[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Jim M.]

Great report and photos! Deserts are beautiful this time of year.

jim m
walnut creek

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:34:47 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:

> Matthias, Water is definitely a concern as you move through that wonderful 
> landscape. For the first couple of days we were near parks and human 
> dwellings so we could fill up pretty regularly. My modus operendi is 
> usually to drink a bottle of water whenever I find a place to refill. We 
> asked a couple of very kind people as we rode by their yards (Always a 
> great excuse for a fun conversation!) Once we left Superior and headed into 
> the open desert things got a little more tricky. Luckily, as mentioned, 
> there had been rain so Telegraph creek and Arnette creek were flowing. As 
> we headed a little further south water became more scarce. Our turn-around 
> point was a few miles before the rain catcher on the AZT, but we made it 
> back to Picketpost trailhead where we were able to refill due to the 
> kindness of strangers. From here back to Mesa you are once again frequently 
> near inhabited places where water is plentiful.
>
> Kim, Thanks for your kind words. Hopefully the report inspires similar 
> adventures.
>
> Steve, Yes, the Southwest is exotic for sure, but I've been eyeing up a 
> ride in your neck of the woods; out in the Ashville area. Looks pretty 
> beautiful! 
>
> Brian, I completely agree. Parts of the ride are strenuous, but worth 
> every calorie spent push the bike up those remote trails. When you've been 
> to Tuscon, have you ridden in the Sky Islands? Super amazing riding!
>
> Cheers, John
>
> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:31:05 AM UTC-7 bmfo...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the photos and report John! I have some friends that moved to 
>> Tucson in 2020 and have been lucky enough to get down to visit them each 
>> year since. The riding in the Sonora is wonderful! We sliced off a portion 
>> of the Gila River Ramble a few years ago but bailed early as we had some 
>> folks that turned out to be in way over their heads. Can confirm the riding 
>> is extremely strenuous, but the scenery is worth every hike a bike! I've 
>> been itching to get back and complete it since.
>>
>> Brian
>>
>> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:04:52 AM UTC-5 steve...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> John, excellent!  Nice photos too. Thanks for sharing your experience 
>>> with us. As a South-easterner (North Carolina) I find the Southwest 
>>> exotically beautiful - and in particular, the Sonoran desert. 
>>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>>> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:15:30 AM UTC-4 mathiass...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Great ride report, thanks! 
 Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
 That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
 cheers -mathias


 On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:

> Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 
>
> To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the 
> bottom. If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to 
> get the message you have been getting. Here are the export settings 
> (Apple 
> Photos) I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope 
> this helps.
>
> [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]
>
> Cheers, John
>
> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com 
> wrote:
>
>> I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the 
>> great pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I 
>> got 
>> nonstop errors saying my message was too large.
>>
>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:
>>
>>> [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]
>>>
>>> In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of 
>>> weeks and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that 
>>> beautiful 
>>> landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green 
>>> through 
>>> which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped 
>>> beneath 
>>> red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]
>>>
>>> The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and 
>>> warm enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry 
>>> nights made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed 
>>> the 
>>> morning chill. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]
>>>
>>> We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
>>>  and The Gila River 
>>> Ramble  
>>> hoping
>>>  
>>> to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the 
>>> Phoenix 
>>> metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and 

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[John Rinker]

Matthias, Water is definitely a concern as you move through that wonderful 
landscape. For the first couple of days we were near parks and human 
dwellings so we could fill up pretty regularly. My modus operendi is 
usually to drink a bottle of water whenever I find a place to refill. We 
asked a couple of very kind people as we rode by their yards (Always a 
great excuse for a fun conversation!) Once we left Superior and headed into 
the open desert things got a little more tricky. Luckily, as mentioned, 
there had been rain so Telegraph creek and Arnette creek were flowing. As 
we headed a little further south water became more scarce. Our turn-around 
point was a few miles before the rain catcher on the AZT, but we made it 
back to Picketpost trailhead where we were able to refill due to the 
kindness of strangers. From here back to Mesa you are once again frequently 
near inhabited places where water is plentiful.

