South Of The Border And More: 2/6/15 Huevos On My Face

Perfection is impossible to achieve, no matter how hard one tries.

The perfect dawn in Casa Grande rolled in at 40 degrees. The sun greeted a cloudless sky and we mounted Rascal just as the temperature rose. We had a whole day to play, and so we did.

Our first stop was Picacho State Park. We were impressed by the jagged peaks and a few tall cactus, ignorant to the beauty that would follow.

Back on to the 10, we headed toward Tucson. Then, the Seguaro National Park sign dragged us off our route. Side trips are Jules' specialty, and even though the park was 16 miles off track, this is how we ride. And we were so rewarded. A forest of Seguaro cacti surrounded us as we rode, thrilling us with their lonesome majesty. We turned off onto a dirt road that wound up the desert hills where we paused and feasted on hard boiled eggs, carrot bread and a very fine Amarone under a cactus speckled mountain. To feel the intense heat of the sun was sublime.

Rolling back onto the highway, we were excited about meeting our travel group. We ran Route 19 to Nogales and felt like for once, we were going to be on time. And here is were the huevos land on my face. For days I have anticipated our date of departure incorrectly by one day. Our concierge clued us into my mistake, and the one flaw to our perfect arrival was softened by a long soak in the spa and an afternoon basking in the hot Arizona sun.

So tomorrow we will explore Nogales, a border town with an extensive history. One recommendation for an ironic activity was to go to City Hall and lie in the shade of the one tree in town, a precious commodity.

So close to the border, everything is Mexico here, but Rascal and her riders are chafing at the bit for the real deal. Let's get this party started!