Explore the Sonoran Desert in south east Arizona during this early season tour. Our first day of riding out of Tucson takes us through an 8 mile loop in east Saguaro National Park (www.nps.gov/sagu) and along the Old Spanish trail to Benson.  From Benson, we ride  through Tombstone to historic Bisbee,  a historic mining town revitalized as an arts center  (www.discoverbisbee.com).  In Bisbee we’ll spend two nights at the Copper Queen Hotel (www.copperqueen.com) . On this option day in Bisbee you  can tour the Copper Queen mine and museum , do a ride to Mexico on your own or just relax and visit art galleries and specialty shops.  From Bisbee, we’ll head west and north to Fort Huachuca and on to the crossroads at Sonoita and stay at the historic Sonoita Inn (www.sonoitainn.com).  From Sonoita we’ll go southwest   through Patagonia and then north to the Tumacacori National Historic Park (www.nps.gov/tima) where we will visit a Spanish mission site that began in 1691. Before we finish  this day in Green Valley, we pass through Tubac, an artist  colony and site of the Tubac Presido State historic park (www.tubacaz.com) The last day of riding starts In Green Valley,  where we will have an early morning opportunity to tour the Titan II Missile Museum (www.titanmissilemuseum.org),  then mount our bicycles and ride through the San Xavier Indian Reservation to the San Xavier Mission Church (wwwsanxaviermission.org) and then back to our hotel in Tucson. 

The tour is 300 miles, with  11,400 feet of  climbing, almost all of it at less than 4%.  The tour starts and finishes in Tucson with optional, non-supported rides for those who arrive early on Sunday, February 21^st  and depart late on Sunday February 28^th,  on a Tucson town route and a climb up Mt. Lemmon , respectively.   The weather at this time of year is sunny with  an average low of 45 degrees and an average high of 60 degrees.

For more information please contact Rich Crocker  by email at richcrocker@hotmail.com or Bill Stone at 719-598-6329 or by email at bill.stone@q.com