Last week the family took a last minute trip to Sedona. The in-laws have a time share there and Ma Boushley was staying there alone (since Pa Boushley had work to do at home) so we decided to go keep her company. Of course, I must admit I had ulterior motives, namely an opportunity to ride some trails in the red rock country.
Thursday morning I got up early and rode what Cosmic Ray calls the Submarine Rock Loop. I started on the Broken Arrow Trail at the end of Morgan road. From there I rode up to Chicken Point then down the Little Horse Trail to where it hooks up with the Bell Rock Pathway. After road riding through a neighborhood I connected with the Mystic Trail which took me back home.
The ride was great and the trail was quite amazing. Unlike the rough, gravelly trails here in Phoenix there were long sections of curvy, smooth single-track, with rocky technical sections popping up randomly. There was also lots of slickrock to play around on.
I did take a spill near Chicken Point, during which I managed to bend my rear dropout. My bike worked for the rest of my time in Sedona, but when I shifted into my lowest gear the derailleur rubbed against the spokes.
On Friday I took my brother-in-law with me on the same trail. He's done some cycling before, but not any serious mountain biking. Since I haven't ridden in Sedona before, I figured it would be best to take him on the one trail I was now familiar with. This time we added two miles of the Llama trail to the loop. He handled the trail well, but he did break in his new Kona with a trip over the handlebars that knocked his rear tire all out of whack. Fortunately, the bike came with free lifetime service at AZ Bikes & Boards.
After getting back to Phoenix I took my bike into Nick at Estrella Mountain Cyclery to get it serviced and to take care of that bent rear dropout. Thus, when we were riding on Hawes today I was back on the old Gary Fisher. It felt odd riding the old bike again. I have definitely got used to the GT.
