted with some people from last summer's Northern Transcon this morning in Tucson.  Retta Deane jumped in immediately to help clean up the coolers from the previous week.  PAC Tour runs 5 consecutive weeks of cycling in SE Arizona during the late winter, and our week is the second.

The weather today was beautiful, so I got ready and left with a couple other riders for an "on your own" (i.e., unsupported) ride.  There is a popular paved bike trail through the Sweetwater Preserve that starts about 4 miles from the hotel and goes for 7 miles.  I elected to continue on to Saguaro National Park on my own, and was rewarded with some outstanding scenery.

Tomorrow is the official start and we will ride 80 miles to Nogales, right on the Mexican border.