I’ve thought a lot about living in other places, now that I have a lot less reason to be in Tucson. But this January has been so nice it’s just ridiculous. I can’t give much serious thought to living anywhere else when things are so good here.
Of course that’s January, and April’s pollen and May’s heat will give plenty of reason to head elsewhere.
But for now it’s still January, and we’ve had I think one slightly rainy/cool day.
tire compression!
Can’t believe we had to ride awesome trails with a few minutes of drizzles…
shin compression!
Krista should have run the shin pads, not the knees, I guess.
There we go, a nice sunny day. Well, nice climbing away from 2000′.
Not quite as much as the sun dipped down and we forced our way into shady Bear Canyon. I pulled out the arm warmers, but they were not enough, even climbing. My jacket wasn’t nearly enough for descending, either. Luckily I didn’t make it too much further past Bug Springs trail.
Even wasting energy trying to ride the scar failed to generate much warmth. I gave one chemical hand warmer to Krista and put the other in my glove, but our hands still froze as we made our way down the dark woody canyon. Great riding, cold hands. Better than no riding and warm hands, no doubt.
We popped up the second ‘hike-a-bike’ to see the sun’s last firey composition. I reached my hands for it, but only the zoom lens could get close enough to capture any warmth.
blur I
Once on Bugs ridgelines the lack of moisture and lack of settling evening air made for much more pleasant conditions. The trail requires enough muscle to yield body heat too.
blur II
“Brrrrrrr!”
But on the pavement below Molino there was no trail to keep us warm. An earlier start or three more layers would have been wise, but so it goes.
never thought I’d see Krista ordering here
Hot chocolate and coffee at Mickey D’s. She ordered a Big Mac next, don’t let her tell you otherwise.
Riding with Bruce of ProGold lube. We tried to scare him with rocky trails, lots of cactus and drops out of stone houses, but he handled his first ride in the Sonoran desert quite well.
The classic quote from this ride was when some hikers asked us what happens when we fall. “You just get back up” was Krista’s immediate answer. “OK tough guys!” was their response.
Look how high the sun is this time on Lemmon! And look how high I got before ‘time’ was up!
No need for extra layers today, just a need for the ability to coast and smile, carve and slice.
Did we really climb up this high from town?
Arizona Trail down to Molino. My favorite pic of the week.
No pics from a surprisingly fun afternoon out at Fantasy Island of all places. Krista didn’t get enough of a workout riding with her roadie buddies in the morning, so she enlisted me to give her someone to chase around as we timed ourselves on the “Rocks and Clocks” courses out there. We put in a good ripping lap on main Fantasy Island with crazy timing so that Krista rode right above me on the bridge of the “over/under.” We couldn’t have timed it better if we had tried.
Then, the loop of the Bunny Trail was pretty silly. We were both fairly trashed and not that motivated to ride hard, but the difference in our bikes and fitness set up the perfect little battle. I could get gaps on her by leaning my 2.4 tires and staying off the brakes, but any time it was open/straight she would zip right back up. Eventually she passed, sending me into a bit of barb wire — I tell you, she was out for blood on the bunny loop! I’m not serious at all, but it was too fun to be close and fighting it out a little.
I met Duncan for my first taste of Techy Tacos in quite a while. I think this is the first time I have ridden it without Chad, and it showed when we fumbled around in the initial wash behind Honeywell. Chad, we’re lost without you!
Showing Duncan a new line since the last time he partook of the tacos.
photo by Duncan Caldwell
The green bike is so happy to be seeing trail time again!
Stick it!
Yeah!
I’ve tried to talk myself into this drop on previous taco rides, without success. Duncan was just the right guy for the job. Really glad to see it finally ridden! “Woah, it really drops out from under you.”
RAM had some new rocks dislodged by horses, but when the level of rocky mayhem is already 9.95 out of 10, it doesn’t do much to increase it another 0.01. Such a brilliant descent where you are guaranteed to not be smooth, no matter how smooth you think you are. Release all notions of going exactly where you want your bike to go.
So, yeah, just a small sample of January in the Sonoran desert. Love it.
You talk about the thought of living other places. Not to flog a dead horse, but Colorado, parts of which you know pretty well, offers as much winter fun as Tucson, just a different, and to me, more rejuvenating kind of fun. A lot of those Colorado riders you race against trade in their bikes for XC skis (Skate, classic, back country touring, AT – take your pick) and even though they lose a little cycling-specific fitness in the winter, they gain overall body conditioning (read: core and back), and just as importantly, they are mentally refreshed and hungry once they can start logging miles again. I used to be a 12-month a year rider (mt. and road) when I lived in AZ, but now that I live up here I feel like new worlds have opened up. If you think the Colorado back country is beautiful in the summer, ski up some of the same canyons in the winter where the snow and solitude add another layer of magic. And you can indeed ride in CO in the winter to feed your habit, just not every single day. Just sayin’…..
“Love it”
Well said. It is a special time of year to be living here in Tucson.
You had me at the word “living,” Scott. That’s the goal, right? The rest is just a zip code and a utility bill. Southern Arizona is the best base camp in the US for mild weather outdoor adventurous pursuits. I support your tendency to rent a second tent rather than all-out pulling up stakes! (BTW, have you tried QBC Plex for your springtime allergies? Seems promising for me so far.)