47 Days and Counting...

This weekend my wife and I took a trip up to Sedona to try and escape the heat for a few days.  Sedona is known as one of the greatest places in the country to mountain bike, and I have never ridden there!  Since we planned to be there, I figured I would get a little high, or semi-high altitude training in early one morning.

Sedona is surrounded by deep-red rock spires, cliffs, and lush green foliage.  It has been a favorite tourist destination for international travelers for years.  It is quite eclectic, and home for artists and those who believe in the new age movement.  It's a great place to visit, but honestly...I'm not sure I could live there due to the 'weird-ness' of the 'Vortex People' as I call them.

This morning is the day that I chose ride, as I figured the trails would be relatively empty, as compared to the weekend.  I had copied a map from Cosmic Ray's Fat Tire Tales and Trails...a popular book among mountain bikers that contains hand drawn maps of hundreds of trail systems within Arizona.  Check it out if your interested...http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Biking-Arizona-Guide-Trails/dp/0966476948.

There are a number of trails and trail systems throughout Sedona, but I chose one very close to where we were staying, in West Sedona.  According to the map, the trailhead was roughly one mile from our hotel, which meant that I could ride to the ride, leaving the car behind for Donna in case I needed her to come rescue me!  Yesterday, we drove over to the trailhead so that I wouldn't have to look for it this morning...after all, it is a hand drawn map.  After a little adventure of sorts, we found the trailhead...pretty close to where the map had shown it.

Before I get into how my ride went, I want you to think back a few posts...way back to the one when I wrote about being aware of those little signs that tell you that you really shouldn't be going on a ride that particular day.  Remember that one?

The Sugar Loaf Trailhead...never again!

Ok...so this morning I awoke to my alarm at 0530.  I was pretty sleepy as I had not slept well last night due to some disturbing news I had received about a friend of mine.  My friend, Mike Metzger (no relation believe it or not) is a professional Freestyle Motocross rider...in fact, he is essentially the pioneer of the sport, and known internationally as The Godfather of Freestyle Motocross.  He had a bad crash yesterday, breaking his back, many ribs, and lacerating his liver.  He is in stable condition in ICU at a hospital in California.  Please pray for Mike!  

Chimney Rock

Anyway, I got that news last night, and didn't sleep well at all.  0530 came pretty quickly, and I thought about staying in bed...but just for a moment.  I was not going to miss my opportunity to ride some famous Sedona red rock trails!  There were a couple of other things that made me think twice about going, such as the fact that I locked myself out of the hotel room this morning, and had to knock on the door, waking Donna so that she could let me in.  Next, my cycle computer wasn't working quite right...it wasn't reading my pedal cadence (rpm), and I couldn't get it fixed.  Oh well...not a necessity.

Amazing scenery

I finally got everything squared away...and off I went.  Those of you who have been to Sedona are familiar with how hilly it is.  The mile ride to the trailhead was not some easy 'warmup' ride...it was difficult!  A couple of the roads that I had to take to get there were close to 20% grades...so needless to say by the time I got to the trailhead, my legs had already put in a fair amount of work.  I hit the trail, and within 100 feet, I turned back.  This couldn't be the right trail, I thought.  It was strewn with rocks, and lined with very sharp mesquite bushes...just at the right height for cutting my arms up good.  Within that first 100 feet, I had to dismount my bike twice, and hike up over two big step-ups.  So far, I was not impressed!

 

I tried another little spur off of the main trail...no different.  I tried another, and even one more...all the same.  These trails were (in my opinion) not ride-able.  I looked at the map, fighting the urge to wad it up and throw it away, and found that there were a couple more trail heads further west.  So back on the streets I went, riding about 2-miles until I found one.  This one seemed to be a little better, although it was still very rocky.  I stuck it out for a about a mile, where it became more enjoyable and fun to ride.  

Lizard Head Rock...I think it looks like a snake head

I made it back safely, without any major incidents...still unimpressed.  I will be returning to Sedona to ride however.  In fact, I will be there in a couple weeks.  We will be riding a completely different area though, and I am hoping it will live up to the hype. 

I must say however, that regardless of the riding experience...Sedona has amazing views...the best I have ever experienced on a ride...well, maybe they are a close second to the California coastal views that I have experienced in the past.  It's beautiful!

That drop is about 4-feet high...no I did not try it!