hurronnicane

Big fun!

No photos but we saw a squadron of javelinas on two different rides in Sedona in the last week. Almost collided with one.

My kids grew up around mountain bikes (both rode in utero), went through the trailer then the tag-along phase, and have ridden with us their whole lives (now 20 and 23). We have been with our daughter and her boyfriend in Sedona the past couple of weeks and it has been so fun to see her technical skills on display. We ended up on a really fun black diamond trail called Ground Control and she was solid! I was 40 when she was born and I told myself at the time that I wanted to stay in good enough shape to do real mountain bike rides with them.

Sedona with the family!

Are people posting EB ride reports somewhere?

My mom rolled a 34’ Airstream years ago. Supposedly one of the stabilizer/anti sway bars sprung and sent the trailer into a spiral death curve. My dad who was asleep on the back seat woke up standing up with the Suburban laying on it’s side. Nobody was hurt, but I’m pretty sure my mom lost her appetite for towing after that.

Though I no longer live in Wimberley, I know Woodcreek well. In the mid to late 80s I lived in Wimberley and couple of us developed an extensive trail network in Woodcreek North. This was during the real estate bust cycle and most of Woodcreek North had gone feral. Only a few houses had been built, mostly clustered towards the front. The rest was available to ride. It included an abandoned 18 hole golf course, a mile or more of Dry Cypress Creek just above Jacob’s Well, and miles of asphalt roads that were rutted and turning into dirt roads. Over a few years we built approximately 25 miles of single track. Our trail-building style leaned towards a bunch of techy features connected by meandering trails. We still were riding what remained of it as recently as 15 years ago. Unfortunately the neighborhood finally built out and as far as I know there is almost no trace of our trail system.

How seriously do you take manufacturers’ towing capacity? We have a Honda CRV with a stated towing capacity of 1500 pounds. We are contemplating a teardrop camper that pushes the limit and might even slightly exceed it. We might eventually get a better tow vehicle, but for now would it be crazy to push the envelope? Some online forums hinted that the towing capacity for US cars is artificially low due to lawyers and frivolous lawsuits. As fun as it is to blame all societal problems on lawyers I wonder if that is paranoid ravings or if there is an element of truth in it?

We have seen two Bobcats recently at the house, both of which had one of our chickens in their mouths. Because we have chickens we see lots of critters. Everybody loves chicken. We’ve had many raccoons, foxes, possums, ringtail cats, snakes, etc. As apex predators go I definitely prefer the bobcat over the mountain lion.

While it may not qualify as a destination based on the amount of riding, Tyler State Park is a great place to camp, ride, and kayak if you have reason to be near here. Roughly five hours from Austin, it is a world apart. My wife’s family lives nearby and I have escaped into the woods to ride for the last 20+ years. The trail system has more vertical relief than you might expect, the trail surface is mostly sand or gravel, and the primary challenges are roots and trees (real trees with some girth). It dries very quickly after rains and seems popular with Dallas-area riders on weekends.

Perfect crisp Fall day behind the Pine Curtain.

That would look good at the bottom of a big aquarium.

That would look good at the bottom of a big aquarium.

Saw this lizard(?) on my ride today. Anyone know what it is?

Does anyone have a favorite campsite in or near Sedona? Our group will include tents, vans and truck campers. We won’t all have 4wd either...

Has anyone explored the Franklin Mountains State Park trails? We may try to break up a trip to Sedona with a little camping and riding.

We went the past two years over Thanksgiving. We had a fair amount of rain both years and some pretty cold days. It isn’t the best time but it has been when my kids could go. For that matter, the only other time I’ve been was Spring Break which was also really rainy. I would like to go mid-October sometime. Maybe even see a little Fall color.

I just finished reading Running the Amazon by Joe Kane. A good tale about a trip from the source to the sea. 4000+ miles on the river!

Think it will be good tomorrow morning?

Prairie Flame Sumac perhaps? Or Little Texas Walnut? Never heard of either being a skin irritant.

We did a family ride at Hartman Rocks after a wedding a couple of years ago. What fun!!! I’m itching to go back.

I heard the same thing about these shoes:

Has anyone experimented with the helmet accessories that puts a cowboy hat sized brim on a bike helmet like Da Brim? Not sure I want one but my wife is interested.