 LaBuzz is usually humming with cyclists but today motorcyclists pause for coffee prior to riding up the mountain. I too head to the mountain but only go up a mile before coasting down and heading south to....  ...the wonderful 8 mile loop through Saguaro East National Park. The road dips and turns, has a nasty climb on the back side and while there are many cars sharing the road, they drive slower than we pedal.  The Tanque Verde trees are in full bloom. Tough time for allergy sufferers.  My route takes me through 49er Golf Club. It is an older community with many mature trees including these arborvitae. Finished with 55 miles and lots of climbing. My weight has finally dropped so now I just look like Michelin Man Jr.
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 OK, overly dramatic title to the story of my 2nd ascent of this mountain. But, there is unfortunately truth to the title. Rather than park at the gathering place for cyclists, LaBuzz, I drove to the base of the mountain and parked in the shade along the side of the road. The high today was in the mid 90's but up top, low 60's. As I readied myself, a lot of emergency vehicles passed.  For as long as it takes me to climb the beast, I assumed the emergency would have been handled by the time I reached it. I took a break at mile 14, Windy Point Vista where I addressed the usual questions, "Yes, I am really riding my bike up the mountain." Back on the bike, a mile farther up the road, I happened upon the scene. A car that appeared undamaged was being pulled onto a flat bed truck. I asked a guy managing the "Stop/Slow" sign what had happened, "Injury" he replied. Later I was told a man had probably stopped to take a picture and fell from one of the boulders. His body was seen, wrapped in a sheet and being pulled from below.  I stopped to eat a salad in Summerhaven and then chugged on up to Ski Valley where I was surprised to see patches of snow still on the north facing slopes. The gate was open for the 2 mile additional climb to the observatory. I eyed it warily, turned my bike in the down hill direction and.....  …..began the 28 mile return. What a glorious descent. Lemmon is not a good fit for my cycling ability. Even my best time, set last year, sucks. On Strava, I am 4400 out of 8300 for the 21 mile climb segment. For segments lower on the mountain, my times are a little more respectable, mid 3000s out of 14,000 efforts. I guess that shows for the many dozens of cyclists who are on the mountain each day, how few of them go the distance. I just use it to burn calories and so I did, 4000+.
 I joined a group of 5 for a bike path recovery ride. Rounding a curve, I heard someone yell something and suddenly, bikes were skidding to a stop. I managed to swerve to the right of a cyclist and stop just before crashing into a railing. What the.....oh, a Mojave Rattlesnake. It was too easy to imagine one of us falling to the ground on top of that thing as happened to a mountain biker a few weeks ago in the Phoenix area. Yikes!
 Wow. 46 miles for the Rivet/A cyclists? Already? The B group may have a few visitors from the A community. Like Rick Miller always says, "Ride with the B group, ride like a B cyclist" OK, I just made that up, like a lot of what I post here and elsewhere. Have fun out there! Note the new start location, below.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18100198 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18100331 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18100358  Effective TUESDAY, 4/23 the Tuesday & Thursday Cycling Club group rides will start from the parking lot at the New Albany United Methodist Church. 20 3rd Street, New Albany Ohio 43054. Starting time is still 6:00pm, with the same format as usual. Note the club made a hefty donation to the church and in exchange we receive access to the quiet, private, leafy, location which includes access to their restroom. Inside the entrance and turn left. Yes, this is the same location from where we began our ride a few years ago.
