onetracker
Well-Known Member
Cool. I have used Expedia desktop but not the mobile app. I will give it a shot. Enjoy AZ!!
Mountain, Cross and Shuffleboard Nats
- Thread starter pixychick
- Start date
It is good to be back living under big skies and big mountains. As usual, the gardens and trees are overgrown. Some plants did not make it through the summer, but I do have tangerines and they are gigantic ! They are just starting to turn orange. One day of yard work and my back is already feeling vulnerable. As temping as it is to jump right in and do it all, I need to pace myself. I keep telling myself that I am retired. I worked all day yesterday and today I will ride and shop instead of work. Weather does not suck.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Looking at those pictures I feel super jealous! I always loved the pueblo style architecture, if that is what it is. I wish you and Art a great time down there!
It has been summer-like conditions. Winter has not yet arrived here in AZ. I have been weeding my gardens with caution as snakes may still be out. Usually a heavy pre water will flush them out or at least get the rattlers rattling. I have yet to see a rattler in my gardens, but that does not mean they could not be there. Sipping my wine last night, I noticed a green lemon on my lemon tree. After a closer look, I found seven. ... yay! This will be first fruit on this tree since planted. I have one of 3 gardens weeded out.
Today Art and I took the tandem out on the loop for an easy spin after the Home Depot shop. We pick up the loop from HD parking lot. It is quite pleasant on the loop: mostly flat and along green spaces. Got in about 30 miles with one 5 mile uphill grind on a connecting road to complete this loop. You could ride for several hundred miles on bike paths with only a few connectors on roads. Tucson has an amazing bike path system.
Today Art and I took the tandem out on the loop for an easy spin after the Home Depot shop. We pick up the loop from HD parking lot. It is quite pleasant on the loop: mostly flat and along green spaces. Got in about 30 miles with one 5 mile uphill grind on a connecting road to complete this loop. You could ride for several hundred miles on bike paths with only a few connectors on roads. Tucson has an amazing bike path system.
Well, there is traffic like everywhere else. No need to ride a road bike on the road much. Miles of bike paths. When you do ride on roads, people do not seem to be in a rush like NJ, however it is open carry so do all at your own risk of being shot by a cowboy.
Art and I did a ride with some friends and checked out some new trails earlier this week. There has been a bunch of new trails built at Starr Pass over the past 4 years and that whole system has been transformed. What was mostly sandy roads, is now now chunky side hill single track trail through nice scenery. At the southern trail head, a complete new system was added called enchanted hills. I rode some of it last spring and now it is complete with an additional connection to Kennedy Park and Robles. The few connectors make for many more loop possibilities. Good stuff. I was pleasantly surprised to feel good for most of a 2.5 hour ride.
Today we did a short ride from home on our local trails. Since last year, a piece of property had been fenced in for development right on our access to our local trails. It looked like they were leaving an easement but not where our trail was before. Anyhow, we ran into the owner today and had a nice chat. It looks like we will be able to to access through the easement or the next property. He seemed like a nice guy and open to people getting on to public land to enjoy nature. It was actually nice to see a new neighbor that protected nature and not just scrape a plot and built a house. The natural landscape in this area is full of ravines that collect water run off. There is nice vegetation and ancient junipers. The only problem is the cattle eat everything, so the more people that preserve their property naturally and fence the cattle out, preserve the natural vegetation and the animals that survive around that vegetation.
Speaking of critters, we have a raccoon family living on our property. They hang out in a tree, on our roof and raid our hummingbird feeders. We also have a rabid skunk. We try to stay clear of him. Yesterday he strolled right by our table at lunch, oblivious to us. He is pretty skinny and mangy looking. Maybe an owl will eat him. Hummingbirds are as crazy as ever. Feeders empty every day. I buy sugar 4 bags at a time. I am falling behind on pictures, but maybe take some tomorrow.
Today we did a short ride from home on our local trails. Since last year, a piece of property had been fenced in for development right on our access to our local trails. It looked like they were leaving an easement but not where our trail was before. Anyhow, we ran into the owner today and had a nice chat. It looks like we will be able to to access through the easement or the next property. He seemed like a nice guy and open to people getting on to public land to enjoy nature. It was actually nice to see a new neighbor that protected nature and not just scrape a plot and built a house. The natural landscape in this area is full of ravines that collect water run off. There is nice vegetation and ancient junipers. The only problem is the cattle eat everything, so the more people that preserve their property naturally and fence the cattle out, preserve the natural vegetation and the animals that survive around that vegetation.
Speaking of critters, we have a raccoon family living on our property. They hang out in a tree, on our roof and raid our hummingbird feeders. We also have a rabid skunk. We try to stay clear of him. Yesterday he strolled right by our table at lunch, oblivious to us. He is pretty skinny and mangy looking. Maybe an owl will eat him. Hummingbirds are as crazy as ever. Feeders empty every day. I buy sugar 4 bags at a time. I am falling behind on pictures, but maybe take some tomorrow.
