AZ trip...contd

Saturday night, we camped in Prescott and drove to Sedona the next morning. it was a gorgeous drive. We ascended into the mountains, the whole time with me squawking away how I want to ride up the long climb and how pretty it was. It was strange...at the very top of the mountain, there was a small town built into it with steep roads. We arrived in Sedona, and it was a scorching 100 degrees.


Sedona

There was a popular bike shop Adam remembered, so we found it to ask where to ride and camp. The bike shop was really cool...behind the counter they had bike stuff, but it was also a coffee shop. The over-caffeinated employee was helpful and told us where to go complete with a map.

Blabbing outside the bike shop...

We were going to park at the trailhead, but it was expensive so we found a huge empty parking lot. The sign said, "No overnight parking." Plus, it was Sunday and all the businesses were closed. We rode to the trailhead and instantly I was dripping with sweat from the heat. The trail was really fun. Some parts were entirely of rock, and there were lots of fun little power climbs and descents. The trail came through a tunnel and there was a pretty substantial drop-off.


Whoops

You guess what happened:
a) I did a summersalt off the drop off because I didn't pull up and landed on my head
b) I got a bloody nose from wrecking
c) I got a bit of a black eye from wrecking
d) I cracked my $190.00 helmet and am still pissed
e) all of the above
f) I made it and was a badass

The answer is e. I was okay, just a little rattled. The trail descended down to a river that was pretty wide and deep, so we stripped off our jerseys and got in the river. There were other people around as well. It was so nice to get in the river after riding in the hot sun. Around the river, it was lush and cool. It was amazing that just a few miles away, there was desert with no shade.







We headed back and got to our car. The bikes were leaning against the car, but if we hadn't have been there, there would not have been a way to tell that the car was a cyclist's car. Suddenly there was a gold car sitting there with a women glaring at us. She was there quite awhile, so I turned around and stared right back at her until she opened her window to reveal a middle-aged, self-righteous, snobby, Sedona bitch. "I know you guys were riding your bike on the trail. You are NOT allowed to park in here. These businesses pay to have this parking lot for its customers. There was a tow truck on the way and I called them to not come. I could actually give you a ticket right now." It's a good thing Adam took care of the situation because my blood was boiling and I was ready to put that bitch in her place. Adam replied, "Well, there are no signs that say we can't park in here. just no overnight parking. Plus, all these businesses are closed. Thanks." The Sedona bitch continued, "You have to pay at the trailhead because they use that money for the trails. You can't park here." and she kept going until we basically had to say, "BYE!!!" We left here a pair of rotten bananas we ran over in the parking lot. I hate people who are like that. I would have liked to see her try and give me a ticket. Citizen's arrest. oooo After that, we rewarded ourself to some Cold Stone. mmmmmm The people in Sedona were rude...cutting in line, yelling at us for nothing. Get a life losers. From there we drove to Flagstaff and spent a long while trying to figure out where to camp. We ended up at Sunset Crater, a campground at the base of a volcano where we had camped last year on the way to Brianhead.

Flagstaff...



The next day we considered riding, but both Adam and I were exhausted. Instead we had a delicious breakfast in town and went to the plethora of outdoor stores where I preceded to drool over all the cool stuff. We packed up camp, hung out at an "alternative" cafe by NAU, and headed back to Albuquerque. There were a lot of freaks at the cafe.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Angel Fire. This will be a really rough race and there will be a lot of fast girls there to make me look bad! Adam's parents are in town and got this nice condo, so I'm excited to stay there. I'm heading back on Saturday with Nina. I peaked for this race, but I'm still going to be struggling quite a bit. Another bit of news... I ORDERED A NEW ROAD BIKE TODAY!!!!! YAAAHOOOOO. Poor Frank the Tank(my current 20 lb road bike) is falling apart, creaking, and was a major laughing stock at Gila. Check it out. Titus Modena. This is some new technology. If you want one, details on www.titusti.com. My doting sponsor.. :)




I have been reading the Da Vinci Code and am almost done with it after only 3 days! I hope the movie does the book justice. I think it's a great book because it gives a lot of perspective on the Christian religion, facts that aren't necessarily common knowledge. It is almost like a very interesting history lesson. Report on Angel Fire soon!!