 A windy day was forecast so I was more than agreeable to take up a friends request to lead up La Milagrosa Canyon to the waterfalls. Well, I was agreeable until I realized that my one previous visit wasn't actually up the interior of the canyon but a loop around the inner canyon. Then, after reading several descriptions of the canyon hike I decided that is best left for another day so, above, we head east on Horsehead Road into the wilderness.  I understand there are several neat features within the canyon so certainly will visit for at least a scouting mission. Our little group of 3 headed up the ridge trail which allowed some good views into the canyon.  The hedgehogs are now blooming. Beautiful color.  The trail drops into a canyon with a meager flow of water and then back out and the climbing continues.  Wow, not seen this before, a saguaro cactus having an orange arm. Weird.  Every time we reached a saddle, there was another to climb. I had my prior experience having hiked the loop and I also had a GPS track I checked so what did I do......  ….I walked right by a right bearing fork and we kept going up and up. Finally, I called a halt to the proceedings, checked the screen of my device and noooooooo. I had mistaken a black terrain elevation line for the route. There, about a mile back was the black, dotted route line. We retraced our route to.....  ….the fork in the trail and took a break to refuel. I walked down to a ledge and peered into the canyon while my companions were probably discussing whether one should push me in to the chasm.  We decided, rather than continue on the official loop trail, to go back the way we had come which would give us 8 miles while the loop would yield about 10.5. Working with a time constraint forced the decision. Above, water trickles over rock slabs.  Various homes have landscapes for which they pay many thousands of dollars to look like what we see all around us. Throughout the hike, I was in hyper snake scan mode and did see a garter snake on the trail but no rattler. Returning home, a neighbor alerted me that a Western Diamondback was in our condo complex so....  ….I ran over to see. There it is, curled under a rock. The fire department arrived and....  ….grabbed it with one of those pincher tools. Note the color of the rocks behind the snakes upper body. They blend in way too well. I asked the fireman if I could touch the snake and he said no. Then I asked if he could release the snake so we could reenact the capture for video and he again said no!!! They had more snakes to capture so off they went.
 For your watching and studying pleasure, the Rivet/A, B & C Thursday routes: I think legendary "C" ride leader, Steve Hewitt has returned from touring Napa and will be able to pull the C cyclists around their route.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097267 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097288 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097331  The yellow flowered Brittlebush, in bloom for many weeks, still going strong. Another front arrived and dropped our day time highs by 20 degrees, into the low 70's:) High winds with gusts in the 30's took me off the bike and on to the trail.  I made a last minute decision to join a small group of 8 and depart from the Sabino Canyon visitor center and head to 7 Falls. I expected a slow pace and was good with it but what I did not expect was numerous regroupings that included extended story telling so with my patience exhausted....  ….I left the group behind. Reaching the top of the only climb, I looked down canyon and the abundance of wind blown dust obscures the magnificent mountain ranges, both distant and near-by.  The spectacular falls, all 7 of them. The confined space of the canyon caused the wind speed to pick up and my hat was blown from my head and deposited into a pool. Having a hiking pole, I extended it to its full length and was able to pluck the hat from the water.  I climbed above this falls and.....  ….looked down as a duck flew in, glided to the shore and approached this group of women. I climbed out of the canyon, exchanged pleasantries with the incoming group and finished with 7 miles. I was able to hop on a bus that arrives at the Bear Canyon trail head every 30 minutes and saved a 2 mile walk. Well, back to the bike.
 The Cactus Club organized a ride to Kitt Peak so 9 of us gathered at the base of the mountain and rode the 12 miles to the top. As I recently posted several images from the same ride from two weeks ago I'll keep this accounting short. I was ready to shove off at the appointed start time of 9:00am. Looking around, there were others not ready and with my desire to ride in my private box of pain, I got going. Above, some of the group pass the point where the road finally bends flat.  Aw, the views!  The area being remote and where we parked our cars having a reputation for car break-ins, I had taken everything of value from my car, stuck it in a bag and stored it in a SAG vehicle. The group was going to take a tour of the peak so I took my bag, looped it around my neck and began the descent.  I took 20 minutes off my time of 2 weeks ago, finishing the entire ascent of 12 miles in 90 minutes. Still 9 minutes off my best time and I think I can get that so probably will try the ride again, soon.
 Here ya go kiddos! The routes for this evenings fun filled, exciting gathering of cyclists inhabiting the C, B, A & infamous Rivet categories. It's an unprecedented day of great weather for early April so come out and ride.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097177 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097195 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18097227  After joining a group ride last week and enjoying the pavement and surroundings, I returned to the town of Oracle. In the distance, Mount Lemmon still carries snow.  Rather than follow the 45 mile route of last week, I rode to the southern end of Oracle on West American Avenue, turned around and thus added 10 miles to the course.  The usual 6 mile descent on Webb Road followed, then through San Manuel on Reddington Road, descend 3 miles and head to the end of the pavement. I think I crossed 10 cattle guards in total. Some fit perfectly to the road, some do not so it can be bone jarring at times. Otherwise, the pavement is fabulous.  My time on the 6 mile ascent of Webb always sucks. But, to my left are the mountains so between that distraction and the rare car passing, it is an enjoyable climb to the extent that is possible.  I finished with 55 miles and 3300' of climbing so a good workout. I've ramped up cycling but that has come at the expense of hiking, as is the norm for me in the spring. I've ridden 3 of the last 4 days and rather than rest, am joining a group to do KItt Peak for a 2nd time this visit. More to come on that.
