Last weekend I was asked by my wife to drive 1,000 miles to pick up a set of furniture from our in-laws. Then turn around and haul them back. Take up an entire weekend during prime spring riding season? Are you kidding? That sounds terrible.
So I was thinking, if I have to drive the truck down and get a trailer to haul the furniture, why not take my bike down? There has to be some good riding down there in the desert. But where?
Through this web site I contacted frequent poster named SingleTracker500 and asked if he could show me some desert riding. What a great use for the internet and these forums – turn a dreadful weekend with the in-laws into a blast!
John (“SingleTracker”) was an incredible guide and riding companion. He took me to an area north of the city on federal lands that had an almost endless assortment of trails. Not your leisurely bike-path kind of stuff, but real challenging, sandy, rocky tight stuff. Oh and by the way, those funny looking trees down there, don’t hit them. They’re cactuses! Ouch! They certainly provide a different kind of risk that I’m used to here in Colorado. I was expecting these wide open, pinned in fifth, kind on trails. These were really nothing like that.
It was a great day. Cool by Phoenix standards – only in the mid eighties. We ran into only a few other riders on the trail, did some chatting, told people about the site and wished them well.
I was riding like a fool first thing in the morning. I was wearing brand new Vectors and I figured they were messing with my mind. Then at one point, John asked “How much air are you running?” Then it dawned on me. I had dropped 5,000 feet in altitude and hadn’t adjusted the air in my tires. I was probably running with 20+ pounds! The old scooter doesn’t run so well in the sand with that much air! After adjustments, I was hanging a little closer. I think John was also still slowing down for me though. He saw me shrugging in fear as I rounded switch backs completely surrounded by thorns! You would need complete body armor if you missed s turn.
We ended up riding 30 or 40 miles of single track. I got back home around 2:00 and still had time to socialize enough before heading north. John’s quick tour made all the difference in an otherwise wasted weekend! Thanks again man and please call whenever you come by Denver.
As I mentioned earlier, what a wonderful service these boards provide. I highly recommend anyone traveling to lookup riders on the boards and ask if you should bring the bike along. And, for any of you heading to Phoenix, you really should drop SingleTracker a note – great guy, great guide.
So I was thinking, if I have to drive the truck down and get a trailer to haul the furniture, why not take my bike down? There has to be some good riding down there in the desert. But where?
Through this web site I contacted frequent poster named SingleTracker500 and asked if he could show me some desert riding. What a great use for the internet and these forums – turn a dreadful weekend with the in-laws into a blast!
John (“SingleTracker”) was an incredible guide and riding companion. He took me to an area north of the city on federal lands that had an almost endless assortment of trails. Not your leisurely bike-path kind of stuff, but real challenging, sandy, rocky tight stuff. Oh and by the way, those funny looking trees down there, don’t hit them. They’re cactuses! Ouch! They certainly provide a different kind of risk that I’m used to here in Colorado. I was expecting these wide open, pinned in fifth, kind on trails. These were really nothing like that.
It was a great day. Cool by Phoenix standards – only in the mid eighties. We ran into only a few other riders on the trail, did some chatting, told people about the site and wished them well.
I was riding like a fool first thing in the morning. I was wearing brand new Vectors and I figured they were messing with my mind. Then at one point, John asked “How much air are you running?” Then it dawned on me. I had dropped 5,000 feet in altitude and hadn’t adjusted the air in my tires. I was probably running with 20+ pounds! The old scooter doesn’t run so well in the sand with that much air! After adjustments, I was hanging a little closer. I think John was also still slowing down for me though. He saw me shrugging in fear as I rounded switch backs completely surrounded by thorns! You would need complete body armor if you missed s turn.
We ended up riding 30 or 40 miles of single track. I got back home around 2:00 and still had time to socialize enough before heading north. John’s quick tour made all the difference in an otherwise wasted weekend! Thanks again man and please call whenever you come by Denver.
As I mentioned earlier, what a wonderful service these boards provide. I highly recommend anyone traveling to lookup riders on the boards and ask if you should bring the bike along. And, for any of you heading to Phoenix, you really should drop SingleTracker a note – great guy, great guide.
