Kicking around the Kaibab

When the call came to circumnavigate the Kaibab Plateau for a muli-day bikepacking trip with Chad, I threw my desire for rest aside and jumped in.....I would not be disappointed.

Leaving our car outside of Jacob Lake and descending out of the Ponderosa and Aspen forest, we contoured around to the west and then south......

Many lessons were learned by me on this first bikepacking trip.....the first one being to mentally prepare myself for the planned vs. anticipated water stops....and not assume that "Jug" implies water.....

The humid air above the northwestern Kaibab hinted at possible showers....but they never materialized....

40 miles in, we hit the Rainbow Rim Trail in the fading light of day....

Rarely seen western views from the north Kaibab were enjoyed while rolling along....me consumed by visions of running springs to which there were none.

Spotting evidence of folks camped across the way towards Locust point, we pedaled on to find a decent campsite with a good view for the next morning....

Arriving at Locust, we found two gents from Flagstaff, one of which knew Chad from 2 Spring Flings ago.  They invited us to camp next to them and share in some of their PBR, cheese, pickled chiltipin's, fine tequilia and water........for which I contributed genoa salami, chili covered mango slices, and flattened banana.  The conversation and hospitality was very much appreciated while enjoying timeless views of the fading light in the canyon.

Waking on day two, I walked out to the same point to view the suns rays revisiting the canyon once again.

Soft morning light along the rim from our camp exposed features obscured the night before.....

Thanking our friends in the morning, we continued on the Rainbow Rim, hollering out across the canyon at the camp we just left....taking in the echo's and the views alike.....

Transitioning off of the Rainbow Rim and skirting an active burn in progress, we borrowed some water from an unorthodox source before coming into views of Dragon Creek below which is framed by Confucius Temple, Tower of Ra, Osiris Temple.......and the "Leviathon", ably piloted by Chad.

Views of the Kachina Peaks  from 70 miles away across the canyon were appreciated, however the chasm consumed most of our attention......

Moving on to the southern extent of the tour, dusty double track lead us to a detour towards the North Rim Lodge and some Pizza & Beer.....the former to be my downfall the rest of the day.

Dirty....but content....and fascinated how dirt does not stick to scar tissue......

5 of the 6 things I love in life are represented in this photo.....the sixth was in my thoughts.....

Wolfing down extra pizza which was awarded to us for suffering through an hour and a half wait....I soon realized I ate too much as I tried to pedal away and keep up with Chad.......Lesson two handily learned.

Climbing an old watchtower, more views of the Kachina Peaks on the horizon and from across the canyon....

Warning:  After descending the tower, you may find yourself talking to an imaginary person in finely pressed white socks.....not seen here....because they are not real.....

Feeling spent and week, stomach torn asunder; Chad throws some encouragement my way to make camp at the East Rim.....the singletrack through idyllic meadows buoyed my spirits.....

When singletrack goes on vacation, this is probably where it goes.....

East Rim views in the fading light of day came into view, and lifted me even higher.....

Navajo Mountain, 80 miles to our northwest towered over the canyonlands......

The pastel colors of sandstone and sunset last for but a brief moment each day....but leave an indelible impression......

As we prepared for our second night....I savored the last moments before finally meeting the venerated Don Miguel......next time, I'm going to try "The Bomb".....

Falling asleep to views of the milky way, we slept in a bit before making our way to Dog Lake for our final water stop....hope the chlorine tabs work on dog water....

Making our way north along the AZT, we found the treed entrance to Valhalla........

Flowing out of climbs back into meadows, I savored the descents; hoping for more before the next climb.

Where's Chad?......

.........floating on the grass.......

......topping out......

Continuing north, the bowl shaped meadows gave way to flatter expanses of Lupine and Ponderossa.

144 miles later.....our stomaches were rewarded with Jacob Lake Cafe food.....

Driving away....Chad remarked outloud......"It's a good day to be alive"....I nodded in silence, answering only in my mind....."yes it is....yes it is...."

Independence Day & a bad shave at the Barbershop

Despite dark and bitter forecasts of my July biking demise, I've managed to still stop and relax along the way.  While 4th of July weekend had some strong, redline/threshold rides with no desire to stop and take pictures each morning as I climbed the Arizona Trail, I managed to stop and smell the roses.

Choosing a base of operations off the Arizona Trail, in an aspen grove, surrounded by ferns; afternoon beer drinking, cheese eating and naps became the norm.  Those that went without beer, still managed to nap.

Waking from an afternoon slumber....I found myself warming in the light streaming down onto the fields of Elysium........

Choosing a good sight-line for afternoon sun is as important as choosing an old friend for when it's long gone.......

Light and colors everywhere, captivated me in between beer and cheese, crackers and summer sausage..........

Shots taken without warning were received by all who basked in the filtered glow of photons through aspen leaves.....

