 A saucer shaped cloud makes an appearance as we scan the forecast and look for the monsoon rains to arrive.  More clouds than normal as it is raining in NM.  Afternoon clouds build but nothing, yet.  Sabino Canyon Road offers a good, 4 mile climb and cyclists are allowed on this newly paved road as long as we're off it by 9am. That's not a problem as most of us are off all roads soon thereafter.  The scenery is awesome on the ascent and descent.  Having driven past Sabino Mountain Road many times, I was never the less oblivious to the quality of the climb. Wow, a good one! The descent is an issue as it ends at a stop sign at the bottom of the steepest ramp.  New Shoe Day as I sought to break in a pair and have them ready for a trip to OR. Leaving in a day or two.  The Savbino Canyon dam was dry of course but somehow.....  ....there is a tiny rivulet of water feeding a small pool. Bet at night, this is a crowded place with creature visits.
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 Wild fires near Silver City, NM caused smoky views as the smoke dropped during the night but also stayed aloft in places.  Of course, the smoke influenced the view of the rising sun!  More nice scenery.  Not much of a mountain, more like a hill but it was nice to see the typical AZ type mountain!  And there it is, the border!!!  First morning back, I joined a 40 mile group ride which is about the most you can get in before it gets too hot.  OK, small problem. The keys I was given for my condo didn't work on the patio door leading into a closet. $160 later, this guy picked the lock.  The gap at the bottom of the patio wall, seems like a design flaw and bothers me. I bought a 1x4" and....  ....opps, the saw skipped out of the cut but no worries, a quick rinse and fortunately, I'm not a bleeder!  A snug fit and with caulk and paint, no critters will get through there. Actually, a rattlesnake was found on a neighbor's patio recently and while I enjoy the challenge of rounding one up and transporting it, probably I should avoid that.
 I drove the GF to the airport in the morning and planned to do a group ride but alas, they cancelled it due to rain. That's ok, worked in the woods, spent time with Chris while Ben was at a Columbus Crew soccer game, attended Anthony's soccer game the next morning and meanwhile....  ....the GF arrived in Boise to spend time with her sister, reunited with her dog than on to Portland to stay with friends. I'll be there in a week and so, with that.....  ....I departed Ohio. Claudia's visit was a success but will she want to summer in Ohio other than when we're traveling?...don't know, have not had that conversation yet. I'm repeating myself but gotta spend more time with the grandsons, sooner rather than later. They ask about me frequently.  The only onerous point of the drive is that through St. Louis. It sucks but at least I got a good pic of the Arch. OK, it's not the only onerous part, just the most due to all the lane switches and off ramps. OK City, Indy, CMH, Amarillo, quite straightforward.  OK, this part sucks too, mile upon mile of nothing but miles of...nothing. NM mostly sucks and how it got the "Land of Enchantment" moniker is beyond me but trying to change things up....  ....I went through Ruidoso, NM. I've heard it's a nice summer destination and as I left the city, got a different look at White Sands NP. Interesting. I dropped into Alamogordo and headed southwest but....  ....whoa, sand was aloft from high winds and rather than try Tucson, spent the night in Las Cruces. Good idea since I learned I10 had been closed due to dust storms.
 A former neighbor who lived below me, when I summered in Ohio last year, wanted to know if I was returning. So, I let her know I was but only for a couple of weeks so we agreed to meet in New Albany, thus giving me the opportunity to show Claudia this hyper growth area. It's mile after mile of new data centers opening and of course....  ....the Intel plant. I think I read there are 7 stories below ground and now, the above ground portion emerges. There have been fits and starts with the progress and lots of rumors so will have to see if it is finished or taken over by a different entity. Anyway, had a great time meeting my former neighbor and on to the next day....  ....a visit to the Franklin County Botanical Gardens!  Our favorite section was the butterfly exhibit. Among many biomes, we speed walked through the desert version, lol. Yeah, we're pretty familiar with cactus.  The koi were colorful, as always. It was hot and humid this day so we didn't spend much time outside but....  ....this exhibit that included multiple lego figurines was pretty interesting. We had to hustle away though because we were having dinner at Brio, in Polaris with my old cycling buddy, Kenda Janet and husband Paul. Great seeing them again and getting caught up on the people with whom I used to ride.  Oh and that former neighbor, gave me this gift. Probably next year I can comply. My grandsons need me, at least I like to think so.
