I've done 30+ mile rides the last two weekends, nothing terribly difficult but very nice rides none-the-less. The first picture shows a popular route south of town (Flagstaff) where it is not uncommon to see dozens of riders on weekend mornings. There is a very nice shoulder for most of the route. The first 5 miles or so have no shoulder at all though. The route is quite flat with only a few small hills. The scenery is spectacular but there does tend to be dead elk on the shoulder most everytime I ride....not the greatest thing to smell. The second picture is of my bike...note the high-tech Gatorade water bottle!

I headed northwest out of town today on the main highway that goes to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is really no shoulder and the road edge is pretty rough. The starting elevation is 7000' and
the route tops out at a little over 8000'. The final picture shows the fall colors on the San Francisco Peaks. The peak on the back left is Humphreys Peak and is the highest in Az. at 12,670'. There is a 7 mile paved road up to the local ski area that many people ride....but not I! It is really steep. The wind on the ride back was pretty bad so the long downhill wasn't quite as enjoyable as it could of been. A very nice ride though.