Zack 54
Well-Known Member
Epic views of trails and mountains! You must really enjoy those mountains, trails and conditions!
Mountain, Cross and Shuffleboard Nats
- Thread starter pixychick
- Start date
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Uhmm, but was there any big, heavy rock moving requiring the use of a come-along, Art style?
No big rock moving, but there was some medium/small rock moving and some rock smashing.
Yes, weather and scenery is outstanding. All so different than back east. I feel fortunate to be able to experience two different places.
A few days late, but Happy New Year to all my MTBNJ friends!
So, it does rain in the desert, and we had about an inch of rain at our house, but probably more plus snow up high. The deset seems happy.
We had visitors, some of which did not bike so we ended ended up off the bike for 3 days during the rain. The big wash across our street is running but we have been able to get out from the house by using the bridge. Trails are in great shape.
Today was Art's birthday so we rode Starr Pass trails and got to ride the trail we worked on a week ago. It was awesome! Pima county has done a great job expanding this park. From a once boring system of washed out sandy trails in washes to a sidehill trail system full of rock chunk goodness. If you are ever in Tucson, I highly recommend a ride at Starr.
So, it does rain in the desert, and we had about an inch of rain at our house, but probably more plus snow up high. The deset seems happy.
We had visitors, some of which did not bike so we ended ended up off the bike for 3 days during the rain. The big wash across our street is running but we have been able to get out from the house by using the bridge. Trails are in great shape.
Today was Art's birthday so we rode Starr Pass trails and got to ride the trail we worked on a week ago. It was awesome! Pima county has done a great job expanding this park. From a once boring system of washed out sandy trails in washes to a sidehill trail system full of rock chunk goodness. If you are ever in Tucson, I highly recommend a ride at Starr.
With warm temps, I spent the last few days working in the garden. I wanted to do a second major weed out to prep for wild flower seeds ( lupine, penstemon and poppies ) that are starting to come up. I also got "Thunderdome" ready for more veggies. There is some lettuce, herbs and strawberries going now, but vegetable seedlings that are started indoors, will be added later when it warms up a bit more.
We also decided to prune our big bougainvillea. We had only been doing a small amount of pruning each fall. The plant does not go dormant in most winters, so it is huge! With all the thorns we needed to chop it up and bag it in feed bags so we can transport it to the dump. There are a few times that a pick-up would come in handy, but with only the van, we improvise. So, the bush is looking thin right now, but hopefully it will bounce back and bloom in spring.
No riding today as neither of us felt like it. I guess being retired allows us to be lazy, or I like to think of it as cross training in the garden. As much I love to ride my bike, I need a change now and then. Hopefully a nice ride tomorrow!
We also decided to prune our big bougainvillea. We had only been doing a small amount of pruning each fall. The plant does not go dormant in most winters, so it is huge! With all the thorns we needed to chop it up and bag it in feed bags so we can transport it to the dump. There are a few times that a pick-up would come in handy, but with only the van, we improvise. So, the bush is looking thin right now, but hopefully it will bounce back and bloom in spring.
No riding today as neither of us felt like it. I guess being retired allows us to be lazy, or I like to think of it as cross training in the garden. As much I love to ride my bike, I need a change now and then. Hopefully a nice ride tomorrow!
Guess what? .... It's raining in Tucson again. This time it is supposed to rain for three days. Well, I am stocked on provisions in case the wash runs more and locks me
in. ... and I did a major ride yesterday so I am good for a few days off the bike while I sit in the house for 3 days.
Yesterdays ride: Eric (trail builder from Sterling) was in town on his way to a job in San Diego, and we got together for a ride. I had been hearing a bunch of hype about Hawes Trail System in Mesa and wanted to check it out. There is so much building going on that the rumors were that trail forks is not up to date because of new trails going in every week. All this true as we passed multiple re-routes and new lines. The place is amazing! Really fun trails, however many of them are really steep. So steep with loose over hard that I was fighting for traction more than 50% of the time, which is not my favorite. That being said, I did manage to make it up to the popular epic descent lines and the one we did was indeed epic. I think it was called Red Mountain Rush. Pretty cool momentum stuff and real swoopy with many undulations. All this very impressive from a trail building perspective as well as fun to ride. I would go back to this place for sure, but hopefully not on a weekend. It was very crowded.
I did not take any pictures riding. Riding pictures here supplied by Eric. Notice how far back Art is stopped from the edge. He is still not over falling off that cliff back in Ringwood last August.
