 A day off the bike but still wanted to do something active so I drove out Redington Road, passed the trail that takes one to Lower Tanque Verde Falls and parked close to another trail bound for the Upper Falls. The signage is pretty serious, including warnings for clothing optional.  I descend into the canyon and face the usual very fun bouldering challenges as I go up canyon.  There is still a nice flow of water so I may have some difficulty crossing where I need to cross.  Whoa! Impressive cairn.  And there you have it, a warning about what is ahead.  The upper falls and a gorgeous location. There is a 20' climb up a wall on the right side that I managed to ascend and then, with head firmly looking forward....  ....walked through the nudist beach. OK, sure I shot a few, very quick, sideways glances. One woman had a "nice tan" the others, put your clothes back on. lol.  The next day, I showed up for a 50 mile group ride of 25 people. As I sat in my SUV, applying sunscreen, I watched a cyclist emerge from a truck driven by her husband, wearing a mask. She kept the mask on as she busied herself preparing. Once ready to join the group for the pre-ride announcements, she removed the mask. Kept it off during the ride, during regroups, during a rest stop at a gas station, etc... Covid broke some people. It's sad to witness.
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 I arrive at a dirt parking lot and look at today's destination. What was I thinking, signing up for this!?! I have not done a climb even remotely similar since last August and the "Climbing to the Sun Road" in Glacier.  Thirty of us departed at 10am well, I left 10 minutes early. I wanted to take a few pics as people passed me. I had taken a short break at mile 6 of the 12 mile climb. My legs felt pretty good, so far.  The route is shown above. The scenery is spectacular.  At about mile 9, the distinctive Baboquivari Peak comes into view. The average grade of the climb is 5.7% but that is skewed low because the first 3 miles are flatter. The final 6 miles is over 6%.  I had to take a second pause at about mile 10 with the observatory now in view. I rounded a shade corner and....  ....yikes! a field of ice. There was a dry tire width in the middle so I kept pedaling but it ended and I had to choice but to keep pedaling while maintaining a straight line. It worked out. Others dismounted and walked the section as I did on the way down.  The proof, I made it. I did considerably better than my expected last place. My legs actually still felt relatively good. This was my 5th attempt but I was 30 minutes behind my best time at 1:09. Not good but ok all things considered.  This climb should be on every cyclist's bucket list. It's ranked as the 3rd most difficult in AZ.  It was kind of cold up here so I did not linger for long.  Coyote Peak in the foreground, Mount Lemmon in the background.  I coasted down, accompanied by spectacular views. I had to stop a couple of times to warm my hands, lol. At the bottom, the temperature was a very welcome 70 degrees.
 Some of the washes, like this one on Wentworth Rd, have taken a beating from the runoff.  Obvious evidence on Tanque Verde Loop of vehicles having successfully made it through this wash, despite the barriers warning not to. With serious snow melt set to begin....  ....we drove 21 miles up Mount Lemmon, stopping at Palisades where the snow was about 8' deep. Jack had a blast chasing an orange ball, over and over.  We got out on a short ride that included a pause to take a pic of a camel, at least its head.  It was a beautiful, dry day except when crossing some runoff on Redington Road.  I signed up with 30 other people to do a ride up Kitt Peak to the observatory. I've not done a climb even remotely as difficult, since last August in Glacier NP. I anticipated much suffering and was thusly rewarded. More to come.
 Too cold or windy (for me) to ride so back to Sabino Canyon for a hike. So grateful to have this and other nearby parks.  It rained overnight. Mount Wrightson's peak, peeks through a layer of clouds, in the distance.  And now, the water is flowing over the previously dry bridge. Lacking a hiking pole, I arranged for one of the above hikers to throw theirs over to me so I could use it to balance across the side of the bridge.  Part of my route included the Creek Trail, a beautiful setting.  Check out the mountain now!  I participated in a group ride, observing all the area peaks now have snow, which reaches down to the 3500' level. Briefly of course. Rincon Peak above.  More snow as I finish the ride. Thankfully, good weather news....  Winter, here, is officially, finally and definitively over.
 While the forecast may say 90% chance of rain, almost always there are dry windows throughout the day so I drove to the end of Speedway, about 5 miles from our home and headed out.  Looking to the northwest, from where the weather was coming I saw a partial rainbow partially obscured by a cloud burst. Fantastic!  I planned to head up the above ravine. A fun collection of slick rock and obstacles but....  ....oh boy, rain is moving in fast.  Late that afternoon, the snow had moved almost to the valley floor.  The next morning, wet and snow on the front range of the Catalinas!  I was out early and headed to a nearby wash. Healthy flow of water.  Blackett's Ridge with snow just visible in the opening, beyond.  And the stupid drivers are out. Why would anyone drive into the above?
 Another system moved through and dropped several inches of snow on the mountain. The ski resort up there, the farther south one is located in the US, is doing booming business.  I joined a group ride with a start temp of 52 degrees...brrrr. We climbed to where the pavement ends on Redington Road and took a break, admiring the great views. Finished with 37 miles, 1400' of climbing and a 17.3 average speed.  Our morning view as the sun rises.  The next couple of days were cloudy and cool so I headed to Sabino Canyon for  ....a loop hike that included part of the Phoneline trail and a close look at a curious road runner.  Mount Wrightson also covered with snow.  The trail rises steadily above Sabino Canyon Road. At some point, I took a connector trail that....  ....dropped me down to the flowing wash on the right. I was able to cross the lone, unflooded bridge but that would not be the case on my next visit. Finished with 4 miles.
 The main parking lot at Sabino Canyon is always packed this time of year, making finding a parking spot a challenge.  I exited the parking lot and began a 3 mile hike that included....  ....a bridge that is always the last to be covered with water draining from the surrounding mountains. Dry but barely so it likely will be covered in another day or two. Farther upstream....  ....water is already flowing over this bridge.  A beautiful site, the Sabino Dam with a healthy flow of water.  I walked above the dam which provided a good view down stream.  I had not crossed the aforementioned bridges so didn't have to make another river crossing. Instead, I took this trail and linked with.....  ....Sabino Canyon Road and a return to the parking lot.
 It seems as if there are more days when it rains, recently. Every time a system comes through the lingering.....  ...clouds produce awesome images.  At last, the washes are flowing and with the forecast rain and snow melt, they'll continue to do so for quite awhile.  I took Jack to a wash that was not yet flowing so he could.....,  ....chase a ball. He loves this activity. The above wash is now under water and with that, I wonder if I'll catch any cars stuck in it. Why yes I will!
 Our group advanced to one of many area wineries to.....  ....make our own wine! Well, not smashing grapes but being presented with 4 different red wines, experimenting with mixing, finding a mix that appealed and....  ....then our host collected the 4 wines in sufficient quantity to....  ....and in the correct % of the 4 original wines, pour.....  ....into a bottle, cork it and add the foil top. With that.....  ....our visit ended and we drove back a way, different from how we arrived. Various state routes brought us to Palm Springs.....  ....which also has some mountain snow, on to the I-10 and home. In our absence....  ....what's this??? Must be a lizard but I put a tennis ball down for size reference. The little pests!
 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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