Everyday

AZ January

Mary Lynn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:31:45 +0000

Desert living is good. After much searching, Tim and I found the perfect trifecta – free peaceful, desert camping with killer sunsets, 5 bars of bandwidth, bike trails out the front door. Where does this seemingly impossible working mountain biker’s utopia exist? Just North of Tucson in an area called Old Pueblo there is a an annual 24 hour bike race. In these cactus covered foothills, bikers have developed over 25 miles of trails through AZ ranch pastures. Since it’s all public land, any one can camp for free with an Arizona State Lands permit. Here Tim and I settled in for 5 days of working and riding.

Brie and Auntie Me

Finally on Friday, we came out of the desert, cleaned off the sand, and went to town to see the Wilmore clan. We hooked up with Brett, Peg, Joe, Brittany, Timmy, SeungCheol (visiting foreign exchange student) and 2 of SeungCheol’s fellow students for a hike up to Bridal Veil Falls.

Douglas Springs

Hanging with Timmy in the desert

The day wrapped up with an insanely good meal at Takamatsu for Korean BBQ. SeungCheol and the boys did a lot of the ordering so we assured to have the best. Each table has a grill in the center where you grill your own meat and vegetables. At our table, Tim, Brittany and Bernie (Brie’s best buddy) got all-you-can-eat sushi, Joe and I grilled up ribeye, pork belly, and marinated pork with all the Korean fixin’s. We walked out stuffed. Once the kids settled in for the night, Brett, Peg, Tim and I decided the best way to top an night of BBQ was a visit to Dunkin’ Donuts for a donut and a coffee. All the calories burned during our week in the desert were replenished in one night. We topped the donuts with martinis at the Hideout. The bouncers were very pleased when we offered them donuts from our supply on our way out.

Next day we packed up to begin our drive North. Our ultimate destination is Park City for 429apalooza. We are taking the leisurely route, with a 4 day side trip to Scottsdale to see Ann and Scott. On our way, we stopped to take advantage of Scott’s Christmas present: one session for Tim and I in a Skydiving Simulation Chamber. Crazy. Thankfully we had an instructor in there with us or we’d have been blown through the roof!

Tim's heading up

and up...

My turn

We'll learn this trick on our next lesson

The next stop on the journey towards snow and ice was Friday night in Vegas. We had to stop in to place some Superbowl bets. We arrived to the Mandalay Bay parking lot at about 11 pm and walked into the casino. 5 hours later we returned to Frank only $30 dollars poorer (thanks to some offsetting wins at the black jack table), full of chicken and margs.

Vegas Stopover

Saturday morning, we hightailed it out of Vegas (1 night is enough!) and settled at our favorite camp spot outside of Hurricane. In 20 hours we managed to squeeze in 2 bike rides down the JEM trail before driving to SLC. We’ll spend the next 3 days with Jimmie and Keri Shell-Schwab before the 429ers arrive on Thursday. Thank you to the snow gods who are ensuring that it will once again be an epic weekend!

Posted from .

Golder Ranch Riding

Tim — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:05:18 +0000

Golder Ranch Riding, a photo by skibradshaw on Flickr.

Golder Ranch Riding

The Sandy Days of January

Mary Lynn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:49:47 +0000

Rincon Moonrise

Tim and I are hiding out in the Arizona Desert for January. Periodically joined by our fellow Jackson Hole winter escapee, Rob Gowler, we’ve explored the Black Canyon Trail, the Arizona Trail, the 50 Year Trail, Charouleau Gap and every Starbucks from Scottsdale to Tucson.

Chilly-Dipping 2012

Ringing in the New Year with Ann and Scott was the best way to start 2012. It goes without saying that we had to keep our midnight polar bear swim tradition alive. This year’s dip in the pool was at a frosty 45 degrees. It was a good thing that we’d saved that last bottle of champagne.

The Day After, a refreshing New Year's breakfast

Crab cakes and mimosas were the New Year’s morning menu after a big night before. We followed up this meal with black eye pea chili and spinach salad for our yearly dose of good luck, good health and much wealth. Not sure what you eat to ring in a new Sailboat. Tim and I will be munching on everything from kelp to sushi to bring this 2012 dream to life.

Let's Jamboree!

