Backroads Day 1 - Tuscon to Tubac, AZ - 23 Feb 2020

Robin and I woke at 6 am and walked down to breakfast in the hotel. We then finished packing and prepared to meet the rest of the Backroads guests for an 8:30 am orientation in the lobby. Looking out our 6th story window I could see the Backroads vans and trailers (with bikes) parked across the street.

As fellow riders began trickling in we made introductions and chatted. We were pleasantly surprised to see one of our fellow riders (Bob from Berkeley) from last year's Death Valley trip. At 8:30 our guides Lindsey and Abby arrived, along with our support staff of Daysha and Justin. Lindsey gave the morning orientation and the "what-to-expect" talk. Luggage was loaded and we headed out of town to the staging area for the morning ride.

20 minutes out of town we arrived at the San Xavier del Bac Mission. Founded in 1692 the mission was built between 1783 and 1797 it is the oldest European-style mission in Arizona.

Since we had time to walk around while the bikes were being staged Robin and I wandered toward the hillside shrines that are located next to the mission. Mass was in session so we did not explore the large cathedral.

House Finches were singing in the hillside scrub and all I managed to see while hiking the hill was an Arizona Rock Squirrel and a small white, weasel-sized Round-tailed Squirrel. Cacti were jutting out from the rocky slopes, and lichen were shining in the morning sun. A Northern Cardinal was singing in the distance but couldn't be located.

As I walked back toward the parking lot I spotted a tiny hummingbird perched next to mission. As I approached I could only make a black throat as it peered off into the distance. I then got a blast of magenta iridescence when it turned its head my way. Anna's Hummingbird! I spent some time approaching it and firing away at 20 fps hoping to get some nice gorget photos, and the tiny male did not disappoint. I managed enough images to get transitional iridescence as black gorget feathers turned to copper, then orange, then bright magenta. Stunning!

Back at the parking lot the bikes were ready and Lindsey and Abby gave the pre-ride "talkin-to". Something about safety, don't get killed, etc... Seriously, though, they showed us how to use the bikes, the navigation equipment, and route descriptions and safety protocols.

Robin and I got a late start w/ our ebikes. While everyone else had taken off in the now mid-morning traffic jam (mass letting out) we were fighting with gears and navigation equipment. But, we got oriented and took off out of town for a 25.6 mile 1163 ft elevation gain ride to Desert Meadows Park where we'd have lunch.

I managed to have my bike in top gear and was struggling to keep up with Robin, so she soon disappeared in the distance. Once situated I enjoyed a peaceful desert ride along the two-lane highway. Curve-billed Thrashers, Gambel's Quail and other desert avifauna were singing in the distance as I rode through mostly-cloudy skies and temps in the low 50's. With the Go-Pro Hero 7 mounted to the handlebars I managed to get a photo of myself photographing the Curve-billed Thrasher!

A pair of circling Red-tailed Hawks prompted my first stop of the morning. A gorgeous dark-phased Western Red-tail was joined by an equally stunning light-phase bird overhead, and I managed some keeper images despite my pentathlon-level fatigue.

Phainopepla were also common. I spotted quite a few in the distance as they perched or flew with their white-flashing wings to nearby snags. They look like black cardinals. As I attempted to photograph one bird a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher appeared nearby and gave me fits while flitting in deep thickets.

The Go-Pro got a pic of me from the handlebar as I was photographing the birds!

San Xavier del Bac Mission, Pima, Arizona, US
Feb 23, 2020 9:00 AM - 11:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
13.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Backroads Bike Tour
8 species

Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)  6
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura)  1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)  2
Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)  6
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  6
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160356983

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

At mile 13 I made a left at Helmet Peak Rd. that is named for a large mountain peak jutting out of the low-lying desert scrub. As I stopped and chatted with Daysha while refueling I made mention of wanting to see some Cactus Wrens. No sooner did I continue on riding that I stopped to photograph a pair of Cactus Wrens along the roadside thickets to my right. Bonus birds included a Northern Mockingbird and a gorgeous Black-throated Sparrow!

As I continued downhill along a long stretch of highway the air began to cool, and traffic picked up. I was approaching a small town (North La Canada). A Turkey Vulture was circling overhead waiting for a chance to meal up on a fresh roadkill desert Hare.

A half-dozen Gambel's Quail flew across the road in front of me and landed in the dry riverbed to my right. As I desperately tried to get a few pics of them dozens more scampered through the heavy cover along the riverbed. Fun-but-frustrating.

Helmet Peak Road / S Mission Road, Pima, Arizona, US
Feb 23, 2020 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
5 species

Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)  6
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  1
Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)  2
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  1
Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160357199

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

With a sore back I finally cruised into the Desert Meadows Park, which is a small community garden and picnic area. Situated next to another dry riverbed the riparian vegetation was pretty lush, which meant lots of birds. Scrambling to eat before the rest of the party biked on, I spotted another tiny hummingbird about 100' away. A male Costa's Hummingbird! I managed a few photos while struggling to focus through heavy thickets.

Small flocks of House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches were seen, as well as a small covey of Gambel's Quail.

We still had a few minutes so I walked along the riverbed and spotted a pair of small, sweet-trilling Rufous-winged Sparrows. They kept ducking in and out of cover under a large bush, but I finally managed some lovely photos.

I would miss several White-crowned Sparrows and another hovering Costa's Hummingbird (grrr). But, I would get an immature Anna's Hummingbird before we'd leave.

Green Valley--Desert Meadows Park, Pima, Arizona, US
Feb 23, 2020 12:20 PM - 1:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
7 species

Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)  6
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)  1
Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae)  2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  8
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)  6
Rufous-winged Sparrow (Peucaea carpalis)  2
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160357453

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Robin and I rode back to Tubac with Lindsay as we were done for the day. As we entered the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa I spotted what I thought was a Harris' Hawk perched on the roadside, but eBird does not show it regionally, so I'm calling it a dark-phased Red-tailed Hawk. 

Tubac Golf Resort, Santa Cruz, Arizona, US
Feb 23, 2020 3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
1 species

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160357650

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

The resort is gorgeous with tiny casitas for us to stay in. Spacious and well manicured, we will enjoy our next few days here.

I spent the afternoon uploading 3500 of Day 1's photos, including another 1000 Go-Pro Hero 7 photos that I took while riding (timelapse photo every 60 sec). The handle-bar mounted little camera got bounced pretty badly on the rough AZ roads today, so tomorrow I will be mounting it under my chin to my Cotton Carrier. I hope the images look a little better. I better shave...

We walked to the Stables Restaurant at 6:30 pm for a social before dinner with the rest of the party. The Trout was delicious, and a wonderful end to a great day. Thank you, Lindsey and Abby for a great Day 1 of our trip.

Tomorrow we ride even closer to the US-Mexico border as we take in Cowboy Country. Robin and I will be riding the shorter Tumacacori Route: 26.7 miles and 832 ft elevation gain so we get to sleep in until 9:45 am. Of course, I'm up at 4 am typing this blog and processing images... Vacation, right?