Trans America Cycling Day 8 - Mesa, AZ to Tonto Basin, AZ
The link to today's route and statistics is found here . Today's ride was probably the most difficult to date. Difficulty stemed from the ascent of 5,900 ft, the most of any day of the tour, and the temperature in the 90's F when riders finished in Tonto Basin. Trans-America staff told us that today's ride would be one of the most beautiful in the tour, and that was surely the case. We were surrounded by cacti on most all of the ride. There were many cholla cacti in the desert that we passed through, as well as saguaros. The cholla is sometimes referred to as the "jumping cholla." The name comes from the ease with which the cholla stems detach when brushed. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothing. As always, beware of where you walk off road. Ouch! Cholla cactus Saguaro at SAG stop Early in the day we rode across the north side of the Superstition Mountains. The Superstitions have