Wow. Spectacular views as I rode a 16 mile route with 1100' of climbing. Several mountain ranges having snow capped peaks could be seen as I rode up and down, rarely encountering a flat stretch of road. The timing of our visit was fortuitous as rain was forecast for 9 straight days after we were to leave and it had been raining prior to our arrival. Practically every home had its own private vineyard or orchard. Some homes had vineyards even before the home was finished. Very nice as I neared the return to our place.
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We departed our beautiful southern AZ, crossed into CA via I-8 and passed through extensive sand dunes. Of course, made sure to fill our gas tank on the AZ side of the border as we drove 8 hours to Temecula, CA. We had been invited by a friend of Amy's, to celebrate her 40th. We arrived at a beautiful setting, a "chateau", high in the hills.. This was my first visit to Temecula and it was quite a revelation. We shared the house...opps, I mean chateau with 10 others. I must say, I think this was a first for me, rather than staying in a hotel, staying in a large house....opps, chateau and sharing all the space other than our bedroom. How nice, overlooking the pool and the adjoining garden had a.... ....statue of David! Once inside, we roamed into various rooms and discovered not one but two.... ....medieval suit of armor. Like, who doesn't devote their home's space to this, lol? For me, one of the highlights was the arrival of a personal chef to prepare our dinner. The chef's assistant laid out numerous plates as we.... ....sat and enjoyed being served, truly, a fabulous meal. We were in wine country, not that that would have made a difference, so the wine was flowing. I drank way too many glasses of wine. Meantime.... ....Jack was exhausted from the drive. It was an anxiety filled 8 hour drive for my buddy who simply hates car rides.
Approximately 2" of rain fell during the recent multi-day event. Following these, I enjoy getting out early to see the clouds and mountains. The views are always different following each rain event. The pavement was too wet, too much standing water so I headed, once again to.... ....Sabino Canyon for a short.... ....1.5 mile hike. On this day, a rare sight as very few people came out to enjoy the scenery. And then this! OK, it did rain again after my hike and someone took out our northern monument. But, the street sleuths are on it and searching Ring video footage. The truck that did the damage and left behind truck parts has been identified but not with a license plate to tie it to the owner.
OK, so yes it's our short winter and typically, systems emerge from southern CA and sweep across AZ, bringing rain from time to time. But gosh! Two inches in three days is a bit much but still, welcome. Jack and I went to Aqua Client Park for a walk between showers. Jack, ready to get started. Clouds obscure the peaks so can't see snow, yet. Meantime, back in Ohio.... ....a guy with whom I once rode, did a double metric century on his indoor trainer. Amazing for a variety of reasons.
Ya got to give it to this homeowner, lol. First erected for Halloween than costume changed for Thanksgiving, then for Christmas and now this for St. Patty's Day. Probably somewhat motivated by storage space or lack thereof but I am curious what comes next. On Saturday I made the 30 minute drive to Bicycle Ranch, a popular shop in Tucson. The owner sponsors several racers who show up at regional races and typically dominate with averages of 25+mph. Rumor was there would be a "B" group for today's, 50 mile route but alas, no. I rode out with the 20-something cutthroat's. A guy touched the wheel in front of him and went down at mile 2. Amazing in this tight group of 35 cyclists, going well more than 20mph, we all (thankfully including me) were able to divert and avoid. Ahem, I was left gasping at mile 8 and soloed back. I came up with the idea of hosting a "Heat of the Day" ride each Tuesday and that has been well attended, at 1pm with the Cactus Club group. It's kinda depressing, riding with so many retirees who ride 10,000+ miles each year. I get blown out the back of similarly aged cyclists but I'm happy to give back to the group by organizing a weekly ride. Today's was in Oro Valley, highs in the 70's, NICE! Another system comes through out of southern CA and drenches us with 3/4"+ of rain. We had a nice 5+ days of sun and warmth but that ended with this. Fortunately, it did not bring in cold temps so highs stayed in the 50's during the rain. And of course, there were breaks in the rain. Not long enough for a ride but enough for a short, 1.5 mile hike in Sabino Canyon. We're on our way to Temecula, CA in a few days. The weather there, during winter, is a crapshoot but it looks like we'll be good for the duration of our stay.