Kim, Thanks for your kind words. Hopefully the report inspires similar 
adventures.

Steve, Yes, the Southwest is exotic for sure, but I've been eyeing up a 
ride in your neck of the woods; out in the Ashville area. Looks pretty 
beautiful! 

Brian, I completely agree. Parts of the ride are strenuous, but worth every 
calorie spent push the bike up those remote trails. When you've been to 
Tuscon, have you ridden in the Sky Islands? Super amazing riding!

Cheers, John

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:31:05 AM UTC-7 bmfo...@gmail.com wrote:

> Thanks for the photos and report John! I have some friends that moved to 
> Tucson in 2020 and have been lucky enough to get down to visit them each 
> year since. The riding in the Sonora is wonderful! We sliced off a portion 
> of the Gila River Ramble a few years ago but bailed early as we had some 
> folks that turned out to be in way over their heads. Can confirm the riding 
> is extremely strenuous, but the scenery is worth every hike a bike! I've 
> been itching to get back and complete it since.
>
> Brian
>
> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:04:52 AM UTC-5 steve...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> John, excellent!  Nice photos too. Thanks for sharing your experience 
>> with us. As a South-easterner (North Carolina) I find the Southwest 
>> exotically beautiful - and in particular, the Sonoran desert. 
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:15:30 AM UTC-4 mathiass...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Great ride report, thanks! 
>>> Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
>>> That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
>>> cheers -mathias
>>>
>>>
>>> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:
>>>
 Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 

 To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the 
 bottom. If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to 
 get the message you have been getting. Here are the export settings (Apple 
 Photos) I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope 
 this helps.

 [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]

 Cheers, John

 On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com 
 wrote:

> I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the 
> great pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I 
> got 
> nonstop errors saying my message was too large.
>
> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:
>
>> [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]
>>
>> In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of 
>> weeks and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
>> landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green 
>> through 
>> which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
>> red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 
>>
>> [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]
>>
>> The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
>> enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
>> made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
>> morning chill. 
>>
>> [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]
>>
>> We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
>>  and The Gila River 
>> Ramble  
>> hoping
>>  
>> to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the 
>> Phoenix 
>> metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons 
>> between 
>> the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 
>>
>> [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]
>>
>> TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride 
>> the route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
>> casually through the Sonoran 

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Brian Forsee]

Thanks for the photos and report John! I have some friends that moved to 
Tucson in 2020 and have been lucky enough to get down to visit them each 
year since. The riding in the Sonora is wonderful! We sliced off a portion 
of the Gila River Ramble a few years ago but bailed early as we had some 
folks that turned out to be in way over their heads. Can confirm the riding 
is extremely strenuous, but the scenery is worth every hike a bike! I've 
been itching to get back and complete it since.

Brian

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:04:52 AM UTC-5 steve...@gmail.com wrote:

> John, excellent!  Nice photos too. Thanks for sharing your experience with 
> us. As a South-easterner (North Carolina) I find the Southwest exotically 
> beautiful - and in particular, the Sonoran desert. 
>
> Steve
>
> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:15:30 AM UTC-4 mathiass...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Great ride report, thanks! 
>> Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
>> That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
>> cheers -mathias
>>
>>
>> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:
>>
>>> Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 
>>>
>>> To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the 
>>> bottom. If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to 
>>> get the message you have been getting. Here are the export settings (Apple 
>>> Photos) I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope 
>>> this helps.
>>>
>>> [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]
>>>
>>> Cheers, John
>>>
>>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the 
 great pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I 
 got 
 nonstop errors saying my message was too large.

