KvltBryce

This ride was one of a kind. Excellent, fellas!

Drillium Dude 

Yup, it was at that. Bryce: see you Friday! WNG and I are hitting South Mountain this morning and going to see roadrunner2012 after that - we might do a canal ride with him. Trying to squash in some more riding before flying out to SD on Sunday

DD

RFC

Sounds like you guys had a great time. Sorry I missed it.

Jim and I did get out for 30 miles of gravel grinding on Sunday morning, 9 am, 27 degrees and ice on the pavement.

Drillium Dude 

WNG and I did South Mountain yesterday. We agreed to meet up around 1130 at the parking lot just outside the South Mountain Park entrance. I arrived early and indulged in my normal passtime when in any kind of wilderness: turning over rocks. I'm that guy who can always seem to find something of interest when in "the field"; after turning over nine or ten rocks, I found what I was looking for.

"Rawr!"



We got a ton of photos - some of which are gorgeous scenery shots, and some less-gorgeous shots of our own bad selves Actually, we got some great shots of us, too - particularly the descent pics. Each of us went down ahead of the other in turn, set up at a spot and caught the other on camera flying down the grade. The results were really cool!

Some pics, then - enjoy!

Will ensuring his pressures are good:



Will makes the turn at Telegraph and San Juan to begin the real climb of the day:



Myself at the same turn, acting the poser in my big ring:



Will going up the climb to Dobbins Lookout:



I should note here that Will was concerned about making this climb - he'd just barely gotten over a cold he'd had for about two weeks. Additionally, this was technically his maiden ride on the Bianchi - he'd only done a short 10 miles or so once it was all built up to ensure all the bolts were tight. This ride was its baptism by fire, literally (temps were in the upper 70s and may have hit 80 or more). Will had nothing to worry about, though - even if he wanted a rest stop, I'm not the kind of guy to say "see you at the top!", you know?

Check out the lunar landscape in the background:



Photo-op/rest about halfway up:



Hi there!



I don't know if this pic conveys the grade very well, but what the hey. Our destination is the TV towers just visible in the background:



More pics on the way...

DD

Drillium Dude 

Looking south through a break in the hills - this was just after a 90 degree hairpin switchback:



We're getting there...



Success! Dobbins Lookout at 2300 feet. Hot, sweaty and loving every second of this ride!



Greater Phoenix seen from the Lookout:



This stone observation shelter brings back some fond memories for me:



Will at the Dobbins Lookout:



Will got this sorta comical pic of me trying to get to a higher photo elevation:



Myself at the Dobbins Lookout:



I think this was taken in the Lookout parking lot:



Since my goal was to reach the TV tower summit, I still had another 4/500 feet of climbing left. Will decided he just didn't have it in his legs to get to that summit - the final push is a 12 percent grade. So, we agreed I'd take off for that summit, get a quick few pics and we'd meet back at the Dobbins Lookout/TV tower roads intersection.

Here's a shot of the towers just before the final push up that 12 percent grade:



Last set, coming up!

DD

Drillium Dude 

The Davidson at the TV tower summit:



Self-portrait at the TV tower summit:



A good view of the towers - and the road leading up to them:



After taking these last few pics, I headed down to the rendezvous point. I met Will coming up one of the climbs - he was intending to catch me descending from the towers so as to get a pic or two. Instead, we came up with this idea: each of us in turn would head down the mountain while the other waited 2 minutes in order for the picture-taker to get a good distance down the road to a good location to set up the shot(s). The results speak for themselves, I think.

Will flying down the mountain - note he's just made the transition into the sweeping left turn:



Will set his camera to shoot of a sequence of 4 rapid-fire shots; here are two of them:



Doesn't this look fun? Hell, yeah...



Once at the bottom (the descent didn't take but about 10 minutes, but it didn't seem as though we were making really high speeds, maybe 45mph at most), we bull****ted for awhile before packing up the bikes and getting ready to head over to PV to drop in on roadrunner2012. While packing up the bikes, this beauty came back from her sunbathing session after her SO finished his ride on the mountain. I had to get a shot for you guys (of course I didn't take this for myself, right?)

