If it was our goal to
kill off Mike and Kathy through physical activities, we have failed
miserably. At the end of five
consecutive days of exercise, Kathy was still heard insisting we take another spin around
the block to ensure we broke the 50-kilometre mark for our day’s bicycle ride.
Our latest exercise marathon
began five days ago with our first bicycle ride. Phoenix is a fantastic place to cycle. Even though the temperatures are hot,
the dry air makes it a very comfortable place to ride. As well, it is a city that is well set
up for cyclists. There is a large
network of trails throughout the city and off road cycle parks at the outskirts. In addition to the dedicated, clearly
marked bicycle lanes on the main arteries, there are long linear parks with dedicated paved paths for cyclists. Many of
these are adjacent to golf courses, playgrounds and the irrigation canals
running through the area. These
paths have overpasses and underpasses to enable clear sailing through all the
major roads and highway intersections.
In a previous post we described
our trip north to the Recreation 11 area.
That was an “out and back” route but for our second trip we were looking
for something that was both challenging and a loop back to our condo in
Scottsdale. Mike studied the map
and we decided on a circumnavigation of the Phoenix Mountain Reserve. Our chosen route took us north
and then west around the mountains.
We weren’t sure how long it would take but we were aware that there was
a pass between the mountains that would bring us back to the condo if we couldn’t
do it in one day.
We started off at 10
am and were merrily on our way when Mike and Kathy experienced their first of
four flat tires. Mike became adept
at changing tubes and even stopped by a cycle shop to purchase extra, “thorn resistant”
tubes. It appears that cactus and
other thorn producing plants are huge culprits in this area. We had a great ride but the many stops
put us behind and we took the “Dreamy Draw” pass between the mountains, arriving
home after 44 kilometres on the road.
We promised ourselves we would return to complete the task.
 |
All Smiles at the Start
|
 |
Still Smiling
|
 |
Everyone Has One Flat
|
 |
Not Smiling As Much at #4 Flat
|
 |
Canal Ride
|
Day two involved a
marathon session of tennis.
Deborah is the tennis keener but the rest of us joined in earnest. I’d like to say we had a spirited game with
lots of fluid movement on the court but in reality most of our running was
chasing balls hit willy nilly. By the end, both Mike and I had sore arms, Kathy was tired
but still leaping like a gazelle in vain attempts to chase down Deborah’s shots,
and Deborah was left wanting more.
Mercifully she let us end the session and we headed down town to explore
old Scottsdale. It is a very
touristy place with great vibes coming from the many art galleries, restaurants
and bars. It must be seen at night
to see it in all its splendour.
 |
Downtown - Old Scottsdale
|
 |
Banana Dog Takes a Ride
|
Day three was
golf. In honour of the golfing
worlds “Masters” played at Augusta the day before, we decided on the Augusta
Ranch “short” course golf club in Mesa.
It is the top rated “short” course in the Phoenix area. We rode golf carts so we didn’t get as
much exercise as you might think but when you take as many swings of the club as
most of us did, it was tiring enough.
It is a very pretty course and we would like to return.
 |
Banana Dog Drove the Cart
|
We ended our night
with dinner out at Bobby Q’s BBQ in Scottsdale. If you like barbecued meat, it is the place to go. Deborah and I settled on the Hog Wild Heaven
dinner for two. Four beef ribs,
eight baby back ribs, four spicy sausages, and a half roasted chicken, with potato
salad, grilled vegetables, and pecan coleslaw. After washing down this mass of protein with beer and wine,
we finished the meal with apple cobbler for dessert. It is a must visit for meat eaters!
 |
Smiling Thinking About Hog Heaven
|
Day four was a hiking
day in McDowell Mountain Regional Park, located just outside of Fountain
Hills, a half an hour drive from Scottsdale. The park has trails for horseback riding, mountain biking
and hiking. We stopped at the
ranger station for some route advice and observed the live local wild life in
enclosures. We saw a King Snake
(rattle snake eater), Gopher Snake (as the name implies), and a Rattle Snake. As well, we saw a stuffed Javelina
(looks like a wild pig) native to the area. We were warned to stay on the trail to avoid the snakes and
were reminded that the snakes did not want to meet us.
We chose the Scenic hiking
route, more for the views than the challenge. It was a loop route with an elevation rise of around 100
meters in the first half-hour of the seven-kilometre desert route. The elevation rise took us to the top
of the ridge and we had great views of the valley. Like earlier hikes, “spring” in the desert produces many
colourful trees, cactus and scrub.
We stopped many times along the way to take some pics of the
vegetation. Try as we did, we did
not spot any legless wonders on the trail.
 |
Mike Has Mastered the Selfie
|
 |
Cactus Flower
|
Day five was a return
to biking. We were determined to
finish off our Phoenix Mountain Reserve loop. We started off poorly with Mike & Kathy
experiencing two more flats. (I
was to join them several kilometres later). We returned to “Dreamy Draw” and picked up the canal path
where we left off four days before.
It was another great ride.
The path took us on a south counter clockwise route around the base
of the mountains. It took us
through lush green parks, neighbourhood backyards, and downtown old
Scottsdale. All of it was without
riding on a road until the last few kilometres. We arrived home tired but very pleased with our
accomplishment as we broke the 50-kilometre mark for the day.
 |
At No Time Were We Lost
|
 |
Waiting on ....
|
 |
First Flats of the Day
|
 |
"Cycle Cafe" - On Route
|
 |
Yes... Those Are Cooling Fans in Wheels
|
 |
My Turn
|
 |
Dreamy Draw
|
 |
Down Town Bridge Trail
|
So ... Mike and Kathy live to see another day! Tomorrow we head to Las Vegas and visits to a Hot Rod Car show and a concert with
Elton John.
