CCCP

CCCP – Cienega Creek Construction Project, not the other CCCP.

When I got up at 5:15 it was a balmy 58 degs. Warmest morning in months, I think. I put away the warm gloves and jacket I had set out the night before.

Before I hit Alvernon/Pima I was overheating. What follow was a perfectly pleasant ride through town. No traffic, no sunlight and very little wind.

The wind picked up as I headed south on Houghton, then southwest on Old Vail road. I was trying a new route out to the AZT construction meeting place. It was shorter, but much more exposed to the wind. Also, the traffic on Houghton sucked, even early in the morning.

Work began in earnest. We had three crews bridging the gap between Highway 83 and Old Sonoita Highway. There are a couple of fun spots on this trail and they built up really well — better than I expected.

Lee and crew put in the first of his self-closing gates (replicas of the ‘best gate on the AZT’ found near the Utah border. I had the pleasure of using it (rather than going thru the fence and hefting my bike over it) on my return trip.

There weren’t enough lunches delivered, but I took one anyway since 1) I was about to expire and 2) I was pedaling home.

The trail rode really well and before I knew it I was at I-10. The culvert provided a nice cool relief from the mid-day sun. On the north side there is a ~3 ft drop into the wash that I figured I could (should) ride.

The landing is soft, right?

Too soft. I wheelie dropped off with a little speed. It was like landing in a 3 foot snow drift. The bike stopped. I kept going, landing in the sand.

I couldn’t stop laughing. When I sat down on the ledge I noticed I had pulled my hamstring on that manuever. It didn’t seem to bad walking, but a little panic set in as I realized I was ~30 miles from home.

Hike-a-bike was not fun. Any stretching or awkward manuevers hurt. As I began bush-whacking over to the dirt road I suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to “see a man about a horse.” So there I was, trying to squat and poop with a pulled hamstring. Not much fun.

Once I got on to ride I was relieved to find that the familiar motion of pedaling seemed OK. I rode to 3 bridges, cursing my luck at encountering a 6 foot deep erosion channel on the road that I had to lower myself down into and out of.

I had planned to continue on the trail, but hike-a-bike and crossing fences was out, so I turned left on the railroad tracks, unsure if the connection would work out.

It did and it was a nice ride. Scenic, fairly flat and just pleasant. It kicked me out in Vail, where I climbed to Camino Loma Alta before cruising back through town.

I really, really, miss being out all day on the bike. Memories of the AZT thru-ride were competing for brain cycles in my head. It felt good.

~75 miles, 6 hours riding, 4 hours trailwork. Not a bad day.