ssaz '11 - the finale'
Sorry for the delay. Had some obligations that pulled me away from the computer.
like: Bringing Bobo's to New England. We made some bacon chocolate chip pancakes Friday night for dinner. Yummy.
Third time was a charm. I think we figured it out.
Then a day snowboarding at Sugarbush. The day started off with some high winds which did not make it enjoyable. However, the winds subsided and the snow started falling. Three inches worth of snow. Later on in the day the snow subsided and we had some sun before the lifts closed. Dinner at Positive Pie in Montpelier and then we managed to get back to Hartford but not without driving through a white-out on I89 as we left Montpelier. That lasted most of the stretch of I89 down towards I91. 3.5hr drive home was 4.5hrs and we were pretty beat.
Anyway.. Back to Arizona....
After Saturday's event, I had one more day in Arizona before my flight home. That day was spent doing what the previous few days involved: eating, riding bicycles and drinking (in no particular order).
Team Bike29 piled into the Executor with all our biking gear and made a stop in town for breakfast before meeting up with Darkhorse George, Niner Mike and Rudi. The plan laid out on the table was Bobo's but somehow the Executor arrived at the Hungry Fox. The team's mood was about 50/50 with this choice. I was optimistic and willing to try something new. Such optimism quickly disappeared when I took my first bite into my meal.
My chipped beef was heavy on the gravy and light on the chipped beef.
I was kicking myself for ordering a meal that is best ordered in the southeast US, not the southwest. Oh well, live and learn. Emily and Mandy ordered the Sonoran Skillet and the chorizo was tasty. Dicky took advantage of the Senior Citizen Special and had an omelet while George wasn't too happy with his biscuits and gravy but Keller was quite satisfied with his meal.
After breakfast we headed over to Rudi's house to gather up the remainder of the troops. Monte made an appearance and subsequently joined our bike ride. Rudi took us out on these trails in western Tuscon dubbed 'Sweetwater'. Sweet it was.
Smack in the middle of lots and lots of saguaro cacti. Such an amazing sight whilst riding.
I was reading up on the saguaros while thinking about this post. I came across this image.
Look at the ages for the various stages of a saguaro cactus. Now look at the photos I took and realize how old these cacti really are. That is pretty amazing!
The trails were fast and you can really get a rhythm going. Lots of small rocks here and there to keep you on your toes. I have to say that the previous two days of riding were lots of fun but this afternoon took the cake. Such a great way to end the trip.
Rudi knows the gentleman who conceptualized and worked to make these trails what they are today. Seeing everyone in our group riding with a giant smile on their face, including myself, I think Rudi's friend has done a great job. Thanks Rudi and tell your friend thank you as well!'
and a shot of Darkhorse George
Mandy snapped this shot of me coming around a bend
and got this one of Dicky coming around the same bend
I caught this photo when Mandy was down in a little valley quite a-ways down the trail. I tried to get both her and George in the photo but he was a little too far ahead.
After about a 2-2.5hr ride we were invited over to Rudi's for a bbq.
Dicky having some fun with Rudi's dog.
After the BBQ we ultimately headed over to a local micro-brew to meet up with Dejay and his posse to celebrate his birthday and some of us watched the superbowl.
They kicked us out around 9pm and we made our way to another watering hole. Sometime later in the evening we ultimately got back to the hotel. I then had to take my bike apart and get it back into its travel case and also pack my clothes before I fell asleep. George was nice enough to take Keller and I to the airport at 7:30am the next morning.
This trip was a whole lot of fun. I am glad I decided to partake. I have to say thank you to both George and Mandy for figuring out the logistics and driving Team Bike29 around all weekend. It made this trip exponentially more enjoyable. Thanks!
It was also great to see people I haven't seen in months as well as to meet some new people. That aspect of the traveling is always fun.
I anticipate going back next year. I like the idea of heading off into the desert to get away from the snow mid-winter here in the Northeast. When you have a good sized group like we did the fun factor is even higher. Can't wait for next year.
like: Bringing Bobo's to New England. We made some bacon chocolate chip pancakes Friday night for dinner. Yummy.
