Little Things and Semi-Interesting Moments...

Arizona Trail between Picketpost and Gila River.  
(Zoom in...spectacular!)

I love riding my bike.  You all know that.  Racing it?  meh...not as much.  Sometimes.  What I mainly love is how it takes me out and beyond, beyond the pavement, beyond 'civilization'...criss-crossing the terrain via my own legs and lungs and imagination.  Alert only by things primal...thirst, hunger, caution of mountain lions, not much else.

So, when I have to ride the bike for 'training' (e.g. hit certain efforts, ride for set "x" duration of time, do intervals inside on a trainer, etc.), it can take a little bit of the fun and flow from my ride mojo.  But sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do, and I wholeheartedly am surprised  proud  that I stuck to the 5-week (short) training plan as well as I could for my upcoming South America trip.  Barring any knee/back issues, I'm now pretty confident that I will finish the race...with a smile and hopefully while embracing some spectacular views and new experiences.

So, back to my original rant.  While the past few weeks have been more about puttin' my head down and gettin'er done, I had some interesting moments. . . .

--Going through so much trouble to set up my wildlife cameras up in the desolate wilderness/forest, then coming face to face with a  bobcat  along an urban trail in Phoenix.

--Getting to ride on some trails new to me...all very different in terrain and some definitely going in the "epic" category.  A highlight would be on a fantastic segment of the Arizona Trail (AZT)...Picketpost toward the Gila river.  As much solitude a girl could ever want!  Only a few mountainbikers who were actually bikepacking far in....running across them totally inspired me to get back out there and do my own bikepacking...when it warms up of course.

--Spent my first Christmas at 'home' in about 10 years;  further, this was only 1 of 2 in that same period NOT in a muslim country for work.  Ya know what?  I think I prefer the muslim countries for xmas....nothing to do w/religion but pretty much everything to do w/the chaos and stress and jinglebell songs that permeated through the air here in the commercial USA for the weeks prior.  As for me, all was still and flowy and chill ...except of course I didn't see my family; soon though!  Some pretty fun holiday get-togethers and dinner parties kept it from being too chill!



--Neglecting to grab my long-time GPS off the truck tire and subsequently ran it over w/theexcursionator.  Doh!  That wrist model had travelled/biked/ran/got shot at (by direct and indirect fire) all over the world.  RIP little Garmin.



--Successfully completed my mental mindgame of pedaling up the same mountain a few weeks in a row.  Four Peaks Mountain.  Nothing terribly exciting about the long fireroad to its top, but good pedaling opportunities and most importantly the mental aspect.  (WHY am I doing this again? I KNOW where it goes? There's nothing FUN about this.  Suck it up and drive on anyway!)  A few lil' surprises always occured up there...  

      _ Was encouraged by lots of jeepers/ATVers as they passed me.  Usually this would be annoying, but they were few and far between so seeing humans every 20-30 mins would motivate me to keep pushing (and give me a little extra confidence that a mountain lion would stay away from the road :-)  Maybe this too will encourage a few of those 'types' to get back on a bike sometime.  I mean, obviously, a bike can take ya pretty much anywhere AND keep ya healthy! 
     _ On one of those days up there, I was freezing/shivering, making mental deals w/myself about heading straight to starbucks when I finished.  Coffee!!  Visions of Coffee!  Right as I crested the top saddle, lo and behold, there were a group of canadian guys on atv's (who'd passed me earlier apparently) and yelled "Do ya want some hot coffee?"  I threw down my bike and headed straight over to them.  They pulled out an old school thermos that sure enough had very hot coffee.  It was perfect!!  Way up there on top of a mountain far away from any store, any building, I got hot coffee!  Best tasting coffee ever.  (They also pulled out a bottle of cinnamon schnapps, but I declined on that one, thinking that wouldn't help the ~17 more miles of pedaling I still had in front of me.)  
      _ While most of the people I'd see up there were getting their version of what I usually do -- trying to get out of the city and go explore -- a few were pretty obnoxius: catcalls and even a promise/threat that they'd be waiting for me at the bottom for a 'good time'.  (Not a lot scares me, but those two sketchy dirtbikers had be alert enough to at least send a text out to one of my friend's as a "in case you don't hear from me later" message.  Also, got a catcall from two ATVers which 20seconds later resulted in one of them crashing his ATV.  Thought he was all cool as he hollered out a (stupid) flirt while simultaneously trying to do show his "impressive" cornering skills; instead he screwed it up, flipped the ATV and bent all sorts of parts on the huge boulders alongside the road.  He was pretty shaken up, but OK.  Couldn't say I felt too sorry for either of them.  Hopefully, they felt pretty stupid.
      _ Saw more pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, pickup trucks, ammo tables, etc. than I've seen in a long time.  The first 1-3 miles is all the cityfolk heading out to the 'desert' to target practice.  Sadly, I saw A LOT of user error out there, mainly in the form of target (non)awareness and mishandling of weapons flailing em in all sorts of directions.  Those roads curve, people!  Just because you're shooting away from the 'main' road doesn't mean that there's not another road behind your target.  And, probably not the best idea to shoot from on TOP of a knoll.  Use a wash/wadi people!  That said, most were trying to do the right thing.; I am just surprised there aren't more accidents out there.



