The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Tucson Spring Warm-up

March 21st to March 28th

Ride Director: Albert Meerscheidt
Ride Co-Director: Bernice Tannenbaum
Report by: Sarah Boden

We recently completed a wonderful week tour in Tucson Arizona.  

Many of our 30 participants drove to Tucson, so it afforded them flexibility and the chance for a shakedown ride on day one, but for many of us the tour started with a fantastic happy hour provided by our leaders, including abundant Pacific Northwest smoked salmon from their hometown of Seattle.  There were no leftovers. 

There were many routes provided, most of them centering on the amazing 137 miles of Loop Trail in the City of Tucson.  As typical with BAC tours, people broke into smaller groups and availed themselves of the 53 mile "full loop" experience, or the amazing mural tour (picture attached) that allowed some city riding and some great neighborhood exploration, or routes that combined trail and city streets to arrive at Catalina State Park, the Desert Museum, or Saguaro East or West.  

The weather took a turn towards wind and cold and some spots of rain and hail a few days in.  Some of us got off the bikes and toured Tubac, a historic mission town with great art galleries and lunch spots, while others decided to hike Sabino Canyon or bird watch in Madera Canyon or see Kartchner Caverns.

There were two highlights of the tour, our own leader Dr. Bernice Tannenbaum, is a  wildlife biologist, who specializes in bats.  She took us on an incredible journey at dusk where we got to watch the bats leave for their evening feeding and learned all about their habits and patterns.

The other highlight was our own leader Albert Meerscheidt who graciously watched the weather and the summit camera each day, and found an opening in the weather to support all of the brave riders who wanted to climb all or some portion of Mt. Lemmon.  Albert provided water SAG and a place to add or shed layers while the climb commenced.  It was an unforgettable day for those intrepid riders.

Overall the tour was amazing.  Our BAC family pitched in, kept up their sense of adventure and humor no matter what the weather gods threw at us.  Our happy hours and dinners were excellent and the logistics and route options were world class.  

We are all coming back for the 2025 Tour !