A gradual mile climb up and six miles down with not a bit of wind; it was a glorious start to the morning.  The climbs and drops were gradual and enjoyable, we were really enjoying the quiet, cool morning.  The majesty of the hills and the land is impossible to describe or convey in photographs.  Ten minutes down the road, we entered the San Carlos Apache Tribe Reservation.  We were enjoying the morning (and no wind), rolling up and down the hills in the cool morning.  We’d pumped out 20 miles by our first stop, only an hour and half in.  We chatted with an Apache and discussed our different modes of transportation.

The landscape continued to engage us, from the towering mountains to the smallest of flowers; the layers of hills and mountains framing our horizon.  But nothing was so dramatic in it’s beauty as this blooming cactus.

Shortly before ten, the forecasted SE winds announced their arrival and intention to blow strictly west, directly in our face.  Though only 10 mph, not nearly the force of yesterday, it quickly drained any reserve our legs had.  Our pace slowed dramatically, eight miles in an hour.  Just before noon, we took another rest and advantage of an Apache market for an early lunch.  With  a lot of miles to cover, we only stopped for 30 minutes.  Though it had been 83° in the shade of our stop, our thermometers quickly rose to the triple digits after a few minutes in full sun. The rolling hills soon became a struggle in the wind.We again passed dried river beds and one that actually had water.  In the distance at the base of the mountain, green abound near the Gila River.  Five hours and 40 miles since entering the reservation, we finally found the end.  Nothing changed much, other than the roadside became cleaner.  Continuous trash and glass is something we have sadly noticed in any reservation in which we have biked.

We had been watching this mountain top for hours, not believing we could actually see snow while struggling in the 100° sun.  Mt. Graham stands at 10,720 feet, so yes, it is snow.After over 500 miles in the “Old West”, we see our first horses. Our last stop was cool, refreshing and an unexpected treat.  Taylor Freeze in Pima has been a welcome and friendly respite for bicyclists doing the coast to coast ride.  We could use them at the end of every day’s ride.  We had ten more miles and thankfully our last stop had given us the much needed energy to make it.  After seven and a half hours of sitting on the bike, willing it to go forward, we finally rolled into our room for the night.  It was a long hard 76 miles and we were spent.

We would like to thank Everyone that has commented thus far.  Rest assured, though we may not respond, we read each one…..Thank You!