End of summer

It may get to 108 degrees today, but if feels like summer in the desert is coming to an end . That's not a bad thing for biking in the desert. Just ask your local shop owner.

I headed out to 'Desert Classic' this morning and could not find a parking space at the 48th st and Guadalupe lot. I am telling you, it's like going to the beach in California or like going skiing after fresh powder blankets the mountain from the night before. Cosmic Ray said something like "You can't swing a dead cat without hitting some neon nig nog poser going way to fast." when he wrote about the DC, but I like it. I like the scene. The only drawback is parking and  It is only more difficult to find a parking spot because the city stopped allowing us to park on both sides of the street.

Not willing to wait for a parking spot to open up, I headed out to the 'Warpaint' trail head. This trail head is a local secret. Always a place to park and you link up to the trail with some sweet little side trail.

The ease of parking at warpaint may soon come to an end as well. Developers are bull dozing the area across from the entrance at warpaint. Some high end housing no doubt. The owners won't want us parking there anymore. Sighhh. It was good while it lasted. (for years and years)


Sorry I have no pics. My good old Palm Treo finally bit the dust. I found another one on ebay and will be back in business soon.

Anyway, I have some video of warpaint on an older post. petroglyphs in plain site

Here are some old DC pics I have never posted.  Here is Steve with a broken chain. Now that it's cooling off, he plans on coming out more. He no longer wears his jeans on the trail. He is not a neon lycra nig nog poser by any means but he's swung a bit in that direction. Just shorts and rock shocks were a big step for him. He used to ride the entire trail 100 on a fully rigid bike. "Shocks! I'd ride on the street if I wanted a smooth ride!" He used to say. Now he likes them.

Here is Phil taking a brake. Wonder how he got the nickname of 'Restbrake'. At least I have never seen him over heated.

Yeah, summer is ending soon. From October 1st to October 15th (north rim closes) we can ride anywhere in the state. See link: http://fat-tire.net/trailviewer/filteredTrails.aspx?Area=Oct

October and May are the prime months. (north rim opens May 15th)

Oh, for my dad. You can get some fishing stories at: http://fat-tire.net/feedz/newzFeedz.aspx fourth link from the left. I even made the font something I think you will like.

Darren's Rides: Cactus Rod The Toughest Mountain Bike Rider I Know

Darren's Rides: Cactus Rod The Toughest Mountain Bike Rider I Know

Liked this story so much, I linked it to http://fat-tire.net/trailviewer/trailDetails.aspx?ID=58

trail 100 decent from the point at tapatio to under Cave Creek Road

Went back on Trail 100 to reshoot some video with my trusty old Palm Treo. This time "the decent from the West to under Cave Creek road" came out better. So, I am posting. If anyone films the decent from the East, let me know as it's a bit hairy for me to film. At least with a loose camera!

Someday I will string all these four minute videos of 100 into one long video, add some music and post. Until then, I you enjoy the short raw ones.

pleasant day at the world trade center

It is difficult to believe that eight years have passed since that Tuesday morning that changed the world. The Tuesday that wouldn't end. In many ways has never ended.

What made the day even more

difficult, more bitter for me was a pleasant day spent at the world trade center a few years earlier.

It was a summer day in 1998. Security at the towers was much like it was at any airport. Guards in the lobby, metal detectors, etc. We all had to line up just as at the airport.

This type of security was not the norm for buildings in New York City or anywhere else that I've been. It was hightened for these buildings because of an attack five years before.

After passing security, we were escorted to one of the longest and fastest elevators rides on the planet. Zoom up 103 or 104 floors up. I don't really recall the exact number but it was high.

The weather was even different up there. Below was warm and pleasant but up there; sleet was pelting the windows. The roof was closed do to high winds. As I looked out at our towers twin, I imagined that crazy frenchman who walked between these towers years before. The thought makes me shutter.

A pleasant diversion is the virtual reality ride of New York City they had on the top floor. I take the tour. Sort of a wild virtual reality helicopter ride zooming under bridges, between buildings just the same kind of fun one experiences at Universal Studios in Hollywood. They have a model of the city, I take a photo.

The views from the tower were incredible. I take more photos. Brooklyn bridge, The Empire state building, then the Statue of Liberty.

As I look out toward Lady Liberty a vision runs into my imagination. A thought of a jumbo jet flying low, flying towards the tower. This time I spook myself so badly, I have to leave. I have to get out of there. Away from this place.

The people I met who worked there were wonderful, pleasant, friendly people and I prayed that nothing like I envisioned ever happened to them.

So, years later when W. Bush asked 'Who could have imagined this type of attack', I wondered who couldn't have imagined it.

Trail 100 Dreamy Draw Decent

While I would have rather been in Sedona riding the trails with Amit or in Payson up on the highline trail with my brother, I can't complain as yesterday's monsoon storm brought the temperatures down to pleasant levels. Since Phil didn't call I took the opportunity to ride near my home. I hadn't ridden out of the dreamy draw for awhile and it still is a thigh burner anyway out.

I headed west and came back the alternate route (birthday hill). Anyway, I made a video showing the descent back. Actually, I filmed it twice as the first run was pretty poor quality. Tried to create the video on my old Nikon as per Darron's Rides blog shows, but my batteries pooped out. Ended up shooting on the good old Palm Treo. Kind of like having to improvise the videos anyway. Makes it more fun that way.

I ended up talking with the owner of 'The Trailhead Cafe and Bike shop' and he told me that he got caught in a hail storm in Flagstaff yesterday. Guess, I was lucky getting stuck down here after all.
http://fat-tire.net/trailviewer/trailDetails.aspx?ID=1

Papagos - A place to learn and explore

http://fat-tire.net/trailviewer/trailDetails.aspx?ID=84

Okay, I don't have one shot of the famous and interesting looking Papagos mountains in this blog. I wish I had, but there is a lot to this park to explore. My Brother, my nephew and I parked under the freeway near the

lake. Far from the funny looking mountains.

We started in Tempe, rode near a canal through Scottsdale past Grants tomb, past the other canal and ponds near the back of the zoo and ended at the botanical gardens in Phoenix.

This is where I learned how to ride a mountain bike and it's the first bit of dirt outside the canals my nephew has experienced. He says it's a 'primo' ride and we didn't even hit the portion that most mountain bikers experience. However, I feel we saw some sites a lot of the regular crowd may be missing out on. Like the 'indian hut' in the pictures. How about this empty adobe style house?

All in all, I can't complain when I have family to share the ride.