After a festive holiday, it was time to get down to biking business. We drove to Tucson to begin our month of pedaling. Verizon hasn’t seemed to become acquainted with Tucson though, so Tim and I spent as much time driving for cell service as we did on the saddle. While Rob relaxed at primo camping on Pistol Hill with7 bars of ATT “5G”, we drove 40 minutes into town each day for our daily blast of data.

If you’ve not driven in Tucson before everything is at least 20 minutes away. Mileage is inconsequential. Whether it’s across town or down the street. You’re in for at least 20 minutes behind the wheel. Convinced that there must be the perfect trifecta of biking/free camping/Verizon Bandwidth somewhere in town, Tim and I searched from the top of snow covered Mt. Lemmon to the dales of Vail.

With limited success through the week, we returned to Pistol Hill to meet up with Rob and Mike and celebrate the completion of the Arizona Trail with a 35 mile bike ride in the Arizona Trail Jamboree.

Shuttling to the Jamboree Start

Mike and Rob on chilly Saturday Morning

20 miles into a 35 mile ride. Now that's a rest station.

Relaxing over a Mesquite Grill on Pistol Hill

After great rides on Saturday, we drove into the wilderness once more to set up for the work week. This time we went North and found camping, cell service and riding just north of Catalina at Charouleau Gap. The trail head’s busy so we may not stay long, but it’s a good stopping point for now. And the view’s not shabby either.

Catalina Sunset

Posted from Tucson, Arizona, United States.

2012: A Good Start to the New Year

Tim — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:12:56 +0000

Not a bad New Year’s Day!

A Bike Ride:

A Tarheel Win:

Posted from .

75 and Sunny

Mary Lynn — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:10:04 +0000

After camping in 10 degrees on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, we were glad to come south to warmer weather. We drove to Scottsdale and parked Frank in downtown Old Town at Tim’s old friend Mike Aeed’s house. In the search for a place in Scottsdale that served a beer for less than $7.00, we wound up at the Tee Pee, a Scottsdale original, where the customers are local and the chile rellenos are as big as your head.

Wednesday, Tim and I joined Rob Gowler and Guy, Kristie and Nicolette Turck to set up camp at McDowell Mountain Regional Park just outside of Fountain Hills AZ for some sunny bike time.

Sonoran Singletrack

If you haven’t been to McDowell, it’s a treat. Bordered by 20 foot tall saguaro cacti, the bike trails are smooth, flowy and inviting for all skill levels. There’s miles of riding right from camp so there’s no excuses for not pedaling.

Tim and I have camped here before, but with this crew it was particularly fun. We swapped stories and marshmallows over the campfire by night and rode in the warm sun by day. It had been months since I’ve spent time on a bike so the exercise was long overdue and just the thing to work off the holiday calories. 3 days didn’t seem like enough time (for either the calories or with the good company), but New Year’s is upon us and it was time to part ways for festivities.

This year we continue our much loved tradition of visiting Ann and Scott in Scottsdale for champagne, Italian food and polar bear swims. Cheers to 2011, it was a fantastic year of friendship and adventure!

Posted from Scottsdale, Arizona, United States.

A Grand Christmas

Mary Lynn — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:26:45 +0000

A Grand Christmas!

You’d think that with Tim and my recent avoidance of winter that we wouldn’t go seeking out snow for Christmas. But when it came time to decide where to spend December 25th, we couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place in Arizona then the snow covered Grand Canyon.

After a week of camping along Black Canyon Trail north of Phoenix, we said goodbye to our buddy Rob and drove north towards Flagstaff. The temperature dropped 30 degrees as we drove from 3000 to 7000 feet but the scenery easily made up for the chill.

Christmas at El Tovar

Oh Christmas Tree

Our goal was to find a few couches in front of a fireplace where we could read, relax, and get our Christmas on. El Tovar is perfect. This century old Grand Canyon lodge has it all. With it’s dark log walls, granite fire place, poinsettia filled lobby and 3 story Christmas Tree, El Tovar is a Christmas sanctuary on the Grand Canyon South Rim. Even the elk get in the spirit.

Elk or Elf?

We spent Christmas Eve in Mather Campground. Christmas Story playing in the background as we fixed a feast of homemade crab cakes, sweet potato fries and Tim’s favorite, tomato, basil, mozzarella salad. We ate until we couldn’t move, but were ready for Crab Cake Benedicts on Christmas morning. It was my first venture into homemade hollandaise, but we officially now have a new holiday tradition.