 Claudia's visit continues. We drove south to Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills State Park. Been a very long time since my last visit. During the drive, we passed many, many roads that I used to ride and it brought back good memories. The quality of the cycling routes and destinations is sublime in this region.  The Park was busy on this beautiful day and around the main attractions like.....  ....Old Man's Cave and.....  ....the Lower Falls it was busy but once we headed to Cedar Falls, the crowd disappeared and we mostly had the trail to ourselves.  Ferns are abundant as we walk over and around many boulders that border the river.  Note the complex root system on this tree.  We passed behind a falls before eventually....  ....reaching Cedar Falls. Beautiful location and hike. Rather than return via the way we arrived, I led Claudia up stairs to the rim and we came back via the Rim Trail.  Several places we could step to ledges and peer into the gorge but not much to see other than more trees. We finished with 7 quality miles and on our return to Granville, stopped at one of the many area wineries for a glass.
 After the hike and the walk through my woods, it was time to show Claudia, Granville. We were going to meet my daughter and her husband for drinks but had some time to kill so walked around the village. Included was a stop in this Mexican restaurant which had a bike hanging on a wall. Kinda strange that this restaurant is next to another Mexican restaurant. In Tucson, maybe but Granville?  A bike shop has finally opened! Rumors of a bike shop opening in Granville have existed for many years but finally it happened. And, not just a bike shop but also.....  ...they serve snacks. I understand their group rides from the shop are well attended.  This post is short cause the next one isn't. Awesome beauty, walking through the gorge from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls, coming soon.
 Having shown Claudia the vibrant, upscale Easton, it was time to show her what is a bit more important to me, the Ohio outdoors. Moisture glistened on the grass as we began a 5 mile hike around Denison's Bioreserve. As I have stated many times, here, it is a wonderful place with some of the most mature trees I've ever seen.  Given the rather moist spring, moss and fungus were everywhere.  Sadly, evidence of fallen ash trees abound, still.  See the small, white fungus? That is "dead man's fingers" and not edible.  Claudia gawks at the thick vines that hang from the trees. My impulse, if I had the tools, would be to cut the vines so they don't some day pull down the trees.  And then...a huge surprise. We approached the final climb to the parking lot and what's that??? Goats snacking on leaves????  Wow! Goats were brought in, placed in a temporary pen and then they go to work and gosh, do they work!  We were fortunate that they began migrating toward our location and I counted more than 30 of them.  The bearded one was interesting but so too....  ....this guy with horns. Note the eye. You may wonder, how effective our they at stripping the landscape of poison ivy, grass and weeds....  ....very effective. We stood for a long time and watched their progress. Fascinating! Then we visited my woods and carried on with a fun day!
 What a contrast between bike paths in central OH and those in southern AZ. Shade is different but the greenery and....  ....flowers! About every day I spent time with the grandsons including, once again....  ....the soccer star. He's being coached by a former member of the Columbus Crew and his leg strength has gotten to the point that after a couple of kicks, I declined the duties of the goalie. The kid could take my head off.  I brought my bike and we went for a ride. I coaxed him to climb a hill and then to turn and coast down. He admitted to being scared but stayed upright and was thrilled. I'm sure he'll be doing that more often. Moments like these make me wish I could spend every summer here and I hatched a plan that would allow that, lol.  Stella, my former dog, loves to take a car ride so we drove into Granville and shared a gas station hot dog on the return. Then, the pleasant interruption was the arrival of Claudia. She loves children but her three sons aren't on a trajectory to provide her with a grandchild any time soon. Hmmmmm, maybe I could demonstrate what a great place is Ohio and we could spend lengthy periods here (other than winter...well and early spring and late fall).  I picked her up at the airport and we headed to Easton Towne Centre. It's a marvelous retail and restaurant environment with lego creations splattered around. We had a drink at Brio Italian Restaurant, walked around....  ...ate at Napa Kitchen & Bar, a very wonderful evening and a good start to selling her on central Ohio!
