PAC Tour Desert Camp Day 5 - Tombstone/Benson/Kartchner Caverns

Gorgeous weather with low wind made for a very enjoyable 80 mile day.  We retraced the 19 miles back to Tombstone for our first rest stop, then rode about 24 miles to Benson and the second rest stop.  Riding was generally fast, although for me it was still usually solo (Elizabeth and I rode as far as Tombstone together).

Shortly after leaving Benson, there is a tough 10% hill of about half a mile, but then a turn onto Route 90 that has a wonderful shoulder - wide, smooth, and fairly clean.  Several miles of riding the mostly flat shoulder brought me to Kartchner Caverns State Park and lunch.  I elected to skip the caverns tour, having previously visited Carlsbad Caverns a couple of times, and headed out on my own after lunch.  The final 24 miles to Sierra Vista went well, with only some moderate rolling terrain.

Tomorrow is our final day for this Desert Camp Century Week.  Mileage will be about the same as today (80 miles) and it is supposed to be a pleasant ride back to Tucson.

First rider out in the morning

 

 

 

 

Lunch is over and Phil will be putting things away

Wash station - no touching of food until gloves are off and hands washed

Border inspection station - there are a lot of these places in southern AZ

A goathead - enemy of bike tires.  I picked this one up on my shoe walking back from dinner.