Spring Time Desert Riding

Craig and I headed Southwest last week for my art show in Scottsdale, Arizona. We stopped in Cortez, CO and rode at Phil's World on the way two days in a row. This is a really fun network of singletrack just outside Cortez, they've done a great job on these trails and even adding a new trail, Ledges, since we were there last and there are plans for more in the near future. It's a lovely spot and the trails are fast, pumpy and full of roller coaster singles and doubles. I think Ribcage is one of my favorite sections, you just can't stop grinning. We'll be back for more. There's a video below of me clearing a 3 footer, I was so stoked on this, a high lite of the trip.

View of the San Juans from Phil's in the evening.

Me flying on the Ribcage section, yeah!

A lovely, skinny section of trail with Mesa Verde in the distance.

Afterwards we headed to Scottsdale, AZ near Phoenix for my show, my favorite drive of all time. As usual we hit up South Mountain for some riding on The National Trail. A gnarly and technical ride for sure whether your climbing it or going down. Lotsa fun, but it's a desert mountain island surrounded by city so you don't get that out there in the middle of nowhere feeling, a lot of people about but you lose most of them when you head up the trail. We did see two coyotes out loping about. I have a video below of myself riding the Waterfall section, we didn't stop and take a lot of pics on this ride. Craig and I were both feeling a little off this day, I think we were both ready to get out of the city and be on our way.

Me having fun on National.

After the show we headed to Sedona for some more great riding and beautiful scenery, luckily we didn't fall into any vortexes. This place is gorgeous however it's completely surrounded by wildnerness so no mechanized vehicles and that means bikes. So all of the riding surrounds the town/city up to the wilderness boundary. This means kick ass riding for all abilities but it also means a lot people using the same trails a lot of the time, hard to get away from it all but totally worth it. We had better mojo this day and felt more relaxed in our surroundings.

Thunder Mountain in West Sedona. This is where we did a very fun and challenging out and back. It was definitely more challenging going in then coming out. What a beautiful place, it's really amazing.

Wall Ride, this was a pretty steep/vert wall we played on, so fun.

Craig riding the Wall.

Riding the edge.

Craig and I feeling happy to be out and away on an adventure. The show went well, caught up with some friends and met some new ones. I made some money which in this day and age is not easy to do with art and I won an award which is reassuring and I'm grateful. Can't wait to go back next year.

Too see all of the pictures from the trip check out my Flickr site.

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Art and Riding in Arizona

We're heading to Arizona next week for an art show I have in Scottsdale and I'm really ready for something different, a break from the daily grind so to speak. I love going to Arizona in March. It's so different than what I'm used to, you feel like you're in a different world. The plants, the animals, the landscape, all different in the low lands of the Sonoran Desert. I really love the giant Saguaro Cactus, I can remember the first time I saw them silhouetted against the night sky, I was extremely excited, they're epic. I'm a desert girl at heart, I love the high deserts of the 4 corners area the best and feel most at home there within the shadow of the tall peaks surrounding me. We will drive down through Durango and stop in Cortez to ride Phil's World and the next day head south through some of the most beautiful country inhabited by some of the most forgotten people.
While we're in Arizona we'll head over to Phoenix and ride the National Trail at South Mountain. A huge mountain park surrounded by the city, it's like an island of wildness surrounded by a sea of buildings and people and it has some extremely fun and technical riding as well as rock art, coyotes, bob cats among others.

South Mountain

After the show is over we stop in different places to ride on the way home, Black Canyon which is between Phoenix and Sedona, a very good place to ride as well and you feel like you're out there in the middle of nowhere. Sedona as well is a excellent place to ride but I never feel like I'm far from people or town when I ride there, but it's so gorgoues. This year we want to stop in Gallup, NM to ride the High Desert Trail System there. Can't wait!

National Trail at South Mountain

A little bit of this a little bit of that..

Life is busy, between working, getting ready for my show in Scottsdale and riding I don't have much extra time. I've recovered from my HATE ON mostly, life is good no matter what. Here is a list of things that have been happening lately.

• Worked for Honey Stingers at Costco a couple weekends ago doing a demo, got to wear a hair net, not my best look! Never been in a Costco before, it's a machine of a place. The Costco was in Arvada which was a soul sucking drive, I so appreciate where I live.
  
  
  Emma and I working the hair nets!
  

• Strangely enough a few days later my Step Dad let me know that he got a Costco membership for Craig and I, hmmm.
  

• Riding as usual but getting out on the weekends with Dan and Kim as well as their friend Chuck. Riding trails I normally don't get to hit this time of year so that's been a lot fun!
  
  

• I wrenched my left shoulder riding the other day, wiped out on some ice, geez! I'm pretty certain it's rotater cuff injury, but not too terribly serious, I can raise my arm above my head, however it's a little painful to do so.
  

• Working a lot in the studio making new art for my show in Scottsdale, AZ. Please let it be a GOOD show! I'm pretty happy with the new work, new ideas.
  

• Looking forward in a BIG way to our mini vaca that we're building into our show trip to AZ. We're taking the bikes as usual and hitting up some trails in AZ and NM, South Mountain here I come. Kick Ass! The drive is one of my favorites as we take the back way down through the Navajo Res. I just wish we could do some camping.
  

• My sister and her husband had their second child, Amelia Josephine last week. I'm an Auntie again, yea!
  
  
  Amelia Josephine!
  

• My truck broke down last week but Randy fixed it for me, yeah! It was a little bit of an ordeal needless to say I will never patronize Checker Auto again.
  

• I will be replacing my cranks on my bike before we leave for AZ...(:

• I realized that I'm unconsciously waiting for the other shoe to drop most of the time. The saying "It's Always Something" runs through my mind all the time these days as well as "It Is What It Is"..is that a balance?
  

• I'm stoked that we've sprung forward with our time, more daylight in the evening means more time to do stuff after work, it's gonna be warmer and summer time soon and I can wear my flip flops again!