Featured Rideout Mileage Therapy: A Little Feast Before A Bit Of A Famine

To clarify my thread title, the "feast" has been a feast of motorcycle miles over the past week or two. The "famine" will be in the form of no riding at all for perhaps a month or more. Tomorrow morning I'm having some surgery (carpal tunnel and trigger finger release) in my clutch hand. Before I began riding motorcycles I'd have simply referred to that hand as my left. But these days my left hand is precious. And lately it has been betraying me. So over my winter break I rode pretty much every day save for a couple of rainy days. And I suggested to my hubby, Steve, that it would be fun to do a little over-nighter on the bikes. He agreed....



So I secured a dog sitter for Ellie, the Boxer, and got us a room reservation in Tubac, Arizona at a little B&B that we'd stayed at years ago. And off we went. As the crow flies, Tubac is only about an hours drive from Tucson. But who wants to go as the crow flies on a bike?! We took the road less traveled and wound our way along some of southern Arizona's beautiful backroads and pass through the tiny, picturesque towns of Sonoita and Patagonia. Our riding buddy, Russell, joined us on the first day but rode on back to Tucson as the day wound down. We left town around 10am so agreed that it would be a good idea to stop for lunch in Patagonia. When we arrived, we were delighted to find that one of the restaurants there had moved into a renovated mission church--The Velvet Elvis. It was awesome and will become a staple in our Sunday group ride rotations. When we arrived the place was nearly empty but it was hoppin' by the time we left.







They have an amazing selection of tequilas and mezcals along with something called "baccanora". But we were riding plus it was only noon so we stuck with water and sodas.



My delicious Blanco pizza with sun-dried tomatoes on almond meal crust



With full bellies, we mounted up and made our way to our destination for the day (and night)--Tubac, which a haven for artists, tourists, and retirees these days.




We stayed at a lovely five-room inn called the Tubac Country Inn. It's under new ownership since the last time we were there which was probably 10 years ago at this point. It was as wonderful as ever, perhaps even more so. Parking is a bit scarce but they have a few spaces in the back through an alley between a small trailer park and the inn. The bikes did seem content in their little nook while we wandered around town on foot.



I was on my Street Glide Special for this trip. But over the past week I rode all three bikes and squeezed in as many miles as I could. My final feast ride before my upcoming famine was yesterday. I rode my Speed Triple just shy of 100 miles. And Speedy will definitely be my ride of choice when I'm healed up enough to ride again with its lighter clutch pull and that sweet quick-shifter.



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Once we'd checked in, unpacked, and changed into our walking shoes and out of our riding kit, we headed into town. Which is a funny way to put it because "town" is about half a block from the inn. I could wander around Tubac for hours and hours, which we sort of did. At least until the boys tired of it. Wimps!

Here are some highlights.......

The Tubac Center for the Arts. There was an artists reception going on the Friday evening that we were there. Most of the art is done by Arizona artists.



The artists that painted all the paintings in this picture is the gentleman on the right, Ray Purcell.


This metal sculpture REALLY caught out attention. It's composed of repurposed metal parts, is eight feet tall, and the price is $29,000. It was mind-blowing!







More creative metal art--this one caught my eye as it's a two-wheeler.



I could detect the scent of cigars from about a block away. We always have to go into the Grumpy Gringo. On this particular afternoon the patio was overflowing with guys smokin' and chattin'.





Tubac has lots of places with lots of kitchy yard art. I love it...in small doses.



Although we were there the week after New Year's, there were still some fun Christmas decorations that were yet to be packed up for next year. This one tugged at my heart because I love Snoopy and Woodstock.



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Steve had made reservations for us at a Mexican restaurant called Elvira's. We both love Mexican food but this place is unlike any other Mexican place we've ever been. The food and service are incredible but the decor and ambiance really steal the show. Words don't do it justice so here are photos. Which still don't really do it justice. There are hundreds--probably more like thousands--of glass orbs suspended from the ceiling. The orbs are clear glass but there are stage lighting that changes colors and illuminates the glass so it's ever changing. Although it may look overwhelming from the photos, it really is magical.