--Got to show my costa rican friend and MTB inspirator, JC, our red rock trails.

--Got to ride w/some fast buddies who pushed me waaaay beyond my comfort zone on the bike...hopefully this will pay off at some point.

--Got a christmas card from one of my BFFs....dated 25 DEC 2011 (that's last year folks)!  Thanks Kir!

About to passout/puke from a 
trainer session.

--Finally getting some better use out of my  Edwin  roadbike, albeit on the trainer, albeit in the warmth of my own casa (it's freezing outside).

--Even added in a few 'social' rides rather than my usual solo sufferfests.  Fun! 

--Wish I could say all the riding has made me scrawny and lean, but really, as expected, it just beefed me up.  I thought I'd be doing a lot more running this winter which usually keeps too much bike muscle/mass off, but with the race being added to my calendar, I just couldn't do much more than a handful of ez/recovery runs each week on top of the 12-14 hrs on the bike.  Plus, all the pedaling and the frigid temps (that are a new concept for me) just made me want to cram in more calories.  So, now I'm muscly and tired...kinda resembling a Russian power-lifter zombie.  (Not for long though!)

--Yoga, yoga, hot yoga.  Three times a week.  I forced myself to go those early cold mornings.  Hot yoga, Bob Marley remixes, Jen's flow...totally worth it in the end.  I'm still one of those girls who is on the fence about yoga, and I'm definitely not into the esoteric part of yoga (sue me).  I know it has it's uses, and I've learned it's not all about gaining flexibility.  For me, I usually try to focus on one or more of these: strength, rehab/prehab (injuries), working out all the little muscular/structural imbalances I build up from too my forward motion (e.g. biking, running, swimming), flexibility (gentle, often incorporating some self-resistance-stretching), the tribal music that Jen plays (definitely gets me moving), the heat...ahhh the heat.  This body loves the heat.  Suddenly, a lot of the little injuries/knots/etc don't hurt anymore.  Anyway, am glad to have been able to go more often lately.

-- Having Getting to ride up my favorite killer mountainside Schnebly with a bunch of pro Australian football players.  Turned out, a few of em could hold their own (they're roadies back in Australia).  Then, led them down some sweet singletrack.  Cool guys to play outside with, as usual.

--Definitely, some sweet off-roading in the truck.  One of the best recovery activities there is!  Add in some off-the-grid camping...even better!

--And the best was probably on my FINAL long day in the saddle (up the same ol' Four Peaks Mountain), I was pretty spent, freezing (there was still ice on the road), but I was almost to the top.  It was steep.  Really steep.  Legs were already smashed.  Mashing and mashing and making deals w/myself to never go near that mountain again, a hot looking jacked up 1970s Ford truck came rumbling by me on the road, driven by a few young jock hotties (donning surfing trucker hats no less), and yelled "That's badass girl. Get some!"  Who woulda thunk it?  That small moment of ego was the impetus for me to hammer up that mountain and hells yeah I got some.  (Even earned me a QOM, although I don't really care about that part....damn strava...although was funny to later realize the correlation! :-)

Four Peaks Mountain -
~19 miles from the top from here. Taken from the paved road; that sign was 'inviting' :-)

Arizona Trail (AZT) down near Picketpost.  Zoom in on it! 

Recovery day in the "4x4 Purse".

One of the holiday get-togethers. The Bike and Bean crew.

Black Canyon Trail (BCT)  with the Bean boys

BCT

With the Aussies - atop Schnebly.

ABOVE: The first few miles climbing up Four Peaks....where the real climbing begins (and where the 'target shooting' generally ends).

Arizona Trail (Picketpost)

* Thanks especially to Jen, John, David, Ray, Stravaguy, etc. for pointing me toward some great trails and great days on the bike! 

** Strava shall soon be fired.

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Lately...

Training, Playing, Reclusifying, Embracing,...

I've got a big event coming up down on the bottom side of the hemisphere in a few weeks.  Six days of racing.  riding? racing? riding? Haven't decided yet.  Legs and lungs are still debating that query.  I sure I hope I like my bike when it's all said and done, because this body is having to work pretty darn hard to get in mere "decent" shape.

Some of the recent views to embrace while the legs and lungs are getting their smoke on...

Atop Tom's Thumb in the McDowells.

       

Misc dirty adventures.

Kentucky Camp - with the Carmichael Training Systems group. 

