Day 43, 86 miles (2630). The ride from Globe, through Superior, and on to Tempe is mostly a descent, but possibly on the worst section of road on the Southern Tier. The road is twisted and narrow with little shoulder, where the road climbs the minimal shoulder is sacrificed to make a passing lane, so cyclists are forced into the drive lane where they compete for space with large trucks (many mines nearby), RVs, pickup trucks and cars. I have no gripe with the Southern Tier mapmakers, they have chosen the best route available from the limited options. But this highlights a major drawback in attempting travel by bicycle.
In a perfect world there would be roads for the autos and dedicated bike trails for cyclists, parallel networks taking motorists and cyclists alike to where ever they would like to go. The reality is that it is difficult to build and maintain our network of roads using motor fuel taxes, little revenue remains for cycling infrastructure. The construction of an independent network of bike trails is happening in certain areas where cycling is popular but these trails rarely provide the cyclist a reliable route to real destinations, they generally serve the cyclists who can load their bicycle on a bike rack and drive to the trail, where they can take a ride. Using these trails to cycle as an alternative to driving is limited, very limited. What this means is that if you want to travel somewhere solely by bicycle you are, sooner or later, going to be in conflict with motorists. Regardless of the route you take, even if it is a roadway with a generous shoulder, or even better, a roadway with a marked bike lane on the shoulder, at some point you will reach the spot where a sign announces "bike lane ends". At this point you are truly on your own. Your safety will depend greatly on the willingness of the passing motorist to acknowledge your existence (and legal right ) on the roadway and to behave in a courteous and generous manner. It is my experience that this is placing tremendous faith in motorists that may feel differently about cycling.
The Share the Road philosophy is an attempt to give the cyclist a chance to use roads in co-operation with motorists where complete separation between the two modes of travel is not possible. But for it to succeed, there needs to be an understanding between motorists and cyclists that addresses the disparity between a multi-ton vehicle traveling at 70 mph and a 200 pound vehicle traveling at 15 mph.
Someone asked me if I have any idea how much the presence of a cyclist on a busy highway frightens and annoys a motorist. I have been driving for 40 plus years, I have encountered my share of surprises on the roadway: cyclists, debris, live animals, stalled vehicles, etc. Sometimes these encounters were frightening and annoying, the more so when they arrive completely unexpected. The only way to eliminate cyclists from this list is to ban them entirely from our system of roads, anything less will continue to annoy the majority of motorists. That still leaves plenty of road hazards for fright and annoyance.
I believe most people are kind hearted and will lend a hand to someone in need. Encountering a elderly shopper in the aisle of your supermarket, may draw some annoyance if you are late and in a hurry, but generally you will give the shopper some extra consideration if they slow your shopping progress. Encounter that same shopper a few minutes later, when both of you are maneuvering in traffic and you may not be so generous. When we settle into our automobiles, embraced by our climate control, piped in music, linked to the outside world via our hands-free phone, we often feel like the world should move at our game speed, anything less, regardless of the source, is an annoyance.
How often do we curse the car ahead of us, who seems unable to decide on which driveway is the correct one, without noticing the out-of-state plates?
Cycling on roads where I cannot stay entirely separate from motorized traffic has taught me what it must be like to have a physical or mental handicap in our high speed society. When the shoulder narrows, or a bridge pinches me onto the roadway, or a construction zone sends me directly onto the drive lane, I become that handicapped person. With no way to plead my predicament to the passing motorist, "I am so sorry to slow your progress, I hope you can lend me some of your road space for the 15 seconds it takes for you to pass me", all I can hope for is their understanding and co-operation. Perhaps that is amazingly naive, but it is not that much different than the guy on crutches ahead of you in the airport security line (who is really making the same entreaty....I am going slowly today, please cut me some slack.....), except in the security line you aren't in your car.....
More on this theme later.
Because I have been dreading the need to cross several hundred miles of the Calofornia Desert by bicycle, on roads ill-suited for cyclists, I have been wrestling with myself. Ride the desert or rent a car?
I am currently traveling on four wheels, whizzing from Tempe to Bakersfield in comfort, in a rented car. Last night I camped in the Desert, this morning I will tour the General George Patton museum, then cruise through Joshua Tree NP on my way to Bakersfield. There I return the car and continue north on my own two wheels.
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