I drove about 45 minutes to the south, passing the Santa Ritas to join a group of about 18 cyclists on a 51 mile loop that included a stop at.... ....the San Xavier del Bac Mission. Built in 1797, it is a popular destination and my first time visiting it. Quite impressive. Finished with the aforementioned 51 miles, 16.5 average and 2100' of climbing. The next day.... ....I went for a short ride which included checking out what progress has been made on the paving project, east of Wentworth Road, on Reddington Road. Wow, all the pavement has been stripped, graded and rolled so perhaps now the paving begins.
I returned to Tanque Verde Canyon to resume a canyoning experience that would include a stop at the lower falls. Of note, my drive on a very bumpy Tanque Verde/Reddington Pass Road will be repaved in a week so that adds a cycling segment opportunity. The temperature was a around 45 degrees as I begin the hike in the shade with the promise that the sun would soon provide some warmth. It's hard not to be a little excited. There is no trail to follow, just a series of figuring out answers to the question, "Huh, now where do I go?" There was a nice flow of water but not so much that it prevented me from jumping over the stream if I found myself blocked on one side of the water or the other. Occasionally, the rock would give way to a short, flat section of sand prior to the next obstacle presenting itself. Many pools were passed. Confronting this, I had to scramble high on the adjoining hill to bypass and then drop back down, above the above wall. And there, at last, is a mature Palo Verde tree, guarding the entrance to.... ...the falls. The 80' falls is quite impressive, more so when there is a heavier flow of water but always a great sight. I relaxed for a few minutes and then headed back. The return is just as challenging for route finding as coming in. I finished with 2.5 miles and a lot of fun was had.
I've become a temperature weenie, no doubt. I've got clothing that enables me to ride in the 20's and I had to drag some of that clothing out to prepare for today's ride. Start temperature was 45!!! Good group ride of 37 miles, 1500'+ of climbing with a stop at Colossal Cave Park Nice views from the parking lot. The first 21 miles contained most of the climbing so as I stood looking to the north..... ...ahhhh, much of the balance of the ride would be down hill. Old Spanish Trail Road in the distance, part of our return route. Our "cold" days continue with another front approaching. I thought I could get in a short hike at Sabino Canyon and was lucky to do so. A few more inches of snow dropped at higher elevations so.... ...got out the next morning to see the mountain. Ahh, our forecast is improving!
I drive east on Reddington Road with the Rincons growing on the horizon. They received some snow as did the Catalinas and Santa Ritas. My destination this morning.... ....with my buddy Jack, who is anxious to get going is.... Tanque Verde Canyon and the falls. What a fantastic bouldering experience, climbing up canyon to the falls! Of course, reaching the falls was never realistic with a dog on a leash and all the additional complications but Jack loved that which we did visit. This is the entrance to the real fun. So beautiful. We made it a short distance into the canyon and did so one falls. We turned around but I'll be back soon to finish the hike.
The front and back yard, like many area yards, is a low maintenance type yard consisting of fractured stones. In our case, it's 1/2" Apache Brown. We brought in 3 tons of it last year and spread it around. My recent plant trimming yielded bare spots so I found a company that allowed me to drive to the appropriate pile and only fill a couple of 5 gallon buckets. Then this tangled mess of Christmas lights had to be removed from a mesquite tree. Standing on a ladder above cactus...what could go wrong but got it all removed just before..... ...another round of rain moved through. Once the clouds lifted..... ....snow was replenished on the mountain. Another round of precipitation is coming with a forecast of snow lowering to the valley floor. We shall see.
