Sedona 2017 Recap- <Now with 20% more Pictures!>
- Thread starter jmanic
- Start date
gtluke
The Moped
Day 4
Find the coolest jeep ever
Errbody afraid of heights or something. Mitch pretends to ride it.
Mitch rides
Everyone on the other side of the ravine
Group shot
After this I broke off from the group and went and rode the Hogs trail. It was one of the 3 H double black diamond trails. I found ome friendly canadians who volunteered to call 911 if I died.
The hogs trail wasn't too bad. I did wipe out and tumble down a hill but whatever, that's mountain biking.
canadians.
Dude is a winning Cat 1 downhiller too.
Mitch wouldn't ride with me, but some random Canadian chick would.
Find the coolest jeep ever
Errbody afraid of heights or something. Mitch pretends to ride it.
Mitch rides
Everyone on the other side of the ravine
Group shot
After this I broke off from the group and went and rode the Hogs trail. It was one of the 3 H double black diamond trails. I found ome friendly canadians who volunteered to call 911 if I died.
The hogs trail wasn't too bad. I did wipe out and tumble down a hill but whatever, that's mountain biking.
canadians.
Dude is a winning Cat 1 downhiller too.
Mitch wouldn't ride with me, but some random Canadian chick would.
Okay, for the record, Luke is a couple days behind-
I only bled on stuff once.
Sedona Day 4:
Moar riding bikes.
One of the trails I have to visit on a trip is Llama.
I think the peeps enjoyed it as well.
Luke put on a clinic, dropping it like it was hot.
Then moar burgers. Moar beer.
And no trip to Sedona is complete without dropping in on the hippy drum circle at Oak Creek Brewery on the Tuesday night.
In a place known for it's weird folks, this is just a magnet for the cream of the crop.
I love it- never miss it.
I only bled on stuff once.
Sedona Day 4:
Moar riding bikes.
One of the trails I have to visit on a trip is Llama.
I think the peeps enjoyed it as well.
Luke put on a clinic, dropping it like it was hot.
Then moar burgers. Moar beer.
And no trip to Sedona is complete without dropping in on the hippy drum circle at Oak Creek Brewery on the Tuesday night.
In a place known for it's weird folks, this is just a magnet for the cream of the crop.
I love it- never miss it.
No, It was all part of the themed picture. Riding Wet trails!!!
All the trails were dry except for a couple of creek crossing and this big puddle at the parking lot.
I was having a good trip and these words were in my head:
"Look, you get older. Passion is a young man's game. Young people can be passionate. Older people gotta be more wise. I mean, you're around awhile, you leave certain things to the young. Don't try to act like you're young. You could really hurt yourself." Bob Dylan 2015
gtluke
The Moped
aww
I had a great time with the riding we did do Mitch! Which was 99% of the time you didn't leave me to die.
@gtluke pics of me in the blue shorts are from the second day... me in the all black (because i'm a dumb ass wearing all black in the desert) is from the third day of riding
@Mitch i was actually thinking of that quote and wondering where i fit in there... seeing as i'm all middle-aged and stuff
and since the photographers in the group are doing such a great recap, i'll just add my few viewpoints here:
the trails were f-ing awesome. i've never ridden so many miles in so many consecutive days like this. and riding with this gang was great. i was really worried i wouldn't be able to keep up... i'm slow and not as skilled so i really thought i would have to be dropped somewhere along the way. but, for the most part, i was able to keep up and they waited for me and pushed me to try new stuff. and i did chick some of them and i joked about "riding like a girl"
overall, this trip did wonders for my confidence level. well... until we got to certain trails and my fear of heights kicked in big time. :/
and i really just needed this trip. not just for the biking, but to get out of NJ and to relax and have fun. i've had a rough couple of months and this sedona deal was just what the doctor ordered.
@Mitch i was actually thinking of that quote and wondering where i fit in there... seeing as i'm all middle-aged and stuff
and since the photographers in the group are doing such a great recap, i'll just add my few viewpoints here:
the trails were f-ing awesome. i've never ridden so many miles in so many consecutive days like this. and riding with this gang was great. i was really worried i wouldn't be able to keep up... i'm slow and not as skilled so i really thought i would have to be dropped somewhere along the way. but, for the most part, i was able to keep up and they waited for me and pushed me to try new stuff. and i did chick some of them and i joked about "riding like a girl"
overall, this trip did wonders for my confidence level. well... until we got to certain trails and my fear of heights kicked in big time. :/ and i really just needed this trip. not just for the biking, but to get out of NJ and to relax and have fun. i've had a rough couple of months and this sedona deal was just what the doctor ordered.
This does not apply to you. You are ** not 58. You have time to be more passionate. And you did kick ass on this trip!!!
@MissJR Mitch is right- you were killing it out there.
And smiling most of the time.
Sedona Day 5:
As @Santapez said, there were breakfasts.
Every morning started with 18 eggs getting cooked.
I think we banged out 10 dozen for the week.
I think this was the only breakfast shot:
.
