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9/22/10, 7pm. Orange sky signals the end of an exhausting day. But all is done, all in its ‘proper’ place. Except my mind, which is so thoroughly unsettled that even the 1 hour sunset spin does little. I didn’t believe I would actually make it to Crested Butte until the car was heading …. [Continue reading] 
It was just Chad and I, and our will to ride all things techy and stupid. Temperatures were a moderate 92 degrees. Headbreezes hailed the incoming weather, an approximation of “cool.” This definitely improved our odds. I cracked the final piece of the Ram Canyon climb — it has all been done now, …. [Continue reading] 
This is a hard route, no doubt. 125 miles, ~20k climbing, 10pm start means 8 hours night riding. I planned and plotted, trained and rested, schemed and daydreamed about crushing this beast. I felt good, felt relaxed going in. A week in Colorado had done me well. I knew that as a Vapor …. [Continue reading] 
The sign does not lie. Life really is great at 10,200′. Now, my viewpoint may be colored by weeks of hot and hard riding in Tucson, with temps regularly in the 100’s. Then further biased by an all day drive across Arizona sans A/C in the Corsica (on a 105 day in Tucson). …. [Continue reading] 
I joined Chad for another toasty techy taco ride (the riding was hot, not the tacos!). It was business as usual — following Chad through crazy overgrowth, on trails long swallowed by monsoon frenzied greenery. It threw him for a loop at first, trying to show me some obscure and new-to-me trails, …. [Continue reading] 
Redemption is an actual event, and spending yourself outside is one of its voices. new colored elevation relief maps, coming to the next version of TopoFusion This route has been haunting me ever since I twisted my ankle and dropped out of the Prescott Monstercross race. My ankle still isn’t back to normal, …. [Continue reading] 
A curious set of circumstances resulted in the brain patterns necessary to convince myself to race “cross country” again. Ironically, a large part of what led me to race XC was the two days of lift served downhilling at Winter Park. I’ll leave the ‘how’ behind that one as an exercise for the reader. Beyond …. [Continue reading] 
Chad is back at school, so the Tuesday Techy Taco ride is back on, except this week it was on Wednesday. We collectively said: “Sure Chad, let’s climb impossibly technical trails, at 101 degrees and with the afternoon sun beating down on us.” “Sure Chad, good idea.” Techy tacos …. [Continue reading] 
After a week of riding hard at lower elevations, I was feeling thoroughly cooked. The weekend came and it was time to head up Lemmon. Chad and I wove our way around the mountain, finding plenty of challenge and a shocking amount of heat. 9000′, climbing hard in the trees and we were …. [Continue reading] 
Scott Morris reporting for duty, sir. The sky will be watched tonight. Somebody needs to be there to observe the escalation of color. And keep an eye out for fires… Or moving walls. Oh yes, it’s sky watching season, and I’m loving it. 
As much as I loathe using my car for everyday activities, and as much as I try to ignore it and marginalize it, it really is an amazing piece of technology. And yes, I know, 1996 Chevy Corsicas are amazing in and of themselves. But the idea that you can hop in a car, at …. [Continue reading] 
After finishing ~200 miles on the so-called “Dixie Quasi Lite” Loop, I pointed the car north and went back to Salt Lake City. Convalescence was the name of the game, staying and sleeping (a lot!) at my parents house. That house also happens to be the one where I grew up. I ended up staying …. [Continue reading] 
winds shifting, sticky air clouds curling over sky islands the trail, flood re-formed with lines unfamiliar flashes in three directions three storms strategize, tapping available moisture, snakes, scales shine with red light sunset, the world is on fire monsoon season, Tucson home. 
This is one of those ones I’ve been talking about for years. The Wasatch 100 is a running race held every fall. It’s been going on for decades and is regarded as one of the hardest 100’s. 100% of the route is open to bikes. Some sections are frequently ridden. Others… not so much. I’m …. [Continue reading] 
I was really getting along with summer in Tucson. The high country was open. Morning rides were beautiful. All was well. Then the allergies kicked in, and things went downhill quickly. I operated in dribble mode, with a fuzzy head, for too long before finally bailing for clear mountain air. I camped solo …. [Continue reading] 
Few trails have as much mystery and mystique surrounding them. Few have as many yarns woven about them. And few people have ever completed the trail, end to end. A Sammie yarn often begins thusly, “We tried to ride that trail once…” The allure is too big — the promise of more than a vertical …. [Continue reading] 
There’s a little trail called Round the Mountain in the Pinaleno Mountains (aka Mt. Graham). It’s the kind of trail that screams at you from topo maps. Explore me! Ride me! Switchbacks beyond belief and deep canyons unknown… how can you resist me??? (*) New myTopo maps in TopoFusion, coming soon! I …. [Continue reading] 
Sunday morning is the best time to climb Lemmon and use roadies as ‘carrots’ — there seem to be hordes of them. Except this morning. The park on Tanque Verde seemed very quiet. No one was pedaling towards the mountain. Strange. I began passing rider after rider heading the other way, all riding alone (no …. [Continue reading] 
Down, but not out. Ankle rehab has been slow. After struggling with it, believing that the damage wasn’t as extensive as it is, I finally accepted that it’s just going to be a while. At first, I was plotting an AZT 300 reload, or other multiday routes. As much as the rest of me is …. [Continue reading] 
Speaking of wilderness areas, I picked up several miles of Arizona Trail that I had not ridden before. I rode until I hit the dreaded “W” sign. Sunnyside / Scotia canyon has some very pleasant, very mellow trail. I was gobbling it all up, super psyched to be exploring new AZT. |
 Scott Digital Nomad, nowhere, USA Lifelong mountain biker, trail mapper and programmer. Sometimes bikepacker, sometimes runner, sometimes packrafter. I love to ride my bike, get out, and explore this beautiful planet we find ourselves on. I live in a 20 foot GeoPro Trailer, traveling about the west. Main author of TopoFusion GPS Software, co-founder of Trackleaders.com. More... Projects / Sites  
Favorite PostsPaint by BikeYour life is amazing, too Wasatch 100 by bike CDT report card Altitude Binge, Mountain Biking 14ers A mountain biker's dilemma Mountain Bike Quantum Physics Lemmon Epic Tradition Summer Vacation? Moments End Bachelor Bikepacking An average week in Arizona Techy Tacos Prime Watcher of the Skies
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