Mountain Biking in Flagstaff

Antoinette, Byron, Jeff, Linda, Steele, and Tom

This was the largest collection of Lowell Riders yet, on a beautiful day in the Carroll Canyon area of Sedona. It's the off-season in Flagstaff, so we're pathetic and out of shape. Or at least I am. But no fear; Steele promised an easy, non-technical ride, and he had picked out an area of Sedona we hadn't ridden, to give everybody some fresh scenery. What could possibly go wrong?

So here we are, unloading and getting ready to go. We missed the trailhead and ended up finding a church parking lot near another trail. With a twinge of guilt I set forth, trusting that the pious faithful would not upend and torch unknown cars in their lot. Next time we'll try to find a legit trailhead.

The lot was just northwest of the "U.S.S. Sedona," the small airport perched on top of an oblong mesa. We therefore started out on a twisting, steadily climbing trail strewn with rocks, soon ending up on part of the notorious Airport Mesa Trail. This gentle warmup led to rapid straggling, and here Byron, Steele, and Tom are waiting for the group to reform at one of the trail junctions.

Having settled into our exploration of pleasant, non-strenuous Sedona singletrack, we poked around a bit aimlessly on parts of Ridge, Carroll Canyon, and Old Post trails (and a few others whose names elude me). Antoinette, riding a Kona Hei-Hei, bombed a downhill that is a bit steeper than it looks...

...while Tom, riding a Schwinn Moab, made his way along some beautifully etched red rock singletrack...

...and Steele, on his Santa Cruz Superlight, cleared a wash.

"Comfort ye, my people," saith our Leader, "and take ye this trail; for the valleys shall be bombed, the hills and mountains cleared; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain..."

We went 0 for 6 on riding up the exit of this wash, which was more or less an eight foot wall. Here Antoinette, Tom, Linda, and Byron take the more practical approach to the technical challenge.

Antoinette and Tom round the bend back into the parking lot; Linda is just about to emerge from behind the tree in the background. The starting trail is visible at center left, by the NO LOITERING sign. Byron, Steele and I had already finished and were now loitering with abandon, having made the intelligent decision to race ourselves into anaerobic purgatory on a steep (though paved) hill leading back to this final swoop into the lot.

How many reasons do you need to ride Sedona in January? One!

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