 One day this week when a dry front rolled through and brought with it wind gusts of 35mph, I thought better of riding so joined a small group hike at Catalina State Park, which is less than a mile from where I live. The snow melt has diminished enough that the washes can be crossed without getting our feet wet.  The area is very green as we.....  ….follow the Sutherland Trail to a canyon with a nice flow of water. It seems each day a different species of plant is flowering but one.....  ….the Ocotillo has not yet flowered but is on the verge of doing so.  Have no idea what this is called but looks like some kind of hydrangea plant.  Locals call this one "Angel's Breath". There were plenty of them bordering the trail along with.....  …..many others. It being snake season, we walked carefully as a rattlesnake had been spotted crossing this trail prior to our passing. Nothing would ruin a visit more than getting snagged by one of those.  A beautiful bouquet is passed as we finish our 6 mile, fairly flat hike. Back to cycling.
 There are four groups; C, B, A and the infamous Riveters. The Riveters depart promptly at 6:00pm with the remaining groups departing in 3 minute intervals. Parking and departing is behind Veloscience/Philip Heit Center. Yes, it is exciting stuff to mingle with the greats of central Ohio cycling but try to act cool, don't ask for autographs and follow the rules described below.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17758435 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17758688 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17758820 Groups: Riveters: For those of you who can maintain an average of 23+mph for the duration of the route. A Group: Something less than the Riveters and populated by way too many who ought to be in the Rivet group. B Group: 18-20mph average. Sometimes there are two B groups, the 2nd one traveling at a slightly slower pace. C Group: To be clear, I have no direct knowledge of how fast these people go but hear in the 15-17mph range. Rules: 1. The Shady Spot--There is a lone, smallish shady spot in the parking lot, bordered by pine trees. It becomes more important as the temperatures warm. Never, ever park your vehicle in that spot. Generally, this spot is reserved for Riveters and guest celebrities to socialize prior to the ride. 2. Ride Leaders--There will be a ride leader for the C group but none for the other groups. When it is time for your group to depart, someone will scream, "OK, X group can go now." and if that is your group, depart the parking lot in an orderly manner. Those remaining in the parking lot after all but the C riders depart, will follow the C ride leader who will shepherd you around the route, dispensing knowledge and expertise. This is a congenial group and if you are new to cycling, this is for you. If you are not new but just not that speedy, this too is your group. 3. Regrouping--None in the Rivet group and don't even ask. The A group will regroup for a few seconds, 1-3 times depending on the difficulty of the route. The B group will pause longer and regroup 2-4 times. The C group is a no drop group. 4. Talking--There is no talking in the Rivet group. Only grunting, spitting, sharp elbows to the ribs, etc... Talking is for before and after the ride only. Talking is allowed in the A group but topics must be confined to explaining why you are slumming by riding in the A group rather than with the Riveters. You may also talk about the pro peleton, racing and diet. The B group gets its jollies by jeering those who fall back from the A group so if this happens to you, you ought to abandon the route and solo back to the parking lot. Otherwise B'ers talk about different things when breathing permits. The C group carry on lengthy conversations about wide ranging topics but never about politics. Nothing gets you shunned faster than bringing up politics. 5. We have a guy who is the official recorder of the event and can be found taking numerous pictures prior to, sometimes during and then after the ride. Pay him no attention, allow him to take his pictures and while he looks and acts like a creeper, he is harmless. 6 Cookies & Treats--Within the group there is the Cookie Lady, Kristie B, who will ocassionally provide post ride goodies from the trunk of her car. She uses this as a means to collect donations for "CAF" (Challenged Athletes Foundation) so after selecting a treat, do the right thing.  Fun, 6 mile hike resplendent with wildflowers. More to come.
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