2019 Desert Camp - Willcox to Bisbee AZ

Yesterday's rain had mostly passed by this morning, although there were still wet streets and some large puddles to avoid as we left Willcox.  The route was a total of around 77 miles, and all but about 4 miles of it was marked by a 30 mph headwind or crosswind.  This made the day very difficult for everyone.  I took a van lift ("bump") from mile 47 to the lunch stop at mile 62.  The final 15 miles were a real challenge, and I was forced to use my lowest gear (normally reserved for steep mountain climbs) on some flat terrain due to the wind.

We spent the day dodging tumbleweeds and trying to keep going in a reasonably straight line.

A couple of miles from the end is a viewing area for the old Lavender Open Pit Mine, which produced copper ore.

This view does not show how much I often had to lean into the wind to keep from getting blown into the traffic lane

Willcox to Bisbee is mostly flat, but we had very strong winds that made riding difficult