I drove around the corner of the mountain to Oro Valley. I try to ride there each week. Partly to expand the variety of routes and partly, on windy days, the mountains act as a heck of a wind break. During my 43 mile ride, I had to stop and take this pic with snow capped Mount Lemmon just visible above Pusch Ridge. Beautiful. Amy is on the PUP list (Player Unavailable for Play) due to a knee problem so I'm walking the Jackster both mornings and evenings. One of our favorite routes takes us around a pond. The opposite bank is kind of barren but the south side is lush and always in shade. Up early this day as we still marvel at our new pavement. I'm on my way again to Oro Valley where for the first time in a long time I.... ....attend a group hike. Quite a few old hiking peeps had signed up for the hike and I thought it would be fun to catch up. Our destination was Romero Pools in Catalina State Park. A beautiful day with highs in the low 60's. After about 3 miles of fairly fast paced hiking, we reach the pools where water was running but.... ....continue on for another 1/4 mile to.... ...a more secluded location. I scrambled around each side and then sat with our organizer, Barry. Interesting guy who has acquired 12, acres in northern NM. No water or electricity access to his land where he is about to build a small home. I was relieved when the crowded parking lot came into view. The 6.25 miles, coupled with 1500' of climbing, was a lot more hiking than I've done in awhile. My legs were confirming the point.
My education with southern AZ plants continues. We discover the above is supposed to be trimmed so again I wiggled in and began cutting.... ....That's how it is supposed to look. Stretched my legs for a short ride. I enjoy this view with Blackett's Ridge and Thimble Peak in the foreground, Mount Lemmon visible in the break between the two. A shaggy Jack taking a break from chasing the ball. We had friends over for Christmas. Amy had a good idea to buy 2, gingerbread making kits. So teams were the guys against the gals with Amy as the judge. I think our team focused too much on the engineering quality of our structure while the other team won.... ....with aesthetics. I am certain, had an earthquake occurred, our house would have survived while theirs would certainly have collapsed. Sadly, that was beside the point. Toward the end of the evening, the losing team went outside to brood, sit in front of a fire and smoke cigars. Unfortunately, the exercise left me a little woozy and I could barely stand for the group picture, lol.
I rode to the southeast on a 41 mile route that included the Pistol Hill Road climb. Actually, it's not that difficult of a climb but it comes after an 8 mile slog up Old Spanish trail Road so it's a relief to reach the top. This was back to back 40+ mile rides so I felt good about that. We have three bushes that have been growing and encroaching on other plants. My intent was to trim them but we discovered they are not bushes but Mediterranean Palm trees! I wiggled to the base of each and began trim palm fronds and how bout that difference!? Really improved the appearance of the yard. And then..... .....wow! What an unusual sight. Not that rain was so widespread but that it lasted the entire day. When it was finished, we had received an unbelievable 1.25" with much higher amounts in the mountains. The clouds began to clear so we waited to see how far down the mountains, snow had reached. Mean time, the leaves are changing color and beginning to drop. The front of our house with our Christmas lights. Merry Christmas everyone.
An enjoyable, short video by Global Cycling Network and their participation in the recent Tour de Tucson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9YostVYD40&t=2s Ahhh, our newly paved road. I actually drive slower now, relishing the sunrise and the smoothness, lol. Sadly, Amy went with some girlfriends to Phoenix for a couple of days.... ....Jack reflects my lack of enthusiasm for the single life. Just a couple of boys lamenting our temporary situation. I went for a hike with a long time hiking friend, Jeff. We headed for a ravine, just above his head. The canyoning experience was fun but looking at a map, I realized if we kept going, rather than turn around, we'd intercept a trail that would make a loop of our hike. No trail, just bushwhacking through the ravine. After.... ....some rooting around and more climbing, we found the trail and finished our 3.5 mile hike. Next day.... ...I jumped in with the Cactus Club's group ride. It was a 45 mile route that included a rest stop at this place. It's a popular destination for bikers. A guy drove in with a creative Christmas display. Jack and I awaken on our final day of being bachelors.
