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!