February 1, 2005; Mesa, Arizona

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Between Tucson and Mesa, it is also boring. A quick glance at the map revealed the Petrified Forest, and a scenic drive between Globe and Show Low were both in reach. Ambitious, but in reach.

Barely out of Tucson, I stumbled across a sign for Biosphere II. Why not? As I came over the hill and saw the Biosphere campus I began to get excited. There must be a gillion cool things in there. That’s what I thought.

If you ever get the chance to go to Biosphere II, don’t, it’s not what you think. Instead, take your twenty bucks and buy a steak diner and a beer or two. If you feel regret at the end of your dinner that you didn’t see the marvels contained in Biosphere II, got watch the movie Biodome. Yes, I know it stars Pauly Shore. That’s how much of a crock the 40 minute tour is. The most interesting part of the tour was the air pressure equalization system. Ahem, the air pressure equalization system.

After spending over an hour futilely scouring the complex for something exotic or interesting I gave up and motored another couple hours over some very cold and windy mountains to the start of the scenic drive at Globe. With several hours wasted, the scenic drive and Petrified Forest were out of reach. I could have spent another day in the area, but Orville and Marge were expecting me in Mesa. Plus, it was frickin’ cold.

While taking a late lunch, I realized that I had left my cell phone at the Tucson motel room. Great. I rode on anyway, this time picking the straightest line to Mesa on the map. This straight line was not so much boring as it was a 22 mile stretch of mountain hugging dirt road called The Apache Trail.

From the Theodore Roosevelt Dam the trail mimics the path of the Apache along the Salt River and Canyon Lake. The severe elevation changes and sharp switchbacks made for dramatic views and dramatic, but rewarding driving. Although the dirt was smoother than some paved roads I found, it still shook the second of three bolts loose that secured the windshield. Sweet. You know the old saying “two out of three ain’t bad,” right? Well one out of three is.

I arrived in Mesa at dark and found Orville and Marge after an extra 20 minutes of driving. If I can get the story right, Orville was one of dad’s first managers in the Co-op industry, and gave him one of his first managing positions, as well as being a mentor to him for many years afterwards.

Looking back the day, it really to really suck. But on the other hand, I kept the shiny side up, most of the phone numbers lost with the phone were backed up in email, and although I was scammed out of $20, I had free room and board for the night.