Autumn

Autumn has been cruising past as quickly as the javelinas scatter when they see you bouncing down the trail toward them. The riding has been great, teaching has been exciting, there's been ample exploration. There's been so much, in fact, that I have not had much time to share any of it here. The best I can offer with my limited time right now is essentially a photo dump. So here you go...

The riding in the Bradshaw Mountains seems to be unlimited. The problem is that half of the trails are overgrown, fall-line, and the USFS has no resources to maintain any of the trails deeper in the mountains. This is a bit frustrating, but at least they are there on the days you really feel like heading out for an adventure.

I had the pleasure to teach a 4-week geology course in September that traveled all over Arizona. We witnessed the last hurrah of the monsoons, followed by the beautiful fall weather of the southwest that I love. Green prairies fade to gold, scattered aspens glow yellow, scrub oaks fade through orange to brown, and the red rocks continue to simply be red.

Closer to home, rides routinely now extend into the dark hours as the sun sets earlier with each passing day. The summit of Spruce Mountain has become my favorite place to watch the sun set over the distant ranges of western Arizona. Ongoing trail work not far from the house is creating a beautiful new trail with views that rival almost any other in the area. I can't wait for this one to be finished up!

Caroline and I headed over to Mormon Lake for the Arizona Trail Association's annual Rendezvous. It was a great weekend filled with passion for the spectacular ATA, stories abound of all sorts of adventures, and common ground among all non-motorized user groups. Fall colors were out in full force in the Flagstaff area, where we spent more time pedaling the AZT.

And then there's the Dells, the granite slickrock playground on the north side of town. The City just completed a few more miles of new trail now, and I've been getting down there quite often to play. There also are quite a few other like-minded riders in the area, so it's been a blast to develop some new skills and make some new friends.

And that more or less summarizes the last couple months in my little corner of the world. Next up are a few bikepacking trips that have been floating around in my head for a while, exploring more at lower elevations to the south and west as the temperatures cool down, and maybe even a bit of racing. We'll see where all this heads...