Day 2 – Fairbank to Douglas
64 miles, 5:30, 11.8 avg
Well, here I am sitting in the Gadsden Hotel restaurant
waiting for a burger. I came in right after a group of eight ranchers ordering
steaks (and one salmon?), so I have plenty of time to savor this rich
Budweiser. The server asked what kind of beer I wanted when I asked her what
they had. “IPA”, I said. “No, we don’t have that.” Really? What a surprise. So,
Bud it is.
The Gadsden
has seen better days, that’s for sure. 1920 maybe? Pretty shabby now, but it’s
fine for me despite the funky smell, motor noise and a stunning view out my
window of the brick wall next door. But no TV remote?? That’s very hard for me
to deal with right now! I’m tired and my body aches. Maybe I’ll see the Gadsden headless ghost
tonight, although it supposedly inhabits the basement. I ain’t going down
there. The hotel still has lots of cool old west style artwork everywhere, and
the lobby is impressive.
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| I'll be there tomorrow! But not in a stage coach. |
As for Douglas, the
downtown area seems pretty rundown right now. The main street has no
restaurants and many buildings are shuttered. This afternoon the streets were
filled with shoppers from Mexico,
but now the stores are closed and the people are gone because there’s nothing
else to do down here. I don’t mind staying downtown and soaking up the Gadsden atmosphere,
especially since the other nearby option was the Motel 6 next to the jail. I’d
love a good ol’ RV park right now, but no dice in Douglas.
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Last night along the San Pedro was great, even though it was
much cooler than anticipated. Good thing I decided to bring the sleeping bag at
the last minute! So much wildlife down there it kept waking me up! Especially
the calls of some frog that sounded like a human groaning. I don’t know what it
was! (Later found out it was a Sonoran desert toad) The birds were amazing in
the morning, even had a tyrannulet singing to me. Bird of the day has to be
Bullock’s Oriole. I heard them everywhere today.
A quick tour of the Fairbank cemetery on the trail out, then
I was off and climbing out of the river basin. I also scared up a couple of
javelinas sitting in the bushes next to the highway. Not too bad of a climb at
all and I was soon cruising the now-paved streets of Tombstone. Grungy, sunburned re-enactors
carrying rifles were interested in my ride. Very strange little town; left 10
minutes before the next “gunfight.”
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| Couldn't resist! |
Davis Rd.
turned out to be a great little two-laner through the middle of nowhere. I
decided to stop in McNeal for lunch, hoping for the usual: restroom, water,
shade, and maybe a Coke. If it wasn’t for the kind man at the sad antique shack
willing to spare me a cold water, I would have struck out on all counts. Even a
spot in the shade was hard to come by, but eventually I found a large
cottonwood in front of the old school.
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| Along Davis Rd. |
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| Lunch in McNeal, AZ |
Off on the mostly straight as an arrow highway to Douglas, and the wind is becoming a problem and the
shoulder is wrecked with uneven pavement. Mentally tough those long, straight
roads, especially in adverse conditions. I toured the surprisingly busy streets
of Douglas which were filled with shoppers from Mexico. I hear there’s a chance of
rain tomorrow, can’t wait to get to Portal!
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