Black Canyon, AZ

December 18
Sedona biking plans were officially abandoned, so Rudy and I head to Black Canyon Trail for a little warmer temperatures and van living before we house sit in Prescott for a couple weeks. We started with the northern portion of the trail, checking out the Antelope Creek and Hidden Secret sections. Rudy biked most of it while I covered about 4 miles on foot with out and backs. Not a whole lot of climbing and descending, but quite rocky! I loved seeing the big chunks of massive quartz.

Quartz!!!

Some schist too!!!

Lots of desert plants too, of course.

Some typical Black Canyon views

Following the trail fun, we headed south a little ways and parked near the Bumble Bee section to spend the night. Dinner was spaghetti, followed by a long, drawn out game of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win. Finally, started The Godfather.

December 19
Didn't get out of bed until 9 (I'm typically up by at least 8!) Not great sleep the previous night I guess. A pretty breezy morning, sunny and warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt though! A shorter run for me on the Bumble Bee section, slightly more technical, and deserty, than the sections further north.

Stick to the middle of the trail

Rudy biked Bumble Bee and sections further south for a longer ride. After a couple hours of chilling, I got out for a bike ride too - an out and back on the Hidden Secret section - a lot of chunky rock but I mostly got through it and had fun, it helped that not much climbing was involved. After biking, I got in a little bit of yoga before sundown and rapidly cooling temps - I'm surprised how much I've been slacking on consistent yoga! Dinner was soaked beans and rice. Entertainments was a close game of Trivial Pursuit, but Rudy got the win, then finishing The Godfather - can tell its an older movie, but I'm glad we finally watched it.

December 20
Woke up only slightly earlier this morning. Once again warm, but a little cloudy - final day of autumn! We had a slow morning, spending a little time in Black Canyon City for some food, water, and checking out of Rock Springs Cafe, known for its pies - we picked up a blueberry with crumble topping - pretty good, but maybe a little overrated. Eventually we headed out for more BCT. The road to the next segments was not so van friendly, but getting within a mile of the trail was good enough with the road being steep and rocky itself. The Little Pan, Williams Mesa, and adjoining sections were a bit rough and challenging to find particularly when crossing several creek beds.

Sometimes there are cairns to help

This was OK for my hike/run, but I won't be biking in these areas. Rudy didn't have the funnest day biking, but still happy to be on a bike. This was the warm day of the week for us, hitting 70! We camped just a little ways back up the road at a BLM OHV training and camping area (Little Pan Staging Area), essentially a big gravel lot, but good enough and quiet on a Tuesday. We at the second to last box from our case of shells and cheese, and had a nice game of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win.

December 21
Winter is here! Again, cloudy but warm. We ventured closer to the southern end of the BCT. I biked Biscuit Flats and Boyscout Loop - Rudy got a ways further north than that too, while skipping the 'easier' lower 6 miles.

Some different cactus than 50 miles north

Just look at what Rudy missed! Southern few miles of BCT

A little bit of rain started early afternoon that I managed to escape, but Rudy got to endure it - still in the 60s, so not so bad. After the biking, we returned to Little Pan Staging Area and got in our tepid solar showers before the rain started in more earnest. We enjoyed soaked lentils and quinoa, and then two rounds of Trivial Pursuit - one win each. Also got a start on The Godfather Part II.

December 22
Rainy and windy.

Winter in the desert

I got in a mostly dry stroll in a little break in the storminess before the drive back to Prescott. We helped Trevor with some final cleanup for their big vacation. I also starting indulging my baking craving and made some molasses cookies! Stir fry for dinner, then general hanging out, at least for Rudy and I, Trevor and Karlene had some packing and such...

Intro to Prescott

December 12
We opted to try sleeping indoors again and were pretty comfortable this time - maybe a little warm, but it was nice to have indoor plumbing nearby! So our host, Trevor gets into making stuff, I'm definitely inspired to resume and try some new diy stuff when we get home. Homemade treats included his own roasted coffee (made into a latte by his espresso machine), yogurt, and bread, plus there was honey from his dad that I got to sample in my oatmeal. Karlene has a regular job, so had to head to work, but Trevor didn't have any appointments for the day so he and Rudy spent the morning constructing a sauna.



After lunch, we headed to Watson Lake, where the guys biked some excessively technical trails, and I jogged/hiked on more technical stuff than I was expecting! I was planning on more of a run, but most of the trail around the lake not runnable!