 Ahhh, the woods. But it wasn't all about that....  I met daughter Olivia and grandson Anthony to hit balls and play putt-putt. It was a lot of fun.  I too hit some balls and gotta admit, the form is looking pretty solid, lol. Then, we played putt-putt and unbelievably, Olive beat me by one shot. WTF!!!  Hoover Reservoir and what a difference a few months of rain makes! Last October, there was a mere trickle flowing through but not now. Got in a couple of good group ride with Westerville BC. Saw some old cycling buddies too.  Drove past the Intel factory and have received various news on its progress.  My gosh! Last year's drought decimated farm output and now a very wet spring has put the farms way behind. The old saying, "Knee high by the Fourth of July" was never accurate for this climate as being only knee high meant the corn was behind schedule. This year, hope they get to knee high by the 4th.  Several ash trees that were hanging on following the emerald ash borer infestation succumbed to last summer's drought so I've been cutting dead ash and burning the branches.  My Stilh sits triumphant over another batch of pieces.
 Whew, been a very active couple of weeks! Sunday morning and the 3rd game of the tournament, my first. Win and it's on to the championship. The parents are very, very quietly intense and into the game. The opposing team's parents share the same sideline so everyone remains respectful.  Anthony is 9, playing in an 11 and under league. He's very skilled and loves soccer. His team won, setting up the final game about 3 hours later.  We ate lunch and pent time throwing a ball around. The parents were apprehensive as last year, they played in the championship game but lost in OT.  Anthony on the left. Both teams played well but....  ....our team won!!! The players run by the crowd in celebration. The game was very enjoyable and I'm really glad I was there to watch.  The winners! The kid, back row, far left has a cannon for a leg and can launch the ball from near midfield with shots that arch over the goalie. Back row, second from the right, that kid plays defense and can run down any ball, steal it and turn it back. I'd say they were the MVPs.  And then, I drove the remaining 90 minutes to check in on the woods. Sigh, my happy place.
 New Mexico and the Organ Mountains. I've hiked in them once. NMSU brought me in a couple of times to lecture about the design and performance of golf clubs. They have a golf training program for aspiring golf professionals. I liked Las Cruces during my visits.  White Sands NP. Literally, you could mistake the sand for snow.  I got off to a late start so only drove about 5 hours before staying....I forget where actually but it was a nice Fairfield Inn close to a good restaurant. The next morning, ugh, had to make up time because I promised to attend grandson Anthony's final day soccer tournament.  Eleven hours of driving through some pretty boring scenery but THEN!!!!!!  Between last October and now, not one but two Buc-ee's have sprung up on my drive route. This was my first visit. Definitely a destination when traveling. Place was enormous.  Third morning, I've arrived in the land of humidity as the windshield had a healthy coating that took awhile to remove. It soaked a towel I had brought for this purpose.  Groggy, I approach the Ohio border and thankfully, rather than head to Granville, the soccer tournament is in Dayton so that cut about 90 minutes from the drive. As soon as I alert the family that I had arrived....  ....my daughter called and said Anthony wanted to see me. We played catch until one of his throws missed me and impacted a picture! He thought that funny. We headed to dinner with Steph's husband and my second daughter. The soccer tournament attracted teams from several states. Anthony's team won its first two games and if they won tomorrow morning, would advance to the finals. I told him I didn't drive 26 hours for just one game, lol.
 Coasting down Sabino Canyon Road I saw a woman, painting. I see this frequently and have thought, once age incapacitates me, I could do that too!  I thought this a great pic. I had to stop to allow a group of javelinas to cross the road and just then, a mother and child did too and I was lucky enough to catch it.  As previously stated, I visited a condo on a Thursday or Friday, made an offer on Saturday, offer accepted on Sunday, the final walk through a couple days later and since I was headed to Ohio, moved up closing so it's finished. Frankly, it's a relief to get out of this place which has this view from the patio....yikes! Next was buying furniture so....  ....my real estate agent and girlfriend, was invaluable for this and everything else associated with the acquisition. Really glad she was along for the furniture buy so things matched!  Then out for a ride that included this nice pic.  And, I spent my first night in my condo. Alas it was only one night as I.....  ....packed the necessities and began the drive to OH! Lot of traveling on the agenda in the next few months.
