bici or busti - pics from the road [Archive]

chimivee

05-02-07, 10:32 PM

So, I'm doing a little traveling...

My GF had the week off, so we planned to visit her family in Phoenix, then head out to their cabin in the mountains. She'll head home at the end of the week, and I plan to continue on, with bike riding on the agenda. :D

Day 1, Monday 4/30: My GF and I left from her parent's place in Phoenix and drove out to Pinetop, AZ, about 3.5 hrs away. It's basically a smallish mountain town in the White Mountains near Show Low.

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Gretzky

05-02-07, 10:35 PM

Awesome photos James!!!

Luwin1026

05-02-07, 10:39 PM

summoner12

05-02-07, 10:41 PM

helps if I read this thread.. NM

summoner12

05-02-07, 10:41 PM

OH and when are we gonna drop an EJ20 into that Van?

chimivee

05-02-07, 10:52 PM

Major photo-taking skills - can't teach one to have an eye like that.

Hope you had a wonderful time, and hope you continue to have fun!! Be safe, and enjoy AZ!! I bought my first "authentic" cowboy hat back in 1999 in Show Low
Thanks, Luwin. Right back atcha.

Yeehaw!
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voltman

05-02-07, 10:53 PM

Is nice!

chimivee

05-02-07, 10:53 PM

OH and when are we gonna drop an EJ20 into that Van?
Hey, if you've got the skills, I'll provide the beer! :D

chimivee

05-02-07, 10:55 PM

Day 2 - Tuesday May 1: Forecast called for scattered thunderstorms, 30% chance of rain. We decided to go for a hike.

ominous...
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The Timber Mesa Trail, 7 mi loop.
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a cute little rattlesnake
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a little less cute now
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It began to sprinkle. Then full on rain. Then frickin hail.

water + dirt = mud
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dead thing
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The sun came out, long enough to dry us out before the end.

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Went back to the cabin to sit in front of the fire, and bar-b-que some meat. :D

summoner12

05-02-07, 11:04 PM

Hey, if you've got the skills, I'll provide the beer! :D

..... and the funding... LOL

only prob.... not smog legal... you'd have to find someone to pass you. If you are serious I wouldn't mind helping you researching the swap and finding the parts. I've done a few engine swaps.... just not EJ20s into a VW...

Mo'Phat

05-02-07, 11:06 PM

Are you heading to Flagstaff, Oak Creek, Sedona, or Prescott? I edumicated at Northern Arizona...so I know the area pretty well.

chimivee

05-02-07, 11:13 PM

..... and the funding... LOL

only prob.... not smog legal... you'd have to find someone to pass you. If you are serious I wouldn't mind helping you researching the swap and finding the parts. I've done a few engine swaps.... just not EJ20s into a VW...
Hey, I might seriously be interested in that. Kennedy Engineering makes a conversion kit that is CARB legal... but you have to buy the whole kit. I'll be sure to chat you up more on that.

chimivee

05-02-07, 11:18 PM

Are you heading to Flagstaff, Oak Creek, Sedona, or Prescott? I edumicated at Northern Arizona...so I know the area pretty well.
Well, once Amy returns home on Friday... I have no set plan. Was thinking of hitting Colorado - Durango, Fruita. Maybe Utah - Moab, Bryce, Zion...?

If you've got recommendations for northern Arizona, I'm all ears! I'll be car camping. I've driven through Flagstaff and Sednona, and watched an SCC pro rally race in Prescott. All beautiful areas.

chimivee

05-02-07, 11:29 PM

Day 3 - Wed, May 2: We slept in, went to lunch at a local cafe in town, then spent the afternoon poking around the shops. We had hoped to go for a MTB ride, but the trails would have been too wet from the previous day's rain. So instead, once we got back to the cabin, I went for a quick road ride by myself. Temps were right around 60º.

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Hwy 260
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I shoot lasers from my head
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chimivee

05-02-07, 11:31 PM

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This road beckoned, and I obeyed. :p
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the dirt road behind my bike would surely have led to fun
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summoner12

05-02-07, 11:33 PM

Hey, I might seriously be interested in that. Kennedy Engineering makes a conversion kit that is CARB legal... but you have to buy the whole kit. I'll be sure to chat you up more on that.

Let me know!

chimivee

05-02-07, 11:33 PM

Sign said "Big Bear Lake -->" ...so I went right.

bumpy dirt road
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but it wasn't the Big Bear Lake I know
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Got back to the cabin a little after 6pm, just in time for tortellini dinner. Total ride was about 36 mi. We hope to go for that MTB ride in the morning.