 On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:

> [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]
>
> In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of 
> weeks and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
> landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green 
> through 
> which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
> red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 
>
> [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]
>
> The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
> enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
> made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
> morning chill. 
>
> [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]
>
> We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
>  and The Gila River 
> Ramble  
> hoping
>  
> to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the Phoenix 
> metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons 
> between 
> the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 
>
> [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]
>
> TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride 
> the route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
> casually through the Sonoran and take in the incredible beauty of this 
> place. What we didn't take into account was that the price of admission 
> to 
> this breathtaking landscape was steep- literally and figuratively. It was 
> only half way through the first day when I began to realize that 
> Schilling's estimate surely applied to riders 20 years younger on bikes 
> 20 
> pounds lighter and, perhaps, a 100% more eager to let ‘er rip.
>
> [image: IMG_0442 (1).jpeg]
>
> Instead, as is always the case when my buddy and I team up, we rode, 
> pushed, suffered, and savored at a ‘my contact lens is around here 
> somewhere’ pace. Though we certainly enjoy speedy descents on single 
> track 
> or fire roads, the Sonoran is a biome bursting with life and invites a 
> more 
> intentional approach. 
>
> [image: IMG_2743.jpeg]
>
> Our eight days cruising on bikes included plenty of time out of the 
> saddle to kick stones and poke around in the plants that were, in fact, 
> so 
> eager to poke us. Our days alternated between riding sweet single track 
> or 
> pleasant gravel roads and pushing bikes up narrow, rocky outcroppings. It 
> was a challenging ride that left us ready to roll out our sleeping bags 
> each evening. 
>
> [image: IMG_0436.jpeg]
>
> About an hour or so before sunset we’d begin to scope out a place to 
> camp- a patch of grass among the saguaros or a grassy slope beneath the 
> soaring walls of a canyon. Each evening we made sure there 

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Steve]

John, excellent!  Nice photos too. Thanks for sharing your experience with 
us. As a South-easterner (North Carolina) I find the Southwest exotically 
beautiful - and in particular, the Sonoran desert. 

Steve

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 7:15:30 AM UTC-4 mathiass...@gmail.com wrote:

> Great ride report, thanks! 
> Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
> That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
> cheers -mathias
>
>
> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:
>
>> Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 
>>
>> To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the bottom. 
>> If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to get the 
>> message you have been getting. Here are the export settings (Apple Photos) 
>> I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope this 
>> helps.
>>
>> [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]
>>
>> Cheers, John
>>
>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the great 
>>> pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I got 
>>> nonstop errors saying my message was too large.
>>>
>>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:
>>>
 [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]

 In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of weeks 
 and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
 landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green through 
 which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
 red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 

 [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]

 The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
 enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
 made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
 morning chill. 

 [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]

 We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
  and The Gila River 
 Ramble  
 hoping
  
 to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the Phoenix 
 metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons 
 between 
 the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 

 [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]

 TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride 
 the route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
 casually through the Sonoran and take in the incredible beauty of this 
 place. What we didn't take into account was that the price of admission to 
 this breathtaking landscape was steep- literally and figuratively. It was 
 only half way through the first day when I began to realize that 
 Schilling's estimate surely applied to riders 20 years younger on bikes 20 
 pounds lighter and, perhaps, a 100% more eager to let ‘er rip.

 [image: IMG_0442 (1).jpeg]

 Instead, as is always the case when my buddy and I team up, we rode, 
 pushed, suffered, and savored at a ‘my contact lens is around here 
 somewhere’ pace. Though we certainly enjoy speedy descents on single track 
 or fire roads, the Sonoran is a biome bursting with life and invites a 
 more 
 intentional approach. 

 [image: IMG_2743.jpeg]

 Our eight days cruising on bikes included plenty of time out of the 
 saddle to kick stones and poke around in the plants that were, in fact, so 
 eager to poke us. Our days alternated between riding sweet single track or 
 pleasant gravel roads and pushing bikes up narrow, rocky outcroppings. It 
 was a challenging ride that left us ready to roll out our sleeping bags 
 each evening. 

 [image: IMG_0436.jpeg]

 About an hour or so before sunset we’d begin to scope out a place to 
 camp- a patch of grass among the saguaros or a grassy slope beneath the 
 soaring walls of a canyon. Each evening we made sure there was plenty of 
 time to enjoy the sublime Arizona sunsets with a mug of tea in hand.

