Friday

Let's start out with the "after" picture.
Does Zach look like he's about 50 in this picture or what???

Friday morning I drove into work. The boys had breakfast out, then went to pick up the bike Adam was renting for the race. From there they went to ride the 305.



We all met back at the house for a little pasta dinner. We had to leave soon for packet pickup, but before we left we had time for some sinus maintenance. A first time neti pot experience for Adam.
We finally made it downtown for packet pickup and the 8:30pm rider meeting. Saw some familiar faces and found Christina too. Cruised home right after the race for a restless night's sleep.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Intruding

Sure enough, when Zach and I rode the 305 ...2 weekends ago (geez, it's been that long???) we ran into our buddies. I keep getting closer every time.

A huge score

I rode to the 305 the way Toby recommended and it was awesome. Cross into Yavapai Hills, take Sunrise to Old Black Canyon, right on Lynx Creek. Follow that to the jeep road up to the parking lot for the ruins. Not only a safer commute, but once you get out of the new neighborhood on Lynx Creek, the road follows a creek bed. It looks so different from the alot of the short brush that covers the land until you get up to higher elevations. Beautiful. I've already decided we need to ride that on Saturday...with the camera this time. Lovely colors right now.

Rode for 2 hours, came home, showered and headed to the deck with a glass of wine. All that was missing was some Kirkland brand mixed nuts. I can't decide which I like better, sitting on the deck in the back or sitting in the bike shop looking out the front.

Oh, almost forgot. On my way home on the trail, I ran into the herd of mule deer again. They definitely spotted me first, but once I saw them, I stopped immediately. There were 5 total, not even 50 feet away. 4 of them stood and stared at me, sniffed for a long time cause they knew I was there. All of the sudden something spooked all 4 and they darted into better view. It was hilarious, the noise that spooked them was the 5th....standing there sneezing, rubbing his nose with one of his lower front legs. Just sneezing and rubbing. What a sight. Must have gotten a gnat up his nose. Hopefully we'll run into them again on Saturday so Zach can see them close up.

78 to 55

There was a PCC (Prescott Cycling Club) hike scheduled tonight to see the full moon from the tower at Lynx Creek Ruin. I met Debbie and Katrina there on my way home from work. The temp in the Cruiser read 78 degrees at 4:15. Parked at Sevenmile Gulch and hiked part of the 305 to the trail that leads up to the ruins. The day I rode up the same trail, I noticed there were numbered markers along the way. It was great hiking with Debbie, because apparently, each number is posted in front of a particular bush or tree. If you take a map with you, the map tells you the name of each species. I didn't need a map today b/c Debbie knows them all by heart. pinon pine, ponderosa pine, prickly pear, alligator juniper, mountain mahogany, skunkbush...it was pretty cool. She shared alot of other interesting factoids about Prescott. As we were getting close to the top, Toby joined us with his dog Oreo (first time meeting Toby and Oreo). Turns out Toby lives in our neighborhood on the other side. He gave me a few suggestions on how to bike around the area without having to take the busy roads.

It was a pretty cool hike. Fun going with people who know the area. The view from the top was awesome. I can't believe we live here. It was 55 degrees when I pulled out of the parking lot at 6:30.



In other news. Finished my second week of substituting. With the exception of one full....difficult day at a middle school, I have been at the District Preschool working one on one in the afternoon with a student who requires the use of a wheelchair. This is my first experience at this type of work, and I am guessing that I am spoiled with the student that I have ended up with. Such a good, sweet kid. And a wonderful, constantly positive mom. She is quite an inspiration given their situation. And she's so young. I don't know where she got her patience and outlook. Maybe from her son. It started out as a 3 week assignment, but the teachers, the mom, the director, and the student (according to his mom) all really like me. So I will be staying on long term.

Always when you're not looking

Zach and I got some good riding in last week while he was off for fall break. On the first ride back in Prescott after our visitors left us, we came upon a few animals on the 305. Can you see them?

Doesn't it always work out like that? It would have been nice to see a javelina, or a road runner, or even a little snake. (Although we did see the coyote and we caught a glimpse of a jack rabbit on one of the rides.)

Instead, the day after they leave, Zach and I see a small herd of mule deer. That's interesting that they can not detect motionless objects. On a ride last night, I would have plowed right into a buck, had he not bounded out of the way. After I saw him I stopped to get a good look. Once I stopped, it was like he could not see me. He did not run away anymore, just stood and stared in my direction. He finally sauntered off after quite a few minutes. Must have gotten bored.

Here's a few more pictures from our ride. We rode from home to the 305 and continued on a ways up 297.

Ahhhh, the 305

Saturday August 11th. Zach wanted to try once again to scout out a route off of Perkinsville Rd that would take him all the way to Prescott Valley. There are a ton of fire roads that might get him there, but it seems that many of them take you into private property. He could be much more efficient at that type of ride without me (I like to take pictures every few minutes and need to stop to catch my breath every now and then too), so I ventured off to try the 305, another recommendation from Pete at Ironclad. The 305 is part of the Lynx Lake Recreation Area, which is in between Prescott and PV, south of 69.

Although there are many, many trails we have not ridden yet, I think I found my favorite. It starts in a low brush area with rocky/sandy soil. Quick ups and downs and twists and turns. You cross through a gate (like the kind at Kettle, except tighter) on either side of Walker Rd and head down towards the Lynx Creek Ruin. Take a short ride up the 301 to the ruins for some excellent views. Continue on the 305 and pass by a few campgrounds to find some of the greatest singletrack ever. The smell of the pines is intoxicating. It's another out and back... and you don't realize as you are heading out until the last mile or so when the trail really heads up, but you are climbing most of the way...with fun ups and downs as you go. Ugh...I wish I could write better...my description does not do it justice. Zach and I have since been back together, and his favorite is still the 347. There both super fun but I just die for the pine trees and the views on the 305.