EDIT: I forgot the most exciting part of the ride. Having recently jinxed myself by stating I'd never been chased by a dog... On my way back, I heard some barking behind me... didn't think much of it, until I realized the source was getting closer. Looked back and saw a pack, yes a PACK, of MEAN looking dogs approaching. (I'm guessing rottweilers - they were black/brown and stocky. Around 5 of them). One in particular really wanted a piece of me and was only about 10' back. HOLY CRAP! :eek: Needless to say, I pulled my best Boonen and got some distance. I have no idea where they came from. This was out on the main road/hwy. Had I been on foot, I'd certainly be arizona road kill.

Luwin1026

05-03-07, 01:05 AM

I shoot lasers from my head
http://three91.com/gallery/2007/05/arizonaPlus/IMG_1596.JPG

Oooooh . . . someone got themselves a new Atmos - looking great!!!

At least you're posting pics throughout the trip . . . unlike some other mysterious, unknown trip in the past . . . ;)

chimivee

05-03-07, 01:32 AM

At least you're posting pics throughout the trip . . . unlike some other mysterious, unknown trip in the past . . . ;)
Yes, well, I'm a bit of a procrastinator :o . And sifting through hundreds of photos at a time just sucks. And I have a horrible memory, so captioning after the fact strains my brain. So, I figure, posting in clumps along the way is a better way to go. The trick will be finding internet when I'm camping in the toolies...

Oh, and those certain other pics from a mysterious unknown trip in the past are HERE (http://three91.com/bike/2006/09/whiteRimRoad/). :p :p :p You can make up your own story to go with it!

cole505

05-03-07, 08:13 AM

great pics as always chimevee. I'm looking forward to your RAAM photos.

cjbruin

05-03-07, 08:16 AM

Good stuff James. Great reading and viewing for the morning cup o' coffee. Rose & I were laughing at your "cute little rattlesnake" comment and I said, "At least it's not coiled." scroll down..."Yikes". We guessed you threw a rock at it and hoped that you had maxed out the optical zoom.

Have fun, be safe, say "Hi" to Amy.

BCIpam

05-03-07, 12:22 PM

James - always enjoy your photos you have such a wonderful sense of composition and creativity. You did get alittle too close to the rattler or did you have a big lens!!!???? :eek:

Again thanks for posting. Makes me want to go there.

merider1

05-03-07, 12:25 PM

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This is now my background photo. LOVE your photos, James! :D

chimivee

05-05-07, 12:27 AM

We guessed you threw a rock at it and hoped that you had maxed out the optical zoom.
LOL. Actually, I squatted down to snap a pic, and the little guy intantly struck the pose. :eek: My camera doesn't zoom all that much... so I'd guess I was about 6' - 8' away, and I cropped the photo. It really wasn't that big. And I'm really not very bright.

cjbruin

05-05-07, 12:53 AM

And I'm really not very bright.

Hey!!! That's my line :)

chimivee

05-05-07, 01:27 AM

Day 4 - Thur, May 3: Weather was great - around 70º and sunny. We decided to take the mountain bikes out on the 13 mi Los Burros loop trail. It was very windy, but once among the trees in the forest, it was perfect.

The trail is probably 95% singletrack goodness.

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the bikes stood guard while we peed

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The first half of the trail alternated between tall forests and open meadow.

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chimivee

05-05-07, 01:29 AM

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We didn't see a single other person out there.

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There were a few rocky sections. Amy is a beginner and managed to have 3 unscheduled get-offs, including an over-the-bars manuever that she probably learned from me. She stuck it out to the end, though. :)

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sandwich break
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chimivee

05-05-07, 01:30 AM

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The second half of the ride was MTB bliss - fast, rolling singletrack through dense forest.

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one of several service roads that the trail crosses
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Amy was feeling pretty beat up by the end. (I told her, give it another 36 hours before it really starts to hurt :p )

chimivee

05-05-07, 01:31 AM

After the ride, we left Pinetop and headed back down to Phoenix. The headwind was gnarly, and my poor van struggled to maintain 50mph for the first hour or so.

forest fire
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chimivee

05-05-07, 02:11 AM

Day 5 - Fri, May 4: Spent the day in the Phoenix area, shopping for some last minute supplies for my upcoming camping. Picked up some tubes at Performance, too.

We stopped for a carne asada burrito for lunch... had to leave the glock and nun chucks in the car... Amy managed to smuggle in a shank, though...

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We picked up Amy's niece in the afternoon and hung out with her for the rest of the day.

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Amy is returning home tomorrow. I was thinking about heading to Durango, but the weather hasn't been good. So, I think I'm going to head to Sedona and Flagstaff for a few days, where the forecast is nice. I bought a book of AZ MTB trails. The N. Rim of the Grand Canyon has an epic 36 miler that sounds fun. If anyone has any road/mtb ride recommendations or area contacts/ride buddies, let me know!

jsigone

05-05-07, 07:23 AM

great pics, looks like a very FUN trip!!!

mateo44

05-05-07, 08:37 AM

James takes awesome pics, period.

nesdog

05-05-07, 09:17 AM

Great shots! Makes me want to head out on the road and ride.

