There was a lot of Hoopla about the Biosphere 2 when a team of scientists locked themselves in, claiming to be ecologically self sufficient. All went well until microbes in the soil consumed more oxygen than expected, and an unexpected love affair went wrong, damaging the team.
We had heard of the Biosphere in the news, and the photos made it seem an attractive place to visit.
http://www.b2science.org/
But we didn't want to blast down I-10 with Semi's and SUV's, so we headed East on Hwy 60 past The Superstition Mountains
into Superior, Arizona whwere we turned right (south) on Hwy 177. The map showed squiggles, which always means a great motorcycle road, and we were not dissapointed.
What we couldn't know from the map was the large number of open pit copper mines along Hwy 177. The scale of these mines is incredible, with pits dropping down literally a half mile, and large trucks the size of a house trundling along.
If you'd like to tour one of the mines, try this website: http://www.admmr.state.az.us/Rec_Ed/mines.html
The vistas on Hwy 177 are also worth the trip. We stopped several times to admire the scenery, but for some reasons lost the photos for this segment except this one with my thumb on top . . .
After you pass Mammoth the road settles into a rolly hill drive with great views, but it seems anticlimactic after the earlier vistas.
You'll pass through Oracle (no, we didn't see Neo there) and then watch for the signs for Biosphere 2 (Biosphere 1 is the Earth).
This website has the best info on Biosphere 2 http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/apr/stories/bios2.html
I suggest walking around the biosphere, but don't waste your $15.00 (that's right, $15.00) on the tour. I have to say that after all the stories about the Biospere, we were dissapointed.
From here we drove West on 77 then North on 79 back towards Phoenix. You'll pass the tom Mix Monument along this stretch of road.
This website http://doney.net/aroundaz/celebrity/mix_tom.htm explains it all.
From here you have a couple of routes back to Phoenix.
This route is worth it for the scenery, especially along the eastern part of the route, but I don't think we'll bother to return to the Biosphere 2 again.
This is a motorcycle ride in the state of Arizona. This motorcycle route has 4 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by bdking in September. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by bdking