Coconino 250

Wow!!

I plan to post a write-up about this epic weekend, but I'm still in withdrawals from riding and simply being outside, so for now, I'll sum it up in a few words and post some pics...and then head back outside to play.

Coconino 250 Bikepacking Race -- 250 miles of bikepacking. Self-supported.  Over 33000Ft of elevation change, to include 3 pretty significant mountain 'ranges'.

wow
fun
hard
smashingly hard
too long
too short
gorgeous days
frigid nights
violent shivering
hot fire
sweet singletrack
sweet singletrack at night
grinding fireroads
mountains
more mountains
killer climbs
ecstatic climbs
fun descents
scary descents
clear river
bleach water
via coffee packs galore
burnt bike shorts
loyal bicicleta
breakfast burritos, 2 days old
cows
elk
deer
skunk
more elk
bear scat
tarantulas
new friends
better friends
sunset full moonrise for 1000+ drop off schnebly straight home

although, after all that, home seems to be back 'out there', not 'in here'.

later....

My trusty steed.
Phantom Pack Systems served me well.

Endo on the switchbacks.

                     Long sustained climb up Mingus. Can you see any riders ascending?

   

Hike-a-bike (HAB) sucks.  Doing it w/double your usual bike weight, double sucks. 

(Btw, SM&CB routiers are cruel!)

Out near the old Perkins homestead.

After a point, you don't worry too much about taste, just making sure ya get all that you need.  That's a messy mix of river water, bleach, greensuperfood, 1/2 Hammer Heed and of course CAFFEINE! :-)

              

Somebody was trying to be a good friend and hang the girl's shorts by the fire to dry off, but he forgot to factor in that random gusts of wind that might blow the makeshift-stick-hanger right into the fire.  Fortunately, that same friend had some spare duct-tape and voila.  Cat-eyes.  (Yep, she kept the shorts!)

Cruising w/4 YEARS of gear (thank goodness). San Francisco Peaks on the far horizon.

Photo from Cocomingus (scott & chad) from bikepacking.net....same sunset view!
Incredible.

Thanks Scott, Chad, et al (Arizona Endurance Series AES) for an epic weekend.

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Leaving...

When I was a little girl (when not harassing horses, cows and my little brother), I would bury my head in my aunt's collection of National Geographic magazines and plot to explore the world I saw in those pages.  Since then, I've been fortunate enough to be able to explore many of those places, many spectacular and others with luxuries and amenities much less than our own, and in turn have had some humbling yet amazing experiences abroad.  And ya know what?   Beauty aside, there's nowhere like this place I call home. The Southwest. Arizona.

In those final morning hours before I fly off, I wake up so attuned to our high desert's crisp scent of juniper and sometimes pungent creosote if after a rain.  Driving up the canyon, I notice new rocks, new trees, new cracks in the road, hyper-appreciative that this is the safety, the nest, the place I get to call home.  Before I climb into the small plane where I'll get my last few moments breathing in the crisp northern AZ air, feeling the sun against my skin, smelling the ponderosa pine sap, and hearing only the sounds of aspen leaves rustling in the breeze and of the ginormous ravens playing high in the thermals.

Flying out of the closest airport, Flagstaff, can be hard.  The little airport is a total breeze to use, and while waiting quietly outside for for my departure flight, all these northern Arizonan exclamations remind me just how darn fantastic it is here!

I often brainstorm of ways to stop traveling so much, so that I can simply sit-put here...to embrace this high desert mountain oasis and breathe/sniff/hike/play/mtb/etc anytime I want.

But I never come up with anything.  Maybe deep down I know that this place is even more special when contrasted against all the other places in this world I go.

And I know, that yet again, I can look forward to soon stepping off that small plane and breathing it all in once again.

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The Goddess Atalanta...

I was browsing thru a recent issue of Running Magazine, some not-too-exciting article about running skirt fads and "fashionable" female runners throughout history.  Interestingly, there was a short little blurb about an uber independent Greek goddess named Atalanta.  Did I sleep thru chapters/lectures about her in college? 

Atalanta came up with a witty plan that would stop her from having to marry a suitor she wasn't crazy about. The story goes.....she was born to a greek god who was so disspointed that she was not a boy that he sent her out to the woods to die as a baby. But she was taken in by all the wildlife....the bears, the mountain lions, the elk, etc. -- who taught her to be independent and strong and fast and smart.  Eighteen or so odd years later when her father realized this amazing creature was his daughter, he tried to reconcile and take her back into his kingdom. He also wanted to marry her off to carry on his legacy.  