Impromptu shots with zero-chance of success still produced interesting results.........

As the light faded, the guardians of the bike and base became more curious.......all bark...........

........is ably backed up by all bite.................

The time and space between the 4th and the following weekend were filled with mandatory rides to maintain and condition......but the heat of summer poured down on me as fast as the sweat dripping from my brow, stinging my eyes and casting my mind to the north.  A cabin loop excurision was planned, this time with JMoneyMillionaire.


Planning on starting at General Springs and the 300, the route would take us out AZT-Fred Haught-UBar-Barbershop-Houston Brothers-Fred Haught-AZT.  At a seemingly easy 32 miles and 4400 vert gained on the day.....it seemed easy on paper....but the HAB on Barbershop had other designs......note the ridiculous up/down on miles 14 through 19.....this will never be walked with bikes again.

The day started cool but humid as we pedaled away from our vehicles, making quick work all the way to the descent down Barbershop Canyon.  Obligatory "radness" shots were taken.......

Reaching the bottom of the descent, the cliffy and dry rocky nature of the southern descent into Barbershop Canyon gave way to a lush streambed that begged for lounging........

Climbing in elevation making our way back to the rim, verdant fields replaced burns from 2-seasons past.......

HAB became the norm as we made our way across the N-S trending drainages; up then down....more walking with a useless 27lb piece of metal, composite and rubber..........

Real Estate listings are few and far between on the Mogollon, however my retirement horizons are expanding........

Descending back down Houston Brothers.....we laughed, hooted and cursed out-loud at our good fortune to be riding again....many shots were not taken because of the precious nature of momentum.....however some things demanded to be shot.......

The explosion of life and color on the rim did not disappoint.....and made up for the HAB frustration of the bad shave we received at the Barbershop.......

2 weeks of pain, discomfort and silence

It's been two weeks from my last post....and I feel a bit bad about it.  It's not that I expect to produce material on a constant basis, nor do I expect my readership to get too disappointed when I don't ramble on about flowers, or canyons or bike rides (or radness).  I do however, expect myself to make full use of my unemployed time doing soul-rewarding things....things that make my heart sing and employed folks drool into their morning coffee within the confines of their cubicles.

Instead, I've been trudging along on rides in pain and silence; not finding the inspiration to take pictures because it would prolong the ride(pain).  I've come home to relax, only to feel discomfort and unusual exhaustion.  For the past two weeks, I've felt a constant pounding ache in my joints....much like the flu....only I have no other symptoms.  And I'm not talkin' just my movin' joints (knees & hips), but the weird joints that the bike and adventures I've found myself in would not really affect (neck, wrist, ankle, etc).  In addition, I've felt a sluggishness in my legs that I can't explain away completely.  The questions I have go like this:

-  Could it be that I've overloaded myself with physical activity and it's catching up to me? Probable, but not definitive.
-  Could it be that I have lyme disease? Possible, but not probable since I've not experienced a bite nor did I notice any localized rash or circular inflammation consistent with a tick bite.
-  Could stress be part and parcel for why I'm feeling this way?  Probable, but I'm ignorant as to just how significant this may play a role.
-  Could I be overtraining in expectation for a big month of rides?  Probable....but it does not feel like I'm overdoing it.

So.....as a cheep out....I'm going to draw a fence around the problem and blame it on all three of the "Probables" coming together like three sine waves, amplifying themselves into a monster.  I have been unusually active, mostly in an attempt to keep my sanity in a time of extreme stress....which is manifesting itself in a tougher and more frequent training schedule for some long rides.

I lost my love for riding for about a month starting last August last year after my first big ride when I was forcing it to happen....and had a subsequent melt-down.  Others I talked to, experienced similar feelings in the similar situation...but had enough experience to cope with it.  I think I have that experience now, enough so to know when to not ride when I'm not "feeling it".  So perhaps this is why I'm feeling lucky, yet disappointed at the same time.  I'm conflicted in this way because 2 of the 3 big rides in the next month will not happen.  The CABRA ride is not happening this weekend......the Crazy 88 might not happen unless the FS approves an alternate route....which leaves me the 12-Hours at Night in Prescott Race in just over a week, of which I've signed up in the solo category.

I was previously treating this as a throw away.....a tune-up to the 88.  It's now looking like all my marbles will be on this for the next few weeks....which is mentally tough for me to transition into since it's a different format than I'm used to.....and I always like being prepared....or perhaps I'll wear a chicken suit for the race and do a beer with each lap.  I'm determined not to throw away the gains I've made in terms of knee health and cardio power for these rides....yet my body is telling me something that I can't ignore....something that requires a chicken suit.  The mind is determined to see results given my down-payment....and the body is telling me it's time to settle my bar tab because it's closing time.....you don't have to go home....you just can't stay here.