New Camera

and I have pretty much not uses it at all. Pretty sad really. I spent like maybe two days taking a few pictures with it and thats about it. Have even tried to figure out all the features. Then on top of all that I haven't been even riding very much. Where does my time go I have no idea. Probably spent to much time watching Dr.Who.

First few are all form the first day I took the camera out on Lemmon. 

Then a couple from the house

To tired, don't wanna use words. Pic explosion.

Did some riding this week, went on some wildflower hikes, and took pictures in the yard. Should be getting a new camera in the mail today so that exciting. Now onto the beef.

Sweetwater Solo SS ride.

 Sweetwater Group ride

 Think these guys are Canyon Tree Frogs.

BikePacking Fail.

How many different signs did I need to help me see that I should not have went BPing this past weekend? Started off the week by braking my bike. No biggie. I have a second bike. It aint ideal but I really want to go and I have already put this trip off a week. Then I brake my phone. Who cares. That doesn't even have any bearing on my trip. Then one buddy has other plans come up. Thats ok I have two more going. Then I second one can't swing it. Its ok the important one is still in. Then I tear the tire on my one working bike. I just bought a new one anyway and wanted to replace it. Then I crack the screen on my gps. I can still read it just fine and it was bound to happen one of these days. Then final buddy bails. Who cares I have a loving wife that is willing to drop me off and pick me up. I have everything I need a bike and a willingness to do the ride. Oh and some sweet ass tunes in my Ipod.

Saturday the amazing wife drops me off on the side of a dirt road, I hit play, and off I go. Its gonna be a great trip. The weather is perfect, the flowers are out, and I have my apple pies. Then I hit the trail. Its not to bad for the first mile or so. Kinda fun kinda downhill. After that though it gets sucky. The drainages start. Its up and down, up and down into this things for miles. They are not fun to ride down because they have tight ass switchbacks and you can carry no speed, and they are not fun to ride up because they are steep and I am fat and on a loaded single speed mountain bike. And so it continues like this for IDK how long maybe 7 miles or so. I just keep plugging away. I figure its bound to get fun soon. At least the flowers are out and the sun is shining. Plus its all trail, no roads how picky can I be right. But the trail was relentless at least on the SS it seemed like it. Its a trail built for hikers so shoehorning in a bike can be tricky. There was no flow to it and I was pushing my bike so much it was wearing on me. According to the gps and clock I was making good time but I was just not having any fun. Began to call the trail Contra Code. Up Up, Down Down, Left Right, Left Right, SwitchBack A SwitchBack B, Start it all over again.

By mile 20 I was was mentally out. I was not having fun at all. At that point I would have performed falacio on a rattlesnake for just a .5 mile stretch of straight trail. The fun was gone and I no longer wanted to have to push my bike up another stupid pointless hill that goes up for the sole purpose just to go up, or have to ride another mile where I had to turn 30 frackn times. Speeds never reaching more then maybe 9mph if I was lucky. I was broke and at the bottom of a wash/road riding thru it sinking in the sand only to see the trail rise out of it at another unclimbable pitch for me and my bike. I pushed my bike to the top again and sent out the message for the wife to come save me in Dudleyville. I new I had 8 or so miles still before the Freeman rd and my exit so I drudged on. That kinda raised spirits a bit since I knew that I was not gonna have to ride the dreaded Ripsey the next day. Its like the antithesis of all the hills and switchbacks I had just rode and may have very well left me weeping if I had rode to it the following day and looked up at its towering spine of switchbacks.

It just left me in awe at the guys that can do 10x more then this in a single day or what they can do in three days on a bike. I guess I am not cut from that stone or have not built up the mental callouses yet.  Its awesome though. I guess I had the fitness though since I reached the Freeman rd in pretty good time. I was just out of will power. When You are not having fun then whats the point anymore. It wasn't a race I was doing it for my own personal enjoyment and that had left me. So I bailed down the road to Dudleyville and was picked up and whisked back to the real world.

I will attempt this trail one more time before I totally write it off though. Maybe it will be more fun on my normal bike. Maybe after a crappy week leading up I was more mentally unprepared then I thought. Maybe I just need someone to be out enjoying the suffering with me. I dont really know. I will try it again though hopefully soon so I can compare the two rides and just see if I am being a big crybaby about the trail of if it really does suck. Or maybe I am just not man enough to be bikepacking on a single speed.

Pre trail dirt road warmup.

One of the numerous locations where I thought the trail was gonna start getting fun. 

 Not to much shade around.

Broken Bike Week.

So yeah the Niner is officially broke. Its dead. I killed another bike. Not really upset, shit it happens. I know I am rough on the poor things and all they can do to retaliate is brake. It kinda screwed up my bikepacking plans a bit and so now I am gonna have to man up and do it on my rigid singlespeed. Guess you can always expect luxury when you are bikepacking. It means the bike will be lighter though and that will give me more room for beer so maybe it was a good thing.
Spring is finally in the air, flowers are starting to bloom, but my riding miles are still down from what they should be at. It has given a a milli second though to start busting out the macro lens and get some flower porn going on. Not to much great stuff yet but It should be a long season. Now onto the pics. Then as I am typing this I just remember I have a bunch of hiking pics with Kimmeh that I totall forgot to edit. Guess the pics will be slim pickins this week.

A few from the AZSF ride on Wednesday. 

A couple flower ones.

1000miles Down

I hit my first 1000 miles on the bike of 2013 this week. Pretty nice hitting it this early in the year. Hopefully next year I can hit it before March even starts. Now how fast can I get the next 1000. Should be getting a nunch more riding in in the next few weeks and even a bikepacking trip. Hopefully it is timed perfectly for the wildflower season. Not a ton of pictures since I guess I have been riding to much to take the time to snap many. Some good rides this past week though with Mrs. Kimmeh and a few other good friends. Kimmeh also did her first big girl ride to Starr Pass from the house. She did awesome and I am super proud! Now onto some pics.

Heading out to Starr Pass together.

 Kimmeh amongst the desert trees.

Next up a few from 50yr with Santa and Willly Wonka. I swear they are both real people.

and of course token bird shot.

A weeks worth of worthless pics

 Well maybe there are a few good ones in there. Have been more concentrated on riding then taking pictures lately so getting outta practice.

First up AZT 

Next up out day hiking at Starr Pass with the wife and kid

 Kenda thinking she is a goat and having to climb every rock around.

Family Portrait

Didnt have a mirror around to get a sexy pic of myself so had to shoot from my bad side

 First wild flower of the season 2/28/13