Race Info

Day 116 – 11,240 kilometres (6,985 miles)

Never three weeks have been so well organized! Especially as "long" in advance! I'm surprised. This is perhaps the climate of Arizona who wants it. Anyway, let's sum this up.

Distance between Las Vegas and Agua Prieta: 1,805 km (1,120 mi)

All right, you can locate Arizona? This is your part of the job. I help you, it has California to the West and Mexico to the south. I entered the northwest corner, near Las Vegas. There, I stayed in Flagstaff for the weekend of May 5-6 at Henry, very friendly, and city with cool atmosphere.

Then came the Grand Canyon. I came, I saw, I liked it (see previous article). After five days, I returned to Flagstaff, at Henry always, to spend the weekend of May 12-13, before going on the road to the south.

Two days of camping at Cottonwood and Jerome, before meeting Paul (recently retired firefighter) and his wife Nina (graphic designer) who make me spend two days of discovery of Prescott and its region. On the menu, jeep tour on back roads, hiking, discovery of Indian culture, wine testing (yes, in Arizona!), good discussions and good food! This is Anne-Marie, a friend of Mike and Eve (who hosted me on the California coast) who, from Rochester, New York, put me in touch with them. She had already done for Marco and Sally and then Michele in Las Vegas. Anne-Marie, thank you so much for these wonderful encounters!

So much for Northern Arizona. Paul and Nina offered me a ride directly in the South, where I will be in Tucson for the weekend. I will then be hosted by François-Xavier, French, a friend from scouts of my cousin Cyrille. Again, great things in the program, in this region that looks pretty desert. Hiking in a canyon, another in the desert, meeting with friends of his, and an appointment with the people who manage the canal that supplies water to the city of Tucson. I'll love it!

Portal to the east of the state, will be the next step. Here is Ron, in his sixties, with whom I will discover the region. Ron is a bit of a windfall. He contacted me through CouchSurfing, then it's usually me who contacts people through this system that help me stay at people's place. He seems just as excited as me. It looks very “backroads”! He advised me: “have your camera and walking shoes ready!”. And on top of it, he will even come to pick me up in Tucson and drop me to my next step. Nearly 450 km (280 mi) in total, but it is his excuse to be sure I will not miss anything in the region.

My final step in the U.S. will be in Hereford with James, my age, wildland firefighter. Again it looks pretty promising. I'll be there on May 25-26, it falls exactly during his two weekly days off. And he also suggested outdoor activities, and to see the famous border fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

Then let's go to Mexico! Miraculously, Victor, the father of a friend of Cécile, my sister in law, drives not far from Hereford on May 27. He lives just across the border in Agua Prieta. He will pick me up and then he will host me a few days with his wife Reyna for my first steps in Mexico.

Thus ends in beauty the first part of my journey, one that allowed me to discover a part of Canada and the United States (including Alaska). To close this first chapter, I will prepare a small summary. But I would do it based on your questions and comments. For those who want to send me questions, you can post them in the comments of this post or send me an email (contact details in the "About me" section of this blog).