 Yet another 40 mile ride that included a ribbon of new asphalt among the very dry hills. Amazing but on June 1, the remains of a tropical storm rode into southern AZ setting a daily rainfall record of about half an inch.  Ingenious! Along Sunrise Road, someone used rocks and limbs to raise the car enough to remove a flat tire. The note stated the owner was out getting a new tire.  Two coyotes transmitting through a wash.  There is a widening project going on Valencia Road. I asked if I could put a hand print on the cement and they said "Sure".  The patio on my new condo has a curious opening at the bottom of the north and east facing walls. All the condos have this "feature". What possible reason could there be for giving snakes, lizards and other ground based critters access??? I did a final walk through and set the closing date, which has since arrived and all went well. Now on to buying furniture!  I rode Sabino Canyon Road to the turnaround point, at about 4 miles. Fantastic views. Cyclists have to be off this road by 9am. Undesirably too early in the winter, no problem in the summer.  Ping pong. I really enjoy spending about 2 hours, a couple of days a week, playing with a core group of 12-16 people. It's a very competitive environment.
 Had to pause and take a pic of this scene, once again on Woodland Road where there its always something to see. I've ramped up my weekly miles to prepare for an Ohio visit so....  ....getting in around 130 miles each of the last couple of weeks. Laughably small compared to many here and in Ohio but it is what it its. Today was 50 miles that included.....  ...riding to the top of Reddington Road. Good but short climb.  On a rare cloudy day, I headed west on Ina, passing a church having a beautiful dome.  And yet another ride included catching a bobcat, strolling around a quiet neighborhood.  A resort, Hacienda del Sol is a short drive and advertises itself as having the best view in the area. Claudia and I went there and true enough....  ...the view from the restaurant may in fact, have the best view.
 We clean up and head out of Sedona. A new bypass road opened a day after our departure that avoids the heavy congestion around the roundabouts at 89A and 179. Look forward to checking that out and also new routes that take one to hiking destinations not as well known as those we visited.  We detoured into Page Springs to check out this restaurant. Very nice!  And as the name suggests, it sits high above a creek. Arriving back in Tucson, the next day I...  ....went for a recovery ride where I was a bit late, taking a pic of a huge Gila monster.  I've been renting a condo and really like the location, close to Oro Valley and the east side. My realtor friend convinced me to begin looking at one to buy so checked out a few on Friday, made an offer on Saturday, accepted on Sunday and above is the view from the patio. Completely remodeled, new appliances so I'm happy with it. Inspection went well so closing on it soon, after I return from a visit to the great state of Ohio!
 It's Friday and with the trailhead being one of the most popular, we were required to drive to one of three park & rides. This system is free and very convenient. It took about 5 minutes to.....  ....reach the start of this awesome "hike". It's mostly scrambling which of course, makes it a lot of fun! Our destination is left of center in the gap.  Large rock piles show the way and always, in every direction, awesome views.  My hiking companion is not entirely comfortable with the exposure and steepness of the route but she persevered.  This segment turns many away, especially if you have short legs but we continued onward!  A satisfying finish. But wait! There's more!!! Going to the right, I reached a nifty spot from which to have my pic.....  ...taken. And, I recently read that if you continue to the left....  ....there's an opening through which you can climb for a view from a different perspective.  OK, worth the effort. I looked down and it appeared....  ...a vague trail continued. I followed it for a ways and suspected it would continue to the front of Cathedral but returned to join....  ...a gathering crowd. In fact, had I continued down the ravine, it did circle to the front so maybe next time. We enjoyed the setting and soon clambered down to a waiting shuttle. Really a fun experience.
 After the Devil's Bridge fun, we ate at Creekside American Bistro, having great views and food too!  We walked through Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, a beautiful location. I'm not much into walking through numerous retailers and neither is Claudia so we didn't stay very long.  We checked into this evenings stay and it was very nice but had no on site restaurant so we drove to a neighboring resort and....  ....how bout that!?!?! A fiddler gave a performance while dining! So much greenery here. As we departed......  ....a guy had set up a very powerful telescope. We were able to clearly see Jupiter's four moons and then, since no one else had approached, the man swiveled the scope so we looked at our moon in amazing detail. Well, back to hiking!