Dogs chasing...hate that. I've had it a few times while on vacation in a rural valley near Fresno. Never knew I could sprint before.

Sheldon

Mo'Phat

05-05-07, 10:10 AM

Amy is returning home tomorrow. I was thinking about heading to Durango, but the weather hasn't been good. So, I think I'm going to head to Sedona and Flagstaff for a few days, where the forecast is nice. I bought a book of AZ MTB trails. The N. Rim of the Grand Canyon has an epic 36 miler that sounds fun. If anyone has any road/mtb ride recommendations or area contacts/ride buddies, let me know!

All lodging, shops, and trails on the North Rim are closed for another week or so. (I'm hiking there in 2.5 weeks, and couldn't go earlier because it's closed)...you might want to check before that long drive.

MTB Sedona -- the closest you can get to MOAB. Slick rock, great climbing/scenery and well-maintained trails.

PM-d you.

chimivee

05-06-07, 12:09 AM

Great shots! Makes me want to head out on the road and ride.
Feel free to join me. :D

chimivee

05-06-07, 12:13 AM

All lodging, shops, and trails on the North Rim are closed for another week or so. (I'm hiking there in 2.5 weeks, and couldn't go earlier because it's closed)...you might want to check before that long drive.

MTB Sedona -- the closest you can get to MOAB. Slick rock, great climbing/scenery and well-maintained trails.

PM-d you.
Ah yes, you're right... N Rim doesn't open until May 15. Well, maybe on my way back.

Sedona for sure. Leaving tomorrow. I've ridden a bit in Moab, including THE Slick Rock Trail, and it was good fun.

chimivee

05-06-07, 12:29 AM

Day 6 - Sat, May 5: Was packing up my gear to head out to Sedona, when Amy noticed a puddle under the front of my van. DOH! A broken coolant pipe that I had crappily jerry-rigged together a few months ago had come loose again. I contemplated repeating the same half-ass quick fix, but common sense told me I should repair it right (or at least, more right), while in the comfort of a driveway with Manny Moe and Jack available nearby. So, I spent way too much of the afternoon getting covered in green stuff and splicing in a new section of hose/pipe. Amy had planned to leave today too, but stayed to help me bleed the system when I was done. So, one more night in Phoenix. Volkswagens suck. :D

roadfix

05-06-07, 12:46 AM

Great photos James! Sorry to hear about your delay due to the broken coolant hose. But once fixed, your VW's good for another million miles....:D

Tiffanie

05-06-07, 11:52 AM

Great pics James, as always! I'm enjoying your updates and I look forward to more! :D

voltman

05-06-07, 09:19 PM

blue_nose

05-06-07, 09:29 PM

James takes awesome pics, period.

+ 1

Incredible pics.

summoner12

05-07-07, 09:27 PM

chimivee

05-07-07, 10:37 PM

Day 7 - Sun, May 6: Got a late start, leaving Phoenix for Sedona.

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Arrived in Sedona around 5pm. I walked around the tourist strip for a bit.

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chimivee

05-07-07, 10:38 PM

Drove a few miles outside of town to the free open camping area. Not a soul around.

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Dinner:

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chimivee

05-07-07, 10:38 PM

EJ20 anyone?:p
Do you offer roadside service?

summoner12

05-07-07, 10:46 PM

no but triple A does :p ;) :D :D

Great pics man! Wish I could be driving around like that. I've driven from LA to Chicago more times than I can count and I LOVE IT! There is so much to see that every single trip you notice something new and different. My fastest trip is 32 hour straight... got home to my mom's house at 6:30am took a nap... left her house around 2PM and drove another 5 hours to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. motivation you ask? a girl :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Edit: BTW dinner looks yummy! Its been awhile since I've made mac n cheese

funrover

05-07-07, 10:50 PM

Great pics!!

chimivee

05-07-07, 10:50 PM

Day 8 - Mon, May 7: Woke up to another perfect day.

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Unfortunately, I ran out of propane while boiling water for my oatmeal... So, I went to town and got waffles and fruit instead... which seems to have been Eggos with random bits of strawberries.

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Stopped at the Bike & Bean bike/coffee shop for some coffee and trail recommendations. Nice folks.

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I decided to take the Templeton Trail out to Cahtedral Rock. About 14 mi. Weather was high 70s and sunny.

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Except for the beginning, it's 100% singletrack.

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chimivee

05-07-07, 10:51 PM

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chimivee

05-07-07, 10:52 PM

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Oak Creek:

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The trail book I have rates the route "advanced." There was some gnarly rocky stuff that had my non-advanced-ass walking it.

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Not looking forward to hike-a-biking for much of the way back, I took the road.

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Loafed around town for the rest of the afternoon.