Watson Lake

Yeah, there's 'trail' through there

But there were also a few miles of rail trail at the end to get in some jogging. On the way 'home' we stopped at the store for cheesecake ingredients - tee-hee-hee! It got pretty late making the cake since the oven needed to be shared with fantastic pizza from scratch! So had to save eating the dessert for another day - we did get another treat testing out the sauna - pretty nice.

December 13
I got to start my day with a little espresso machine lesson from Trevor - I made a little bit of a mess, but still tasty results.

Not my doing

Trevor had a little work in the morning, so Rudy and I entertained ourselves. We went to the Sundog and Badger Mountain trails for some not too steep and not at all technical climbing and descending - great way to spend a couple hours on a lovely December day (as in 50s and sunny!) Trevor was home when we returned, awaiting the appliance repairman to check out a stove issue. The three of them didn't end up solving the problem, but seemed to enjoy trying to figure it out. As the stove troubleshooting was getting wrapped up, Trevor's buddy Johno stopped by and more vehicle and home projects commenced. I did some yoga on the deck - sun was getting low and fairly breezy, but still awesome! Nobody had taken charge of dinner planning for the evening, but some got the impression earlier in the day I was making goulash...we didn't have all the ingredients on-hand or the patience to go shopping, and ended up with a goulash concoction of macaroni, ground beef, corn, tomatoes, and various seasonings - pretty much a good carrier for hot sauce :) We finally got to enjoy some cheesecake though - sooooo delicious!

December 14
I tried espresso making again - slightly better, but still a little messy...tastes good! I got in a nice little run from the house Thumb Butte area - a pretty popular spot, even on a weekday! Certainly not too crowded though. The guys also got a ride in. I relished the sunny day with chilling on the deck, and getting in a little chat with another Rocky Raccoon entrant from Duluth. Shortly after the guys returned from their ride, I went out for a little biking on the same trails (plus a little more) - some pretty technical stuff, but mostly fun, I even got to see a couple javelinas while on the Javelina trail! I spent some more time on the deck with a little yoga session while Rudy was productive with cleaning up the trench to the sauna and Trevor was out for a business meeting. We made up some veggie stir fry for dinner - yay for vegetables! Made us feel healthy enough to indulge in more cheesecake.

December 15
Espresso making still getting slightly better. After a couple servings of that and a good breakfast, I went out for a long run on trails and the guys took on the Prescott Circle route. My run included trails at North Thumb Butte up to Granite Mountain - beautiful forest and some nice vistas.

Granite Mountain

Thumb Butte from the north

My shoulders and arches of my feet were bugging me more than I would like, but I felt good otherwise, enjoyed the trails I got on, and managed to make a marathon of it in just under five hours! The guys completed the big ride of nearly 60 miles just as the afternoon light was fading. The nice sunny morning turned into clouds and wind as the weather comes in - supposed to be cold and rainy soon. The evening eating was sporadic with Trevor meeting up with friends, while Karlene, Rudy and I cleaned up some leftovers - small servings of cheesecake were had as well...a mellow night, early to bed with everyone pretty tuckered out!

December 16
Icky, rainy, blustery day - good for recovery I guess - no formal exercise for the day. So my espresso making did not continue to improve, I may just leave it to the pros! Trevor whipped up some great pancakes, sans recipe. The rest of the morning was spent with Rudy and Trevor working on some tax stuff, I did a little yoga, but mostly lazed around and puzzled. Some bread was made, Trevor took care of some errands, and Rudy did some bike shopping and maintenance. We got to witness Sous Vide for the first time as Trevor used that method to cook salmon for fish tacos - also seared them after cooking for some texture. Seemed to turn out well! We also cooked up calico beans, and Karlene made some Oreo truffles, for the local mountain biking club's party the following day. Oh, and some sauna happened, and the cheesecake was polished off.

December 17
A mellow Saturday morning for the working folks! I got to tag along with Karlene and her friend Andrea on a bike ride that covered more of the North Thumb Butte trails. It was great fun and I was surprised at how well drained the trails were - most of it was not any wetter than pre-rainy day. Rudy started out with us too, but was having tire issues and headed back to do some bike maintenance. Trevor got out on a long gravel road ride with another buddy training for triathlons - sounded like soft roads and a good, punishing workout. After everyone cleaned up and rested we all headed to the party. It was a pretty cool place of a family really into to biking!



