January 7 – 12

We’ve been members of Adventure Cycling for many years, having done five cycling tours with them and even became life members as we support their mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to travel by bicycle.  This non-profit though has gone through a rough financial patch recently, the result of a evolving membership dynamic, changes in the tour industry, and worst of all, bad management decisions. 

Having brought on a new Executive Director with a turnaround plan (that included selling the organizations paid for, tax free, headquarters building), last year they announced a 50^th anniversary celebration, the Jubilee in the Desert to be held at Catalina State Park in Tucson.  We decided to attend and felt our best option would be to join the campers at the group site at the park as it would land us in the heart of all the activities.  The only obstacle to this course of action is that because of my multiple joint replacements (right knee and both hips) sleeping on the ground in a tent is not a tenable option.

That’s when I got the brainstorm to perhaps rent an RV and drive it there or have one delivered.  After checking the market out, we found that there are private parties who will rent you their unit and possibly deliver it to the campsite, but the logistics were going to be challenging and the cost quite a bit more than $500.  Because we travel a lot, and have camped in the past, we recalled seeing many Cruise America RVs on the road, so I checked them out and that is who we used. 

The major cost component of renting an RV is not the daily rate, but the cost per mile.  For our rental the daily rate was $80 and the cost per mile was 39-cents.  As we would end up only putting 38 miles on the rig the mileage cost was just $15 or so.  But if you were going to go further, say 1,000 miles that would add $380 to the cost.  Bottom line, our rental, including insurance, miscellaneous fees and the one-time charge to dump the waste tanks ($25) ran $458, about what three nights at a decent hotel would have cost and we got to stay at the campground with everyone else. 

To start the visit we spent two nights with Bonnie and Mike at their place, enjoying some nice meals out and one afternoon, Mike, Joanna and I visited Aqua Caliente Regional Park, a 100-acre oasis in this arid desert with three spring fed ponds a former private ranch established in the 1800s.  The historic ranch house has been transformed into a visitor center and art gallery, staffed by docents during posted days and hours.  The house was interesting to spend time in, a snapshot of furnishings from the 1950’s and gorgeous skies highlighted one of the main ponds. 

Friday morning, we made our way to the Cruise America lot and soon enough found me behind the wheel with Joanna following in the Highlander motoring fourteen miles up to Catalina State Park, where we were located the group site and began our weekend with our cycling cohort.  We hung out at the RV until the opening meeting and still full from a large breakfast, snacked back at the unit before turning in early as it was starting to get cold.  And it would get colder, bottoming out below 27-degrees. 

The extreme cold killed any incentive to cycle the next morning and so we drove into downtown Tucson to join a morning social at Campfire Cycling shop, which included coffee and donuts.  Many cyclists braver and hardier than us had ridden from the state park, and we envied their fortitude.  We drove back towards the park and stopped near its entrance at Steam Pump Ranch, which was hosting a weekly farmers market. 

Established in 1874 by George Pusch, it served as a cattle ranch, a watering station for herds in transit, and in the 1920’s part of it operated as Linda Vista Guest Ranch, the first guest ranch in Arizona.  In 1933, Jack Proctor, who operated the Pioneer Hotel and was a board member of the Valley Bank, bought the Steam Pump Ranch from Mathilda Putsch’s estate for $10,000.  Surviving members of his family would sell the property to the Town of Oro Valley in 2008 to preserve it for years to come. 

By now the day was warming up and so we returned to camp, hopped on the bikes and did a quick 22-mile out and back on the path that starts in the large shopping mall just outside of the turnoff to the campground.  After the ride we drove to the shopping area and hit up Hoppy Vine, a tap room for a beer to properly hydrate.  Refreshed, we then stopped at the nearby In-N-Out for dinner.  Not a bad way to spend the day. 

The next day, Sunday, we took off late morning and duplicated the first part of yesterday’s ride but extended it out for a total of 35-miles, mostly flat terrain with a long gentle uphill to finish back in camp.  Dinner that night was on Adventure Cycling, pizza from Flamme in Tucson, each of us getting a good-sized pie with one of three topping choices.  Given the circumstances, not the perfect environment for a great pizza, but good enough after a good day out on the bikes.  It was nice to gather with others who share our love of cycling and trade gossip about the current situation at Adventure Cycling, which would only turn odder as the days progressed.  You can read about here, but as an update to that post, members voted again on the sale of the building and it failed, causing the newly hired Executive Director to resign. 

The next morning, we packed up the rig and driving back to Cruise America, stopped to fill up the gas tank and then at a U-Haul outlet to recharge the propane tank.  The RV safely back at its home, we hit Maria Bonita for breakfast to get us through the long drive home.  They have a fantastic meal deal, just $9.99 for one of eight choices including coffee.  Joanna had a nice breakfast burrito, and I opted for the Machaca, which was just OK.  Not bad, but not great.  But for that price, who’s complaining.  The trip home went smoothly and all in all we were glad to have spent the weekend with this organization we cherish, and to explore the RV life.  No telling if we will rent one again, but it was worth the time and effort. 

Links

Adventure Cycling: https://www.adventurecycling.org/

Aqua Caliente Park: https://www.pima.gov/1244/Agua-Caliente-Park

Campfire Cycling: https://www.campfirecycling.com/

Steam Pump Ranch: https://www.orovalleyaz.gov/Government/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Facilities/Steam-Pump-Ranch

Hoppy Vine: https://www.thehoppyvineov.com/

Flamme: https://fiammepizzatucson.com/

Maria Bonita: https://mariabonitamexicankitchenaz.com/