Notes upon leaving Arizona, 15/12/2009

To leave Arizona today I had to ride over a 6,200ft pass from sleeping at 3000 ft.

Riding over passes is the name of the game for the next week or so. Yesterday's pass was 5,000ft starting at 2,500ft, tomorrow's is 6,200ft from 4,000ft. In couple of days time the Emory Pass awaits 8,000ft from 5,000ft crossing the continetal divide.

Climb high sleep low as they say in mountaineering. That's what I am doing, only on a bike. I'm not really going high enough to feel the altitude much but at least sleeping low makes the nights slightly warmer.

It rained most of the day yesterday and never got above 5 degrees. Despite the plentiful cacti, the soggy hillsides and drizzle reminded me of home.

I had 4 flat tyres and only covered 35 miles.

Memories of Simon weighed heavy on my mind.

I slept on the lawn of the Arizona State Forest Rangers' Station last night. You can camp anywhere in the state forest, but they like it when you camp on their lawn because you have access to the toilets and don't pollute the land.

The rangers were very kind and gave me a cup of Chai when I went to say good bye this morning.
I asked them about their forest and they told me of spruce and pine, bears and mountain lions, it all sounded wonderful.

I read the advice on encounters with mountain lions. As well as how to avoid them in the first place, it included the following advice on what to do if you do end up having a close encounter:

Give the lion an escape route don't corner it.
Don't run away or you may trigger an attack reflex.
Make and maintain eye contact with the animal.
Make yourself look as big as possible, stand up tall wave your arms or open your jacket.
Talk loudly and confidently to the mountain lion.
Trow things you can get at (without crouching or making your self look small).
Overall try give the impression you are something the lion should fear not vice-versa.

Finally if attacked: FIGHT BACK.
Use whatever weapons you can get sticks, stones, etc. Mountain lion attacks have been stopped by people fighting back very aggressively.

Of course I've heard this advice before. However this morning I was tickled by the amusing image of stumbling upon a lion, meeting its gaze and loudly and confidently telling him:

“Hello there! I'm certainly glad I've met you today Mr Lion. As you can see I am extremely large and dangerous. In fact I'm thinking about attacking you right now!

"You really ought to try and get out of here. Because there's nothing I like more than taking on a mountain lion in hand to hand combat.

" Why,I'll start by throwing all the things in my pockets at you. Then I'm going to punch you in the nose, before I rip off your ears..... etc, etc”

It's hard to believe the lion would fall for it.

I suppose history does show that we are actually the most dangerous animals of all.

When I set off I began to wonder if forest means something different in American English, for the landscape was one of open hillsides. Juniper bushes were dotted here and there amongst the prickly pear cacti and the dried up grass. I struggled to imagine the big game they had told me about hiding out around here.

So it remained for at least a couple of hours, until well over 5,000ft. Eventually tree cover did come into view just before crossing the pass that would lead to New Mexico. All at once the junipers were bigger, tree-like rather than bushes and much more dense. Soon they were joined by the promised pines.

Finally, I was in the kind of woodland in which you could actually set up a hammock for the first time this trip.

From 5,500ft onwards the mountain landscape was splendid with granite cliffs and crumbly sandstone outcrops jutting out from open forested slopes. I stopped for lunch and to admire the views and look back on Arizona.

In Southern Arizona the cacti are taller than the houses; the cars never go rusty; people ride Harleys without helmets; men wear cowboy hats when driving; the fiercest tribe of Native Americans live on their tribal lands and old folks from all over the USA come to overwinter in the desert.

There are deserts, high plains, canyons, mountains and forests with bears, mountain lions, eagles and rattlesnakes to name but a few.

It's a poor state, but it's a cheap state and it's very much a free state.

Life here is simple, some might say old fashioned. It is not without it's problems but most people are noticeably honest and good. Women especially are kind here, men are often men of few words.

This is tough country inhabited by tough people.

It's the real wild west and I liked it.