Tour de Quatro Lagos

Prescott sports six lakes--all man made (such is a necessity in the arid Arizona central highlands). Two are in the Prescott National Forest (Lynx Lake and Granite Basin Lake), three are part of the City of Prescott (Goldwater Lake, Willow Lake and Watson Lake) and one is private (Hassayampa Lake).  All except Hassayampa are accessible by paved road. (That will be another riding adventure.) My colleague, friend and riding buddy Curtis Kleinman and I took off at eight this morning to attempt our "Tour de Los Lagos"--a 50+ mile loop to all the asphalt-approachable lochs.

Granite Creek, from a bridge on a trial, as it enters Watson Lake.

Our first destination is Granite Basin Lake.  The cool morning weather is inviting.  Eight miles after leaving Yavapai College's Prescott Campus, we start a formidable climb to 6,000 feet, then drop down into shade provided by the dense Ponderosa pine forest.  A small lake, the view is striking as the granite cliffs rise steeply from the east side of the lake.

Mark taking a short break at Granite Basin Lake.

As we climbed out of the natural depression, the sun began to beat down on us, foreshadowing rising temperatures throughout the day. Periodic cloud cover would give us needed relief off and on throughout the ride.

Once at the summit of the pass, we screamed down the hill we despised a half hour earlier.  Curtis yelled "Warp Speed!" as we barreled down the course at 30+ miles per hour.

Willow Lake Trailhead

Traversing Williamson Valley Road, we once again caught a downhill break on Pioneer Parkway and Commerce Drive.  After a miscue which misled us into the Willow Lake RV Park, we found our way to Willow Lake and rode out on the floating dock for a great photo op.  Neither Curtis nor I had ever ridden the single track, hard packed dirt trail, so we decided to give it a go.  Glad we did, as it was a fun ride.

At then end of trail, we'd already covered almost 30 miles, so we took a short break underneath one of the few trees offering shade in the area, feasting on Power Bars, Gatorade and almonds.

Curtis at Willow Lake

After a short jaunt on Willow Lake Road, we merged onto Highway 89, road a few hundred yards, then risked our lives crossing the four-lane highway so we could get over to the Watson Lake overlook.  Watson Lake is situated among the picturesque Granite Dells.  Due to great Spring rainfall, the lake is the fullest it has been in many years.

Mark at Watson Lake

At this point, Curtis spots a trail that we surmise goes around the lake and will connect to Prescott Lakes Parkway, leading to In-and-Out Burger where we plan to have lunch.  The only problem is that the trail is at the bottom of a 25 feet vertical drop.  There is an "unofficial" trail going straight down the bank to the trail.  (We knew it was unofficial because we would have to step our bikes over a section of fence.)  We looked at each other, and I gave Curtis the say as to whether we stay on the nice, smooth pavement with a wide shoulder, or topple down the cliff and take our chances on the unknown path.  "Let's go," he barks.  I cursed him under my breath as I struggle to keep my bike from rolling over me on the descent, but the trail experience was well worth it.  We pedal through the lush riparian area and enjoy the coolness of the water.  (See first photo at top.)

The two-mile Parkway, gaining more than 500 feet in elevation during that distance, stares us in the face.  Curtis takes off and conquers the hill.  I have been feeling weaker the last few miles, and some yards up the hill I "bonk."  "Bonking" is the term cyclist use when the muscles in their legs no longer fire, they feel like lead, and putting one foot in front of the other takes all the energy one can muster. My heart rate and breathing are fine--my legs just won't move.

The only remedy for "bonking" is to get some nutrition into the muscles.  I have no choice.  I'm only a couple miles away from some relief.  This is where the mental part of cycling comes into play. Every few hundred meters I stop, try to mentally and physically regroup, then keep slugging up the hill.  Curtis--the patient guy that he is--is waiting for me at the top. We pull into In-and-Out, and are miraculously cured (or at least partially revived) by Double-doubles, fries and several cups of ice cold beverages. (Our lunch was spiced with a conversation from a gentleman who claims to see dead people--The Sixth Sense all over again!)

Curtis, deep in contemplation as he looks over Lynx Lake.

We climb a bit more, then coast down to Walker Road, only to climb again to the north side of Lynx Lake.  The lake is named after the creek that runs into it.  In 1863, Captain Joseph Walker explored this area for gold.  He encountered a bad-tempered bobcat, hence the name "Lynx."

Riding the rolling terrain, we make our way back up to the hill by Gateway Mall, only to be accosted by a young man in a red convertible bent on running us over while we crossed the street with the light.  (You know who you are!)  After enjoying a few miles of downhill, we confer at the corner of Sheldon and Gurley Streets. We've climbed over 3,000 feet today, and a four mile, seven hundred foot climb stands between us and Goldwater Lake, our last.  We look at each other.  The unspoken message is clear.  We've been in the saddle for 5 hours, it's moving toward late afternoon, and we're both pretty spent.  Forty five pluss miles and four lakes it will be today.  He peels off right back to the college, I continue straight for the three mile trek home. We'll save Goldwater for another time.

Three days from now, we're off on a two-day tour of the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona.  We agree that we want something left for that trip.  A physically challenging day, we now feel more prepared for our big adventure on Thursday.