Lots of people and good food - the small house was a little crowded on the chilly day, but heaters and a fire were available too for people to hang around outside. One big topic of conversation was a morning trip to Sedona - but as the night wore on and reports of too-wet trails circulated, it seemed more people were planning to stick close to home. Trevor and Rudy did a great job of making sure an inebriated friend did not drive away - we ended up taking his truck into town with plans of retrieving the car we left behind the next day. We didn't stay too late so we could also stop by Johno's going away get together at a local establishment. A little smaller group to socialize with for that! Even though it seemed like we weren't out long at all, it had been a pretty long time since we have been up until midnight (and we barely made that!)

Sedona

December 3
The cold morning helped prevent much dawdling before finishing the drive to Sedona. Justin and Rudy enjoyed their first Sedona ride, including the Hangover Trail which was highly recommended from several sources. Meanwhile, I hung out at Starbucks, tuned into the Western States Lottery, then looked at qualifiers for next year since I didn't get in. There was still time in the afternoon for Rudy and I to get in a relatively easy bike ride on the Bell Rock and Big Park trails while Justin chilled.

Bell Rock and Couthouse Butte

It was nice having a little warmer weather than we've seen since leaving Phoenix! We were able to get back to the camping spot south of town we shared with Tim a couple weeks ago early enough for me to get in a short sunset stroll. We cooked up bean soup that had been soaking a couple days and Rudy and I played some Trivial Pursuit - I didn't put the winner in my notes! Probably me

December 4
A nice sunny morning, good for making some bacon and eggs outside - too much cleanup to do that very often, in my opinion... On the way to town we stopped by a rest area where Rudy ended up chatting with the janitor, who claimed to be a former Silicon Valley go-getter that decided workaholism wasn't worth it and found a simpler life in Arizona - a good story regardless of how factual it may be! Eventually we were back into Sedona for more biking for the guys, and a run for me - pretty cool trails with javelina themed names (Hog Heaven, High on the Hog, Pig Tail, etc). There was also a crazy trail called 'White Line' that was included in the boys ride.

White Line trail goes straight up the rock

agave!

View from Submarine Rock

After getting back to camp, we enjoyed some rice along with little curry packets Justin provided - pretty easy and tasty. Then, Trivial Pursuit - Rudy and I vs. Justin, maybe not so fair, but Justin held his own :) Another little milestone achieved was Rudy and I both finishing a book.

December 5
A slow, unhurried morning. Justin had some things to take care of, so Rudy and I rode the Bell Rock area again. Rudy was able to get in a more 'fun' ride with Justin in the afternoon while I got in a run on some of the easier trails. Surprisingly, our camping spot was taken, so we ended up further down the road in a little quieter location - worked out well! Justin spent the evening in town, so Rudy and I did simple bean and rice burritos before a round of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win!

December 6
Another slow morning, mostly spent at the Library. Early afternoon we headed to West Loops for biking. This area had more 'intermediate' trails for me, so that was fun! We got back to our 'choice' spot for the night and, for no reason in particular, had a little feast including fancy olives, spaghetti, italian sausage and peach and blueberry pies. Evening entertainment was limited to starting The Avengers - Age of Ultron before food coma took over.

December 7
A cloudy and cool day, still comfortable for running and biking! We went back to the Bell Rock area. Rudy and Justin were able to connect to some different trails from there, and I ran a mix of easy and new-to-me advanced trails to get in a good 20-miler.

Cypress 'forest'

Everyone was tired and sore in a good way! Sadly, it was time for Justin to head back to Duluth - after the guys got a headlight replaced on his car - good thing that was noticed before the long drive! Rudy and I got to camp a little earlier than usual, and got in some chilling before taking care of some leftovers for dinner, then fitting in two games of Trivial Pursuit - Rudy won both! followed by finishing the Avengers movie.

December 8
A sunnier day made the cool temps and breeze more tolerable. A morning gravel road run for me was good, thinking I'll try to take care of my next Western States qualifier at Rocky Raccoon in February. Rudy made a quick trip to the rest stop to get water, otherwise we spent the day chilling at camp - Rudy cleaned up his bike and watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I got in some yoga and strolling, and made some ginger syrup to mix with apple cider vinegar for some 'tonic'. I like these lazy days on occasion! We made macaroni and alfredo for dinner, and had a Trivial Pursuit Rudy domination repeat.

