Our last day in Sedona we prepared to head further south. Our goal was to ride as much of the Black Canyon Trail as possible. Over the last few years some good folks have been building a point to point trail from near Prescott Arizona to what will surely be Phoenix in a few years, given the rate of sprawl. This gem of single track goodness flow's its way southward over roughly 69 miles of Senoran desert. It's a fantastic way to spend four good days in the saddle. Since much of the trail is still quite new, we were at a loss to find a good map. What we decided to do was make a written copy of the maps we found online. (we didn't have a printer) Eric spent two hours making one of the most detailed maps I've seen.
We awoke to cold, wind and rain. Arizona??? This was not in the plan. Luckily the trails down there get nothing but better with rain.
(pic above by Nancy Morlock) Dinka was not to be down hearted over the rain. She impatiently sat guarding the Hideaway while we finished getting ready to start the day.
The wind was still howling as we started the ride. Dramatic clouds streamed over the mountains, but for the time being we were dry. The truck grew smaller as we pedaled into the head wind. But even with a head wind the trail flowed so well we were all pretty stoked to be riding.
Some of us were still a little impatient...not naming any names.
Nancy found love along the way, but he turned out to be a real "prick."
As the miles rolled on I began to get chilled. Because it is NEVER cold in Arizona I had only brought my rain shell as a last resort if it did keep raining. It kept the wind out, but didn't release enough moisture. At lunch we stopped in a wash, out of the wind to warm a bit. I let my jacket air out, but my base layers were soaked with sweat. The wind and clouds continued to stream over the mountains to the west.
After about four hours a light descended from Heaven and there below, like a pot of gold, was the Hillbilly Hideaway! Look closely, (yea I know it's camo) a shining beacon filled with canned food!
I was seriously chilled after the ride, but I had left my hat and coat in the truck 20 miles away. Much to everyones enjoyment I improvised.
Knee pads make WARM hats!
We readied the dutch oven for a feast while the day's foreboding clouds turned warm and fuzzy. No phone service, no internet, just a crazy pink finale to an amazing day.
(photo above by Nancy Morlock)
