Mountain Biking in Flagstaff

Jeff, Kyle, Mason, Sue, and Steele

What was Jack Nicholson typing endlessly in The Shining? "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." That describes me pretty well lately, so here we are in late July with the first photos of the season. Apologies to the mailing list; this was a spur-of-the-moment ride and I never sent an email.

We took an easy but fun loop today...Schultz to Chimney Spring, across FR 164B, up FR 9002, across the pipeline, and down the upper Chimney Spring Trail to finish a 12-mile lollipop. Starting from the Elden/Schultz road Y, we went up Schultz and then caught the little connector trail over to Chimney Spring. Here, Steele and Kyle spin up the little hill.

Kyle and I were riding ahead, while Steele, Sue, and Mason (9) followed in a second group. We rallied at the Y where the upper Chimney Spring trail comes in, and by chance Kyle and I parked our bikes similarly against a beautiful old Ponderosa. Above is a dreary July sky -- remnant clouds from the previous day's thunderstorms.

A very nice way to get up to the pipeline is FR 9002, which goes right off FR 164B as you head toward Snowbowl Road. It's 1.9 miles, a gentle grade, and nice spinning through the forest. This was taken about 0.75 miles up, with Mason, Sue, and Steele arriving at a rally point.

A climb of 1.9 miles, 600 vertical feet, around occasional rocks and loose stuff is no small feat for a 1-cylinder engine! But Mason cranked it out on his Specialized Hotrock, and here he arrives at the gate up at the pipeline road (which is also within 100 yards or so of where the main Fort Valley Trail comes in from the west).

This was a great spin at a good pace, and we think it deserves our first ever

award! Congrats Mason!

And here endeth the pics. You'll notice the Sun out in the last two pictures. The debris clouds had dissipated, and the current day's convection set in with a vengeance. By the time we were headed back down toward the second picture above, thunder was rumbling and a light rain began. I bailed and sprinted (such as one does on a mountain bike, anyway) the 5 miles back home, and everyone else made it back to the parking lot. That's summer riding in Flagstaff.

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