Over Cochise Stronghold, AZ
We decided to get away for Thanksgiving, chasing the sunshine and trying to escape the rain storms that swamped Austin. Planning for Big Bend we changed gears last minute and headed for the Dragoon Mountains in south Arizona based on a route we found on Bikepacking.com
Before the trip, Suzan Bright gifted me her vintage Nikkor lenses from her college days as a photo major at Pratt. So this trip I shot full manual with 35mm and 105mm Nikkor lenses adapted to my Sony a6000 mirrorless camera. The setup was great as it is very packable and the lenses are fast to change and intuitive to use. The fixed lenses increased my battery life by a long-shot which was great for covering this 3 day trip into the backcountry.
- Heading to the mountains
- Big skies and views
- With Turkey Sausages, stuffing and mashed potatoes we brought some tasty vittles on our ride. We enjoyed our T-day in this field of grasses with a old working windmill and pump well for company.
- Sketching at sunset
- Conté and charcoal pencil
- Rugged granite of the Dragoon Mountains
- Challenging hike-a-bike up and over the Cochise Stronghold.
- Singletrack and views back into the valley are our rewards
- My trusty steed: CHUMBA USA STELLA, with Shimano XT 11speed, Maxxis 27plus Rekon tires and complete Multi-cam bikepacking bagset from Wanderlust Gear.
- Enjoying the trail off the backside of the mountain.
- “It gets flat over there.”
- A hard day of pushing and riding had us setting up camp sore and tired. The stars and clear night sky were a delight to enjoy during dinner and stretching.
- Thanks to Postmaster Bill for the photo, he’s got one heck of a view. I rode back into town to fix a flat. Luckily the small town hardware store had flat kits, since mine was resting nicely back in the truck…
- Michelle is enjoying her first bikepacking trip.
- Kody and Jenny roll through another road lined with cottony desert brush.
- There’s a jail over thar
- “Joe Bono’s” abandoned historic building provided some nice shade while we supped on the last of our food stores.
- ***POP ROCKS***
- Historic Gleeson Jail, one of a few old jails we saw on the route.
- Big wheels = Big smiles
- Michelle, happy to be rolling the smooth downhill back to town. The Dragoon Mountains we rode over rest in the background.
- and they rode into the sunset.
- Cold beers back in historic Tombstone, where the whole town greeted us in costume!
Thanks to CHUMBA USA for the unstoppable bikes, Wanderlust Gear for our flawless bikepacking bagsets, Maxxis for our burly test tires, Smith Optics for our stly’in helmets and Shimano for our smooth new XT 11 speed drivetrains! Our mix of gear certainly made for a reliable trip!
the benthos 
Thanks buddy, we miss you let’s catch up soon!
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Thank you for taking me along âon holidayâ with yaâll !!!
Teri
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Looks like nice country. Great shots!
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What a great trip you all had…and what a wonderful way to spend thanksgiving
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Badass dude! So happy for ya all! Felt magical out there through your pics! Love!
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