                                            

Pulled out the skinny tire bike for a few days of "braving" the high PSI and traffic.  (Intervals saved for the trainer for safety...and warmth.)

During the recent AES McDowell 60, which was a total rain/wet/freeze day for me...the highlight being having a little stand-off w/a bobcat.

Kentucky Camp/AZT. 

Opted for singletrack down to represent bikes in the holiday parade.

If you've got 5-6 hours of riding ahead of ya, it's more fun when a few of those hours are riding (suffering) w/friends. With rockstar Jennifer.

Four Peaks

Happy Holidays!  Hope everyone gets to play/ride/run/ski/shoot/etc...whatever floats your fancy.  
Cheers!!

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Right place at the right time...

Some say that luck is based on being at the right place at the right time, but I'd argue that every moment is the right time.  Maybe it's a moment to grab something big or perhaps to teach or learn something.  Or maybe it's merely a moment to be still.  

It's always the right place, right time....where your feet are...right now.

Heading toward good Dirt...

Ahh yeeeahhhhh...this is it.
Almost home.
Flying westbound, in from Africa via the east coast to the glorious Southwest I call home.  Three days of planes, trains, automobiles, the plague, etc..
Shortly before dusk, the golden glow of a soon-to-set sun showcasing the terrain below.

Finally, there they are. I spot the rugged peaks and ridgelines I know. Vast open terrain. Over northern New Mexico now. I know these parts. Georgia Okeefe's masterpieces are just below.  I'm in seat 1A, on the southern side, of course, always insisted upon, as gotta catch the magical light of this western sky and setting sun over these mountains, the dark pinon spotting the landscape, and more importantly the lack of buildings and roads for as far as the eyes can see.   It's all calling me home, like a magnet, the high alpine lakes, the dry river beds, the fault lines  the volcanic topography,  me.

I can smell it, can feel it, can hear it.
Crisp, pungent, quiet.
I'm there.
I'm here.
I'm home.

This place is almost as vital to me as clean water and nutrients.  I run dry and vague when w/out for too long, but just one sight, one sniff, one shot, I'm back and ready.

Perfect timing...we just banked left.  One more right bank then straight line to PHX from here.
Then only one more short flight to go...a mere hop, skip and jump up the Mogollon Rim to FLG, from where I'll hop in the ol' truck, take a dirt road down home (never turn down free dirt if it's an option!), with the windows down, then back down the canyon to the casa. But I'll be in no rush. Maybe I'll get home in an hour. Maybe in a day. Or two.  The truck is ready. I am ready.  Just windows down, breathing it all in, that clean distinctive northern Arizona air.

Yep, it's almost too much for me...the views, the crisp air on my skin, the pungent scent...overwhelmingly  intoxicating.  Overwhelmingly home.

Giddy up.

One-Armed Sand Peddlin...

Going.
Coming.
Going again.
A thousand things on my to-do list.
A zillion things on my mind.
It's all good.
It is what it is.
Like single-handed peddlin' through a deep sandy wash.
Gotta keep the balance.
Gotta stay up right.
Keep it all together.
Keep the momentum.
Takes ya to the other side of the wash, up over the ridgeline to another fantabulous new spot...
...on the trail
...on life.

Keep it moving...and enjoy the ride!

Rest in peace, Benghazi team.


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Textures of Coconino Summer

Texture...

Water...

And the best of all...

Part-time canine buddy....

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Horsin' 'round...

So, I was taking a day off my normal go-go-go (aka bike-bike-bike run-run-run) and was out off-roading in the truck, exploring an area southeast of home.  Off the grid, I had already gone at least an hour w/out seeing another soul. 

For some reason, I'd decided to throw my rarely-used cowboy hat on while in the truck today, even though I surely looked ridiculous with my running shorts and flipflops, but who would possibly even see me way out there? I rounded a corner and lo and behold I see a horse’s bootay sticking out from under a scrub tree. Poor thing was trying to beat the heat and at least keep his face in the shade. There were two more a few feet away, just chillin (in the 105F heat :)

Were they wild? I was on govt property (state/natl forest), but I hadn’t gone through any gates and I don’t think a cattleguard.  But cattleguards are so common here that maybe I did cross one (or two or three) and just didn't notice.  They wore no shoes nor had any saddle/bridle marks.

Of course, I’m a sucker and had to get outta the truck to make friends. And friends we became, all four of us. It took a bit, and by no means did they run up to greet me and ask me to saddle up. But they ‘knew’ I was a horse girl and saw that my eyes were the same color as theirs.

Turns out they were thirsty too. As soon as the one lowest down on the hill saw/heard me chugging out of my water jug, he stomped right up through the scrub and asked for some water -- more like demanded some. For a second, he drank out of my hand, but then impatiently nudged my hand out of the way and went straight for the mouth of the jug.