But she had other plans.  What she wanted was an uber-able and athletic mate as well as a strong hunter.   So, she announced that she would race the suitors; the one who would beat her in the foot race would be the lucky man to marry her.  And she would even handicap herself by giving him a head start and by running while she was weighted down by her heavy sword.   

A fast guy, a strong hunter....good goals!

Her little strategy/stipulation sure did beat the ho-hum cliche' courtships of dinner and a movie, blah. 




The rest of the story.... 
Atalanta had a weakness for apples. And so one of the suitors, Hippomenes, was savvy enough to think that he could slow her down by tossing out a few golden apples along the trail to distract her enough so that he could keep up. His little ploy worked and he was able to beat her to the finish line.  Then, according to the legend, after they were hitched, Zeus turned both Atalanta and Hippomenes into lions....not sure why....something about not giving due honor, but geeeez maybe being lions wasn't the worst thing to happen to 'em.  

Be fast. 
Be strong. 
And don't get tricked by apples.

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy!

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I did a little "shout out" to Daddy a few weeks ago, but since today IS Father's Day, here's another.  Have a great day, Daddy!!!

2007??

On a separate note, sadly, those trees in the background of the pic are probably not there as of this week.  Fires, strong winds, rugged/remote terrain (and probably a negligent camper/coyote/illegal) have contributed to some terrible fires raging across Arizona, this being at the Coronado Monument at the southern end of the Huachuca Mountains at the Arizona & Mexico border.  Specifically, this pic was taken nearby one of the caves where the Apache (Chiricahua) Geronimo sometimes hid out, as well as nearby the location where in the 1500s, Francisco Vasquez de Cornonado passed thru in search of the "seven cities of cibola" (read more here).  

This remote area ranks in my top 3 of places to hike, trail run and everything else....and it hurts knowing how much devastation these fires are causing. :-(

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Hrrmm...maybe if I start training nowwww....???

The 2012 dates have been set.  
Bring some legs and lungs folks.







2011 Whiskey Off-Road endurance mountain event & festival from Epic Rides on Vimeo.
Located in Prescott, AZ and scheduled for the last weekend in April each year; the "Whiskey", as it's known, offers mountain bike enthusiasts a complete mountain bike weekend with graduated distance options, a massive bike industry expo, a Pro category with $20,000+ cash purse, live music from the courthouse lawn and a broad selection of fine eateries and watering holes throughout the downtown square and on the historic Whiskey Row. For complete event information, visit epicrides.com.

Registration opens ~ January 1 each year; and fills up fast.

-music provided by the one and only El Ten Eleven

Arizona to Alaska... sundresses need not be packed (oops)

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55 Brown Bears,
a handful of moose/mooses/meese,
22ish hours of daylight,
a long run on the beach,
a (flatwater) kayak in way-too crazy water w/my Mom,
a cruiser/fixie ride,
full-fledge puking a few feet above a glacier,
Priceless family time :-)

 

Truckin' around....

I grew up on a farm -- a farm with lots of race horses and some crops.  And on that farm, among other things, I learned to do two of my now-favorite things -- to ride a bike and to drive a truck.   (Thanks, Daddy!)

These days, it's growing more popular and "green" for people to ride their bikes everywhere.  I guess I can get kudos for riding mine around, even though usually it's for "fun", although I've been known to run a few errands on it (one errand was about about 60 miles/roundtrip, although, admittedly, it was more because I wanted to ride, not specifically to be more "green").  


On the other hand, however, it seems to be quite anti-"green" to drive a big ol' noisy jacked-up truck.  To those folks, I nod my head, say "roger, out", as I drive away as a happy girl in the big ol' truck -- the Excursionator with the faint Arizona "pinstriping".  Simply, I just plain out adore that truck!


Yes, it's huge and sorta like a modern day T-72, but it takes me just about anywhere I want to go.    Although pretty darn big, it's actually pretty low-key and quiet other than the sweet hum of its diesel engine.  Ol' Excursionator will get me as far off the beaten track as I need to go, and I can either hang there or dismount and keep going by foot, bike and/or dirtbike....any of which Excursionator will haul without even flinching.    (Donkey has actually been transported INSIDE of the truck...not really planned, but it worked.)   All over the southwest, the Rockies, several trips cross-country back east and to Fla, Alaska, around Canada, almost Mejico (see below), etc.)    Sorry, folks, a Prius just won't do it.  

Crossing some snow run-off in Colorado.

Rise and shine!

Other than having one too many pairs of running shoes, flipflops, sunglasses, Lululemon gear, I'm pretty minimalistic, so I like that the Excursionator plays several roles in addition to mere transportation.   