Today the merry pranksters split up and went on our own adventures.
There was some souvenir shopping, some hiking,
and MTBNJers randomly scattered throughout the area on bikes.
There's a new sheriff in town....
My travels took me to some new local trails @rottin' recommended that I hadn't yet tried.
Did not disappoint.
Then we reconvened as a group (mostly) for the tradition that is watching the sunset from Airport Mesa.
I had been listening to Mitch go on about wanting to do this for days at this point,
was glad we could finally make his dream come true.
Then we went to Javelina Cantina (paging @1speed)
Definitely our go-to for a dinner out.
Reasonable prices, mongo plates and good margaritas.
After the margaritas, things be looking all like....
And smiling most of the time.
Sedona Day 5:
As @Santapez said, there were breakfasts.
Every morning started with 18 eggs getting cooked.
I think we banged out 10 dozen for the week.
I think this was the only breakfast shot:
.
Today the merry pranksters split up and went on our own adventures.
There was some souvenir shopping, some hiking,
and MTBNJers randomly scattered throughout the area on bikes.
There's a new sheriff in town....
My travels took me to some new local trails @rottin' recommended that I hadn't yet tried.
Did not disappoint.
Then we reconvened as a group (mostly) for the tradition that is watching the sunset from Airport Mesa.
I had been listening to Mitch go on about wanting to do this for days at this point,
was glad we could finally make his dream come true.
Then we went to Javelina Cantina (paging @1speed)
Definitely our go-to for a dinner out.
Reasonable prices, mongo plates and good margaritas.
After the margaritas, things be looking all like....
gtluke
The Moped
I have no idea what day it is.
3/7/17
Which is day 5, so you guys don't know how to count actually. Screw you, this is day 5
Retrieve Mitch's right shoe from a crime scene on the side of the road
Take photos of lost tourists
Ride some sweet bench cut
stop for lunch
decide to ride the hiline trail. AND PEOPLE CAME
Balance bike on ledge, if it falls to the right it's gone forever
Bike rides!
This looks like NOTHING
But I rode it, and it scared the shit out of me
Minnesota boys and Mitch
Really beautiful trails
Then the
3/7/17
Which is day 5, so you guys don't know how to count actually. Screw you, this is day 5
Retrieve Mitch's right shoe from a crime scene on the side of the road
Take photos of lost tourists
Ride some sweet bench cut
stop for lunch
decide to ride the hiline trail. AND PEOPLE CAME
Balance bike on ledge, if it falls to the right it's gone forever
Bike rides!
This looks like NOTHING
But I rode it, and it scared the shit out of me
Minnesota boys and Mitch
Really beautiful trails
Then the
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
Sedona Day 6:
You know, we rode bikes again.
A different take exploring some more of the western trails.
Apparently I was in a vortex when I took this one
Mitch and that roadie prick that kept following us all week.
I mean who uses a blinky on the trail. During the day?
Then Mitch and I hunted down other sunset spots.
Just a couple of dudes in matching t-shirts watching the sunset together.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
You know, we rode bikes again.
A different take exploring some more of the western trails.
Apparently I was in a vortex when I took this one
Mitch and that roadie prick that kept following us all week.
I mean who uses a blinky on the trail. During the day?
Then Mitch and I hunted down other sunset spots.
Just a couple of dudes in matching t-shirts watching the sunset together.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Oh, I almost forgot a bit of color commentary from Day 6-
This one goes out to @extremedave who is a big fan of the new and exciting ways I find to break stuff.
So Mitch and I are finishing up what will be our last ride of the trip.
We stop at a creek crossing, and try to figure out the best route across.
As we get ready to roll,
I try to backpedal to get my foot in position- no dice.
Huh. Maybe I borked the freehub?
Wouldn't be the first time,
though this wasn't preceded by the slipping of pawls and grunch that I would have expected.
Whatever.
We happen to be near the road, so I gimp out and we make our way to the car.
As I'm riding, I am made full aware of how stupid of an idea a fixie is,
especially on a FS.
I get the bike back to the shop, and tell them I think the freehub died.
Guy looks it over and points out that no,
I had broken a spoke and then wrapped it around the hub thus seizing the cassette.
Add that to the list Dave.
Sedona Day 7:
This is it, the final day for our full group,
though some had the foresight to schedule their flights with snowmageddon
and would be able to extend their trip in the sunny southwest.
After 7 days, here we are- all still smiling.
Fun trip, fun group and good times.
Before we split up, we make one last group stop at In-N-Out Burger in Phoenix for breakfast.
Luke schools us in how to order- Garanimal is the style of the day.
I want to eat you like an animal....
Double-double animal style.
Great way to start the day.
Then Mitch and I have adventures at the airport and make our way home...
/The end.
This one goes out to @extremedave who is a big fan of the new and exciting ways I find to break stuff.
So Mitch and I are finishing up what will be our last ride of the trip.
We stop at a creek crossing, and try to figure out the best route across.
As we get ready to roll,
I try to backpedal to get my foot in position- no dice.