My little vegetable plants have sprouted! Cold weather coming next week. I will need to keep them indoors for another 4 weeks or so.
in. ... and I did a major ride yesterday so I am good for a few days off the bike while I sit in the house for 3 days.
Yesterdays ride: Eric (trail builder from Sterling) was in town on his way to a job in San Diego, and we got together for a ride. I had been hearing a bunch of hype about Hawes Trail System in Mesa and wanted to check it out. There is so much building going on that the rumors were that trail forks is not up to date because of new trails going in every week. All this true as we passed multiple re-routes and new lines. The place is amazing! Really fun trails, however many of them are really steep. So steep with loose over hard that I was fighting for traction more than 50% of the time, which is not my favorite. That being said, I did manage to make it up to the popular epic descent lines and the one we did was indeed epic. I think it was called Red Mountain Rush. Pretty cool momentum stuff and real swoopy with many undulations. All this very impressive from a trail building perspective as well as fun to ride. I would go back to this place for sure, but hopefully not on a weekend. It was very crowded.
I did not take any pictures riding. Riding pictures here supplied by Eric. Notice how far back Art is stopped from the edge. He is still not over falling off that cliff back in Ringwood last August.
My little vegetable plants have sprouted! Cold weather coming next week. I will need to keep them indoors for another 4 weeks or so.
We had 1.75 inches of rain which is pretty good. Today both washes are running, and the more local one has breached it's banks near the road, flooding the road. I do not think it is real deep, but the sand is soft. We saw a 4WD truck go out, but we will not cross just yet with the van. Hopefully, the local wash will go down in the next few days.
After cleaning house, I moved to finish a painting that I started a few years ago. That is done and I have started another, but now I am out of blue paint. So until UPS or I can get across the wash, painting is on hold. I will try a ride tomorrow. My walk today proved that trails are already firm. Sun is out and that is always nice!
After cleaning house, I moved to finish a painting that I started a few years ago. That is done and I have started another, but now I am out of blue paint. So until UPS or I can get across the wash, painting is on hold. I will try a ride tomorrow. My walk today proved that trails are already firm. Sun is out and that is always nice!
It is almost a week since my last post when we were trapped from Dodge wash running across our street. We got across the next day with no problem, and it has since dried up. However, CDO wash, which has an emergency bridge, is still ripping. That may run for a month. I am glad to be on the trails side of that wash because CDO is too strong to ride a bike across.
It has been fairly cold, in Arizona terms over the past week. We even got a dusting of snow one morning. Last night went down to 28 degrees and daytime highs have been in the 40's some days. Thankfully the sun usually warms things up a bit. One day we did an afternoon ride downtown at Starr which was much warmer, but in general it has been on the cool side, and we need to dress more for light winter riding. I am not in love with the cold, so I have been riding less and not doing much yard work other than covering/uncovering plants with frost cloth and filling/defrosting hummingbird feeders. As much as I hate to take time off from outdoor stuff, this seems to be the right time for me to do so. The great thing about Arizona, if it feels like winter, you do not have to wait too long for it to feel like spring.
It has been fairly cold, in Arizona terms over the past week. We even got a dusting of snow one morning. Last night went down to 28 degrees and daytime highs have been in the 40's some days. Thankfully the sun usually warms things up a bit. One day we did an afternoon ride downtown at Starr which was much warmer, but in general it has been on the cool side, and we need to dress more for light winter riding. I am not in love with the cold, so I have been riding less and not doing much yard work other than covering/uncovering plants with frost cloth and filling/defrosting hummingbird feeders. As much as I hate to take time off from outdoor stuff, this seems to be the right time for me to do so. The great thing about Arizona, if it feels like winter, you do not have to wait too long for it to feel like spring.
After a really cold week, we finally had some warm days. It felt great to ride in shorts and short sleeves. I had a friend visiting from California and I am glad she got a few warm days before she had to head back. We rode almost every day she was here so I had a pretty good sampling of the local trails over the past week. I am pretty tired today.
While we still may have a few more cold days, it is nice to see flowers starting to emerge. I feel like spring is getting close.
While we still may have a few more cold days, it is nice to see flowers starting to emerge. I feel like spring is getting close.
Art spent the last week helping our neighbor by installing a pocket door and mini kitchenette in a spare set of bed rooms in their home. They do B&B quests and wanted to separate a suite from their living space. We used to stay with them before we bought our house. They have an awesome property, close to trails and filled with wildlife. If any NJ people are looking for some sunshine, this place is down the rd from us and we would gladly share bike intel and possibly a tour. You can book through ABNB or directly through our neighbors, just pm me for more info.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Is it pet friendly? Bailey sheds like there's no tomorrow...