Just picking up yet another drink for Amy! Ok, I was getting something for me and talking to a guy. Lots of Ohio folks down here. I mostly enjoyed the sunset views from our villa, the view from the pool is of course, good too! The next morning, our departure day.... ...intermittent rain, followed by..... ....a glorious rainbow. We departed our place at 10am, dropped off the jeep, hung out at the airport for a couple of hours, listened to an announcement that our inbound flight had been struck by lightning so had to go through a comprehensive check, boarded with doubt we'd make our connection in Houston.... ....landed in Houston as our flight to Tucson was boarding...ugh. We sprinted from the international terminal to another and as we approached our gate, yelling "keep the gate open", the agent informed us our flight was delayed to allow late arrivals to board, lol. And with that, we arrived in Tucson somehow with our luggage and.... ...were able to witness this extraordinary event the next day. Unbelievable, really! So smooth and by the end of the day we rode on our new pavement.... ....which included a stop in front of the Halloween skeleton which has been converted from a Thanksgiving version to a Christmas version.
We drove to a retail center to look for some items but alas, no cruise ship arrival, no reason to open most of the stores. The above was cool though, turned into a bar. Hey! The masts from Bezos' super yacht. This guy was walking along the edge of the pool. I petted him so I can now say, in the wild, I've petted both an iguana and a rattlesnake. Ahhh, another beautiful sunset. No rain during our visit but that would change in two days.. Amy has been our driver for the week since she has a lot of experience driving the roads on the left side. We rented a jeep because the roads are generally pretty bad. This evening, we drove up a mountain and as a cyclist, the ramps made an impression on me. We ate at a restaurant having fantastic views Next morning, we went back up the same mountain to an overlook. Awesome. This view reminded me of southern AZ, only green rather than red/orange. I checked to confirm the ramps that impressed me the night before deserved the recognition. A couple at 30%. Too bad riding a bike here would suicidal. Don't even contemplate being able to ride. I think our next destination will be cyclist friendly. My Ohio friend Marty Sedluk manages to ride fabulous routes on several different islands. One more look before descending back to our place. And of course, our daily proof of life pic.... ....of our Jack arrived.
The evening scene from our balcony are incredible. And of course, the 1-2 evening, passing cruise ships. We waited for darkness on this day so.... ...we could jump in kayaks and follow this guy around as he shown light into the water. We saw lots of fish, stingrays....well, that's about all one can see. Fun experience. Whoa. Check out this sleek looking vessel, entering the bay. Yes, that's me. Amy and I rented snorkeling gear and enjoyed our time doing this activity. Amy is far more experienced than I but eventually, while I did not close the gap between the two of us, I became more comfortable. The first day I swallowed salt water and that set me back but by the second day, they were calling me "Neptune". The highlights were a large, orange starfish, stingrays and multiple types of fish. Ahhhh, another spectacular sunset as we waited for the next day to.... ....go in for another round of sandal fitting and adjustment. I waited on a park bench where there were numerous chickens/roosters. Abruptly.... ....one of them made a beeline for me and skidded to a stop just before reaching me...wtf! Then I heard some of them behind the bench on which I was sitting, murmuring about what they should do about me. So, I got up and walked to a restaurant. We returned to the villa where we sat, read and looked at the scene about us.
There are no hiking opportunities on St. Thomas but a 15 minute ride on the Red Hook ferry takes us to St. Johns and the Virgin Islands National Park. The birds fly close to the boat, looking for fish that have been churned up. We get off in Cruz Bay, take a short walk through the town and.... ....arrive at the trail head. Our goal is Caneel Hill. The trail averages 14% and is a good workout. The trail is rocky but fortunately, someone recently cut the tall grass and brush from the border of the trail and it made the hike more comfortable than it otherwise would have been. At the top, there is a structure to climb, getting us above the surrounding trees. Awesome views. We spent awhile on top, admiring the 360 views and then headed down. My two companions wanted to shop before we boarded the ferry at the top of the hour so I.... ....had a Bloody Mary. The bar is outside, quite small but with a lot of character. We returned to our villa and watched two cruise ships preparing for their evening departures. Tucked away behind the ships is Jeff Bezos brand new super yacht, parked next to David Geffin's super yacht. We looked for Jeff at some of our hangouts but failed to run into him. Each day, a friend who is watching our Jack, sends us a proof of life pic. We really miss our boy.
