On Friday, March 13, Linda and I rode our bikes up Kitt Peak from the start of Highway 386 near its junction with Highway 86. We had been bicycling several days in Tucson so far and thought we were ready for a more ambitious ride. The grade averaged about 7% for 12 miles to the summit area. The traffic was not heavy and there was an adequate shoulder to enjoy the climb.

We rode our bikes around the Mayall Telescope. Linda started down and I began scouting how to tag the summit when a security guard drove up and told me to leave. Apparently the short road off Highway 386 to the Mayall Telescope is now open to “authorized vehicles” only.

We visited the Visitor Center before enjoying the descent back to my jeep and the ride home. There was a Border Patrol checkpoint on the highway but they let us pass without comment.