Christmas Eve Crab Cakes

Christmas by the Fire

Christmas morning we checked in to El Tovar, found our fireplace and relaxed. Today we may actually go for a hike, but on Christmas, we were content to take in the view from above and let the season be merry!

Sunrise over the Grand Canyon

Making the Photo

Posted from GRAND CANYON, Arizona, United States.

Grand Sunrise

Tim — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:59:22 +0000

Grand Sunrise, a photo by skibradshaw on Flickr.

Merry Christmas! 2011 in Retrospective

Tim — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:01:51 +0000

May you find an abundance of love and joy with your friends and family this Christmas and throughout 2012. We are truly grateful to have each and every one of you in our lives. These are some of our best moments of 2011, so thank you for sharing your lives with us. Merry Christmas!

68 Miles of Sweet Singletrack: Black Canyon Trail, AZ

Tim — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:55:48 +0000

There’s a good argument to be made that you cannot find a longer or more continuous stretch of singletrack than the Black Canyon Trail in Arizona. Both Rob & I had ridden sections and after camping for the week at Table Mesa Trailhead, we decided to tackle the entire 68 miles on one of the shortest days of the year. We had to hustle, but we got it done!

Sunrise Start

The trail is was designed by IMBA and completed over the past 5 years. There are small sections that are not yet complete or involve jeep/ATV double-track, but these are less than 5% of the total mileage. 95% of the trail is singletrack, and it’s all good. Even in the descent from 4,000 foot elevation start near Prescott, AZ to 2,000 feet end on the Carefree Highway north of Phoenix, there is still 5,000 vertical feet of climbing.

Finding Singletrack

It’s difficult to choose a favorite, but I would choose the section between Black Canyon City and Table Mesa (despite the significant climbing, which hurt on this ride). The ‘Skyline’ section and descent to to the Aqua Fria river would be my recommendation.

Bumble Bee Trailhead - Mile 25

We completed the trip in 9 hours and 30 mins, with a little bit of daylight to spare. We started at 7:30 a.m. and finished around 5:00 p.m. Here are the statistics:

Total distance: 113.75 km (70.7 mi)
Total time: 9:31:05
Moving time: 8:20:36
Min elevation: 472 m (1549 ft)
Max elevation: 1276 m (4188 ft)
Recorded: 12/23/11 7:13 AM

68 Miles of Singletrack - Black Canyon Trail, AZ

Table Mesa Trailhead

Sunrise on the Black Canyon Trail

Posted from GRAND CANYON, Arizona, United States.

Solstice Sunset

Tim — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:25:34 +0000

Solstice Sunset, a photo by skibradshaw on Flickr.

Turning the corner on winter!

As the Winter Soltice sun sets over the Arizona desert, Tim and I are already planning for spring and summer. For now we’ll stay settled off Exit 236 of Black Canyon Freeway above Phoenix, trading Mexican dinner recipes with our new bike mate and camp fellow, Rob. This Friday Tim and Rob will ride all 70 miles of the Black Canyon Trail, from Prescott to Cave Creek. It could become a new holiday tradition.

Desert Thanksgiving

Tim — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:12:05 +0000

Desert Thanksgiving, a photo by skibradshaw on Flickr.

Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch

Exploring the White Pocket

Tim — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:26:59 +0000

Exploring the White Pocket, a set on Flickr.

Thanksgiving in the Utah/Arizona backcountry with Jimmie, Keri, Dana and Dave. Four great reasons to give thanks!

Prescott – Arizona’s Christmas City

Tim — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:30:58 +0000

Prescott – Arizona’s Christmas City, a photo by skibradshaw on Flickr.

How in the world did we end up in Canada? The Hurricane Leg…

Mary Lynn — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:59:32 +0000

As we pull into Victoria Harbor this afternoon after a day of sailing on a sunny 30 degree day, Tim and I realized we really needed to document how we managed to come from the red sand desert of Hurricane UT to the sparkling Vegas Strip to chilly, beautiful Canada in 2 weeks. What a wild month.

We’ll start with Hurricane and the 25 hour Frog Hollow Race. On November 5th, Tim, Noah, Sam, Gretchen and Brad banded together as team 9 Cloud Cycling for the world’s longest 1 day race held on Daylight Saving’s fall back day. When they made the decision to race in the warm comfort of a Jackson Hole September Indian Summer Day, no one predicted 30 degree temperatures in normally temperate Hurricane UT.

