Wow! It's been a while since I've typed up my new adventures in the desert. We'll just say that the combination of events over the past year (including the move) all compounded and took its toll on me. I was a wreck for a few weeks - but finally I was able to take a step back and be a little more proactive about my self-imposed dilemma.

The past month was much better with family coming to visit the early parts of August and helping me organize my apartment. It's funny how unpacking boxes and organizing your 'stuff' can be so soothing. Also, Aaron recently bought me a new mountain bike so I could tear up the desert trails and get my 'fix' for off-roading as I had gotten rid of my cross bike before moving here. Today I will unpack that beautiful FOCUS and get that thing broken in! Meanwhile, our new friend Raul let me borrow his mountain bike so I could start exploring the region. The past week I tore it up in the McDowell Mountains which lie just a half mile from my apartment. The terrain was rocky, dry and technical as if you veered off the trail, you'd land in a variety of cactus species!

"If you are falling, hit the rock, not the cactus," Raul said when he handed over his bike for me to use.

So, as I turned my wheel just too far, I landed on the rock.

With Aaron and I now having two days (in a row!!) off together, we decided that we were finally settled in enough, to take a camping trip up in Flagstaff. I might add that this was our first ever camping trip together (in the 8 years that we've been together)! And being from Wyoming and both very outdoorsy people, this is quite a shocker. But we've always gotten caught up in racing and never made the time to go camping. We drove just two hours away to the totally different climate and 7,000+ feet higher in altitude with Aaron bringing his road bike and me bringing the mountain bike.

Sunday we arrived around noon. We stopped at the edge of town where Aaron had decided to start his ride, and then meet me at the top of the Snowbowl where I'd have the car parked. Clouds loomed overhead and as I started driving into the mountain, the rain started. I wasn't too worried since that was typical mountain weather and Aaron had rain gear on him. I found the turn for the Snowbowl and drove seven miles up the switchbacks to the very top where we had planned to park the car. When I arrived, I went into the lodge to use the facilities and check out a few maps on the area. But to my disappointment, the area on top, was a hiking only region and I couldn't bike! I knew the mountain bike trails couldn't be too far off, so I texted my friend Gianna who gave me some good advice. I ended up driving back down the Snowbowl, seeing Aaron along the way and parked the car. Meanwhile, it started raining harder so I sat in the car to wait the worst of it off. Poor Aaron was up top at 9,000 feet freezing his legs off.

As I sat in the parking lot, I was still unsure of where these mountain bike trails were, but I started seeing cyclists appearing. A couple had just finished their ride and I decided to ask them for their recommendations. The trailhead was just up the road and there were a few options on how technical I wanted to ride. Needless to say, I started riding and took the most technical route. My skills were extremely rusty and my adrenalin was rushing at times as I moved through wet and slippery boulders. After about an hour of climbing (at the pace of a turtle), I came to a fork and saw another biker who knew the area and suggested a route for me so I'd loop back to the car.

As I continued on, the single-track smoothed out but still had a few technical areas. I fell a couple of times - mostly because I'd come to a huge rock, unclip (thinking I couldn't get through it) and end up falling backwards. "Commit!" I'd tell myself. I was proud that I was able to find the trail that the man had directed me to, and made my way back to the car where Aaron was waiting.

That night we found a quiet camping area. With the no-fire restriction in effect, we had Aaron's JetBowl as backup and easy things to make like rice, beans, and veggies. It got dark around 7:30 and without a campfire to keep us up, we hit the sac early. The coyotes played in the field right next to our campsite that night. Their howling woke us up. The moon was bright so maybe they were howling at the moon.

Aaron would jerk awake and I say, "We're ok, we are sleeping with nature."

The next morning we awoke, drank our o-so-good coffee, ate breakfast, cleaned up camp and went on our bike rides. I took a new route that involved fast single-track and not as much climbing as the day before. It was perfect as my body was a little sore and tired from the previous day.

Afterwards, we met back at the car, drove to town for lunch and smoothies, and then returned back to the desert. As we drove back, I found it funny how minutes before, I was shivering in the restaurant as the temperature had dropped from the sprinkle of rain and now in the car, minute by minute, the temperature was rising and I was hot!

Now I'm off to building my new bike and getting ready for more 'dirty' adventures ahead!