Huh. Maybe I borked the freehub?
Wouldn't be the first time,
though this wasn't preceded by the slipping of pawls and grunch that I would have expected.
Whatever.
We happen to be near the road, so I gimp out and we make our way to the car.
As I'm riding, I am made full aware of how stupid of an idea a fixie is,
especially on a FS.
I get the bike back to the shop, and tell them I think the freehub died.
Guy looks it over and points out that no,
I had broken a spoke and then wrapped it around the hub thus seizing the cassette.
Add that to the list Dave.
Sedona Day 7:
This is it, the final day for our full group,
though some had the foresight to schedule their flights with snowmageddon
and would be able to extend their trip in the sunny southwest.
After 7 days, here we are- all still smiling.
Fun trip, fun group and good times.
Before we split up, we make one last group stop at In-N-Out Burger in Phoenix for breakfast.
Luke schools us in how to order- Garanimal is the style of the day.
I want to eat you like an animal....
Double-double animal style.
Great way to start the day.
Then Mitch and I have adventures at the airport and make our way home...
/The end.
gtluke
The Moped
DAY 6
Wake up and head out alone, because my team mates hate me.
After about an hour of climbing on roads, jeep roads, slick rock, I got to some pretty sweet areas.
CAUTION IS A WORD THAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND
It just keeps going up, and up, and up.
And you get to fall and slide down this sweet hill of you F it up
I find some people dying. probably canadians
Things start getting dicey. See, if you blow any of these turns you die. Well probably not, but you will probably side down this hill for a while, lose your bike, and be pretty f'd up
It's actually really narrow
Once that is done, the ride gets impossible for me. I'm not afraid of heights but this was madness.
You're supposed to ride down this. There is a trail marker right by my back tire. Yeah, no F'ing way I'm riding down that.
Once I started moving again I got to a clearing and it was beautiful. I didn't stop to take pictures, I just took it all in.
Then as I'm passing a group of bikers some guy is like "hey do you know @Robin Dunn?"
I'm like, what in the F? And stop for a minute and chit chat with a really nice guy who knows Robins from Philadelphia. I finish the hard stuff, and sit under a tree for a bit and eat lunch and chat up Robin.
Start on again, and decide to go down this 6 mile black diamond descent that ended at a river crossing. It was great, and down by the river the rocks totally changed, there were trees, and I forgot to take any pictures.
I did get to the river crossing and it was DEATH. It was certain death if you tried to cross. I did try to cross at a very slow moving section after searching around for 45 minutes but it quickly got up to my chest and was FREEZING and I wasnt' even close to 1/4 way across. Oh well.
So I had to climb back out of that 6 mile descent. OMG. Okay it wasn't that bad. After getting to the top there was a car road I could cross. Here's a pic, you can see the trail below. That's where I was 6 miles ago. What a suck.
Climbed a rocky jeep road for another hour, all the way out to the top of Teacup and then back. Teacup was fantastic.
So was this sinkhole.
Finished up riding, I think I got 35 miles or something and then headed into town and found everyone drunk at a bar.
Wake up and head out alone, because my team mates hate me.
After about an hour of climbing on roads, jeep roads, slick rock, I got to some pretty sweet areas.
CAUTION IS A WORD THAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND
It just keeps going up, and up, and up.
And you get to fall and slide down this sweet hill of you F it up
I find some people dying. probably canadians
Things start getting dicey. See, if you blow any of these turns you die. Well probably not, but you will probably side down this hill for a while, lose your bike, and be pretty f'd up
It's actually really narrow
Once that is done, the ride gets impossible for me. I'm not afraid of heights but this was madness.
You're supposed to ride down this. There is a trail marker right by my back tire. Yeah, no F'ing way I'm riding down that.
Once I started moving again I got to a clearing and it was beautiful. I didn't stop to take pictures, I just took it all in.
Then as I'm passing a group of bikers some guy is like "hey do you know @Robin Dunn?"
I'm like, what in the F? And stop for a minute and chit chat with a really nice guy who knows Robins from Philadelphia. I finish the hard stuff, and sit under a tree for a bit and eat lunch and chat up Robin.
Start on again, and decide to go down this 6 mile black diamond descent that ended at a river crossing. It was great, and down by the river the rocks totally changed, there were trees, and I forgot to take any pictures.
I did get to the river crossing and it was DEATH. It was certain death if you tried to cross. I did try to cross at a very slow moving section after searching around for 45 minutes but it quickly got up to my chest and was FREEZING and I wasnt' even close to 1/4 way across. Oh well.
So I had to climb back out of that 6 mile descent. OMG. Okay it wasn't that bad. After getting to the top there was a car road I could cross. Here's a pic, you can see the trail below. That's where I was 6 miles ago. What a suck.
Climbed a rocky jeep road for another hour, all the way out to the top of Teacup and then back. Teacup was fantastic.
So was this sinkhole.
Finished up riding, I think I got 35 miles or something and then headed into town and found everyone drunk at a bar.