But no matter that snow was in the forecast, the race was to go on. Starting at 10 am, the first rider (Tim) ran the 100 yards toward his bike in a La Mans style start. Then for the next 25 hours, teams traded out riders in a relay around a 12 mile rocky, rolling 12 mile course. Teams range from 1 person, to 2 man up to 10 person corporate teams. The most popular division, the 5 person coed hosted 2 Jackson Hole representative teams.

9 Cloud Cycling, roared to 4th place out of 12 teams despite cold, flu and darkness. Fellow Jacksonites, Kurt, Jaclyn and Clint, joined us in the bitter cold temperatures with Team Honey Badger for an all night sufferfest.

Sam finishes his lap, looking good in pink

Gretchen heads out on the first of her four 12 mile laps

Brad sweeps the last lap

Noah's Morning Finale

Celebrating that it's done!

Abby, Juniper and I were “support”, ie doughnut, icecream cone, cowgirl. Everyone did her part.

Abby and I show our Sweet Support

Wigged ladies, Juniper, Gretchen and I

What does this have to do with Canada? To be continued….

We Did It: $11,375.00 – Thank You Donors! Bike MS Nevada

Tim — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:22:19 +0000

It’s official: On Friday afternoon, a donation from Barry Lewis put us over the $10,000 fundraising goal and won Barry a 12 pack of Snake River Brew! The final total was $10,210.00 when we road out of the gates at the Cleveland Clinic and down Las Vegas Boulevard into a rising sun and awakening crowds.

Riding Through Red Rocks - Brad & Gretchen, Las Vegas NV

In addition to our funds, the 9 Cloud Cycling team, including Gretchen Cherry, Brad Jezek and Bob & Clara Strobel, raised an additional $1,165 in donations. This makes the grand total of our efforts for the year a whopping $11,375.00!

This has been a truly a fun, educational and rewarding experience, but it would not have been possible without each and every donor and supporter. All the credit goes to each of you who made it happen – THANK YOU DONORS!!

Ann Alsted
Emily & Jeff Anton
Emily & Jeff Anton
Ms. Emily Fournier
Craig Armstrong
Mrs. Ricki Arno
Geoff Baker
The Mike Banville family
Michael Banville
Mr. David L Baxa
Carol Blanding
Dr. Brent Blue
Jeff Bourne, Jason Bourne, Kyle Bourne
The Bourne Family
Chuck & Betsy Bradshaw
Dr. & Mrs. Leroy Bradshaw
Anonymous
Anonymous
Tom Bradshaw & the Mitchell family
Liam Alexander Bradshaw
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Bechelbronn Inc.
Edwin C Briggs
Bomber Bryan
Dana Buchwald
Mrs. Joan C Burton
Ann and W.D. Spencer
Amy & Bracken
Joyce and Billy Coleburn
Noah and Waylon
Mary and Lee Cutler
Andrew Damis
Ms. Christine D’Angelo
The Brondos Family
Matthew Dowd
Rayner England
Ms. Robyn Erkelens
Kay & Walt Farmer
Larkin Fields
kurt fitts
Sam
Fitzgerald’s Bicycles
Amy Fradley & David Strickland
Melanie Grandjacques
Cameron Haag
Ann Spencer and Scott Roop
Elizabeth Hanners
BJ Hansen
Mrs. Barbara K. Harris
Charlie & Amanda Hastings
Hedges Realty
Augustine Hernandez Jr
Linda & Stan Hodges
Anonymous
Katty Inge
Katty Inge
Anonymous
Ms. Jean Jorgensen
Mrs. Alyson Klaczkiewicz
Grace and Kasey Klaczkiewicz
Rob Klink
Jamie Kramer
J Landolt
Melinda Landolt
Jimmie Lederer
Linda Lee
Barry W Lewis
Jimmy Lienert
Carli Lyon
Bridget Lyons
Bob & Judy Madigan
Brett McPeak
Anonymous
Ms. Julie T. Obering
Mr. John Palmucci
Mr. John Palmucci
Carole Pratt and Rick Mansell
Colleen Quigley
Lisa Ridenour
Cynthia Riedel
Mrs. Lisa O Robertson
Tom Rogers
Anonymous
Andy Romo
John Ross
Keri Schwab
Keri Schwab
Blackstone West, LLC
Mark Sigman
Lauryn Smith
Lauryn Smith
Carrie Smith
Jean and Ray Smoot
W.D.&Sandy Spencer
Ms. Ann Spencer
W.D. & Sandy Spencer
Staeblers
Dan Staebler
Jill & Aaron Stanford
Schwadda!
Dee and Angie Stewart
Bob Strobel
Strong Family
Amanda and Max
Guy & Kristie Turck
Martha & John Turner
Dave & Melissa Viscovich
Dave & Melissa Viscovich
Joy L Watson
Jenn Weede
Kim and Jake Weisel
Mark & Casey Weiser
Mark Weiser
Mark Weiser
Mike and Diana Welch
Bobby & Pat Wilkerson
Mr. Bobby L Wilkerson
Brett and Peg Wilmore
Ms. Mary L Wilmore
Anonymous
Chris Wimberg
Chris & Hillary

