Good cycle tour for a preganant woman

[mwilsonbc]

Hi, we just found out that my wife is pregnant. We were planning to go cycle touring in Cuba this winter, but now we're looking for something a bit closer to home. Does anyone have any suggestions for a fairly flat 1 - 2 week trip in the southern US, not too remote?

[roadrunner]

Southeast Arizona is a popular winter touring area that would seem to fit your desires.  The weather is good for riding (highs in the 60s-70s, lows in the 30s-40s).  There are scenic mountain ranges, but ranges are scattered, with the highways in valleys between the mountains, so the riding is fairly level.  A common tour route which takes about a week begins in Tucson and goes through Benson, Tombstone, Bisbee, Sierra Vista, Sonoita, Nogales, and back to Tucson.  The terrain is mostly high desert, and the area has many historic sites (Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and Old West).  Towns are generally about 30 miles apart. The route includes some interstate riding, which is legal in Arizona, but light-traffic frontage roads cover much of what looks like interstate riding on a map.  Beginning and ending in Phoenix and doing the same route adds about another week.  If you'd like more information, e-mail me at jpwettack3@cox.net.