Redington Pass

As I was climbing up Redington I could hear guns. Shotguns, hand guns...the theme song of the NRA. It was like being in the Wild freakin' West (or back in Appalachia, take your pick). Seems to be a popular place for those with an itchy trigger finger. Just pull over, set-up up targets and fire away. As I was climbing all I could think (besides my Dad would love this place) is that I hope nothing ricochets off a rock and hits me. Fast forward 10 more miles and I was looking to take a bullet. Where in the hell am I?

There is no cell service , no Verizon Navigator, and definitely NO ONE to hear me scream. It was exhilarating and there are no words for the view. Amazing.

I do have to give props to the boys and girls who raced this climb for SSUSA. Wow. 12 miles of up before they turned onto the singletrack. Even when you're descending you're ascending here. Makes no sense but it's true. I will never bitch about another east coast climb again!

As you can see, even the trail maps are fair game.

Like I have to be told to stay on the trail. No bushwhacking here. I was on the trail and was afraid I wasn't following the trail.

Cattleguard.

Leftovers...

Somewhere on FR 37

I was cruising at a pretty good clip on the AZ trail and my foot began to burn like hell. I've heard about you cholla. The evil little ball of spikiness got thrown up and went between my crank and foot. Not the most pleasant experience.
It was really fun pulling out a few spines when I got back to the house. I'm sure certain relatives are enjoying the thought of me in pain.

Cholla Attack

What A Difference A Day Makes

C'mon. How obvious is this picture choice? Had to be done.

I was warned that this place is fast. Having never experienced desert riding I had no idea how fast it could be. The washes, the cornering, the speed. It was a shock to the system since only a few days ago I was under 10 lbs of winter clothes and riding in snow. After scaring the crap out of myself and almost doing a header into a cactus I finally got the hang of it and went with it. Going fast felt good. At the end I was hoping for a log jump or rocky creek crossing so I could slow down a little. That never happened. It was awesome.

Pathetic earthlings... Who can save you now?

I arrived in Tucson and there was a little rain. No biggie, right? I clipped in and by the time I got to the main road it was full on monsoon. I decided cold rain wasn't that bad and kept pushing on towards Fantasy Island. About 10 more minutes and it began...hail the size of golf balls. The hail was coming down so hard it stung my face on impact. I did finally make it to Fantasy Island. I was soaked to the bone and couldn't feel my hands or feet. I though it was in my best interest to head back. The rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see 3 feet in front of me. At the stop lights I could feel the scrutiny of the drivers and passengers...I'm most certain the word "dumbass" (among others) was tossed around.

The Emperor Ming: Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?

Klytus: An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Earth.

The Emperor Ming: How peaceful it looks. [He activates a console and watches as earthquakes, floods, HAIL, etc. start to occur. They both get a good laugh out of it.]

Klytus: Most effective, Your Majesty. Will you destroy this, uh, Earth?

The Emperor Ming: Later...I like to play with things awhile...before annihilation. [laughs evilly]

Welcome to Tucson, Jocelyn.