An observation I want to pass on: The desert is NOT flat! As we look out over the land surrounding the campground it appears to be relatively flat while covered with lots of scrub and cacti but as we ride our bikes across this land we discovered that it is anything but flat with lots of rolling hills, dips down to a wash and then back up onto a ledge and around low hills and into a valley green with grass and trees.
View from our patio the last 3 days.
Yesterday and today we chose to ride our bikes in the desert in McDowell Mountain Park. According to the trail map we rode on Granite, Delsie, Pemberton, Lariat and Granite Trails (as indicated by the initials in the title). This route took us about 9 miles on fairly level trails with a slight rise at the beginning and downhill going home. But today’s 8 mile route on Granite, Tonto Tank, Pemberton, and Bluff Trails was much rougher with steep, narrow, rocky rises circling up and around a tall hill then back down, across a wide wash and along a bluff overlooking a deep depression and then steeply down to the campground.
John did great! He loves this kind of bike riding and is strong enough to master some of the most difficult sections while I was jumping off of my bike, before I could fall off of it, and walked both up and down the hills and over the rocks and sand. I did it, did not give up, but it is not something I want to do very often!
1 comment:
I liked your description of the desert. It's amazing to me that you both are riding your bikes in the desert, on sand and rocks and going the distances that you ride. You're animals!
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