 [image: IMG_2719.jpeg]

 Highlights of this ride include twice riding through Arnette Canyon 
 where the flowing Arnette creek provided opportunities to cool off in 
 fresh, clear water. Adjacent to this was Telegraph Canyon where we spent 
 most of a day hiking along the Telegraph Creek spotting golden eagles. 
 Riding the Arizona trail south from Picketpost Mountain was fast and fun, 
 and our final day of riding brought us back to the Usury mountain trails 
 in 
 Mesa where we looped round and round on hardback sand dodging saguaros and 
 chollos until sunset.

 [image: 

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Kim H.]

@John,
Thank-you so much for sharing your ride report in the Sonora Desert. Very 
beautiful indeed. Your words of description are wonderfully written through 
your writer's voice and very much appreciated. 

Kim Hetzel. 

On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 4:15:30 AM UTC-7 mathiass...@gmail.com wrote:

> Great ride report, thanks! 
> Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
> That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
> cheers -mathias
>
>
> On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:
>
>> Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 
>>
>> To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the bottom. 
>> If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to get the 
>> message you have been getting. Here are the export settings (Apple Photos) 
>> I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope this 
>> helps.
>>
>> [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]
>>
>> Cheers, John
>>
>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the great 
>>> pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I got 
>>> nonstop errors saying my message was too large.
>>>
>>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:
>>>
 [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]

 In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of weeks 
 and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
 landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green through 
 which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
 red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 

 [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]

 The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
 enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
 made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
 morning chill. 

 [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]

 We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
  and The Gila River 
 Ramble  
 hoping
  
 to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the Phoenix 
 metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons 
 between 
 the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 

 [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]

 TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride 
 the route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
 casually through the Sonoran and take in the incredible beauty of this 
 place. What we didn't take into account was that the price of admission to 
 this breathtaking landscape was steep- literally and figuratively. It was 
 only half way through the first day when I began to realize that 
 Schilling's estimate surely applied to riders 20 years younger on bikes 20 
 pounds lighter and, perhaps, a 100% more eager to let ‘er rip.

 [image: IMG_0442 (1).jpeg]

 Instead, as is always the case when my buddy and I team up, we rode, 
 pushed, suffered, and savored at a ‘my contact lens is around here 
 somewhere’ pace. Though we certainly enjoy speedy descents on single track 
 or fire roads, the Sonoran is a biome bursting with life and invites a 
 more 
 intentional approach. 

 [image: IMG_2743.jpeg]

 Our eight days cruising on bikes included plenty of time out of the 
 saddle to kick stones and poke around in the plants that were, in fact, so 
 eager to poke us. Our days alternated between riding sweet single track or 
 pleasant gravel roads and pushing bikes up narrow, rocky outcroppings. It 
 was a challenging ride that left us ready to roll out our sleeping bags 
 each evening. 

 [image: IMG_0436.jpeg]

 About an hour or so before sunset we’d begin to scope out a place to 
 camp- a patch of grass among the saguaros or a grassy slope beneath the 
 soaring walls of a canyon. Each evening we made sure there was plenty of 
 time to enjoy the sublime Arizona sunsets with a mug of tea in hand.

 [image: IMG_2719.jpeg]

 Highlights of this ride include twice riding through Arnette Canyon 
 where the flowing Arnette creek provided opportunities to cool off in 
 fresh, clear water. Adjacent to this was Telegraph Canyon where we spent 
 most of a day hiking along the Telegraph Creek spotting golden eagles. 
 Riding the Arizona trail south from Picketpost Mountain was fast and fun, 
 and our final day of riding brought us back to the Usury mountain trails 
 in 
 Mesa where we looped round and round on hardback sand dodging saguaros and 
 chollos until sunset.

