 Dawn, looking to the southeast. A hockey stick shaped contrail but note the sudden move to the left. It seemed odd to me and....  ....continued to lengthen.  Oh, wow! One of the best sunrises I've witnessed. Spectacular.  As I drove west, the view extended over much of the region.  I've been working in a hike each week between my rides. Want to keep my lower joints conditioned to the impact of hiking.  As always, this view enthralls me of Thimble Peak and Blackett's Ridge, standing guard over Sabino Canyon.  And then, switching back to my social schedule, I'm invited to The Views golf course where there are wonderful views.  We arrived a bit early but had good seats to listen to music and dance...yes, I danced. As the venue filled, it was mostly people in the 60+ age. Looking around I thought, "Oh, I don't belong here!" And yet, here I was....
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 I've been making the short drive to OV with some frequency. OV recently appeared in a prominent magazine as the #1 retirement destination, in the US. For me, it's easy to see why.  Today's visit was to help a friend remove all the oranges from a tree. Here is the before picture.  And check out this tool! I've never seen it before but it works great for grabbing oranges from the top of the tree.  The after pic. Took about 45 minutes and then....  ....walked a portion of OV Country Club. My social calendar has been full as next.....  ....I drove to Charron Vineyard for an event. It's been 80+ days since we've received any measurable rain and it shows.  The day was kind of cool as we sipped wine and listened to someone perform an amazing library of songs. Well, back to cycling and hiking.
 It has been a very dry winter although a passing system did drop some snow at higher elevations. Meantime, for us at lower elevations....  ....it was business as usual as I pass this group of saguaros on a short hike. My M.O. recently has emphasized cycling with short hikes in between. Eventually, I'll work in longer hikes to cool destinations and am discussing routes with some friends.  A lone saguaro. Wonder why it thrived when no others did, around it.  I drove up Mount Lemmon to check out a new lodge in Summerhaven. Very nice but we decided to continue up to Ski Valley where surely there would be a roaring fire at the Iron Door restaurant and so there was. What a neat atmosphere as we ate chili in front of the fire. An employee spends much of his time keeping the fire going and I envied him. I'd love that job! I'm actually looking at a condo to buy simply because it has a real fireplace, lol.  Not enough snow to support skiing but the lift was busy, taking people to the peak and back.  The sun sets on another wonderful day but not before....  ....I spot a woman, walking her parrot while talking on the phone. Don't see that every day!
 Wow! Donna, an infrequent attendee to our group rides, shows up in this kit. I don't remember seeing anything equivalent to this creative scheme. Our route heads toward Redington Pass where I....  ...pause to take pics of those ascending. This tandem is very strong on the flats and downhills but really struggle on the climbs. The fact they never know the route has become an issue, nearly causing a crash recently.  Oh wow, another awesome sunrise!  I do a solo route, parking at the southern end of Oro Valley, pausing at OVCC for a pic and than compelled to....  ....take another of this yard before heading farther north to the....  ....Rancho Vistoso area and than farther north to.....  ....the town of Catalina where I dodge car driven by blue hairs as I skirt the retirement community of Saddlebrook.  On my way south on this 41 mile ride, I once again pass through OVCC, enjoying great views of the western side of the Catalinas. It was a rare, cloudy day but the clouds began lifting as I returned.
 Attended a group ride and met Heath and his wife, visiting from Dallas. He owns a carbon fiber repair business. He built his bike to be 11.9 pounds. I heard a local bike shop is selling road bikes for as low as 9 pounds but they don't recommend vigorous descents on that machine.  Our group begins to gather for a 35 mile route, which was a lot of fun.  My friend Amy, who is now part of the SAR team in southern AZ, sent me this picture of a guy who slid part way down a slope. Fortunately, his slide stopped in a crevice but there was no going back up or down. Surprisingly, he had cell phone coverage and was able to call for help.  I broke from my group and headed farther south for extra miles. I paused in front of a gas station and an inquisitive road runner approached. Never been this close to one before. Then....  ...I hear shouting, repeated taunts of, "Fu*k you bit*h". At first I thought it was friends yelling at each other but the shouts were persistent so I stood and watched two guys screaming at each other. They just would not stop. It was a child exchange meeting that went bad and unfortunately, the children witnessed the entire episode. No punches were thrown and the guy, standing, was carrying but did not pull his gun. Eventually they departed and while police were called, they never showed up.  And so, the pickle ball match to which I referenced on my prior post. I played great. Could not believe it. Won 4 games while a hawk watched the final one. Maybe I'll start playing again but all that starting and sudden stopping, dang, my legs felt it the following day!
 Incredible sunrise, once again. The sun rises now at about 7:20 so it doesn't require an early wakeup to witness.  Jumped in with a group for a ride out/back Marsh Station Road. We park at a long closed restaurant.  It's a beautifully, newly paved road where it deadens above a railroad that was active when I arrived.  The rides theme was a poker run. I received two cards at the beginning, two at the bridge over the railroad and things looked promising but alas, I was dealt a jack for my final card.  I drove to Oro alley to hike the Linda Vista, 2 mile loop with a friend. Great views as our days continue to be sun and highs in the 70's and 80's.  A wild saguaro next to a calm one. The guy on the left must be a wild partier.  I was invited to play pickle ball at the Ventana Canyon Resort. Wow, have not played in about a year as I found my paddle and got ready.  Oh wow, the sun sets and the colors change.
 I always enjoy a route that takes me on Woodward Rd. The scene is straight out of central FL and their farms, albeit without the orange orchards. This guy shares.....  ...a pen with this guy and they seem to get along well.  Our amazing sunrises as the light first shines on Cathedral Rocks, the high point of the front range of the Catalinas.  I visited a friend in Scottsdale, enjoying my first visit to a True Food Kitchen when a Waymo car passed. That too was a first, for me.  Sunrise as I head south....  ...to the Santa Ritas for a hike. Elephant Head in the distance. Such a fun scramble up the left side.  And of course, the high point, Mount Wrightson with the second highest peak set slightly to the right, Mount Hopkins. Hard to believe it's been 6 years since my little adventure of becoming lost and finding the remains of a missing hiker. I was fortunate to not also be lying up there alongside the man.  We hiked to Josephine Saddle, a worthy, 4 mile hike involving the Baldy Trail. The scenery is not so great on this particular hike so nothing more to share.
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