fluorescent illini

Saturday's ride. Parked at trailhead 37. Both of us completely overdressed. The last time we checked before we left the house it was 23. It probably got up into the high 40s.

Rode 37 to 40, then down and back up 347. Back to the trailhead via 332 and Iron Springs Rd. It was a great loop. First time we've done that one. We saw a big group of riders and knew a few of the people.












His house











Stylin

Huh?

Yep, the winter gear was officially hauled out on Friday. First time I've worn the Lakes or the winter vest. Love that vest. It is so warm.




I just went for an hour. It was my first ride since Sunday. I'm just getting over a head cold that moved to my chest.



On the way back on Lynx Creek Rd, I noticed this "outbuilding" door was up. Can you see the detail of the wall? Not too shabby. I wonder what they use that space for. That's one fancy garage.

Panorama

Another picture from Sunday's ride. My first attempt at a panorama. Jeremy's link to the Napa Valley dude's website inspired me.


This is a view of Sedona taken during our second attempted ride up to Jerome.

SFPs

From Sunday's ride.



We tried again to make it up to Jerome. This time we parked 10 miles in on the gravel road we took last time. We found the turn off of Perkinsville Rd that takes you into Jerome, we just didn't have enough daylight to make it the whole way. I think the road is called Orchard Draw and it is a long steady climb up. Looking at the map, I'm guessing we made it half way there? We either need to drive farther or allow more time. But from our perspective, with the mountains in our view, we still had no site of the town whatsoever. So maybe we'll try it again this weekend.

HOW?

Pictures from Friday's ride.

please tell me..............HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN??????













It will probably be a while before I see water in the creek again.

Happy Hour Ride

After our trip to the Dr, we picked up K&P and headed to the Coyote to meet Jeff. I love Coyote Joe's more every time we go there.

It was probably in the 30s that night.

Out on the patio, they had 3 fire pits that put off some serious heat. They always have some kick-ass band playing, and you can look up and see the stars....alot of them. 2 fer 1 from 4-6 and 8-10 (that special includes Fat Tire if you can believe it).

Jeff showed up a little later and later yet came the mysterious Vienna. She is lovely.

Pat had quite a time, apparently the White Zin must go to her head faster when she drinks it outside. She was making friends with everyone there. KR teased her good.

We spent the night at the apartment and woke to the smell of sausage. After some homemade egg mcmuffins, we drove home and slept till 1. How lame, but I think I am fighting a cold, so it was probably for the best.

We did end up riding, not very long or hard, but both of us were proud for going out all. And we were glad we did, it was another beautiful day.

Ecstatic!

Not about a new bike purchase, or news of unexpected visitors, or that I won the lottery. Nope, I am ecstatic that we found a doctor. Apparently they are in short supply out here. Of the few that are here, not many are accepting new patients. It's not like either of us needs to see a doctor very often, but I did not want to have to visit urgent care every time something came up. Not only do you wait 4 hours, but I also know that the head doctor there instructs his billing staff to follow unethical business practices.

We managed to get in at the office that was originally my first choice. Met with him on Friday (They require a "new patient" visit before accepting you as a patient).

This guy graduated from Northwestern and then worked there for 15 years. It was at that point that he had had enough of the 70 to 80 hour work weeks. Never saw his family, so they packed up and moved out here.

Upon arriving in Prescott, he said "I died and went to heaven."

Turned out to be a pretty cool dude, a tell-it-like-it-is kinda guy. Not unlike a certain nephrologist that I know.

15 minutes

Can I get ready for a ride in 15 minutes? If Zach were here, he'd say no way. I'm going to give it a try.

Change it up

Finally! I can count on two hands the number of times Zach and I have made something other than burritos or tacos for dinner....SINCE WE'VE MOVED OUT HERE. That's over 4 months. Not normal.... Not necessarily bad, but not normal.

It worked out really well. I made a roast in the crock pot Monday night with plans to have it all week. Bought some veggies and rice to make a little stir-fry.

Zach ended up canceling sports club on Tuesday night, so we headed over to the apartment and made dinner for four.

It was a blast.

Roast with stir fry; I'll add that to my list of 6 other things that I know how to make.

"It's been six days"

Not since some sort of meeting, but since my last blog. A quote from my dad.