Posted from Paradise, Nevada, United States.

2 Good Reasons to Donate: FREE BEER & Win a Vacation!

Tim — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:09:32 +0000

We only have $455 to go to reach our $10,000 Bike MS fundraising goal! We need your help and we are giving away 2 GREAT incentives for you support:

First: Win a Vacation! Anyone who makes a donation of any amount on or before Sat. will be entered into drawing to giveaway a week of free lodging in Jackson Hole, WY! Click Here for Details.
Second: FREE BEER! Snake River Brewing has agreed to give us another 12 Pack of their wonderful beer when we reach $10,000 – so the donor who pushes us over the $10,000 mark will receive a 12-pack of Jackson Hole’s finest beer!

Please DONATE Today and help make a difference in the lives of everyone who suffers from MS!

Posted from St George, Utah, United States.

Make a Donation; Win a Vacation – Bike MS Las Vegas

Tim — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:58:24 +0000

Every person who makes a donation to our Bike MS fund-raising campaign by midnight on November 12th will be entered into our drawing to win a week vacation stay in our Jackson Hole Vacation Rental, downtown Jackson, WY! Ski Jackson Hole in winter or see Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in summer!

How it works: 1 entry per individual per drawing. A donation of any amount will qualify you for each drawing. Once a drawing is complete, all entries are reset and a new round of entries begins for the next fund-raising ride. We will conduct a drawing at each our future Bike MS rides, starting with Bike MS Utah. Simply make a donation you will be entered. We’ll do a random drawing and announce the winner on the day of our ride.

What You’ll Win: Up to 1 week’s lodging in our Jackson Hole Vacation Rental for any available dates over the following 12 months. (www.escapetojacksonhole.com). Jackson locals can use the lodging for friends and family. We will be excluding holiday dates (Christmas, 4th of July, Labor Day) but any other times that do not already have reservations are available.

Posted from St George, Utah, United States.

Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch

Tim — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:54:05 +0000

The High Water Mark in Buckskin Gulch

Posted from Kanab, Utah, United States.

Bike MS Nevada – Vegas, Baby!

Tim — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:01:14 +0000

It’s almost November and time for the final Bike MS fund-raising ride, this one in Las Vegas NV! Our team has grown on this ride and as our Grand Finale, we are planning to have some fun. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Vegas, put November 12th ~~10th~~ on your calendar.

Our Nevada team, so far includes:
Brad (donate) & Gretchen (donate)
Bob & Clara (donate)
Ann & Scott (donate)
Tim & Mary Lynn (donate)

We are planning a celebration dinner at Emerils New Orleans Seafood House at the MGM Grand on Sat. night, so if you want to make the trip and celebrate with us, please come out to support a great cause!

Our team goal is $2,000 and we’ve already raised $620.00 for the Nevada chapter of Bike MS!

Please DONATE! There are over 400 others receiving this email and if you can join us with a $5.00 donation- we’ll reach our goal!

This is our last Bike MS Ride, so we would be thrilled if you came and joined us in Las Vegas, supported us with a donation or just spread the word on Facebook!

It has been such a wonderful year and we are very excited to cap it off with a final ride in the desert of Nevada! Thank you all very much for your support, encouragement and donations!

Posted from Colorado City, Arizona, United States.

Little Creek Loops

Tim — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:25:08 +0000

We spent the weekend camped on Little Creek Mesa exploring the many miles of slickrock and rim riding.

Riding Little Creek

2 Loops - Main Loop and North Loops

Gooseberry Mesa

Posted from Hurricane, Utah, United States.