It provides a roof over my head when needed, as many many many nights have been spent slumbered in its hull.   It even serves as an observatory....laying on top, you can see the gorgeous night sky, stars, planets, etc., which can really only be seen so clearly from our high-altitude desert mountains of the west.   We've sat up top watching and listening for critters, and have watched elk, moose, deer, bobcat, antelope, bear (both grizzly and black), porcupine, javelina, rabbits, turkeys, skunks (esp all the slow/squashed ones up the canyon), raccoon, squirrel, sheep (being herded), and even had a bunch of curious cows LICKING the back of the truck up in northern Colorado a few years ago.  Last week, I sat up there, ate chips and salsa while watching surfers brave the cold Pacific swells.


So now, I just wanted to give a huge thanks and a shout-out to the Excursionator for being so darn good!   I just got back from another outstanding roadtrip.  2100 miles....no problems at all.  


   . . . Mojave National Preserve, the forest outside Ojai (wow!), Santa Cruz/Monterey for an XTERRA, southern Californina to chill, Anza Borrego to explore, almost ol' Mejico (didn't happen), then back to warmth at home in Northern AZ.    (Did I mention that the water temps for the Calif race was a friggin frigid 51 degrees??!!!    OMG!!!!    But I digress.)      


And even with the gas prices being pretty high right now, the prices for DIESEL in California were surprisingly not too bad.  Yay!  It actually gets/got pretty good mileage, provided me with a bed every few nights (when I wanted to escape concrete and/or wasn't in a beachfront hotel), emits satellite radio to me, and lets me get off the beaten path any ol' time an intriguing patch of dirt calls my name.    And it's sorta it's birthday/anniversary...hitting 100K miles this week!  Just getting started!


So, here are some pics from the most recent trip...

I love these long trains parallelling old Rt 66.

View looking down when I woke up after a long day of driving the day prior. Near Ojai.  (That's a road down there.)

Crap, y'all have those here too??  Errrr.

The Pacific was MUCH warmer here near Santa Barbara than up off Santa Cruz where I actually had to swim in it for a mile...FRIGID!!

XTERRA MTB course at Wilder. Fun trails...linking the beach with the forest.

XTERRA Pacific Cup Championship - Brrrrrr! (Photo by Brightroom)

Laguna Beach. Seven miles of good sand for running.



Still showing up for the MTB races, even though waaay outta shape. It's fun no matter what!
(Photo by Lester Sarmiento)

 

XTERRA Pacific. 
"Hey, you rude condescending surgeon in Flagstaff w/whom I sought help in 2009: Really?  I'll never run again? Ha ha ha!"   BIG GRIN!!! :-)
(Love the Newtons!)

Ooops, guess it's time to turn north and head on home.

So, yay, for everyone trying to be green.  I'm all for that!    When I can, I will opt to walk, to ride the bike or to ride Donkey (who, cooincidentally is BRIGHT green).  But it's good to know that the Excursionator is out there ready and reliable. 

And, THANKS DADDY...for those important lessons which have undoubtedly help direct my life.   (...and sorry that I didn't pay better attention to your tractor-driving lessons and wrecked those two in the sink-hole.)


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Happy Mama's Day, Mama!! :-)

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Thanks for everything you are and do for us, Mom! :-)

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Trying to Stop and Smell the Cacti...

For the past three days, I've been conducting an experiment: Chilling (what is that?!)    Sleeping in (made it til 0845 this morning!), eating whatever & whenever I'm hungry (grilled cheese at midnight last night), propping up my feet in front of the TV (wow, TV options suck!), MTBing/running/etc for no more than an hour, and generally just trying to chill, rest and recover.    I actually went on two "mere" walks, although I must admit they were actually recons on some MTB local trails that I am told might be a bit too challenging for me.   (Btw, yep, they were right...challenging indeed...but were good hikes in my barefoot 5-fingers anyway.)   

So far, the experiment is going ok, although I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my MIND around it all.   I want to keep moving at 500 mph.   The past few weeks were at at least 500 mph.   Coming back home to AZ is always full-speed the first few days, as I can't seem to fit enough outdoor fun in the day....MTBing, running, exploring, dirtbiking, etc..   Then, those first few days smeared into the next week, with good friends coming to visit, the  Whiskey 50 MTB race (a great race put on by Epic Rides) which is another story of its own :-), many more hours of MTBing and showing our friends the trails, trying to keep up w/the guys on the dirtbikes, etc..   Poor lil "Donkey" didn't stand a chance.   

