Desert Shreddin'

Drive over. School on break. Time to ride.

Getting out to Tucson was an epic transfer, for sure. But, being here has been nothing short of wonderful. The weather (until today, of course!!), has been mild, warm, and totally conducive of super long hours on the bike. My stress level went from 25 to 0 (random scale, whatever). I got news that I passed the Praxis (state test required to finish grad school and become SLP), and am adjusting to living with 2 clean guys (sorry Scotty and Josh), 3 dogs, and no kitty cats. I have developed a couple of lists of things I miss or have "lost," and things I've "gained" by my move....
Let's see.....

Miss:
-southern accents
-moonshine
-Pisgah
-trail right across from my mailbox
-CONTRA dancing!!
-snow/ice rides
-Bike polo being postponed due to
snow

Gained:
-Mexican, I mean Spanish
-jalapeno's and chilies in EVERYTHING
-Desert
-cactus right in my front yard
-"goathead in your foot" two-step
-sunburn
-BIKE POLO :) :) :)

For a pictoral list:
Lost: snowy, cold rivers...
Gained: CHOLLA, don't these look fun??

Lost: Linville Gorge

And snow days

Gained: Gates Pass

This picture was taken on "automatic" (I've lost all the skills Billy taught me about manual photography- aack!!) and has had no photoshopping or color adjustment made to it.....Those sky's are natural.....

In actuality, tho, I was feeling a bit homesick the last couple of days....the Pisgah is a place that speaks to my heart and it was really hard to leave. The trails there are hardly comparable to those anywhere else in the country and I was really appreciating the daily/weekly Pisgah epics and the steep, scary tech. I was starting to find a new balance on my bike that was increasing flow and confidence daily.
So on Sunday, when Dejay, Nathan Shope, Bike Polo Dave and Dan the D-Dan and I went out for a desert epic, I was relieved to say the least. The trails were challenging yet rideable (for the most part), and I would have loved every last second of it were it not for spill #1 and spill #2. They left me taking it easy for a couple of days with a swollen left knee, right elbow and thigh hematomaey-type thing. The desert is not nice either when it comes to your arm and leg skin....we all have these beautiful cross-marked scabs running the coarse of our calves and forearms, looking all Jesus-y without the saint part. The worst part was that I slipped into a kind of nasty mental place....my riding suffered and I was not positive. I am still limping a bit, but that is the only remaining negativity, and hopefully I didn't piss off my new friends so we can all go epic again. Bike Polo Dave got to experience the longest mtn bike ride of his career to date, so it was truly a memorable day.

One more thing.....just on the "gained" list:
JUDA

If any of this looks appealing.... get out here on January 24th for Single Speed Arizona, SSAZ09.

Totally worth it. Just like those little diamonds on the tailbones of Ethiopian babies. You know, the ones with that newborn baby smell.