Mountain, Cross and Shuffleboard Nats

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Cool! I went to Jockey Hill years ago with friends who knew it very well. Back then the map was super top secret. I see that there is a public map now available. Hard to find your way around? Anything blazed (back years ago I do not remember seeing any blazes)? Thoughts? Thanks!!!
We were given a tour so not sure how hard is is follow maps or trail forks. Most the trails were signed, well, the new stuff. The old stuff did not have signs but had names on trail forks. That being said, the people that gave us a tour said they get lost sometimes. There are two sections and a road that intersects, so if you get lost, you can usually find your way eventually.
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
No pictures today, but Art and I got some more repair work done today on race trail. We are currently working our way towards Shepherd Lake. It is coming along great, and we are almost ready to dial in our next re-route before braking ground. The next section is looking to have some awesome b line options.

Sunday I went out with a small group of friends and did an easy short ride in memory of my friend that just passed away. It was good for us to connect and take a few moments to remember her life and love of mountain biking in her favorite woods. I think she would have loved this ride, if she was still with us. I also think we all will think of her when on these trails in the future. Although the day had some sad moments, there were many smiles.
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
What a beautiful Labor Day weekend we have been having! Four days on the bike for me and I had to take a rest today. It just is so nice to be outside the last few days. I got up to Elm Ridge to ride yesterday. This was my first time up there in that park. It was fun, but not as good as some of the reviews I have been getting. I may have done too many trails backwards, which in itself is an annoying thing about one way preferred trails the first time riding. However, it way a fantastic day of riding within 2 hours of home. The Catskills are also beautiful. I sense fall coming.

I found this mantis is my front garden today. She appeared to be looking at me and following my moves. ....Pretty cool.

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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
I love this time of year! I can sense summer winding down and with that, comes welcomed changes. A tree in my neighborhood has already changed colors. Hummingbird activity has slowed. I am not sure if they left and what I see is migration, or if just a few are finishing up their stay. This mornings ride had a nip to the air. That felt awesome!

I finally had my consultation with surgeon Specialist and she is confident that surgery is not needed at this time. That is a big load lifted off my mind. It now looks like I am cleared for travel and a winter away in Arizona. ...yay! Only 2 days on the bike this week, but they were great rides, so not too bad.

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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
So glad to finally see some blue sky after a few days of that upper level smoke. I never realized how connected I am to the having sun. What ever pushed out the smoke, brought in some cooler temps. This morning was a bit of a change suiting up to ride with arm warmers and an extra layer. I may have over done it with the layers, but the first cool day always feels like a shock. I saw that it may go down to 39 tonight. I still have a bunch of green tomatoes. I hope they survive.

This week I worked on double S trail over by 6 bridges. It is looking real good and I am about ready to walk away from that project and let the RTC guys finish the last of the finish work. Hopefully they will add a b line off that rock . I have been super wiped out this week. Probably take a week off work and maybe even the bike. I am hoping that when my energy comes back, I can get back to race course to work. It would be nice to get the next section in over there, before we head back to Az.

Yesterday I spotted the seasons first male wood duck on the pond. Males usually return in fall to court. I also saw a female hummingbird yesterday as well, so they are still passing through. I imagine another week or so and they will all be gone on their big journey. My friends in Az report extensive migration and creatures flocking into our yards for water and food. They have been feeding a Harris Hawk with a broken wing for 6 weeks and it is still alive. Harris hawks can hunt in groups. The broken winger has a family unit that helps her. Amazing creatures!

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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
We got over to double S trail to work yesterday and we re accessed the top part. With some bad feed back and doubts ourselves of the length of grades, we opted for a minor change. We got a bunch done, but will need to get back there once or twice more to complete. So race course is on hold for a week or so.

Weather has been awesome, but we really need rain. Ferns are finally browning out in spots. I am starting to feel more energetic as of yesterday. I starting taking iron supplements about 10 days ago, so maybe they are kicking in. I also have had some small portions of meat.


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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
A little rain over night and the woods are once again covered under a blanket of leaves. With all the planning and working, moving rocks, moving dirt and thinking that I have created something special in the world of mountain biking, the forest lets me know that I can not ever completely tame her. She displays her seasons regardless of me and my grand planning. I am humbled and so very grateful to be able to visit such a wonderful place.


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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
This morning when I got up, I came downstairs as usual, but something was different. The living room was flooded with light. Yes the sun was back out, but there was more. My shaded back yard was now open to the sky, and all the leaves were down. The next season is here and today's cooler temps remind me that I will soon be on my way back to Arizona. We do not have an exact exit plan other than vote, and make sure things look good to cross the country.