Sorry Dad. I know.... it's not that I've been lazy, my batteries died in my camera and I have not been able to upload.

Here's a recap.

Again, each weekend, I forget where I am.


Thursday night was okay weather-wise. We checked out The Office to watch the Bears game on the NFL channel. Turns out The Office has great food and cold beer and great viewing. Too bad the NFL is so lame for creating the NFL channel. Jeff came to hang out for a bit.

Friday I had CPR training for 4 hours in the morning. Zach went to urgent care and waited for about 4 hours. When I left my training, it was in the midst of a torrential downpour. I shared my mini umbrella with Miss Mary on the way back to the parking lot. She is the coolest. It is absolutely amazing to me what a little bit of rain can do to the desert. The streets flood in no time. Luckily, the cruiser made it home no problem.

Zach came home after a Mexican restaurant unauthorized stop. We were both home before 2pm and neither one of us left after that until the next morning. It rained off and on all night. A big disappointment b/c Fri night was the Acker Musical Showcase. Businesses along the square stay open late and host local musicians. But with the rain and the fact that Zach was still a little under the weather, we decided to take a pass.

Saturday morning we could not decide what to do. Did not want to hit the trails with all the rain; didn't even know if we could hike. We decided on the best thing....picked up Ken and Pat and headed to Granite Creek Park where they walk almost every day. Went for a few laps and then tried out Murphy's for the first time. Great atmosphere, good food. Beer a little pricey.

After that Zach tried to convince his parents to buy some hiking gear at the Manzanita. I fell in love with a $270 rain/winter coat (are they kidding?). I didn't buy it. Instead I had the sales chick make fun of me behind my back for asking if OR Gear ever goes on sale.

We were all ready for some down time, so we hung out at the "Pad" all night. Had a



few drinks and ordered some pizza. Watched the snow fall off and on. It was a fun day.

Sunday, Zach and I went for a few hour hike just 2 minutes outside of town. It's a trail that winds through the Bradshaw Mts, with views of town and residential areas for the first 45 min. From there you head into more secluded wilderness, surrounded by the Ponderosa Pines. It was lovely. I was sore the next day. We stopped by K&Ps for a short time and then went to bed early that night.

I missed the non-Birthday party that was held on Saturday night.

Now I've got it

Okay, did better today. Temps were in the 40s but we had some overcast, so I wore a wool jersey with the long sleeve castelli over it and the wind vest in my pocket. Leg warmers and regular gloves. It was chilly. I didn't end up using the wind vest.

I rode up to the end of 305 in 1 hr 14 minutes with 2 stops. One to put my ear warmer on. The second to take it back off and to also take the castelli sleeves off.

The return trip took me 51 minutes. Rode the Procaliber today. Race season starts in one month!!!

Today at school I met my student's personal physical therapist. The school district is currently without one. She showed me some movements and positions to incorporate into his day to give him a bit of a workout.

Next time she's going to show me how to make sure I'm not hurting myself while helping him...back and knees especially.

Santa comes on Tuesday.

Tonight we're off with K&P to watch da Bears.

Newbie

Scrubs. I love it. What a great bunch of characters. Jordan, Dr Cox, Turk, JD, Carla...the janitor...And pretty good music too.

4 episodes a day. 2 on comedy central, 2 on wgn.

Cry for help

Holy cow. So since we've been here, I've seen 3 coyotes. 1 in Chino, 1 in Sedona with Adam, Stacy, Aaron, and Amy. The 3rd was in our side yard a few weeks ago.

I rode the 305 yesterday after work (yes, I work on Monday's now, although only a half day). I was on my way back. It was desolate. I could see bike tracks in the damp soil but did not hear or see a soul out there. I crested a hill and heard what sounded like 10 coyotes. They were close. The sound they were making was more like a yelp than a howl or a bark. It was so loud. I jumped off the bike and ran a few yards to see if I could get a look. I saw just glimpses of bodies moving about but could not make out anything definite. I kept moving to see if I could put myself in a better position. Finally, as they started to quiet, I saw two haul ass down the hill right adjacent to the one I was on. They were heading in my direction but at an angle, so not right at me. I have to say I was a little scared. It was pretty cool though. Wish I would have had my camera. Probably wouldn't have gotten a good shot but I could have recorded the sound.