We board a small boat, captained by an entertaining Courtney for a quick ride to the capital of Charlotte Amalie. We pass a cruise ship or two, Jeff Bezos new super yacht, David Geffin's super yacht while.... ....enjoying the entirety of the ride.. Once arrived, believe it or not, we.... . ...visited a custom sandal maker. The woman shown, Zora, is 91 and has been doing this for 61 years. She was born in the great state of...Columbus, OHIO! How bout that?! The sandals are expensive but they are distinct and very popular. While Amy and my daughter Olivia spent an hour for the fitting, I walked the streets and settled in at Stonehouse Cafe for a very tasty dish of calamari. We rejoined and hung out for awhile walking the streets before.... ....returning on the boat. After three relatively inactive days of being a "good sport" and accommodating shopping, boat riding, eating lavish meals, drinking far too much, I was ready for something more and got it the next day. First.... ....we ate at the new Westin which was built over the ruins of a hotel destroyed by hurricanes, Irma and Maria, which hit within 2 weeks of each other, in 2017. Another cruise ship transits to the ocean, lit like a Christmas tree.
We land in St. Thomas and walk down to the tarmac and enter the terminal. It kind of reminded me of my first visit to Santa Barbara with mountains on one side, ocean on the other, mild climate...what's not to like? We hit a grocery store and checked into our "villa" just before sunset.... ...which was beautiful with a passing cruise ship passing through. One - two of them arrive each day and usually depart in the evening. The first day, daughter Olivia and Amy participated in kind of a lame exercise, pool routine while I hung out, in shade, at the pool. We ate out for lunch and dinner at restaurants overlooking the water, of course. It was a relaxing first day. OK, so I'm an outdoor active guy in an outdoor, mostly inactive local, yet in time I discovered it's not so inactive. More on that to come but I rationalized my participation as, if I can't take 1 out of 52 weeks of doing nothing (which was ultimately not the case) and it makes the Amester happy, than there is something really wrong with me, lol. The sun sets on a beautiful scene. The next day, another cruise heads in to dock.
I drove to Oro Valley and followed a 48 mile route, kinda hilly. It was good to break out of the 30-40 mile efforts as my endurance is really kind of sucky. Along the way I paused to take a pic of this horse but lingered a bit too long. The woman walked over and wanted to talk, a lot. And just like that, another front enters our region. Clouds at first and than.... ...rain. I watched radar and thought I'd have an opening to get in a hike. I drove west to Saguaro West NP, sat in my car for 20 minutes and... ....got on to the Brown Mountain Loop trail. The desert looks different just after rain and the small of creosote is strong. I finished the 5 mile hike and headed home. The next morning.... ....SNOW on Mount Lemmon! Only 3" but enough to get the area skiers excited about the season. No snow making equipment at Ski Valley so it will take another round of snow to open the slopes. And with that.... ...Amy and I jumped on a jet, flew to Miami, spent the night at an airport hotel and headed on the last leg of our trip. More to come, of course.
Amy and I drove to the end of Speedway to access Saguaro East NP. I wanted to finish a hike I started a couple of weeks ago, topping out at the end of a ravine. After about a mile, we entered a wash, began encountering boulders that, over time, spilled out of the ravine. We began climbing. It became quite steep in places but there were always enough natural handholds to grab and pull. Reaching the point where I previously stopped, I again concluded the climb out was doable so kept going. Coming over one wall, I encountered this "bowl", with walls 12' high. Hmmm, but stepping back, I found a workaround up the left side and kept going. Throughout, I always checked where my hands were going to be placed cause, ya know.....it was 70 degrees and rattlers come out of their dens to warm themselves on ledges. Eventually, the top of the ravine is reached and looking back, always disappointing that images don't do justice to the effort. We've been decorating for Christmas, including putting lights around cactus in the back yard. Beautiful full moon tonight!
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