Sunday Morning Ride: Brown Canyon, Singlespeed

Just about done with the cold, but I took it easy on the initial climb. In the back of my mind, I harbored the hope that maybe my time would be a pleasant surprise, that in some counterintuitive less-is-more Zen fashion I'd get a faster climb with less effort. Nope: 9:40. Less is less, only more is more. Got it?

Recuperative Ramble in Brown Canyon

Friday morning rolled around and I still didn't have a workable plan. I had intended to head out to the Ramsey Well area west of the Whetstones and map out the old "pack trail" that leads to the abandoned homestead in Shellenberger Canyon. With a few cairns and other improvements, the trail could be an excellent route to Apache Peak.

Nothing wrong with that plan, except today's forecast for winds gusting to 40mph. With the head cold not quite gone, it'd be miserable. A walk would be nice, but I'd want some shelter from the wind...hell, why not just do the old-lady loop in the canyon?

Manzanita Blossoms

I slipped on my Vibram foot gloves and set off from the trailhead. Wind was already up, but as I got further down the trail the natural windbreaks attenuated it to just a fretful breeze. I set a quick pace to keep warm, and actually started to feel pretty good. About a mile in, a couple of mountain bikers passed me, causing a strong twinge of envy. Damn. I should have ridden today, I'm feeling pretty good. And I could do a helluva lot better than those guys. I jogged a few steps in the choppy, balls-of-the-feet stride necessitated by the Vibrams, and a thought occurred:

I'm almost as fast as they are.

Without pushing too hard, I found that a scout pace of alternating sprints and fast hiking sufficed to keep my prey in sight and even narrow the gap. When I reached the junction with the Pomona Mine Trail, the bikers were taking a trailside breather. I pushed on and made it to within a tenth of a mile of Ramsey Road before they caught up again.

Completed the 5-mile loop in a touch over an hour. I rarely run, so I had some tightness in my calves from the unaccustomed movement, but was energized by the impromptu game. So this is why dogs chase bikes...

Rosemont AZT Trailhead to I-10

Although I was busy inspecting the bike for damage and brushing the twigs and leaves of a demolished packrat midden off my clothes, I still had time to ask myself, "Well, how did I get here?" The immediate answer was by blowing a switchback turn at the bottom of a steep downhill. The deeper cause was the usual one: hubris.

More Waterfalls

Brown Canyon: "You Too"

Singlespeed Rat Ride of the familiar hometown trail. Today was the first warm day in a while, and traffic in the canyon was heavy. Mailboxes to gate was 8:23 (meh), which I pledge to improve as I practice my shiftless skills.

Most of the bikes I encountered were riding counter-clockwise, so I pulled off and let them by in order not to break their momentum riding uphill. One rider rewarded my courtesy with a smart-aleck remark about my helmetlessness, saying "Living dangerously..." I was nonplussed, but muttered "You too." If he heard, I wonder if he knows what I meant.

Amy suggested a response from the Terminator menu. Heh. Tempting. I'm betting that his car was the Subaru at the trailhead with the Earth First! stickers on it. That slogan, and Gas Sucks-Ride a Bike strike me as incongruous messages for bumper stickers.