off-roading

on the last day of my tuscon vacation, the pat came by to take brian and i mtn biking. the weather was sketchy, with rain and clouds and wind. but it was very warm, and tuscon is nothing but sand anyway, so what the heck?

we went to the same trails that i rode back in 2004 when sram invited me out to ride the then-new reba and pike suspension forks. it's a cool, twisty trail with a few crazy rock outcroppings. the pat loaned me a scott spra-kaa, otherwise known as the spark. the rear suspension didn't work, but the front did, and the brakes worked, so that was all i needed. brian was rolling the 2001 homegrown, pretty much frozen in time from 2001. the pat was on a long travel scott, and he led the way.

i was beginning to come down with something. i felt it in my chest and my throat. great. 220 miles over the last 4 days and i was getting sick. it didn't matter, though, because it was the first time i had been off-roading since november and i was loving it.

the trail hazards were clear: cactus. neither the pat nor i needed to worry, as we seemed immune to the deadly cacti that lines every single inch of the trail. brian, on the other hand, had three incidents with the prickly beasts. by the time we were done, i told brian he should use an asbestos suit next time.

we bid the pat farewell, and we jammed back to the apartment to clean up so i could make my plane back to the stl.