While waiting for the day to warm up for
riding, I wandered over to talk with the neighbor using the ‘bivy sack’…the claustrophobic
looking tent. He flew in for the weekend
and needed to keep his gear to a minimum so he brought the bivy sack for
sleeping. The tent…and I use that term loosely…is great for hiking because it’s
lightweight and folds down small.
However, he wasn’t here for hiking…he flew in from Eagle River, Alaska
to go golfing with an old friend. While
the size is a benefit for putting in a backpack, it has drawbacks for general
camping purposes. He leaves his shoes
outside the tent because there’s no place to keep them inside. The sack itself
is made of Gore-tex so it’s waterproof; however, there’s a zippered ventilation
screen up by the head area that will let water in if it’s kept open in the
rain. Staying warm is dependent on the
sleeping bag that’s used but generally that's not a problem for him. Of
course, there is none of the privacy that a full-sized tent might provide and
you certainly can’t hang out in it in the evening. So in the game of pros vs. cons, it sounds like the cons win. I knew before I talked
to him that it was a tent I couldn’t use…it’s the claustrophobic nature of the
thing.
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Out
on the road today before the bathrooms were closed for cleaning! Bathrooms are closed from 11 a.m. to noon for
cleaning…many times we’ve wanted/needed to use the bathroom quick before we leave
camp and have had to delay our departure until the cleaning is done. It doesn’t always take an entire hour, but no
one is allowed in when the cones are out front.
So today, without even trying, we got the timing right. 😏
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Today’s
ride was to Top of the World. No, not the top of the world…the town in Arizona
that calls itself Top of the World presumably because it’s at the top of the
mountain between Superior and Miami, AZ.
Elevation about 4,600 ft…therefore Top of the World to the 231 people
who live there. Our original thought was
to ride to Globe yesterday but it was too far for the time we had, so we
decided on Top of the World which is a little closer. As it turned out, we didn’t ride anywhere yesterday. Today was wide open so we had the time to
ride farther but Top of the World was going to be the first destination. And the first stop was going to be Top of the
World Trading Post, which I figured was
probably the extent of the town. I
was wrong as there are several grouping of trailers around the area but the
Trading Post does seem to be the town hub. Outside
the Trading Post was the official community board which may have served as a
very informal newspaper. The Trading
Post is a very eclectic consignment shop…the majority of the consignees are
disabled veterans. A lot of old
military items for sale inside with a bunch of other odds and ends thrown
in. The inventory outside was more
garage sale type stuff…except I’ve never seen a 4 liter Jaguar engine with
brand new belts at a garage sale.
Since there was no official town/city sign, a selfie in front of the
trading post sufficed. 😊
 |
| Top of the World |
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There
really wasn’t much in the Trading Post that appealed to either of us; but
apparently both of us were of thinking that we should buy something. I pointed something out to Kim and as I
thought would happen, he bought it. A monster
Master Lock made specifically for Harley-Davidson with a skull emblem key fob,
attached to a big chain. Separately,
each would be a force to be reckoned with…together, there’s only one use I can
see for a chain and lock that size. I
told Kim that I’m sure his new treasure was used to hurt a few people before it
ended up for sale in the Trading Post…he just smiled and said “Ya think?” Don’t know what we’ll do with it, but I know
what we won’t do with it. Unless I’m home alone and I hear footsteps when
there should be silence…then watch out!😏
 |
| "I need this lock", he said. |
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Next up was a stop in Miami for lunch…about 10 miles down the road or
mountain, as the case may be. But first
I got sidetracked by something alongside the road. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was because I
was paying attention to the road which was still going downhill…my brain simply
registered that something was off to the right.
We turned around to go back a mile or so to see what it was. It was a grotto/shrine with numerous candles,
pictures and prayer requests tacked up on the walls. Most of the pictures were old but there were
candles burning so it’s still an active shrine.
The website Arizona Adventures has a page dedicated to the Top 10
Roadside Shrines. The articles starts
off with:
Dozens of roadside shrines, also called capillitas or grutas,
dot the Arizona landscape. These miniature places of worship are different from
the sometimes elaborate roadside crosses, called crucecitas or descansos, which
mark the sites of fatal auto accidents and other tragedies. However, both are
rooted in Spanish-Catholic traditions brought to the New World by early
missionaries and settlers. Then the shrines are listed and the shrine we
saw today is #8 on the list. The
following is the history of the shrine near Miami, AZ:
Ruben Licano’s Shrine – Ruben C. Licano
erected this shrine to fulfill a vow he made in the 1950’s while serving in the
Army during the Korean War. He promised the Virgin Mary that if he returned to
Arizona alive, he would build a shrine in her honor. It took him a while, but with
the help of a friend, Licano completed his small roadside shrine in 1977.
Constructed of river rock and topped with a rebar cross, the shrine’s walls and
roof partially enclose a small altar on which Licano set a 3-foot statue of
Mary. Passersby have filled the shrine with personal mementos of loved ones and
written pleas. Several times a day (as of 2002 anyway), Licano stops by to
check on the candles and to pray. Ruben Licano’s roadside shrine is located
about two miles west of Miami, on the south side of U.S. 60.
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It’s
always kind of tricky to approach a grotto/shrine with a camera in my
hand. It’s not my intent to offend so I
usually make sure the coast is clear
before I take any pictures. Today there was no one around when we stopped
so I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of pictures before turning and
seeing a man approach. Oh, man, Where did he come from? That’s it…I’m
busted! He greets us and makes some
small talk…and then asks if we’re Catholic.
Oh, man, that seals it…I’m really
busted! Not Catholic AND taking
pictures! However, instead of
getting lectured about dishonoring the memories on display in the shrine, we
get a short sermon about the differences between the Bible in his hand and some
of the practices of the Catholic Church.
My impression is that he hangs around the shrine waiting for people to
visit then approaches to share with them that the truth lies in the Bible, not
in rituals promoted by the church. It takes courage but he feels like this is something he has to do. We
chatted and before we left we exchanged names, his is Chuy (sounds like ‘Chewy’). I took a picture of Chuy and Kim, then we
headed for the bikes. He sat down on a
bench outside the shrine. A woman had
arrived while we were chatting and patiently waited until we walked away before
she approached the shrine. I looked back
to see her inside lighting a candle and saying a prayer…and when she walked out
of the shrine, Chuy stood up to greet her.
 |
| Kim talking with Chuy |
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After
lunch we continued on to Globe where we picked up State Road (SR) 77 to head
back toward Tucson. As we approached the
Tom Mix Road (SR 79) heading for Florence, the sky had pockets of dark ominous
looking clouds and the wind picked up, making the ride a bit chilly. Oh,
great, we’re gonna get rained on. I wonder if we can take Park Link Rd and beat
the rain. We didn’t take Park Link…we continued on the Tom Mix Road, the
clouds now being to our left as we headed toward Florence. It was looking more and more like Tucson was
going to be getting the rain and we were heading northwest-ish away from Tucson.
The sky looked clearer up ahead and sure enough, by the time we reached
Florence the sun was out. However, when
we turned at Coolidge, the dark clouds were ahead of us again in the direction
of Picacho. Agh!! But, Happy, Happy, Joy,
Joy!, we didn’t get rained on…in fact, despite the nasty looking clouds there
were no signs anywhere that it had rained in Picacho today. I guess I’ll find out for sure tomorrow when
I talk to people. Thankful to make it
back dry. 😌
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No scorpion hunting tonight because the sky
cleared up and Kim is at his telescope…and there’s no way I’m going out in the
dark by myself looking for scorpions.
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Bike miles today: 241
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