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Coffeeneuring Challenge 2020 #2: Mythical Coffee

November 03, 2020

  • Ride #2
  • Date: 2020-11-03
  • Instagram
  • Distance: 20.95 miles – Strava
  • Drink: Flora Pour Over, Macchiato, GF Apple Cider Donut
  • Location: Mythical Coffee

Some facts about me:

  • I love good coffee at good coffee shops
  • I love caffeine
  • I try to only drink caffeine in the mornings
  • I am not a morning person (hence the love of caffeine)

These combine to make coffeeneuring a morning only activity for me, but I always fight the inertia of the morning to get out the door. I could go in the afternoons, but I would be sad to go to an amazing coffee shop and not get my caffeine via an amazing coffee drink.

But I did it! I got up early(-er) than usual so I could get out for a longer ride to a shop I really like: Mythical Coffee.

A glass window with the words "Mythical Coffee" written on it

A black Surly Cross-Check leaning against a shop window

The Ride

It was almost chilly when I went outside. I backtracked a bit for the quietest route to the Consolidated Canal which is also a section of the Maricopa Trail, which is a 300-something mile route around the entire valley. I mostly stayed on the unpaved side as I made my way south, passing by some interesting houses with horses, cows, and I think I spotted a peacock.

Sign with a local map of Maricopa Trail and a map of the entire Maricopa Trail
"I stop for maps" would make a great sticker I'd put on my bike

After the coffee, I went back on surface streets and was able to stick mostly to bike lanes. I made a few wrong turns trying to guess how far south Horne went but I got it eventually. I also passed by a large grass drainage area that I did a quick lap around. I’m currently rocking 700x38 tires on the Cross-Check which make potholes, unpaved canals, and grass like this a ton of fun.

A street with wide bike lanes on both sides
Horne is a pretty great bike street to go North-South in Mesa
A big grass basin behind an almost empty parking lot to a park
It was fun to rip through this grass real quick

Also the route to me looked like a really unfortunately balanced bear, but my daughter thought it was more of a ladybug.

A red outline of the route on a map

Outline of the route that looks like a bear on grass
I imagine this bear has to take very slow and small steps to avoid tipping over

Outline of the route that looks like a ladybug under a yellow sun

The Drink(s)

I got to Mythical and was craving a plain cup o’ coffee. They roast really great beans and turn that into a really great pour over.

I drank it outside and the weather was perfect by that point. It was so nice and I wasn’t ready to leave yet (and needed a bit more caffeine) so I got a macchiato. I also got sucked in by the pastry case and saw they had gluten free pastries and opted for an apple cider donut. They made a delicious pair and there’s nothing I love more than dipping a donut in coffee.

A macchiato with a side of sparkling water on a green triangular tray

A gluten-free apple cider donut on a pink plate

One Good Thing

I brought my journal which has seen on and off use this year but mostly off lately. It was nice to write up some random thoughts on something other than a screen. It always relaxes me.

Two bags of coffee, a hip pack, a journal, and a cup of coffee on a table
I picked up a few bags of coffee too. Both Ethiopia and both delicious in different ways.

Filed under:

coffeeneuringcoffeeneuring2020bikescross-check

I'm Luke.
I live in Arizona but I'm from the Internet.