 Fabulous destination! However, do NOT start your hike at the Dry Creek Road trailhead. If you do, it's a dusty 2 mile start and unremarkable. Instead, start at the Mescal trailhead. This also avoids having to take the new, shuttle service to Dry Creek, Thursday -Sunday. The shuttle service is free and rather convenient but we found easy parking at Mescal. Signage is good throughout this effort.  We cross a wash that has numerous pockets of water from recent rains.  Mountain bikers use this trail too but this is the only ones we encountered.  The trail enters a dry creek bed for a short distance before exiting.  As I stated, signage is very good. At mile 1.3, we cross Dry Creek Road where we encounter a couple of high clearance vehicles that were able to make the 2 mile drive from DC trailhead. Otherwise, as I previously noted, you're hiking that 2 miles. Don't do it, lol.  So far, our hike was mostly a mild ascent but once crossing the road, it steepens....  ....in places, really steep. And then....  ....we encounter a small group of hikers who are waiting their turn to walk onto the bridge.  Mostly, people walked to the middle of the sandstone bridge, had their pic taken and then returned but a few needed to have multiple pics in different positions. There was some grumbling as the line slowly shortened. I negotiated with the people behind us, as the couple in front of us had done, to take our pic.  It really is a spectacular image. The wind had picked up and we were anxious to get off the bridge. With that, we began the hike back to the RV.  The hike was only 4.5 miles but very scenic, including the boulder, somehow balancing above us. Lunchtime now so we went into Sedona for dining and retail!
 I've completed this 5.5 mile hike once before and was anxious for Claudia to experience entering the Subway, also known as the Keyhole, given the shape of the interior. We shove off on a rolling, Boyonton Canyon trail.  Soon, a resort comes into view and stays with us for about a mile. Important note for those checking this page for info about the hike. While other landmarks and trails are well marked, this trail, not so much. You'll encounter an intersection or two that may have you scratching your head although the direction to walk should be obvious from trail wear or encountering other hikers.  Throughout, the scenery!!!! Oh and clouds too that were gathering, indicating some rain could be coming. At almost exactly.....  ....mile 2, you'll see a giant, alligator juniper tree on your left. Look for a trail coming in from the right. That's the beginning of the ascent to the Subway. Yeah, I know, in the pic the tree is on the right of the trail but I took the pic after passing the tree. The ascent is .5 mile, kind of bouldery and likely somewhat crowded so be patient. Dogs are surprisingly allowed on many Sedona trails and we encountered a woman who had just been bitten. Nasty and bleeding quite a bit. We donated a tissue but not much else could be done so.....  ....on we go! The entrance but the pic does not do a good job of demonstrating the severity of the slope but....  ...this one does. We waited for them to slide and then began our turn. Not only is the ramp steep at 35%+ but also kind of slick. There is an alternative way, a short walk to the left but ya gotta experience this way! Pro tip: Wear shoes having a good gripping surface, lol.  I make it and here, Claudia begins the steepest section, making it to the top with a satisfying grin on her face. She's quite a fit hiker and a worthy hiking companion.  What an amazing view! Each of us ventured as far down the left ledge as we comfortably could and had our pics taken. Unfortunately, those pics omitted the right side so I'm posting this instead, as it shows the complete feature. Note the right ledge. It gets kind of sketch at the corner but if one walks around, there are additional features that are worthy of exploring.  So, as Claudia descends the ramp, I go around the corner and we meet soon thereafter as she ascended the alternate way.  I arrive at Indian ruins and looking back, a woman follows my route. This pic puts the challenge in perspective I think.  Various alcoves exist where people hang out. Reunited, we explore the area and reencounter three women from MN who were oblivious about this destination, headed elsewhere, when first we met on Boyonton Canyon trail. I convinced them to visit this instead and they were rightly thrilled to have done so.  We descend and looking back, get a good view of the Indian ruins.  Recent rain has caused an abundance of wild flowers to bloom.  Back on the main trail, it begins to rain, rather hard. The surrounding cliffs appear to have ice on them but it's just water, draining over the sides. Just before entering the stage of personally being soaked, the rain stops. Yeehaw. Fun first day in Sedona!