And today after a full and fairly trying day at work, I headed out to ride around our neighborhood. Not your typical neighborhood. There are many roads that have not been developed yet, so they absolutely require some sort of 4x4 vehicle to travel along, unless of course you are on a bike. So I head off to pedal a few of the paved roads and then hook up onto one of the off-road-dirt/boulder/gravel roads. Heading down a hill, I look up and see a deer stop in its path, look at me, and then take off across the road. Just up ahead, back onto paved road, I see a coyote trotting down through some brush. I stopped to watch him. He crossed the road I was on just a little bit ahead of where I was.

So my question is....do coyotes ever attack humans?

Butt sandwich

Do you like the butt ends off a loaf of bread? I don't mind them. Tonight I had a double-butt ham sandwich with lots of romain and onions and a little spicy mustard.

Back in the saddle

Zach and I packed up on Friday. He was signed up to ride the 10 hour Dusk to Dawn race that was being held on the Pemberton Trail in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Phoenix. It was the first race either one of us had competed in since mid-season 2006.

We woke up Saturday morning at 3am to howling winds and blowing rain. It was nasty out. I had flashbacks of the Sunburst mudfest from 2005. We hemmed and hawed for a half an hour about whether we should make the 2 hour drive down. The weather channel showed a huge green cloud over the entire state of Arizona. We decided not to go, until Zach found a Doppler radar forecast that showed a clear section over Fountain Hills. Once we saw that we jumped in the car and started the journey.

We were late pulling in, which turned out to be to our benefit. Had we been on time, we would not have seen Brady, who helped us get some prime parking right by the transition zone. The proper place for us to park would have been down the rode in the competitive track parking lot.

It was sprinkling as Zach picked up his race packet. It was starting to get light out as the racers were called up to the line.....light enough to see how scary the sky looked.


The riders were off at 7:14am. I went and checked out the setup that Brady and his 4 person team had. The race directors set up up the course so the it wrapped around the entire Pemberton parking lot. Brady's team had a tent set up right along the course, so we could see the riders as the were heading back in from the 15 mile loop and then they passed right by us. I ended up hanging out with them most of the day.


I kept track of his lap times and would watch him roll in. From there he'd have to ride around the whole lot, which gave me time to pick up his supplies and meet him in the transition zone.

For the most part, I brought him water bottles and hammer gels, although on one stop he needed to be re-lubed. He was eating the PB&J I brought while I shot chamois cream down the back of his shorts.

It rained on and off all day. We did have a few short burts of nice weather and a few long stretches when it downpoured. Other than it it was misting most of the day.


Zach finished 6 laps. Not as good as he's done in the past but not so bad considering he hasn't really been training. I was impressed that he raced at all. Moving here, we certainly never thought we'd have rain to contend with. If it was me racing, I'm not sure I would have gone through with it.

I'm glad I went with to support Zach. It was also fun to hang out with a few other riders from Prescott. Christina came and hung out for a while too, so that was cool. We skipped the ride we planned. Decided we will have many opportunities to hook up. Plus we really enjoyed spectating for once!!!

Did I fall asleep....

and wake up in Chicago??? Based on the weather we had this weekend, you couldn't tell were the heck you were. It actually RAINED on Friday and Saturday. And it was windy as heck on Saturday. I was soooo cold.

I forgot how to dress

The bright blue sky and shining sun must have burned my brain. I've totally been overdressing. Accuweather said it was 37 degrees this morning as I was getting ready to ride. I wore a long sleeve wool base layer, a short sleeve wool jersey, my long sleeve full zipper Castelli and my Darcy vest windbreaker. And legwarmers. Once I started climbing I unzipped the Castelli and tied the sleeves around my waist and left the vest unzipped. That was way too much. It may have been appropriate if the wind had been blowing. Maybe I need to start checking wind speed too.

Preskit Brekfist

A breakfast challenge....Lynx Lake Cafe against Crickets in Lake Montezuma!!!

yummy french toast with a view of the lake (and a side of spicy bratwurst with spicy mustard)

It's German owned....

Friday - Mike - day

Back over the Black Hills, we headed to meet Mike and his family. I completely miscalculated the amount of time it would take them to get to the Circle K on Bell Rock Blvd. It only took them 1 hour from the 101. I'll have to remember that. It's so unlike me to be late, so I'm sure Mike didn't mind.