Then a day snowboarding at Sugarbush. The day started off with some high winds which did not make it enjoyable. However, the winds subsided and the snow started falling. Three inches worth of snow. Later on in the day the snow subsided and we had some sun before the lifts closed. Dinner at Positive Pie in Montpelier and then we managed to get back to Hartford but not without driving through a white-out on I89 as we left Montpelier. That lasted most of the stretch of I89 down towards I91. 3.5hr drive home was 4.5hrs and we were pretty beat.
Anyway.. Back to Arizona....
After Saturday's event, I had one more day in Arizona before my flight home. That day was spent doing what the previous few days involved: eating, riding bicycles and drinking (in no particular order).
Team Bike29 piled into the Executor with all our biking gear and made a stop in town for breakfast before meeting up with Darkhorse George, Niner Mike and Rudi. The plan laid out on the table was Bobo's but somehow the Executor arrived at the Hungry Fox. The team's mood was about 50/50 with this choice. I was optimistic and willing to try something new. Such optimism quickly disappeared when I took my first bite into my meal.
Blagh.
My chipped beef was heavy on the gravy and light on the chipped beef.
Fail
I was kicking myself for ordering a meal that is best ordered in the southeast US, not the southwest. Oh well, live and learn. Emily and Mandy ordered the Sonoran Skillet and the chorizo was tasty. Dicky took advantage of the Senior Citizen Special and had an omelet while George wasn't too happy with his biscuits and gravy but Keller was quite satisfied with his meal.
After breakfast we headed over to Rudi's house to gather up the remainder of the troops. Monte made an appearance and subsequently joined our bike ride. Rudi took us out on these trails in western Tuscon dubbed 'Sweetwater'. Sweet it was.
Rudi having a blast.
I was reading up on the saguaros while thinking about this post. I came across this image.
Keller and Emily
The trails were fast and you can really get a rhythm going. Lots of small rocks here and there to keep you on your toes. I have to say that the previous two days of riding were lots of fun but this afternoon took the cake. Such a great way to end the trip.
Part of the crew hanging out at one of our stops.
Mandy and Darkhorse George
Monte, Darkhorse George and myself
As you can tell, we stopped a bunch. The pace was moderate with a few trails taken at a faster pace (thanks to Niner Mike and George since they were 'fresh' from not riding much on Saturday). The rest of us were dragging to a certain degree because of what we rode the day prior. Either way, we still enjoyed being out on our bikes riding again.
One of the later trails we rode a few of us stopped to snap photos as everyone rode bike. Here's one I took of George..
and one of Mandy
and a shot of Darkhorse George
Mandy snapped this shot of me coming around a bend
and got this one of Dicky coming around the same bend
I caught this photo when Mandy was down in a little valley quite a-ways down the trail. I tried to get both her and George in the photo but he was a little too far ahead.
After about a 2-2.5hr ride we were invited over to Rudi's for a bbq.
After the BBQ we ultimately headed over to a local micro-brew to meet up with Dejay and his posse to celebrate his birthday and some of us watched the superbowl.
Dejay.. The birthday boy.
They kicked us out around 9pm and we made our way to another watering hole. Sometime later in the evening we ultimately got back to the hotel. I then had to take my bike apart and get it back into its travel case and also pack my clothes before I fell asleep. George was nice enough to take Keller and I to the airport at 7:30am the next morning.
This trip was a whole lot of fun. I am glad I decided to partake. I have to say thank you to both George and Mandy for figuring out the logistics and driving Team Bike29 around all weekend. It made this trip exponentially more enjoyable. Thanks!
It was also great to see people I haven't seen in months as well as to meet some new people. That aspect of the traveling is always fun.
I anticipate going back next year. I like the idea of heading off into the desert to get away from the snow mid-winter here in the Northeast. When you have a good sized group like we did the fun factor is even higher. Can't wait for next year.
posted by dougyfresh at 8:19 PM
1 Comments:
When I hear chipped beef I think of prison not breakfast
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