Well, it's taken long enough. I've ridden the route from Hohokam Park (Center Street just north of Brown) to Horne and Park of the Canals often. It's one of my favorite rides. So these are pictures of the ride I took on February 17. Now, this is one of my favorite rides, but I haven't been on my bike (for various reasons) since the middle of December. So, this was just enough.
A quick description of the marked stretch in the map below: it's 1.5 miles long, and begins on a paved path next to Hohokam Park. After a bit over a mile (crossing Mesa Drive), the Crosscut Canal intersects with the Consolidated Canal. At that point, I take the dirt verge of the canal (on either side) northeast. The canal path passes the Park of the Canals, a real unsung Mesa gem. It's an archeological park, in that it has the remains of Hohokam canal excavations still visible, and if you look hard enough in various places in the park, you can find potsherds. There's also a great cactus garden, and what look like some modern and some historic outbuildings.
Be careful, however. I still see signs of people sleeping the night and partying in the park. But this is a great ride, flat on top of the actual mesa of Mesa, with some great views (the one at the top is the McDowells in the distance). It's impossible to fully convey the effect of morning light. As you ride or walk farther, you face more east, and can see Red Mountain, and Four Peaks.