Steve perusing the specials menu while waiting at the hostess stand for us to be seated for our reservation.





The tequila and mezcal list is massive! They also have some great local whiskeys including one of my favorites, Del Bac Mesquite Smoked. I had an Old Fashioned made with that.



My dinner, the "Frida Kahlo", which incorporates squash blossoms and is a twist on the traditional chile relleno. And my fave relleno of all time. I can't help myself--I order this dish every time we go to Elvira's.



Saturday morning we slept in then had a cup of coffee in our lovely 2nd story "attic" room. Then we moseyed back "into town" for some breakfast. Across from Tubac Deli and Coffee was a lineup of some super cool classic cars and pickups. And most of their owners seemed to be having coffee in the restaurant. Turns out it was a classic car meetup that happens once a month.





Back at the ranch, well, the inn, we packed up and pulled the bikes out onto the street by the inn. As we were about to leave, Reagen, the new proprietor, pulled up so we got a chance to meet her and chat a bit. She was delightful and let's just say that we'll definitely make an over-nighter to Tubac with a stay at the Tubac Country Inn an annual adventure.

I was in no hurry to get home and we both knew that our dog was in excellent hands with our dog sitter. So I suggested that we take Mission Road home rather than Interstate 19. Mission Road is a twisty, hilly, little-traveled road that loosely parallels I-19. When I raced bicycles, it was the common Saturday training route. The temperature was delightful and the sky brilliantly sunny, so we enjoyed a nearly picture perfect ride home from our little "feast" of a two-day ride. Our total trip mileage wasn't really much of a feast but the fun factor and adventure certainly was!





When we arrived home, I decided I wanted to get in a few more miles. So after chatting with and paying our dog sitter, I hopped back on my bike and rode over to one of our two local Harley-Davidson dealerships. A lovely little dessert to conclude two awesome days of riding.

 

I'm heading to the surgery center in about 15 minutes. I'm not even sure what the projected healing time is. Mostly I want to have a sense of when I'll be able to ride again! I do have my priorities, ya know. Has anyone reading this thread had carpal tunnel surgery? How long until you were able to ride again??

 

Thanks for the feedback, @Johnjo. Good to know of your wife's stellar recovery. All went well this morning with my surgery and my surgeon said I may be riding again in 3-4 weeks. I'll chose my Speedy for its light clutch pull and quick shifter. Glad to provide a bit of winter tonic to you. Yikes but it's a pain in the arse to type with one hand...can't yet feel my fingers!

 

Thanks, @Dawsy! Op went great this morning and now each hour is an hour closer to healing...and riding! Speedy is already chomping at the bit as am I. The weather is presently, of course, perfect for riding.

 

Thanks, @Pegscraper! The op went really well this morning.. My surgeon doesn't see much connection to the bicycle accident injuries but between that major elbow repair (now 3 years ago!) and then the ulnar nerve transposition a year later (directly connected to the elbow fracture), I really feel like some sort of "chain reaction" started and that my carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger left my whole left arm less than happy. Who knows? We'll see what happens down the road with my other hand.

 

Good advice, @Bikerman. On both counts! I shall definitely be conservative about my recovery and resuming my activities. As I learned last go-round, the silver lining is that when I can ride again I'll appreciate being able to ride even more. If that's possible. Oh, and if I need to hit Steve in the meantime, I'll use my right foot to give him a good swift kick. Don't want to injure my clutch hand, brake hand, or shifter foot. Actually, Steve is a true and loyal champ when I'm under the weather. You take care, too! Hope all's well.

 

I did see what you did there, @Vulpes. Nice! It's good to keep a sense of humor. Thanks for the well wishes. Glad you enjoyed the write-up. Yes, the Frida Kahlo was eye-catching. And the dish I had down the road in Tubac was called the Frida Kahlo! Hmmm, I wonder what if she's sending me a message?

 

Thanks, @Mark9! I appreciate your well wishes. I wish the same for you--healing in record time and completely. I'll bet you are super excited to be riding again in 2 weeks! Cheers to that!