Although we didn't spend much time with them, it was nice to meet his family.

We started the ride from our normal place. Our plan was to take Llama to HT to Templeton, but HT is closed b/c of the road work. So after Llama we just road back up Bell Rock Pathway and started Templeton from the beginning. Mike was riding fast. I was hanging on pretty good, but was especially pleased with how well I was riding the technical stuff. I made alot of things I've had to dismount in the past (Adam, the one on Llama I didn't even try when you were here). I am convinced my skills have improved b/c of riding Groom Creek. I can start on a dime when heading uphill now too.

It was a good hard ride....for me at least.

The craziest part of the whole day..... we rode back towards the trailhead after Templeton, but Zach and Mike added a Big Park Loop. I went back to the car to start changing and loading my bike up.

As Zach and Mike pull up, they have another rider with them. It's Christina Betz from Janesville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are the chances. She was stopped for a second on the trail, right when they were finishing up their loop. So they brought her back to the car to say hi.

Christina just moved to the Phoenix area and was hanging out with her parents for the holiday weekend. It was really great to see her again. Hopefully we'll hook up for a ride soon.

We said our goodbyes to Christina and then went to met Mike's parents uptown Sedona. It was a little after noon, so they were ready for lunch. Per my recommendation, they ate at the Hideaway. That's where we said our goodbyes to Mike; I hope they enjoyed their lunch.

Thanksgiving

Morning hike




Mid-day ride (planned destination: jerome via perkinsville rd)



San Francisco Peaks

Look at the view we came upon!! (mom and dad does this make you homesick???)

Our turnaround point, no jerome this time

4pm dinner reservations at Gurly Street Grill (note the glass garage doors, there are 4 or 5 that must open during the spring and early fall months)

Here's my Thanksgiving dinner (plus bread pudding not shown here)

Here's Zach's Thanksgiving dinner - it's just not right

Here's Zach's grenade he left after sucking down a 2 shot Bailey's chocolate shake

One lap around the square after dinner

Then it was home for some couch time

Late!

The nerve of some people. mikelsall is down in Phoenix, finishing up the TdT on the 17th, then spending the week with his family in the Valley. He was supposed to be up here on the 19th by 9am for a little visit. He didn't arrive until 10:30!! Something about Phoenix traffic.... who knows.

Anyway, I decide not to hold it against him and get ready for our planned ride. Zach had to work that day, but we thought Groom Creek to 305 would be a good route to take him on. Mike and I loaded up the bikes and headed up Senator Hwy to the. The plan was to ride all the way home and then drive back with another car to pick up the Element.

Groom Creek is the trail that climbs 1200 feet in 3 miles. General slope of 8% and occasional pitches over 20%. From the top we pick up fire road 52a and take that down Smith Ravine on 297. Cross Walker Road and pick up the 305.

Mike did great; I was hurting, hopefully due to the minor medical issues I've had lately. But he was patient so it worked. The climb is really something else. It's not just that you climb so much right off the bat, but it's combined with loose boulders/gravel, roots, and man-made erosion control stair steps that require alot of energy to get over. There are life-saving smooth-as-silk sections sprinkled in here and there, but they are sparse.

The payoff comes with the view at the top and then again when you start heading down 52a. 52 is certainly not my favorite section b/c it is a fireroad, but the break in climbing is welcomed and appreciated. At the big boulders we hung a right to pick up 297. 297 is generally heading down in elevation, but there are some good climbs along the way. The singletrack in this section is so lovely. It's also home to the most beautifully perfect manzanita I have ever laid eyes on.


We passed through the burned section and on to the 305. We passed the ruins section and cruised along the creek bed, finishing up on Old Black Canyon Hwy and on to our subdivision. There's a great, ridiculously steep jeep road that we can take back up to our house. It was a killer that day.


Once we got home, we hopped in the car to pick up the Element. Then I dropped Mike off at Zach's school so they could ride Zach's commute home. Mike really loved the crazy hills on that route.

Zach whipped up some of his famous burritos for dinner, then we hit Coyote Joes for a nice easy happy hour. Mike took off for Phoenix mid-morning on Tuesday and we saw him again on Friday.

