The odometer of my Ford E350 Club Wagon hits 160,000 as I am 809 miles into the next phase of traveling about, searching for the next great singletrack.
I would first like to mention, I'm thankful that I got to be in Tucson for my home town Ride for Reading book week delivery. It was again one of the best experiences I have ever had on a bike. 400 plus kids screaming, yelling, high-5-ing, and running around with the excitement of knowing that they were about to receive about 1200 books to take home and call their own. Totally Stoked!
Now I'm rolling east on the 70, remembering the ass-kicking day I had in Flagstaff the day before. It was the Arizona Endurance Series event that I stumbled upon while trying to quickly get to Colorado for some other appointments. But I could not pass up riding 50 plus miles and climbing about 6000ft on some of the best trails Arizona has to offer. Everything else would have to wait or somehow get rescheduled. It is already starting to get a bit dry and dusty in the AZ high country, it is just nuts how fast it happens. After missing a turn that would have added another 15 miles to the course, the group that I was riding with made the decision to head to the brewery and drown our mishap. I was feeling the pressure of the things to come, so I made a quick exit and it was off to central Colorado.
I know what you are probably thinking: “You didn't stop to ride in Moab, Fruita, Grand Junction or any of the other fantastic trail systems along the way?!?" The short answer is, No. My excuse is that I have a full calendar of things to do. I took a quick nap in Blanding, UT where a bit of engine trouble arose last year that I thought might permanently derail my summer trip. But it all worked out, and, while the van was getting fixed, I got to see some pretty cool cliff dwellings.
This year though, it seems that I can only run behind “schedule” and just try to make it there in time. Oh that dang time thing again! Well, I made it with some time to spare and the allowance to seek out some new-to-me trails...perfect. I sense a trend forming for the year: ride, ride, ride, oh yeah that race thing. Well we shall see how it goes. One thing is for certain, I will be responsible for packing down miles and miles of trail this year, hopefully a lot of Singletrack I have not seen before and, as for the race courses, well I'm sure I'll make it around those as well, but it just might be on my own schedule.
About Dejay - For the past 15 years Dejay has lived a bit of the vagabond life style working/racing for several companies, which has led him to hunting and gathering trail experiences as far as a bicycle can take him. This seems to be the fuel to further his quest into whatever the next adventure may be. He finds himself a little stationary in the winter months working at a bike shop in Tucson, AZ, but more importantly where the mountains call to him on a daily basis. He has recently found a home working with Ride for Reading to bring awareness to their mission. This will have him still wandering about, spreading the good words and inspiring children to have an active, healthy life.