 The sunrises have not been of the same quality recently. Mostly because most mornings, there have been no clouds. However, this morning had a nice one.  And so, the day arrived to drive to Sedona in an honest to goodness RV and "camp". Lacking a maul, I split some wood using a hammer and chisel. I would not want that to be the standard way to split wood.  We drove to Phoenix, retrieved the Winnebago Travato and headed to Sedona. It's only a 3.5 hour drive and I wondered why I have not visited more frequently, given the views and hiking opportunities. Able, we descend via 89A into Sedona.  Just before entering the city, we took a short detour so Claudia, a former real estate agent, could check out this home. The access is via an elevator. Amazing.  I regret thinking to take only one pic of our parking spot and surrounding area. It was a beautiful location, next to a babbling Oak Creek. If this is the standard for RV parking, sign me up. One can not help but wonder, "Is this Arizona?" because of our surroundings of trees, manicured grass and water. But of course, AZ is the most biodiverse, inland state in the US. And the scenery? That is coming, soon.
 I park on the corner of Ina and Oracle to begin a 40 mile ride through Oro Valley. This location is at the southwest edge of the Catalinas where I observe a lone cloud.  Later, in Marana, I pause and observe a standing body of water. I thought, how rare a combination.  I take a day off and head for a 50 mile ride that included pausing to watch a train of horses. Then, I....  ....head up Mount Lemmon to the view point at mile 2.5. This gave my ride 2000' of climbing. I'm contemplating riding all the way to Summerhaven soon. Were I to be a first time visitor, I'd be all over this effort, along with going up Kitt Peak and Mount Graham. But, having done so many times, for whatever reason, I focus on the mental agony of the effort. We'll see.  Saturday and on my way to Phoenix, via I10. No surprise, a wreck has brought us to a standstill. I much prefer taking the back way via St. Rt 79 & 77 but my destination was too far west for that to be practical.  My girlfriend's sister's husband passed recently so they held a celebration of life. The man led quite a life and over 100 people attended. The food...the drink...ugh.  Sunday was an unusually windy day so I decided to hike to Ringtail Ridge, a very scenic hike in the Tucson Mountains. Now, when you read this, we'll be in an RV giving it a test experience to Sedona. Got some great hikes planned. Actually, great are the scenes, not so great the effort but that's ok.
 Another enjoyable, 40 mile ride around Oro Valley with great views on this warm, sunny day!  A couple of days later, I rode south, going around the fairgrounds on a 47 mile route. The Pima County Fair is ongoing but we couldn't get much interested in attending.  The palo verde blooms are now more on the ground than on the trees.  I read an ad about shrimp, caught off the coast of Louisiana and how much better it was than imported shrimp so bought 2 pounds. Wow, quite good! I'll buy this again.  About once a year, I shop for clothes and this past weekend was the time to get it done. Visited an upscale outlet mall and went all in on a wardrobe adjustment. While walking, I noticed a hummingbird's nest. Such an odd location, close to a lot of foot traffic.  How did I not know previously about slip-on Skechers? Just like that, I have a replacement for the trail running shoes I usually wear for casual occassions. My only regret is not taking advantage of the "Buy 2 get 1 Free" offer. My girlfriend did and I'm envious.  Our itinerary for the Sedona visit is set and will include a visit to Devil's Bridge. Not previously experienced this and yes, we plan to walk across the bridge. I've read it's wider than it appears in images. One of the other must visits is the Subway.
 This is hardly one of the most impressive palo verde trees, just a pic of one I took at a convenient time. You can't imagine how many.....  ....palo verdes are part of the landscape until they are in bloom. So distinctive! I'd say the mesquite are the most abundant but lots of Palos too as I pause during a 40 mile route in Oro Valley.  I visit Sabino Canyon for my "go-to" hike, a 2 mile loop. I often pass this entrance to a short canyon and look at the ledge on the left side. Looks like it could be a fun climb but that crease could make it home to a den of rattlesnakes. I carefully climb....  ....until I reach the bottom of the ledge. You can't tell from the image but the slope is too steep to gain the ledge, for me to try. Also, no snakes. I've had several dozen encounters with snakes and used to keep an Excel spreadsheet listing each, lol. I think, given time to contemplate, I could recall each encounter.  I near the end of the hike, which is beautiful. LOVE the mountains.  How bout that???? One of the many systems moving out of southern CA dipped low enough to bring us some rain. Enough that there were puddles of water on the pavement.
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