 

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Mathias Steiner]

Great ride report, thanks! 
Can you please expound a bit on what  you did for water? 
That cannot have been trivial, looking at those pictures.
cheers -mathias


On Friday, March 15, 2024 at 12:26:32 AM UTC-4 John Rinker wrote:

> Yes,  Diana, it's a very special desert indeed! 
>
> To attach photos I used the 'Insert Photo Attachment' tool at the bottom. 
> If your photos are too large of a file size, you will continue to get the 
> message you have been getting. Here are the export settings (Apple Photos) 
> I use for my photos which come out to about 500-600 KB each. Hope this 
> helps.
>
> [image: Screen Shot 2024-03-14 at 9.21.05 PM.png]
>
> Cheers, John
>
> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:47:24 PM UTC-7 diana@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the great 
>> pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I got 
>> nonstop errors saying my message was too large.
>>
>> On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:
>>
>>> [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]
>>>
>>> In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of weeks 
>>> and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
>>> landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green through 
>>> which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
>>> red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]
>>>
>>> The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
>>> enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
>>> made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
>>> morning chill. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]
>>>
>>> We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
>>>  and The Gila River 
>>> Ramble  
>>> hoping
>>>  
>>> to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the Phoenix 
>>> metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons between 
>>> the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]
>>>
>>> TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride 
>>> the route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
>>> casually through the Sonoran and take in the incredible beauty of this 
>>> place. What we didn't take into account was that the price of admission to 
>>> this breathtaking landscape was steep- literally and figuratively. It was 
>>> only half way through the first day when I began to realize that 
>>> Schilling's estimate surely applied to riders 20 years younger on bikes 20 
>>> pounds lighter and, perhaps, a 100% more eager to let ‘er rip.
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_0442 (1).jpeg]
>>>
>>> Instead, as is always the case when my buddy and I team up, we rode, 
>>> pushed, suffered, and savored at a ‘my contact lens is around here 
>>> somewhere’ pace. Though we certainly enjoy speedy descents on single track 
>>> or fire roads, the Sonoran is a biome bursting with life and invites a more 
>>> intentional approach. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2743.jpeg]
>>>
>>> Our eight days cruising on bikes included plenty of time out of the 
>>> saddle to kick stones and poke around in the plants that were, in fact, so 
>>> eager to poke us. Our days alternated between riding sweet single track or 
>>> pleasant gravel roads and pushing bikes up narrow, rocky outcroppings. It 
>>> was a challenging ride that left us ready to roll out our sleeping bags 
>>> each evening. 
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_0436.jpeg]
>>>
>>> About an hour or so before sunset we’d begin to scope out a place to 
>>> camp- a patch of grass among the saguaros or a grassy slope beneath the 
>>> soaring walls of a canyon. Each evening we made sure there was plenty of 
>>> time to enjoy the sublime Arizona sunsets with a mug of tea in hand.
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2719.jpeg]
>>>
>>> Highlights of this ride include twice riding through Arnette Canyon 
>>> where the flowing Arnette creek provided opportunities to cool off in 
>>> fresh, clear water. Adjacent to this was Telegraph Canyon where we spent 
>>> most of a day hiking along the Telegraph Creek spotting golden eagles. 
>>> Riding the Arizona trail south from Picketpost Mountain was fast and fun, 
>>> and our final day of riding brought us back to the Usury mountain trails in 
>>> Mesa where we looped round and round on hardback sand dodging saguaros and 
>>> chollos until sunset.
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2813.jpeg]
>>>
>>> Schilling's 'Queen's Ransom' has pieced together a marvelous, 
>>> challenging ride through gorgeous country. We never did make it to the Gila 
>>> river, but compared to what we did ride and see this hardly matters. 
>>> There’s plenty of beautiful touring to be done out in the Sonoran, so if we 
>>> have to go back next winter to see the Gila, then so be it.
>>>
>>> [image: IMG_2822.jpeg]

[RBW] Re: Ride Report: The Queen's Ransom (Sort of)

[Diana H]

I love the Sonoran desert! Can't wait to move back. Thanks for the great 
pictures. How did you attach them to your message? When I tried I got 
nonstop errors saying my message was too large.

On Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 4:43:17 PM UTC-7 John Rinker wrote:

> [image: IMG_0444.jpeg]
>
> In mid-February my friend and I put our skis away for a couple of weeks 
> and headed to the Sonoran desert for a roll through that beautiful 
> landscape. Weeks of rain preceding our trip left a carpet of green through 
> which ribbons of desert singletrack twisted, climbed, and dipped beneath 
> red stone mountains and narrow canyons. 
>
> [image: IMG_0427.jpeg]
>
> The cacti were fat and happy while they waited for days long and warm 
> enough to bring on a spectacular bloom this Spring. Cold, starry nights 
> made for perfect camping, and riding beneath a toasty sun thawed the 
> morning chill. 
>
> [image: IMG_2736.jpeg]
>
> We planned to ride a mash-up of The Queen's Ransom 
>  and The Gila River Ramble  
> hoping 
> to forgo the trek to Florence and the Southeastern suburbs of the Phoenix 
> metroplex. Instead, we would meander the looping trails and canyons between 
> the Superstition Mountains and the Gila River. 
>
> [image: IMG_2776.jpeg]
>
> TQR Creator John Schilling suggests between four and six days to ride the 
> route, so we figured eight days would give us plenty of time to roll 
> casually through the Sonoran and take in the incredible beauty of this 
> place. What we didn't take into account was that the price of admission to 
> this breathtaking landscape was steep- literally and figuratively. It was 
> only half way through the first day when I began to realize that 
> Schilling's estimate surely applied to riders 20 years younger on bikes 20 
> pounds lighter and, perhaps, a 100% more eager to let ‘er rip.
>
> [image: IMG_0442 (1).jpeg]
>
> Instead, as is always the case when my buddy and I team up, we rode, 
> pushed, suffered, and savored at a ‘my contact lens is around here 
> somewhere’ pace. Though we certainly enjoy speedy descents on single track 
> or fire roads, the Sonoran is a biome bursting with life and invites a more 
> intentional approach. 
>
> [image: IMG_2743.jpeg]
>
> Our eight days cruising on bikes included plenty of time out of the saddle 
> to kick stones and poke around in the plants that were, in fact, so eager 
> to poke us. Our days alternated between riding sweet single track or 
> pleasant gravel roads and pushing bikes up narrow, rocky outcroppings. It 
> was a challenging ride that left us ready to roll out our sleeping bags 
> each evening. 
>
> [image: IMG_0436.jpeg]
>
> About an hour or so before sunset we’d begin to scope out a place to camp- 
> a patch of grass among the saguaros or a grassy slope beneath the soaring 
> walls of a canyon. Each evening we made sure there was plenty of time to 
> enjoy the sublime Arizona sunsets with a mug of tea in hand.
>
> [image: IMG_2719.jpeg]
>
> Highlights of this ride include twice riding through Arnette Canyon where 
> the flowing Arnette creek provided opportunities to cool off in fresh, 
> clear water. Adjacent to this was Telegraph Canyon where we spent most of a 
> day hiking along the Telegraph Creek spotting golden eagles. Riding the 
> Arizona trail south from Picketpost Mountain was fast and fun, and our 
> final day of riding brought us back to the Usury mountain trails in Mesa 
> where we looped round and round on hardback sand dodging saguaros and 
> chollos until sunset.
>
> [image: IMG_2813.jpeg]
>
> Schilling's 'Queen's Ransom' has pieced together a marvelous, challenging 
> ride through gorgeous country. We never did make it to the Gila river, but 
> compared to what we did ride and see this hardly matters. There’s plenty of 
> beautiful touring to be done out in the Sonoran, so if we have to go back 
> next winter to see the Gila, then so be it.
>
> [image: IMG_2822.jpeg]
>
> Here’s a link to 6 days of the ride on GaiaGPS 
>  with some 
> photos.
>
>
>

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