Two Brothers Big Fall Adventure--Day 1
My brother, Kent, arrived from Ontario, Canada last night so we could begin our Big Fall Adventure for this year. Kent was up here last March, and we did some biking around the Phoenix area. Since then, we've moved to Prescott, Arizona, and today was our "shakedown" ride for Kent's new bike.
We headed out just after 10:30am from our new home just off White Spar Road (AZ Highway 89) south of Copper Basin Road. Our destination was Fain Park in Prescott Valley, where the school I work at, Northern Arizona University-Yavapai, was holding it's Fall Student-Staff-Faculty Picnic. The route is truly up and down, climbing over the hills that separate Prescott and Prescott Valley.
The route combines bike routes through Prescott to the intersection of Highways 69 and 89, then a wide sidewalk up to Frontier Village. We used roads in the strip mall to avoid the heavier traffic (no shoulder) on Highway 69 for a bit, then merged on to the highway, claiming our small space at the edge of the four lane stretch. Heading uphill toward Prescott Gateway Mall, we found ourselves a wide shoulder which doubled as our bike lane. At the mall, we arrived at the summit, and began a very fun and fast descent into Prescott Valley. The weather was in the high 60s and sunny, a perfect day for a ride! Ten miles later, we descended to Lynx Creek, and a artificial lake created for using the water for shooting at the cliffs in order to mine gold.
The picnic was wonderful, and about three o'clock we headed back the way we came to Prescott. About half way up the hill to Gateway Mall, I felt like I was working way to hard! I was. My rear tire had gone soft. I pushed some CO2 into the wheel, and heard air escaping. I flipped my bike over and proceeded with a side-of-the-road tube change. On inspection, it appears that one of those treacherous Arizona thorns had penetrated my tire. The repair completed, we rode on. At the top of the hill, Kent insisted we stop at In-and-Out Burger for a Dr. Pepper (his addiction). The cool cola tasked great after the three mile uphill climb.
The rest of the way home was uneventful and pleasant (if one can call chugging up hills 'pleasant'). It was a good test ride for us and the new bike, and we were none the worse for wear. So starts a week of exploration and excitement on two wheels!
Tomorrow--Vulture Mine Road!
We headed out just after 10:30am from our new home just off White Spar Road (AZ Highway 89) south of Copper Basin Road. Our destination was Fain Park in Prescott Valley, where the school I work at, Northern Arizona University-Yavapai, was holding it's Fall Student-Staff-Faculty Picnic. The route is truly up and down, climbing over the hills that separate Prescott and Prescott Valley.
The route combines bike routes through Prescott to the intersection of Highways 69 and 89, then a wide sidewalk up to Frontier Village. We used roads in the strip mall to avoid the heavier traffic (no shoulder) on Highway 69 for a bit, then merged on to the highway, claiming our small space at the edge of the four lane stretch. Heading uphill toward Prescott Gateway Mall, we found ourselves a wide shoulder which doubled as our bike lane. At the mall, we arrived at the summit, and began a very fun and fast descent into Prescott Valley. The weather was in the high 60s and sunny, a perfect day for a ride! Ten miles later, we descended to Lynx Creek, and a artificial lake created for using the water for shooting at the cliffs in order to mine gold.
The picnic was wonderful, and about three o'clock we headed back the way we came to Prescott. About half way up the hill to Gateway Mall, I felt like I was working way to hard! I was. My rear tire had gone soft. I pushed some CO2 into the wheel, and heard air escaping. I flipped my bike over and proceeded with a side-of-the-road tube change. On inspection, it appears that one of those treacherous Arizona thorns had penetrated my tire. The repair completed, we rode on. At the top of the hill, Kent insisted we stop at In-and-Out Burger for a Dr. Pepper (his addiction). The cool cola tasked great after the three mile uphill climb.
The rest of the way home was uneventful and pleasant (if one can call chugging up hills 'pleasant'). It was a good test ride for us and the new bike, and we were none the worse for wear. So starts a week of exploration and excitement on two wheels!
Tomorrow--Vulture Mine Road!
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