we'll follow the sun

...In this case, we'll follow the warmth. As we prepared to leave Moab on Monday morning (thanks to Fred & Susan for putting us up), Jon pulled a water bottle from the car... frozen! Using "head south" as our rallying cry, we hit the road.

Monument Valley, Navajo Nation. If you've seen any
John Wayne westerns, you've seen some of the sights in the valley.

South, toward Arizona where we drove through Monument Valley, then pulled into Flagstaff as darkness was settling in. Next day, we rode some trails on Mount Elden. The ride started at about 7,000 feet, then climbed from there - we figure to about 9,100 feet. My legs were willing, but the lungs burned. It's a tough reminder to us sea-level people - the mountains are beautiful but they can be tough.

Jon lands after a small jump.

Of course, the climbing was rewarded with some sweet, twisting, flowing, singletrack descents on trails that were sometimes rocky, but also sometimes covered with pine needles.

This is what we do.

We camped out that night just south of Flagstaff in calm, somewhat warmer conditions. It was good to be bundled into my sleeping bag without all that dust flying around.

Today, we met our friend Leonard for a ride in Sedona. Lower elevations and hotter conditions. Riding with someone who knows his way around made it fun... even when I was pushing. I split from the guys when they wanted to do another longer loop. A wise idea - by the time they met me at the Bike & Bean, they were both spent, while I was lounging outside with my iced latte talking to a cyclist who is biking her way to Central America to do volunteer work.

Tomorrow, we ride again with Leonard. Funny, he lives in Anchorage. We've known him for years and I volunteer on the STA steering committee with him, but I can only recall riding with him once before. How is it that we have to come all the way to Arizona to ride with him and enjoy dinner together? Well, here's to bikes, to travel, to good food and friends with whom to share them.