Nomad Spring - Weeks 3-4 (Tucson-Prescott)

Part 5 of blog posts from my 7 week road trip!

Now in Tucson, AZ it was time for a couple weeks of riding and hanging with friends Jiri and Brianne.  Thanks to them being very gracious hosts, it was a wonderful stay in the sunny desert city surrounded by mountains.

Hard to believe Brown Loaf drove all the way to Tucson, AZ!

The Sonoran desert was abloom!

The fun started with a mountain bike ride on Mount Lemmon.  Very fun descending the dry granite trails weaving through layers of biomes at different elevations.

Climbing Mount Lemmon w/ Jiri and Bri on day 1 in Tucson.

We go way back!

Jiri, "Jirka," enjoying a slab on the Lemmon descent.

Tucson is a surprisingly populated city and there are many breweries.

Compliments to the chefs, Jiri and Bri.

A couple days later, we celebrated Jiri’s birthday with a mountain bike classic ride, the “Lemmon Drop.”  Despite being an oldie, this ride was no joke.  Very technical, rough, and lots of hard ascending; despite the net 10k feet of descending.  It was an unforgettable ride and special day being able to celebrate Jiri’s birthday in-person together.

The day started high above the ~2000 ft desert floor.

There's a ski area at the top of Lemmon!

I love these plants that grow at intermediate elevation.

Come Thursday and we were on the road again, this time in Jiri and Bri’s truck en route to Prescott, AZ for the Whiskey 50 mountain bike race.  The Whiskey 50 is an event that had been on my radar for decades, and one that my dad and I long ago planned to travel to together.  When Jiri invited me to do the race with them, I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to make a trip of it, finally race the event, and check out the area for my old man!

Number plate affixed to trusty do-it-all stead.

It was a great event with big attendance, a festival scene, and a fun area.  Prescott is an outdoor town and I got the impression that the Whiskey 50 is the “Prescott Olympics” of the year.

Since moving to Tucson, Jirka forgot what it feels like to ride when it's 55 degrees! lol

Racing these days is bittersweet for me because I’m not prepared the way I used to be.  It definitely requires a different mindset and a focus on having fun, pushing myself, and enjoying the journey.  With that attitude, I felt as though I was back in the early days of teenage bike racing.  Pretty funny that Jiri and I were race buddies who got each other into it at age 16.

The first half of the 50 mile (or was it 45 miles?) race was mostly road, but the second half was mostly fun flowy singletrack.  There were plenty of granite slabs, twists, and turns to make for a good time passing “on your left” or inside the turns for some exciting moments.  It was a race-after all-and good fun!

Our crew!

Congrats to Jirka for winning the amateur race!  For context, I was 40-something place.  There are legit fast racers in the amateur field!

Post-race in Prescott.

Couldn't pass this beer up!

Back to Tucson on Sunday, Jiri showed me the local trails in town.  Even for a hot afternoon, it was a blast ripping along through the undulating desert trails.  An abundance of rocks, flat corners, and views made for a ripping good time!

Lovely trails within Tucson.

The desert was so full of life.

Week 2 in Tucson was relaxing with a couple rides and a trail run with Bri, complete with hill repeats among the saguaros.  After cooling off in the pool in the evenings we enjoyed season 1 of  “Tokyo Vice” while wearing our blue light glasses 🤓

Running through Saguaro "forest" with Bri!

Road riding "the loop" with Jirka.

The road rides sometimes include singletrack!  Just watch out for poles...

Fascinating Iron-Cross Blister Beetle of Tucson/Sonoran Desert.

Come Friday evening, it was our last time together.  Sad to leave the Tucson Oasis and my dear friends, it was necessary to continue the journey and begin heading north.  Ski to Sea was 3 weeks away and I needed to be back in Bellingham to XC ski race in “The Bellingham Olympics.”  

Next destination Colorado!