Location: Black Canyon City, AZ
Last night the night lights in the parking lot turned on. And i was right in lamp light of one. Very visible in a posted well lit spot. Hey, look at me I said loudly. No bother, didn’t need interior light to get ready for bed. Not like a sunup for wake up.
Plan today is to ride @ South mtn, duh, South of downtown. GPS & I disagreed, score: it 1, me 1. Hard to find TH. Once found maybe 40 cars parked. Scored spot in main area right @ gate. Nothing like cruising for the spot closest to where you are going to exercise so you don’t burn extra energy before exercising. Think ski area parking lots.
Chris Lesser wrote in his mag’s web section Btrails about the National trail. He said it punishes you. Cosmic ray put the exclamation point on how tough technically & cardio it is. I decided that i was going to experience the trail myself. It went up and over step ups, some sections were tame, the bulk was all hands on the bars, tractor speed on the pedals, and warp speed on the heart. In 6 miles it gained 1200 feet, a ridable gradient, it was how the feet climbed were gained. This is a developed trail loaded w/ technical features, not a trail that was routed to find the technical.
Down hiked the switchbacks down to telegraph pass. Then hike a bike down to the flats for desert classic back to the parking lot & beer. Over the years I have hiked quite a few miles of backcountry backpacking. This down trail was the roughest short of climbers’ way trails.
Dropped onto desert classic and the 8 miles of big gear spinning dropping down into and kinetic energy ride up the other side desert trail. Tiger in my tank has long lost it’s fangs.
My style is pretty much start the ride and stop when finished. Today was 2 hrs 40 mins.
The Black Canyon trail, on the outskirts of Black Canyon City, AZ, is being celebrated Friday w/ a ribbon cutting ceremony. Trail stewards were able to obtain $432,000 Stimulus money for trail work. Tomorrow is a celebration. I will be here for it as I am camped right at the TH tonight. Sat is a trail work day that I will stay for.
Stopped @ KOA XG for a shower. The owner had a pet king snake in a case in the office. I asked a lot of snake questions and he answered them.
Today as I was finding South Mtn park which is on the west side of I-10, I drove on west side thru nice appartment complexes and then big houses lining the golf course. I missed a turn (GPS correct) and drove to the east side of I-10. Poverty. Interstate is a moat but no drawbridge.