El Camino del Diablo

I've been watching the Tour de France this week so I decided to write about one of my own bike trips. In 1996 I rode the historic trail El Camino del Diablo or The Devil's Highway in Southern Arizona. This was a trail that I first heard about during a bike ride from San Diego to home in 1984. I had become obsessed about riding it for 12 years.
This trail follows the border of Mexico and Arizona on the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge and has seen human activity for over 10,000 yrs. There are many ancient trails, sleeping circles and shrines left by the Paleoamericans (or First People). It was first used by Europeans (the Conquistadors) in the early 1600's and was a popular route to the California goldfields in the 1800's. There are estimates of over 2,000 deaths along this trail from Ajo to Yuma. Temperatures easily go over 120 degrees and the only water for the near 100 miles of track is found in the occasional tinajas, depressions in the rocks where rain water collects and then evaporates in a few days.

Ancient trail barely visible

I was fortunate to have a friend sag me on this trip, driving ahead in his 4 wheel drive and setting up camp for the night while I rode my bike loaded down with 2 gallons of water for the day. There were countless  stone crosses in the sands along the trail (and a rather dark story from the early 1900's of people coming across the mummified bodies of horses, cattle and oxen propped up on their feet lining the trail). True or not just the thought made me cherish every drop of water that I carried. It took me 3 days and 91 miles to ride this part of the 'highway' in the relatively balmy temperatures of
85°, 90° and 95°. The last 9 miles I had to push my bike through 6 inches of sand even though I was using specially made wide rims and lowered the tire pressure to 10 lbs.

Two of the many stone crosses along the trail

Access to the trail is by permit only since it is on a military bombing range. I didn't have to dodge any bombs but I was buzzed twice by a helicopter, probably the Border Patrol.

My ride ended at the famous Tinajas Altas, the only place on the trail with a permanent (sometimes) water source.

At Tinajas Altas and looking forward

to a diet Pepsi and potato chips