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Finally big rains have rolled in. Rain has been needed as last summers monsoon did not bring all that much rain to the Tucson area. We just got a half an inch in a few hours and showers and T storms may be around for 3 days. It is possible for rain and clouds to hang up on the mountains and drop inches of rain that do not fall on the city. Sometimes we get those hung showers at our house and local trails. Art and I were happy to get out for a ride this morning before it all came in. It also was a shit fest, literally. Ranchers were doing a round up, which results in stressed out pooping cows on the move. They use a helicopter in addition to the men on horses. I had to wash my bike when I got back.
I stocked up on food, wine, beer, birdseed and sugar yesterday incase the wash runs and we get stuck at our house for a few days. I do not want to carry 80 pounds of supplies up our hill. Art also picked up 20 blocks and 15 bags of concrete to start wall work. He needs to stay in shape for trail building.
Once the rain moves out, he is ready to work.
I stocked up on food, wine, beer, birdseed and sugar yesterday incase the wash runs and we get stuck at our house for a few days. I do not want to carry 80 pounds of supplies up our hill. Art also picked up 20 blocks and 15 bags of concrete to start wall work. He needs to stay in shape for trail building.
Once the rain moves out, he is ready to work.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
That looks like the greatest location for a bike shop ever...minus the cactus!
Yes it is nice to work outside. However, bike shop is closed for several day because of rain.
Three days and 2.6 inches of rain so far. Not constant rain, so able to get outside some. Actually, if this was back east, people would be riding like usual. Check out the ruts on our road. The roads only get graded after rain, so a special time is coming : .... smooth road for a week. Feeling a touch of cabin fever. Art and I walked to get the mail yesterday during a lull in the rain. 2.6 mile walk to mail box. You always get to see more when walking.
Arizona winter is finally here. Cooler temps and more rain on the way. We got out on our local free ride trails a few days ago. There were some steeps, slick rock, hike a bikes and some great views.
Art cut down one of the four agave stalks in our yard and made a very festive arizona style christmas tree. Time to get cooking for tomorrow. ..... Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving!
Art cut down one of the four agave stalks in our yard and made a very festive arizona style christmas tree. Time to get cooking for tomorrow. ..... Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving!
A few days of rain has the wash running and a dusting of snow above 6500 feet. Picture from the bridge of the road where it crosses the wash. Yesterday, we drove through with no problem. The weather has been pretty ideal for riding. great trail conditions and high temps near 60. Wish I could ride more, but I have not been feeling great. Not sure why, but I have been flat on the bike and seem to bonk after an hour. Good news is that I feel pretty good doing yard work. Art purchased 18 80 pound bags of concrete yesterday, so he is getting his retirement work out as well.
I have been admiring all the winter wonderland pictures from back in NJ/NY. I do not miss the cold, but I do miss XC skiing and snow. Well, you need cold for snow, so I am here in AZ.
We took a complete day off yard work and did a ride at Honeybee today. Honeybee is a crazy popular place, for a place that is, in my opinion, borderline boring. It is only 10 minutes from my house, so it is a nice change of scenery for a short commute. I did more pedaling today today than I have in done in a while: 26 miles and close to 3 hours ... very little coasting. This type of riding reminds me how much of a lazy ass tech slave I can be. Weather was PERFECT and while there were times my attention span was tested, I rallied and could not help but enjoy this amazing beautiful day. It is nice to be retired and not to be training or racing, just out enjoying my day.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain. The prediction of rain keeps going down and some how, I think it will end up not raining again. My house is dirty and I have some errands to run. All things I have been saving for that rainy day that never comes. I am glad for the longer ride today as the need to rest will keep me focused on my rainy day projects, even if it does not rain.
We took a complete day off yard work and did a ride at Honeybee today. Honeybee is a crazy popular place, for a place that is, in my opinion, borderline boring. It is only 10 minutes from my house, so it is a nice change of scenery for a short commute. I did more pedaling today today than I have in done in a while: 26 miles and close to 3 hours ... very little coasting. This type of riding reminds me how much of a lazy ass tech slave I can be. Weather was PERFECT and while there were times my attention span was tested, I rallied and could not help but enjoy this amazing beautiful day. It is nice to be retired and not to be training or racing, just out enjoying my day.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain. The prediction of rain keeps going down and some how, I think it will end up not raining again. My house is dirty and I have some errands to run. All things I have been saving for that rainy day that never comes. I am glad for the longer ride today as the need to rest will keep me focused on my rainy day projects, even if it does not rain.
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Starr Pass ride today. While it is almost an hour drive from the house, this place is the closest to back home in terms of rocks. It is a bit chunky and entertaining. New stuff being built each year, so trail inventory growing. Today we did only prime stuff and got over 1.5 hours with out much crossover. Bonus is that a recycling center that takes glass is near to trail head. When our glass bin gets full ... time to ride Starr Pass.