Return

Back to Sedona on the 17th. Had to return the rented kid carrier. Jen and Dave inadvertently left Quail Ridge with one of their Red Rock passes, we returned that too. Good day of riding. We decided for a change and hit the west side of town. Parked off of Cultural Park and headed towards Cockscomb via the Girdner trail. We took a roundabout way but ended up riding near Doe Mt and Cockscomb, but wanted some steady pedaling. We dumped out onto Boyton Pass Rd and took Dry Creek Rd back to the car. Finished the day at Sally's BBQ. Another tasty new discovery.

sniff, sniff

A week ago Tuesday, Zach and I headed home from Sedona early. He had to go to work that day. I did too, but not until the afternoon. He was irritated with me - after he dropped me off I took a 2 hour nap before getting ready. Little Nathan had a rough night the night before - up crying from 2 to 3am.

Jen and Dave and the kids left Sedona and headed to Prescott early afternoon. By the time I made it back from school they were all settled in.

Tuesday was a day of rest. We just hung out at the house that night and ran out to get our favorite fast food for dinner. It's dangerously close to our house.

On Wednesday, we just lounged at the house in the morning, allowing for plenty of Dora time. After lunch we drove up to Watson Lake Park so the kids could have some fun at the playground. We made time for a parents only picture and then I left from there for work. It was a lovely day.

That night we made huevos rancheros, drank some beers, and went to bed fairly early. Thursday morning Dave went to golf at Stoneridge. Jen and I...kind of last minute...decided to go for a little hike. I thought we'd walk up to the Lynx Creek Ruins. We didn't make it all the way up; instead we stopped mid-way and had our picnic on a bench near a downed tree. It made for good entertainment for Amanda. Lunch definitely tastes better on the side of a trail with my sisto and the kiddies. It was the first full cloudy day we've had in a while. A great fall day.

Dinner that night....I'm a little embarrassed....was Papa Johns. Coming from Chicago, we don't expect much from pizza joints in the places we travel to, so we certainly don't expect to find great pizza in Prescott. We've tried Streets of New York - it was decent and we've heard Adam's Pizza and Ribs is good too. When we were talking about places to order from last week, Dave decided that sometimes a known evil is better than an unknown evil. So we decided on Papa Johns. Although it's not top quality pizza by any stretch, there is something satisfying about it. I love the cheese sauce.

Zach had to work Friday morning, Dave stayed home with the kids, and Jen and I drove up Walker Rd to the 297 trailhead. The red ground cover that was there when Amy, Stacy and I had hiked it was now a yellowish/orange. Another great day and fun hike.

As we drove towards our street we were greeted by the minivan (which Dave looked right at home in). Dave and the kids were headed out somewhere, so he followed us back to the house. We decided to go the the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary. It was as much for me as it was for the kids. I have been dying to check it out.

It was awesome. A very small zoo where you can get very close to the animals. They have Gray Mexican Wolves, a javelina, jaguar, bobcat, desert turtle, pronghorn, gray fox, lemurs, porcupine, badger, tarantulas, black bear, bengel tiger, and many other interesting animals. The funniest guy was the badger. He was on the ground, laying on his back, with all four appendages spread out in every direction. He looked so relaxed. Every now and then he'd reach in and scratch his belly. Loved the Mexican Wolves. The bobcat and jaguar were both really cool. The javelina has to be the ugliest creature I've ever seen. My personal favorite was the bengel tiger. The black bear was resting the whole time we were there so I'll have to go back to try and catch him at an active time. Nathan didn't know what was going on. Dave and Jen liked the zoo too, but Amanda - she could have cared less. The tiger, no interest. Bobcat - big deal. It wasn't until we were all the way around the whole place that she got excited. We walked past the macaw and heard him say "hello". So Amanda spent the next 15 minutes laughing hysterically at the bird. He'd say "hello" and "WHAAATT?". On the way home she was doing a great impression.

That night we hit the BrewPub for a quick meal (Nathan puked up all of the carrots he was fed while we were there) We cruised home and Jen and Dave began the packing process.

What can I say, from here it was a downward spiral. They left Saturday around 8 and luckily had a great trip home. No lost luggage this time. It was so great to have them here, but it is so hard to say goodbye. At least I know they will be back in January. That makes it a little easier.