December 9
Another nice morning. We checked out Montezuma Well, a large spring in the desert with its own special ecosystem and lots of ducks in the winter.



In the afternoon, Rudy participated in a group ride from Bike and Bean - a bike shop and coffee shop. I hung out at the shop and enjoyed a great cappuccino and americano while signing up for Rocky Raccoon and looking up some pictures of local plants. We managed to enjoy some pizza and beer post-ride and get good advice on riding and camping in the area from the locals. We tried one of the spots a little closer to town (Beaverhead Flat Road) - not great, but not terrible either - good for sleeping! The rest of the evening included random snacks and watching Antman - not the most entertaining of the movies we've watched lately.

December 10
A lazy morning, but we made it to new to us trails west of town (Skywalker, Old Post, Scorpion, and others).  Rudy got in some riding and I went for a longish run, deciding the trails were a little more than I wanted to tackle on bike. Yet another pretty area, with wicked plants, and more great views over Sedona.



Following the fun stuff, we spotted a bake sale at a church and picked up some gingerbread and a pumpkin loaf - both delicious! We were back at our original spot early enough for a little yoga session before we cleaned up some leftovers and once again played Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win!

December 11
Rudy found another group ride early so we actually set alarms and didn't dawdle! I do like to get out a little earlier. The Bell Rock area again - I biked on my own and got in a few new trails while Rudy biked with the 'group' of a few other locals and had a good time. A little lunch, then to the Little Horse Trailhead for Rudy to get in one last ride and me one last run in Sedona. Early afternoon we headed to Prescott where a friend from Duluth's brother, Trevor, lives. The scenic route on Highway 89A was worth a little extra drive time as we got to see the quaint little mountain town of Jerome - failed to get any photos though! The rest of the day was enjoyed chatting with Trevor, his wife Carline, and their buddy John and consume some fantastic burritos.

Zion etc.

November 28
Temperature stayed in the 30s overnight, so not so cold this morning, though we still spent our time getting going before heading to trails near Kingman, AZ. I rode the relatively easy Monolith Gardens, along with a few other technical trails, all pretty interesting, mostly easy going, and only had to negotiate a few cattle!

Sadly the signs were not helpful

Pretty cool area though!

Rudy's back was threatening to act up, so he opted to take it easy a few days, before our Duluth friend Justin joins us for some biking fun. He got in a little hike and watched Captain America. Eventually we continued west, stopping by Lake Mead National Recreation Area, not many people out on the super windy day.

A brisk afternoon at Lake Mead

We crossed into Pacific Time Zone, so a little sad at the earlier sunset at 4:30. We ended up parking south of Boulder City in a big open area adjacent to a solar farm.

The shininess is solar panels

Dinner was shells and cheese, followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit - Rudy win, then finished Thor - The Dark World.

November 29
Sunny but windy once again. Activity for the day was had at Bootleg Canyon near Las Vegas. I ran and once again was glad I didn't bike - the 'intermediate' trails could've killed me. A short ride for Rudy, then we spent some time at the Library in Boulder City for some internet tasks before heading back to the spot by the solar farm. Hung out a bit before sauteeing some onion, mushroom, and sweet potato to go with leftovers. Another game of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win, then Captain America - The Winter Soldier.

November 30
Sunny, but still really cold, I took a brisk stroll, but not enough to get warmed up. We thought to check out Zion later in the morning - probably could have planned better and gotten more time there instead of dawdling, but oh well. We had just enough time to take in some of the shorter, easier hikes along the short scenic drive (Weeping Rock, Riverside Walk, Emerald Pools) - the trip was still worthwhile, especially since we crossed back into Mountain Time for a longer afternoon!

End of the Riverside Walk

I can't imagine this place during tourist season!

Weeping Rock was a little hazardous with icicles falling!

Lower Emerald Pool

Middle Emerald Pool

We stopped at Bumbleberry Inn and picked up a bumbleberry bar and bumbleberry turnover - they were OK, but probably won't be going back for seconds. We found a spot to camp just outside Virgin, UT near the 'Jem' biking trails. Dinner was grilled cheese, fun was Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win, and later in the evening Justin arrived for a couple hours of chatting before sleep.

December 1
Brrrrrr...again. At least we're getting some sun! We headed to Gooseberry Mesa for biking, by way of the worst road called "Main Street" I've ever seen!