Trail work is complete and riding the last few days has been real nice. I have been trying to get out as much as weather and energy allows to get my NJ/NY trail fix. All the textures, tress, rocks, leaves, moss and smells will be all different in Arizona. AS much as I can miss our woods here, I will certainly embrace all the sunshine and warmer temps.

This year, I do not have the same excitement for leaving for AZ as in previous years. Not sure why. Maybe it's the whole covid thing. It certainly has been a weird year.
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
A little snow and a heavy frost has once again reminded me of where I want to go soon 🌞🌵. I bundled up this morning to go out for a ride and ended up getting rained on. It actually wasn't too bad and the trails were in pretty good shape after all the rain we had earlier this week. I saw a ton of people out riding today at Ringwood. I could complain about crowds, but it was actually kind of nice to see the variety: Newbies to hammerheads and 4 and 5 year olds and old folks. Considering the not so great weather, it was good to see people, most of whom were smiling, out enjoying the woods. ....All good!

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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
We decided to hit the road west on the Saturday after election day. The drive went pretty smoothly. We did it in 3.5 days, stopping to sleep near Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Las Cruces. Being that we brought all our own meals, we ended up ahead of schedule every day not needing to buy food or eat out. I think it was 11:30 am when we opened our front door in Tucson. This gave us a whole day to evict spiders and scorpions as well as unpack and clean. There was what looked like a lizard carcass hung up in a spider web by the back door. My friend left that one for us to see because it was so cool.

Because of the drought and heat this past summer, plants are looking extra stressed. Humidity is in the single digits, so I had to purchase a humidifier for the house. Dry is nice, but this dry can create some discomfort and congestion, especially when sleeping. At this point, I feel like I am a drinking machine. Anyway, it is good to be back. The sun feels wonderful!

I was surprised to see a few lemons and oranges on our trees. Most the fruit dropped before we left in June because of the unusual early heat. I was also surprised to see that the tomato plants were still giving fruit seven months later. Not sure if that is normal in AZ. I hope to grow more veggies and herbs this year.

As for riding, I have been out a few times, but not every day. My main bike was actually broken when I left NY, but I wanted GURU to do the work, so I came out with a broken bike. They were amazing and got that done in a few days. I thought I could use my hard tail or old 26" bikes, which live out here, but the brakes did not work, and were beyond Art getting to work. Anyway, I took a few days off the mountain bike. Hopefully I can get up on the trails behind my house this week.


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pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Life has been good in AZ. I have been on my bike at least every other day. Gardens are weeded out and I have added lettuce, arugula, romanesque broccoli and herbs to my shade house, which I call "Thunder dome". We have a scarlet crowned kinglet that flashes his crown daily in front of our bedroom window. He must see his reflection. The bird is common, but a crown sighting is rare. Still real dry out here with no sight of rain in the near future predictions. We certainly could use some this winter. It only rained 3 times since we left in June. Twice in July, which helped put out the fires and one other time the day before we arrived back a few weeks ago. Where water did run, the ground is black from soot wash. It looks a bit dead right now. Amazingly some plants still have green leaves.

I ended up getting a new DVO Sapphire fork. I plan to put it on my old pivot, but have it on my main bike now to try it out. I wanted to see how the 429 would ride with a plush 130mm fork. I slightly notice some flop when climbing, but not too bad. I have been dreaming of having a 130-140mm travel bike that weighs under 26 pounds. I do not think it exists, so this fork was my latest idea. At this point in my life, I would probably consider an e-bike before a 30 pound bike. I certainly am trying to keep it real, keep my self riding and healthy, so while an e-bike is tempting, I am not there yet.

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tankhead

Well-Known Member
I just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed the last two days reading through this entire thread. As a birder, nature lover, lover of the southwest, and landscaping, it has been a pleasant surprise to fine this outstanding portfolio of incredible pictures. Thanks so much for continuing this throughout the years. My wife and I are actively looking for properties in either AZ and NM for doing the same thing when I retire in 3.5 years. Your husband is so talented and I have been inspired to learn as much as I can about building and restoring structures. Incredible work. Bravo!!!
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Finally getting to put up some more pictures. Sunset, yes, another sunset. Temps down to 50 as a high today and strong cold winds out of the east. Birds feel winter coming as the feeders have been crazy busy. Hummingbird happy hour is all day long. Coopers hawk hunting every day.

Tuesday was the start of "the green new deal" in AZ ... legal recreation cannabis and legal growing of 6 plants per person. I had never considered growing before, but nice to know those doors are opening. I have used the oil on my neck, and it works really well. Anything natural for pain instead of drugs is a good thing. I hope this is the start of a chain that will lead to more research.


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