From sun-up to sun-down. 
So much to do, so little time. 


I'll write up more later, but wanted send a short sign of life, as well as say THANKS again to our friends who came all the way to AZ to play.   Hope you had as great of a time as I did and can't wait til the 2012 edition!

 

 

  

Next up...  Heading west.  My first attempt at a full XTERRA  since the knee issues, on the same singletrack I first "learned" to ride.

Fast, in a skirt, and sadly gone...

I guess this post has two points...

First of all, was so heartbroken to hear about the young runner and olympics-bound Sally Meyerhoff being killed this week while she was out riding her bike at home in AZ.  She was so full of energy, ran in pink skirts and girlie braids, and OMG was fast as lightning!!  A 2:37 marathon and a 16:23 5K...holy smokes!!   Oh, and won XTERRA trail run world championship last year!!   If you want to be inspired or need a pick-me-up, check out her blog. 

Also, I'll post part of a poem which I'd read somewhere a while back.  And part of it was quoted on Sally's blog.  It's from the Invitation by Oriah.   It's been stuck in my mind a lot over the past few years, as it really captures the essence of how we should live.  Bottom line, be happy, seize the day, appreciate that which is good in others, and don't get bogged down by the petty stuff.  Life's short and this isn't a dress rehearsal.

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
...
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
...
It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.



RIP Sally :-)


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Back to Fun Stuff...

Ok, I promise not to get too serious again anytime soon.  Back to fun stuff...
Here are some fun events to do this year...

XTERRA OFF-ROAD TRIATHLONs 
    They're all over the country/globe and almost always is gorgeous locations!

XTERRA Trail Run Series
     Various distances.  It's much mo funner to stay off the pavement!

Leadville 100 MTB
     Which mortals will be allowed in this year?

Whiskey 50 MTB Race
      Be there or be square!

An Inevitable Implosion...?

It was inevitable I suppose.

The news out of the Middle East is wild, and I have to say, a little exciting.  From the youth twittering like mad, to Libyan pilots defecting with the multi-billion dollar fighter jets, to even Qadafi, with his "high-fashion" (tacky) ensemble declaring his dedication to martyrdom if need be, it's compelling to keep up w/it all  -- even though I, you, we, they,... will never fully grasp it.   Am trying not to be too swayed by the media images, as I personally know how they can be misconstrued.

With such the huge and disproportionate youth population in the Middle East who has now grown-up, matured and tried to become educated, along with the underlying electricity of the movement, being fed-up w/socioeconomic challenges, and a load of issues that non-residents will ever understand, the time has come.  It was inevitable.  Can only imagine how this might trigger a (another?) spark in Iraq.  Whatever does happen there, yep, it is inevitable.

It's difficult impossible for anyone to describe it all accurately, even for those living there and personally experiencing these protests, and what many would consider a revolution(s).  It's a wave -- based of fundamental desires of the people, likely with the dynamics of a mass movement.

And it's inevitable that the US will also evolve/change/degrade/pick-the-verb at some point.  Personally, I don't see it happening in the near future.  While we have some of the brightest and most motivated citizens, en masse, we are mainly a big lot of relatively content citizens (and perhaps sorta too lazy/complacent/spoiled) for any such uprising for change these days.  Yes, things are rough in the US for many.  And some elements of our government, such as health care, the frustrating tax system maze and education system, are embarrassingly inept.  However, overall, it seems the general population is content with the luxury and freedom to eat crap from fast food restaurants and sit around watching overpaid athletes play professional sports.  I won't even get into our youth's general lack of duty-to-country urges. 

I still think that everyone, yep EVERYONE, should have to serve our country (maybe state)  for at least one year.  It doesn't have to be for the military.  It COULD for be the postal service, the forest service, etc..   Defend your country, clean up litter in your country, etc...DO SOMETHING to...
   (a) contribute to your country and your fellow citizens;
   (b) appreciate the complexities, the luxuries and the career employees; and
   (c) learn the processes. 
From there, one can later be more versed on their gripes and complaints.  But most importantly, it would provide a stronger bonding and a sharper degree of nationalism to Americans.  We'll never all agree on everything.  Why would we want to? 

So, while it's compelling to watch the waves of movement, our limited peeks into the protests rising from under the veils of these long-time regimes, and unfortunately some of the violence that's involved, I can't help but to overlay some of it on our country.  What would we do differently?  How bad would it have to be for Americans to ever uprise like this?  What will happen next?  Whatever it is, we can't forecast it nor think we understand it. 

Whatever it is, it is.  It is inevitable.  Insha Allah!