The mud hole is 'Main Street'

Despite the rugged drive, we all enjoyed the fun trails and spectacular views.

View from Gooseberry Mesa

Once again some cattle that made me nervous, but not an issue - and I spotted a roadrunner! For the evening we parked near the Jem trails again with plans to ride them in the morning. I got in a short stroll along the Hurricane Rim trail, which was nice. The wind started to pick up though, and was forecast to be problematic for a day or two. We made tortellini and alfredo for dinner, then watched Black Swan - I didn't fully get it.

December 2
Very windy in the morning and we opted not to bike on the open trails, deciding to spend a little time in Zion instead since Justin hadn't been there. Again, late planning, and not a lot of time there...oddly it was not so windy within the park, which was great since we took the Angels Landing hike. Very exposed, and very awesome - much less wind and ice than I feared!

Find the trail on the right

Rudy always finds napping spots

Can't imagine how much work went into paving the first 2 miles

Incredible views

Mid-afternoon we started the long drive toward Sedona, making a stop at a "Dairy Store" - I think run and used predominantly by Mormons. There was a lot of good stuff at reasonable prices in the surprisingly small store, so some unexpected (but needed) shopping happened. We ended up just south of Flagstaff fairly late on a snowy road and just took in some random snacks, then bed.

Phoenix Thanksgiving

November 23
Tim woke up and headed straight to Phoenix relatively early. Rudy and I were a little slower to get going. A nice drive as we started seeing bigger cactus and warmer temperatures! We met back up with Tim south of Phoenix for some biking at South Mountain. I just did an out and back on the 'Desert Classic' trail while Tim showed Rudy some of the funner trails. Desert Classic was mostly easy, but still plenty of shorter sections of steep rocky stuff that were challenging for me, and fun desert scenery. I neglected to take pictures until we returned a few days later...

Such a variety of cacti!

After the riding we headed to Los Taquitos to experience Tim's favorite burritos - pretty good stuff (I actually had 'street tacos' which I thoroughly enjoyed), then a little shopping for cheesecake ingredients :) After that, we got to experience some horrid big city traffic, but eventually arrived in Goodyear and got to meet Tim's sister, Emily (and her pups), and mom, Susan. A little visiting, my first real shower in about a month!!!! then some awesome pizza (takeout from 'Barrio', I think?) and beer, then Rudy made his cheesecake. Emily's husband Alex was home for work with just enough time for introductions before we headed for bed - big day tomorrow.

November 24
Happy Thanksgiving! I was thankful to endure a 20 mile run, mostly on pavement - plenty of decent shoulders and sidewalks in the area. Rudy and Tim got in a little biking on the Estrella Mountain trails before heading to the airport to pick up Tim's better half - Jackie! Our hosts did an awesome job of prepping the last few days, so pretty much only needed to get everything cooked, and us 'guests' mostly lazed around, consumed appetizers and visited - one of the neighbors joined us, so a good variety of friends and family at this gathering! I think this is the first time I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner outdoors - so nice.

Can't beat this for spontaneous Thanksgiving

We only got a short break from eating before dessert time - homemade pecan and pumpkin pies plus the cheesecake - I really did eat too much, everything was delicious. There was some TV/movie watching and chatting, but I think everyone was feeling food comatose since no late night reveling, well, aside from Rudy, Jackie, and Susan venturing to Walmart to check out the mayhem.

November 25
A nice relaxed morning, watch some TV, getting to know the hosts better. After everyone got whatever they felt like for  breakfast, including omelettes, leftovers, cereal, and smoothies, Rudy and I joined Tim and Jackie for biking at Skyline - not great trails, but still nice to get out. Everyone else was out exploring Phoenix when we returned, excited for leftovers for lunch. The rest of the day was hanging out, and I got in a little yoga session with Susan. Some simple spaghetti for dinner and movie watching and random chatting for the evening.

November 26
Slightly earlier getting up and at 'em - Susan had an early flight home. Rudy and I went out with Tim and Jackie for more biking at South Mountain - I opted for a run while the others rode - for the best, I don't think I would have enjoyed biking these jumbly-rock trails! Afterwards we looked around REI - I got a new pair of trail running shoes! Next we found a Mexican butcher store/lunch counter Rudy had discovered on a past work trip - more awesome tacos and burritos. Then, back to Goodyear, more hanging out before getting Mediterranean food for dinner and checking out 8-Bit microbrewery. This place has a gaming theme, pretty fun, good beer and we played a couple card games.

