I finally got out to check out and contribute a little to Lee Blackwell’s in-progress Arizona Trail reroute. He’s been going full steam ahead on it, which has been exciting to see.
What’s the big idea? The AZT goes through a very short piece of Wilderness in the Santa Rita Mtns, so thru-riders and AZT racers end up either on the highway or a very long and rough detour on Bull Springs / Elephant Head. Building trail outside the wilderness will keep mountain bikers safer (away from cars) and provide more of the experience they are looking for — quiet singletrack.
It’s not just about mountain bikers and singletrack though. Thru-hikers end up on a very long road walk, starting at the Harshaw Trailhead, through Patagonia and then some very long graded dirt miles to Walker Basin, where the experience they are looking for (quiet singletrack) finally resumes. I think this reroute will be welcomed and traveled by all AZT user types.
giga ocotillo
So I was excited to get out and try to figure out a small piece in the routing puzzle. Lee, Matt Killeen and Trail Dog Bernie rounded out the crew and we returned to the Bathtub Spring area, one Lee and I had explored by bike three years ago. It’s a neat area, similar in its grassland views and wooded canyons to much of the Santa Ritas, but with some impressive rock walls (control points!) and unique features like the Bathtub itself and El Pilar (check out pics of both in the post linked in this paragraph).
We wandered up steep side slopes, walking contours and avoiding trees. I wished I had brought my boots when we got into shindagger country. I was still a bit tired from all the riding/racing and balance was not what it should be. Luckily I had brought my biggest coat since I was afraid I was coming down with a cold and the the last thing I was going to do was get chilled. So when the snow flurries moved in it was of little consequence to me.
Actually it was of good consequence. We stood in the shelter of a rock outcropping and watched as the gusts took wings of white in all directions, combining, splitting, dancing like giant invisible arms. There’s nothing like the dynamics of a storm in the mountains. And there’s nothing like the feeling of being out in it, but (over) prepared for the elements.
I look forward to one day riding through Patagonia and onto new singletrack, then onto the flume and Kentucky Camp, feeling the flow of continuous Arizona Trail. Keep up the good work, Lee.
Look! A first spring poppy. Actually I had seen, but not photographed, quite a few during the Tor de 50. Silly how ‘racing’ makes you skip right on by some cool things sometimes. Time and place for everything, I suppose.
No cold took over my body, so I gave it other reason to gasp, wheeze and abnormally raise body temperature: speed work! A Mtn intervals were fun, harnessing flower power to super charge my legs, then going in search of the densest and most colorful groves.
That should do!
Or maybe here. A nap would be perfect, if only my heart weren’t still pounding in my chest.
Ah, the big top and the spectacle that is 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo! I couldn’t find a super fast girl to make me look good in the Duo Co-ed division this year (and I needed a break), so I sat this one out. And when Matt Nelson asked me to head up the AZT booth (space for which donated by Epic Rides — thanks Todd!) I couldn’t say no.
Others in the expo were pushing pulled pork sandwiches, energy bars, bikes, parts, lube, even GPS software (Strava). But what is Lee Blackwell hawking? The adventure of a lifetime!
It was really cool to spend a weekend talking about the Arizona Trail, bikepacking and my event(s) on it. Old Pueblo draws a full spectrum of folks — from thru-hiking die-hard AZT addicts to folks just learning about the AZT and wanting to do short day rides on fun/easy sections. I got to put faces to quite a few names, and meet some 2012 AZT 300 / 750 riders. We sold some AZT trinkets and even a few ATA memberships, too.
If the 300 had a prize for the winners, this would be a cool one. It doesn’t, of course…
J-bake off to a conservative start
I’ve done the ‘run’ the last two years, so it was fun to sit on the sidelines and watch the chaos from a much more comfortable viewpoint. I didn’t miss the tearing of muscles the running brings, but I did miss the energy and excitement of hopping on the bike and heading off into the desert to ride/race with hundreds of other folks!
Bryan Alders killing it, on his way to the 4-man win
Old Pueblo is a great event, but I’ve still never mustered the motivation to race it solo. It was strange to sit around and watch it go on — as a Duo you can’t really relax or hang around, even when not racing you’ve got to be focused. I missed racing in a way, and in another it was a great relief to just be doing what most people do — ‘hang loose’ as the rearview mirror hanger they give you says.
Tour Divide SS hero Jefe Branham
Included in the wide spectrum of folks OP brings in are a bunch of friends from different states. Always good to catch up…
I did get out for one lap (before the race). I had dreams of torching a lap, but it was too cold, too late and I was too wiped from manning the booth. It’s still one of my favorite places to sunset ride and watch the sunlight fade across the desert. I enjoy the course, but I guess I didn’t need to put 10 laps in on it this year.
The next day my throat was sore and my mind cluttered, trying to piece together bits of so many conversations. Even the noise of the traffic at my little white house was getting to me. Time to head out into the desert for (as I called it before) quiet and singletrack. Luckily all I had to do was ride out my door and both can be quickly found.
Let’s go up there! I had no agenda or plan, other than to find a little solitude and desert beauty.
The top. Mountain shadows are reaching for Tucson. The only person I saw during the 3 hours was Todd Wells, who I passed in the wash. Quite a contrast from being at the 24 hour race.
As the ride went on I kept choosing to hit my more techy favorites, and though I kept the pace steady, there was zero suffering. Sometimes you just have to enjoy being fit. That’s what I kept thinking, anyway. Marvel at how quickly and smoothly you can zip through staircases and around tight corners without even breathing hard. Racing is fun and all, and a good motivator towards fitness, but there is a point to being fit and fast just for its own sake. And sometimes you just have to get out and enjoy that state, instead of trying to improve on it, or prove something to yourself or someone else.
Having said that, I hypocritically uploaded my ride to Strava when I got home, and it immediately ranked various segments of my ride against others. It awarded me five KOM crowns for a few segments. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to define new segments for Krein and Hidden Canyon (they already existed) and not surprised that they have only been ridden a few times.
I got to talk quite a bit with Spencer at Stava at his booth at OP, and it’s really cool to finally see someone doing GPS track sharing right after all these years. At 35 employees and with logo tents, bottles and flags, they are getting after it. It’ll be fun to see where it goes and maybe work a bit with them.
Going up Hidden Canyon’s switchbacks in the last twilight probably wasn’t the best idea, but I couldn’t resist. The ultra-chunk descent is not recommended by headlamp, so I didn’t turn mine on, but instead tried to feel my way down the trail. Keep your body loose and adapt to the trail’s feedback… ride with your body, not your eyes. I’m lucky I didn’t crash.
Finally, I spent an hour putting this together and posted it on Facebook. If you’re on FB you have no doubt seen the other ones floating around (e.g. for Teachers or Engineers) — I just followed the pattern. I pretty much can’t stand things like this on FB, but nevertheless.. .. it was cracking me up as I put it together.
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