Sedona, popular destination.

Early May called and Sedona was the answer. Photos have been sitting awaiting the light of day, or the internet, in this case. Made a quick run up I-17 and exited heading towards the red rocks. The hedgehog cactus were blooming, breeze was blowing, and Oak Creek was flowing.

A good day indeed.

The Bridge

Dog with tail wagging, smiles on faces, and I have my Sedona camo shirt. A good start to a trip indeed.

The trip starts after breakfast, and a bit of a drive up I-17 brings us to the Red Rock district of the Coconino National Forest. A little tailgate lunch and an application of sunscreen allows the mother to feel confident the adventure is ready to begin.

Devil's Bridge is our goal today, and after a bumpy ride along a Forest Service Road, we reach the trailhead.

The girls take a quick break under a ledge. Layer upon later of sedimentary sandstone of the Schnebly Hill formation.

We make it to the first ledge, that first step is a doozy, just a wee bit of scrambling.

And, the Bridge.

We sit for awhile, partake of some snacks, mostly reminiscent of nutty date things. Then take a walk back down the trail, to see the underbelly of this bridge beast thing -

And whilst in the bowels of the bridge, a certain thought occurs as the landscape and textures change - Planet Crematoria?  If I had this place and....

Good little hike.

Now, the sustenance. Thai food is the desire, and Thai Spices is the fulfiller of those desires. Mmmm Panang curry while tailgating, now that's livin'. And the backseat says it was a day well lived.

Sedona, too?

Singletrack Celebration was taking place in Sedona, so we looked to demo some bikes. Another trip up I-17 and a stop at Over the Edge Bikes. I met Mike on the AZSF ride, super cool. Great shop. Stop there if in town. Anyway, the Rocky Mountain demo van was at OTE, so we checked out a couple 29'ers, the Element and the Altitude. Rode up the trail Tea Cup then over to Soldier Pass.

Mark checking out a drop, his words "these big wheels are gonna makes us do something stupid".  Well, looks roll-able, and it was. Those big wheels do roll nicely.

and one of me, from a different angle, making it look not so intimidating.

Another good day on bikes. But then, those days are always good. End up at Oak Creek Brewery for some pizza, second floor bar, and snow on distant mesas - awesome.

Red Rocks

Arizona Spring Fling. Sedona. Vortexes. Crystals.
All that is Sedona and word associations? Nah. Not really. But there are some pretty good trails there, and many I haven't ridden. AZSF provided a good enough excuse to make a run up I-17 and join some other like minded individuals to turn some pedals.

About an hour into the ride, we set about crossing Oak Creek. It's low enough not to test the efficacy of your  life insurance, but high enough to warrant a doff-ing of the shoes.

Hop, Skip, and a Jump,

With the warm spring, some cactus are showing their colors, and attempting the restart of the life cycle. And, I think, doing it quite successfully.

Some classic Sedona views.

Oh, and that middle photo, that's George. He's 71. Still ridin'. Livin' Life Large, Always.

About 4 hours on trail, a little over 3.5 riding, makes for a good day. In fact, another good day in a stream of good days. But, it also makes the body want some food. Packed up, and we head down the road. A little hand painted sign tells of some smoked goodness, Texas BBQ. The air, it says make sure you follow your nose.

BBQ and lime marinated onions. Wow. Quite the day.

Spring Fling

Spring has sprung here in the desert southwest.  It's a chance to get out and for others to head to the warmth and expose some skin to the sun. It's an annual happening, in various forms, but generally takes the shape of Phoenix, Tucson, Phoenix, Sedona, Phoenix.  Each place gets a day to call it's own, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The numbers of riders vary and the types of rides range from full on Stormtrooper to happily gazing at flowers.
Saturday I was able to join the roving circus and Saturday means Sedona.  traildoc lead a group on a "different" ride, West Sedonuts.  Saturday dawned early, pancakes and eggs filled the fuel tank for a perceived long day and the new Linkin Park was spinning in the player. The high clouds overhead said a cool day, which sounds like fantastic biking conditions.
Our meetup was in West Sedona, at 900, ride at 930.  From the forums, it didn't sound like many were attending this ride.  That assumption was proved wrong by 915.  About 25 people were there ready to ride.  About 20 miles and 4 hours later we emerged from the red rocks.  Good times and great trails.

A ride, recently.

Sedona. Last time ridden, Spring Fling. Needed another run. So, negotiations were commenced, souls were sold, or something like that. Phoenix was forecast for over 100, Flag was to have a low of 35. Sedona, meet in the middle. Up I-17 we went.

At the Sedona exit, we spy some odd white items on a trailer. We all look at each other, and agree, yes, we’re stoppin’.

Two blades, for a wind turbine placed somewhere else. Stepped them off, 90 feet give or take. Big. Swingin’ 180 feet plus, Wow.

Start at the IGA parking lot, head up school house road.

Ah, what a day for a ride. And then near disaster strikes. A broken saddle rail. Fortunately, we can slide it ahead slightly and continue.

A hike-a-bike along Buddha Beach, quite idyllic actually.

And then, a little playtime. Many hits, many retries, oops, shutter too early, oops, shutter too late. All that meant was, we get to ride and play more!

Templeton Trail and the beginnings of fall colors.

Good times, good times, sweaty gloves, red dirt, margaritas.