Fond memories of Super Mario

Oregon Trail was interesting, not convinced we played correctly, but our group made it to the end with only one death (Rudy fell to Dysentery). We also played 'Joking Hazard' - similar to Cards Against Humanity and pretty fun - Jackie and I tied for the win. By the time we headed for 'home' we were wanting more deserts, but time was past 11, and we had to resort to Walmart for a pumpkin roll and chocolate cake. After all the indulgence, the new Ghostbusters was started, but I don't think anyone finished it...

November 27
Everyone was still up fairly early despite the later night. I got in a little jog in the new shoes, then we all checked out the Air Force base (main purpose is for training) and got a tour from Alex. Afterwards, we had to make a stop at Express Doughnuts - Rudy and I shared a buttermilk bar, apple fritter and blueberry cake doughnut - all pretty good! Just a little more hanging out in Goodyear before Tim and Jackie had to head to the airport, and Rudy and I started toward Las Vegas. On the way out of Phoenix we spotted a WinCo - in AZ! So we had to stop and fill up on some bulk goods. The drive was interesting, lots of rain, but we got to drive through a 'forest' of Joshua trees (my picture attempts failed - I think there will be more!) and started seeing some snowy mountains. We parked just outside Kingman as it was getting dark, and it was already down in the 30s! Dinner was Lentils and rice. We played a round of Trivial Pursuit - Leslie win! Then we started Thor - The Dark World, but didn't even make it halfway before giving up and going to bed.

Moab with Friends

November 19
Below freezing but sunny! We took bikes onto the Klonzo trails - I explored more of the south trails this time, seemed easier than north trails, a nice time in the sun!

Apparently dinosaur tracks on the edges of the picture

Mid-day, Tim from Duluth and his friends Josh and Sarah (and their two dogs) from Salt Lake City arrived. Once they got a tent set up and unwound a bit, we all headed to the Amasa trails - run for me, hiking with the dogs for Sarah, and some biking for the boys. Tim and Josh visit Moab regularly and we tried one of their favorite Mexican restaurants after recovering from our activities, but closed for the season - so we went to another, I believe the name was something like 'Choco Loco'. There was a long wait and service was not perfect, but ended up being pretty good food, and awesome horchatas! It was fairly late, and cold again, once we returned to Willow Springs Road, so very little hanging out before sleep time.

November 20
Cloudy overnight, so a warmer morning, but the sun never ended up coming out, so remained a cool day. Biking the whole Mag Seven route for the guys by our own 'shuttling' took up the bulk of the day. I biked and ran at the top, hanging out with the van, while Sarah did some exploring at the bottom and picked up the guys when they were done. Another visit to Milt's, then back to Willow Springs to camp. Done a little earlier today, so slightly more hanging out until dark and chilly drove us to van and tent.

November 21
Little bits of rain overnight, not enough to impact roads or trails though! A couple of hours at Navajo Rocks (run for me, hike for Sarah, bike for the boys), then back to SLC for the visitors. The rainy afternoon was good for Rudy and I to start making our way south. We get to enjoy Thanksgiving at Tim's sister's place in Phoenix! We made it to Valley of the Gods Road near Mexican Hat, had some lentils and rice for dinner, and got in a game of Trivial Pursuit - this one a little more drawn out then usual ending up with a win for Rudy. We completed the evening by finishing Season 2 of Gotham - little Bruce Wayne is growing up so fast!

Valley of the Gods sunset - more impressive in person

November 22
We started the cold morning with a little drive along Highway 261 that we were told was 'mind-blowing' - pretty cool, but we both agreed we've seen crazier roads.

Awesome views of Valley of the Gods

Top of the road

Hard to get a good picture of the experience

Then on to Mexican Hat and into Arizona.


No major plans for the day besides driving, but we did take a short biking break on the south side of Flagstaff to ride the Soldier Trail from Fort Tuthill County Park - a nice little area and an easy loop to get in some movement! We drove a little more before parking for the night just outside Sedona in Coconino National Forest. Simple bean burritos for dinner, then Tim showed up and we all enjoyed some Trivial Pursuit! Rudy won again. Tim got to be our first van floor guest for the night - he said it was fine...