Eye-candy at the finish line:



Yet another great AZ ride - thanks again for the great riding company, Will - and to roadrunner2012 for hosting us afterwards (and recommending a super place to eat after the visit). Running out of days here, but the memories will last a lifetime!

See you Friday, Bryce!

DD

Saguaro

Yeah, South Mountain is pretty sweet. Thanks for sharing the great photos, you really captured the essence of the ride. Did you do any donuts at the summit cul-de-sac?

I'll be doing the ride this Sunday if it doesn't rain. This weekend is Silent Sunday, no cars allowed. I'll be leaving from Camelback & Central at 10:00 am if anyone is interested in joining me.

Best of luck in Diego Garcia DD!

RFC

Excellent photos and ride, guys. Way to go!

gomango

Looks like fun!

Great pics guys, thanks.

Looks like you have comfortable riding temps, for sure.

As a reference point, it is -33 degrees at our cabin right now near Ely in northern Minnesota.

I can easily see why folks move to Arizona for the winter.

Drillium Dude 

Damn - I don't think I've ever been in a climate that cold! That's insane; I'd be going bonkers because I'd never get outdoors

DD

gomango

We are wolf tracking Saturday morning with our oldest son and six of his high school buddies.

Five of these guys have never been out of the city since they came to our country.

Let's hope for a big thaw, as -33 was a straight air temp with no wind.

We will be on snowshoes, so you can work up quite a sweat even at crazy temps.

Drillium Dude 

That sounds like quite the adventure - BTW, how many pairs of socks are required in temps that far below zero?

I hope for your sakes the wind doesn't pick up

You MN folks are a hearty bunch; have fun!

DD

gomango

Maybe hearty, maybe nuts!

I wear Steger made Mukluks with thin Smartwool and thick Wigwam brand wool socks.

So, two pairs.

Trick is to keep feet dry, not sweaty.

I can stay out all day with the gear we have.

At least I could when I was younger.

KvltBryce

The weather here is definitely something to cherish.
It however, makes me question whether or not I will be able to survive in Norway, which is a place I would love to live and research in.

Been a desert rat my whole life

gomango

Summers are beautiful there, that's for sure.

My oldest son and I were in Bergen two summers ago for a soccer tourney.

I'm not completely sure why my Grandpa George ever left there in the first place.

Unbelievable beauty and I doubt it can get much colder than Minnesota in January.

Btw. I hate scorpions. Perfectly godawful little creatures.

roadrunner2012

If DD had the truth in him, he would tell you he had to search in the likely habitats to find it. I have seen only one in 6 years here, and it was in an area that just recently became houses.

gomango

That's darn good news.

Nasty experience in Costa Rica put me off scorpions permanently.

Savagewolf

Hmmmmmm....numerous photos of old bikes being ridden, but only one of the white bikini. We approve.

Drillium Dude 

The truth is, I very rarely find one - but that doesn't keep me from looking

I do admit to having a certain "feeling" about that last rock I turned over, though!

DD

Drillium Dude 

If she'd have been riding a bike, there might have been more

DD

Savagewolf

Somehow that statement makes me think of classic car magazines with ladies laying on the hood. I think you've come up with something. Bikini clad Arizona women demonstrating proper climbing technique on C&V bikes.

Drillium Dude 

I think I have a new Photoshop experiment on the horizon

BTW, I find it a little difficult to believe that my Flickr account photo of my Davidson hanging from the digital scale currently has more views than the pic of the young lady in the bikini!

DD

WNG

Ah, a nice recap of a great day of riding, Jeff! I'm glad you convinced me to join you at South Mountain. What an experience! It was a much needed day of good times and good company.

And thanks to Saguaro for suggesting it. I may be back on Sunday and see you there.

I posted an account of our recent ride in the "Where did you Ride Today" thread too.

rootboy 

Great pics D. Dude. Enjoyed every minute of that. Lived in Phoenix for two years and never made it to South Mountain, concentrating my rides out northeast of Scottsdale. BTW, saw a few scorpions in my time there. It was the little bitty, translucent ones that spooked me. Highly venomous.
Loved those descent pics Jeff! And, of course, the Dettos.

cbresciani

Looks like a great time. I will be back in town Saturday night so I'd be up for a ride on Sunday if anyone is interested. I haven't done any type of excercise since last Sunday so I'm ready to ride.