It was hard to leave those guys, but I’ll be back, with the hat.

A Big Ol' Half-dirty Loop....

A few days ago I did something that has intimidated me for years: rode up the twisty road in Oak Creek Canyon (89A from Sedona to Flagstaff).

It's not the steepness that scares me, it's the cars.  If you've ever been on this road, you know that it's super tight, twisty, under the shade of the deep canyon walls and lots of trees, one of the most "beautiful scenic drives in the country", which inevitably means hordes of tourists who suddenly forget how to drive properly.  The switchbacks themselves are even pretty remarkable, climbing their way out of this spectacular canyon alongside the ever-flowing Oak Creek up onto the Mogollon Rim toward Flagstaff.

(Vintage postcards online :-)

(Per Wikipedia, the canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. The Oak Creek Canyon-Sedona area is second only to Grand Canyon as the most popular tourist destination in Arizona.)

While admiring the canyon's beauty, tourist drivers regularly swerve off the road, into the opposite lane, stop suddenly in the middle of the road to take photos, etc..  For myself and other locals who commute and/or actually have things to do in Flagstaff (like a job! appointments! etc!), it can terribly frustrating (sorry Lauren!), and we often despise driving through the canyon especially on the weekends or during tourist season.  What could take 30 minutes with normal flow, can take 90 minutes of pure frustration.  I often have to remind myself that it IS gorgeous in there and that it could be worse...WDC traffic...haha!

So, anyway, I've wanted to ride my bike up this for years, but feared being roadkill.  So, a friend recommended doing it super early on a Sunday morn to avoid the traffic.  Plus it's blazing hot this summer so the cooler temps at that hour would be nice.

I hate out-and-backs (I'm a loop girl!), so I opted to take the mountain bike with it's fatty tires and make a big day out of it...exploring dirt roads and singletrack up on the rim, then making a loop out of it and finally descending back down into Sedona via sweet singletrack (40-50 minutes of downhill depending).  I doubled up the PSI in my tires for the paved ascent, then once I hit dirt, I softened them up a bit.

So, I did a few things that I normally don't prefer to do: set my alarm for 4am and wore a logo'd bike jersey (hoping that the bright colors would reveal me to any drivers).  Downed some strong coffee and up I pedaled.

It was definitely slow-rolling as I knew I had a big day in front of me...guessed somewhere between 5-9 hours depending on the wide loop and on what new places I'd find to explore (and/or any mishaps).  Water could be an issue as there are no stores along the way, but there is a natural spring (spiggot) half way up the canyon w/the fresh water from Oak Creek where I could refill my 2 bottles, as well as a lone gas station 30-40 miles into my route.

             

 

(View from the top of the switchback (facing south).  Finally saw the sun from here and started to thaw out.)

Some tidbits and surprises:

-Saw very few cars in the canyon at that early hour.  (West Fork lot was empty...gasp!)

-It's cold and windy in the canyon in the mornings.  As in, I couldn't feel my fingers/toes til I hit the rim (roughly an hour and half later).

-Once up on the rim and on some of the old doubletrack jeep roads, actually did not see a single vehicle (2 hours?).  (Hrmm, I wonder how many mountain lions/bears saw me??!!)  

-Saw a few blonde elk.  

-No mishaps on the bike.  

-Was blistering hot by the time I descended back down the rim.

-Perfect amount of water and food for the day.  

-And yes, Mom, I reapplied sunscreen, especially as I was up at over 7000' elevation for most of the sunny day.  (Love my Kinesys travel-sized bottles!)

So, 70 miles, 4500' climbing (2500' in the first 18 miles or so; and about 1000 in a 2-3 mile section), and 7 full hours contributed to the fun log!    The photos can tell the rest of the story, and you can see it was just a fantastic day on the bike....

(Crossing an old dry lakebed.) 

(Had to hop on the interstate for about a mile to reconnect to dirt. Scariest part of the day, w/bigrigs whizzing by at 80mph, but not too bad.)

(alas, glimpses of home....this is one of the most beautiful spots on earth....where the whole world opens up below.)

 (Looking back up the overlook before dropping down...can you see the tourists? )

(Yay...alas the final Singletrack which descends back down...about a 1300 ft drop from here!)

(Yes, we have non-red dirt here too :-)

   

(On the final descent back into Sedona, down Schnebly Hill, via Munds Wagon trail/singletrack.)

Twas another good day on the bike!

In love.

No matter how tired I am after flying for months on end, there's nothing quite like that first glimpse out the plane window -- of a rugged mountain ridgeline or a deep dry river bed or a pristine forest carpet all so distinct to the Southwest to perk a girl up.  And no matter how many fantastic places I've gotten to see around this globe, this is home.   In love. 

( Click on this pic to enlarge, then scout out where YOU'D like to go! Trail or not. :)




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