May 2011

Got back into the groove of running with about 8 runs varying between 3 miles and 6. Nothing to write home about on any of these other than I kept trying to reset my posture and concentrated on mid-sole striking. The big event was a ride from Tempe to Tucson with my buddy Tim Fleming. We started discussing this ride a few months in advance and did a fair amount of research on the web before deciding to tackle it. We both agreed that this was going to be a ride to “enjoy the experience” rather than a ride to see how fast we could do it. The day before we were to take off, I went over to Tim’s place to make some final preparations and to go over the route one more time. I returned around 3:30 the next morning so we could both drive down to Tempe together. Shortly after arriving (around 4:30 AM), a number of cabs were pulling up to the dorms and dropping off college kids that were partying the night before (or STILL partying for that matter). I turned to Tim and said, “Their day is going to be a tad different than ours.” With that, we started our Garmin’s and headed off into the pre-dawn morning. As we were making our way through the city, I couldn’t stop thinking about how this just felt like another Saturday ride. It wasn’t until we got onto Highway 87, en route to Sacaton, that the ride took on that aura of something special. We stopped to take pictures, look at our directions, and enjoy the surroundings. We rolled through Casa Grande fairly quickly before heading into Eloy. Once in Eloy, we decided to stop for water, ice, and to use the restroom. The first place that we could possible stop at was a small mom & pop shop (as opposed to a Cirlce K or 7-11) that seemed advertise everything that we were looking for. Once inside, however, we learned that the only way we could get water was to buy it bottled (since their soda machine wasn’t working, and there wasn’t a drinking fountain). When they told us that their ice machine was broken as well, all we could do was laugh. After we purchased our water and Gatorade, we kindly asked where the bathroom was. Their response? “We don’t have a public bathroom” Awesome. Needless to say, we figured something out and headed back out on the open road. Not two miles down the road, we passed a Circle K that had free cold water, plenty of ice, and probably a public bathroom. Again, all we could do was laugh. As the road started to head back west, it bridged over some train tracks and then the I-10 freeway. Just as we were rolling over the tracks, I noticed that a train was heading towards us. We both stopped to check it out. I snapped a couple of pics, but Tim took video for the ages. After the train, we rolled south into Picacho Peak where we stopped off at a Dairy Queen so Tim could throw back a banana milkshake (something he had been talking about for the last month!) As we were riding into Tucson, we heard a horn honking from the freeway. When we looked over, it was Tim’s wife driving into town to meet us (the wives were driving separately and were going to drive us back to Phoenix when we were done.) A bit closer, and it was Kristi’s turn, except she was able to get on the frontage road with us and take some pics. Ultimately, we rendezvoused with Tim’s family about a mile from my uncle’s house (my ultimate destination). Tim’s sister greeted us with frozen Eegee’s drinks that really hit the spot. After finishing my frozen treat, I was off to finish my quest. After being greeted by Kristi, the kids, and my uncle, it was time to meet back up with Tim and his family. This time, it was for a HUGE Mexican lunch that included many cervesas and maybe a margarita too.

Link to the epic Tempe to Tucson ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/86066508

Once on Highway 87, Tim led the way:

Entering Casa Grande:

Entering Eloy:

The Mom & Pop Shop:

We made it!

The Train:


One more fun adventure, in May, was our family hike to the top of Escudilla Mountain near Alpine, AZ. The 6 mile hike (3 miles each way) allows you to visit a fire lookout station at the top. The entire area, including the tower, is no longer around because of the Wallow fire (the state’s largest).

The top:



Link to the hike: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89230907

Finally, I really don't have any reason to post this pic of David other than it's completely awesome and it had to be done. I received it sometime in may, hence the reason it's posted in the May entry: