I'm most familiar with the northwest, especially near the Bullhead City, AZ / Laughlin, NV area. I pissed away my ill-spent youth in that area on foot, on bike and on gas-powered off-road vehicles. Just make damn sure you've got enough water and food for a bike ride in the desert. It may be February, but that doesn't mean you won't get hot, hungry and dehydrated. Oh, and make sure you have enough cajones to brave the wildlife. You won't hear them, you won't see them and you won't smell them, but they're out there, Scully. They're out there.

The question is: on or off road? If it's off-road, do not under any circumstances go alone. If this is your first time biking the desert, take someone more experienced with you. Make sure you have at least four extra tubes and two extra folding tires. And be carefull of whose land you're on. The homesteaders out in the desert are very territorial. I don't mean to make it sound like the wild-wild-west, but the desert is not a patient teacher. Make sure you have an up-to-date map that includes designations of public and private land.

If it's on-road, your choices are only narrowed by your level of road and traffic comfort. Do some online searches for Sedona, redrock, Cottonwood, and Prescott. Those should get you going on a wealth of information on some beautiful northern AZ country. And remember, just because you're on the road, doesn't mean you're not out in the desert.

Man, I envy you. I miss those rides.