That is a good question and unfortunately they do not allow pets because of the wildlife. Coyote and rattlesnake visit the property on a regular basis. Javelina, bobcat, great horned owls, harris hawks and many other birds live there and are easily spooked or killed by pets.
Yesterday was a great day. I did not ride, but the sun was out and for some reason I was feeling really happy. Something that may have sparked that feeling was noticing on facebook that XC Nationals was going back to Bear Creek Pa for the next few years. Maybe it was digging up good memories, or just possibly considering to race again, even if was for just a moment. I am not saying that I plan to race again, but I may just let that tought sink in for a bit.
This morning was going as expected, and then I heard a not so good sound: single cattle in distress. I look out the window and see that a young cattle was in our lower yard. We opened the gate and chased him out but I noticed his nose was all bloody. When we did our fence line inspection, we found a tuft of brown hair. He must have squeezed through the fence stretching it and cut his nose on the barbs. Luckily he did not eat much, so only a quick fence repair was needed. My flowers live on to bloom!
This morning was going as expected, and then I heard a not so good sound: single cattle in distress. I look out the window and see that a young cattle was in our lower yard. We opened the gate and chased him out but I noticed his nose was all bloody. When we did our fence line inspection, we found a tuft of brown hair. He must have squeezed through the fence stretching it and cut his nose on the barbs. Luckily he did not eat much, so only a quick fence repair was needed. My flowers live on to bloom!
I was visiting my parents two weeks ago, just south of you in Green Valley. Very short trip so no biking 
I saw these havallinas (not sure if that is the correct term) in my parents yard. Cross between a boar, a pig and a guinea pig? Do you encounter them on the trails? This guy was brazen, but the female and kids were more skittish.
I saw these havallinas (not sure if that is the correct term) in my parents yard. Cross between a boar, a pig and a guinea pig? Do you encounter them on the trails? This guy was brazen, but the female and kids were more skittish.
Yes, we have javelinas. They visit us many nights looking for food, but not seen as much during the day. However I have seen them a few times on the trail, but more often in neighborhoods looking for food.I was visiting my parents two weeks ago, just south of you in Green Valley. Very short trip so no biking
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We have had a couple real nice days. Yesterday it got up to 70 degrees. It felt great to get out and ride in warm weather. Friday we rode with some friends at Honeybee and did 27 miles. I was surprised how well I hung in for my first 3 hour ride of the season. Even if it was just a taste, it was nice to have some spring like weather. Today it is raining and cool with colder temps/rain/snow happening until Friday.
We just got a hole in the clouds and the sun came out. I will try to get some more pictures up soon.
We just got a hole in the clouds and the sun came out. I will try to get some more pictures up soon.
Tucson received .33 of rain and sleet in the last 24 hours. That should help for wildflower season. The mountains are re-dusted with snow again which always looks beautiful. Trails should dry out by noon if they aren't already dry. I am just waiting for it to hit 50 degrees. I may just get on the bike soon and wear an extra layer. Today is my ride day and tomorrow it may not get above 45.
Coopers hawk is in our yard everyday at least once. Well, I think it is the same one, but we may have several, as yesterday I saw two in flight. There could be courting going on or just defending territory. Not sure. Yesterday one sat on our wall staring at the ground for an hour. Apparently there is a hole in the wall near the ground that an antelope squirrel uses. The hawk got on the ground at one point and looked into the hole. I think the squirrel got away, but the hawk was not over trying to catch him.
The other day while riding, Art saw a Harris hawk fly across in front of him with a rabbit in his talons. It flew to a nearby tree to meet another harris hawk. Harris hawks hunt on the ground with family members using triangulation. Amazing creatures as are the hummingbirds!
Coopers hawk is in our yard everyday at least once. Well, I think it is the same one, but we may have several, as yesterday I saw two in flight. There could be courting going on or just defending territory. Not sure. Yesterday one sat on our wall staring at the ground for an hour. Apparently there is a hole in the wall near the ground that an antelope squirrel uses. The hawk got on the ground at one point and looked into the hole. I think the squirrel got away, but the hawk was not over trying to catch him.
The other day while riding, Art saw a Harris hawk fly across in front of him with a rabbit in his talons. It flew to a nearby tree to meet another harris hawk. Harris hawks hunt on the ground with family members using triangulation. Amazing creatures as are the hummingbirds!
