Wednesday, August 28, 2013
More summer!
Summer is a time of riding bikes and camping out...so much so, that we left Sedona and headed to Flagstaff for a few more days of sleeping under stars, enjoying fire light s'mores and geeking out with cameras as the sun set.
Yes, please!
Two days of riding in Sedona, one day or riding solo and another with friends. Blissful. Add in some storm watching with the wife, relaxing. Does it get any better than this?
Took a bath in the river before driving to our other camping spot south of Flagstaff.
Took a bath in the river before driving to our other camping spot south of Flagstaff.
Samaniego Epic II
Riding a bike, can be like a science experiment. If you continue to experiment, you might find yourself down the road (perhaps "slippery slope" is better) of riding longer and longer rides....
But, why even do a long ride? Waking up at 4:30am to head out on a solo epic is not for everyone after all. Truthfully, it is not even for me. When I woke up at 4:30am to do the epic, my body had every reason to go back to bed. My mind made excuses. Luckily, I tricked my mind by having a cup of coffee....I even chuckled at myself and thought "can't turn back now, you have caffiene in your body." Back to the question, why even do a long ride?!
I still don't have a definite answer....but I know the sunrise, flowers, monsoons, my reactions to getting lost, climbing over downed trees, riding solo, "bikeaneering" in the rain, trying to climb the traditions like drinking a Coors Lt, seeing animals, etc, etc.
....and back to where I started again.
But, why even do a long ride? Waking up at 4:30am to head out on a solo epic is not for everyone after all. Truthfully, it is not even for me. When I woke up at 4:30am to do the epic, my body had every reason to go back to bed. My mind made excuses. Luckily, I tricked my mind by having a cup of coffee....I even chuckled at myself and thought "can't turn back now, you have caffiene in your body." Back to the question, why even do a long ride?!
I still don't have a definite answer....but I know the sunrise, flowers, monsoons, my reactions to getting lost, climbing over downed trees, riding solo, "bikeaneering" in the rain, trying to climb the traditions like drinking a Coors Lt, seeing animals, etc, etc.
....and back to where I started again.
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Red Ridge Epic II
After a month of not riding, I was in need of a big, long ride. In the summertime in Tucson, that typically means that you start looking at Mt Lemmon.
The classic up-and-over Lemmon has many faces...Red Ridge, Samaniego, Oracle or CDO. My recent favorite has been CDO.
After talking about the ride, Tim and I decided to ride Red Ridge. Red Ridge is similar to CDO, although it is just a little easier since you do not have to ride up past ski valley.
I woke up at 3:30, packed and ready, rolled out from my house. Skipping Prison, we saved our energy for Cafe, Secret, 1918 and Sunset....and onto the General Store.
Once you get to Red Ridge, the real fun begins....
It is not hard to see why we ride this trail.
Red Ridge eventually intersects Dan Saddle and later Canyon del Oro.The creek is fed by rain and melted snow from the north face of Mount Lemmon. The creek flows northward towards the town of Oracle and then curves southward to the town of Oro Valley. They say that it probably got its name from the Spanish explorers that discovered gold in the area in the 17th century.
Gold or not, it was our saving grace. We ate lunch before starting out at 3pm under the temporary cloud cover.
The classic up-and-over Lemmon has many faces...Red Ridge, Samaniego, Oracle or CDO. My recent favorite has been CDO.
After talking about the ride, Tim and I decided to ride Red Ridge. Red Ridge is similar to CDO, although it is just a little easier since you do not have to ride up past ski valley.
I woke up at 3:30, packed and ready, rolled out from my house. Skipping Prison, we saved our energy for Cafe, Secret, 1918 and Sunset....and onto the General Store.
Once you get to Red Ridge, the real fun begins....
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
Switchback attack!
It is not hard to see why we ride this trail.
Oracle Ridge after monsoon season
Tim changing a flat.
Red Ridge eventually intersects Dan Saddle and later Canyon del Oro.The creek is fed by rain and melted snow from the north face of Mount Lemmon. The creek flows northward towards the town of Oracle and then curves southward to the town of Oro Valley. They say that it probably got its name from the Spanish explorers that discovered gold in the area in the 17th century.
Gold or not, it was our saving grace. We ate lunch before starting out at 3pm under the temporary cloud cover.
Wet your shirt and climb, climb, climb!
Green in Tucson...
Tim continued to ride, while I finished where I started....the house. Brilliant views, a good friend, who in fact, has been off the bike longer than I have due to an injury. This was Tim's first time doing an Up and Over Lemmon ride, a miracle given the fact that he thought he would never ride again.
Tim said something (that Lee B has mentioned several times), "We are lucky to have the means and the time to be able to do a ride like this and see the wonder of the backcountry."
Lucky, indeed.
Want to read previous Lemmon epics?
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