Day 04
Up and down...great day!

After the first climb at Yarnell, we descended several hundred feet over the next several miles before our next challenge...getting to lunch.  Just as we were departing Yarnell, we came across a small gift shop called "Brand New Dead Things" which I thought was a catchy name for a shop.  Then I noticed that it was adjacent to the town's medical offices.  The proprietor of the shop said that it was a great place to set up the business since he got all the "mistakes" from next door.  Sounds like a picture I should send Jay Leno (right).  

The road from the summit at Yarnell was brand new pavement and we started to pick up a pretty good kick from a tailwind that sent the riders screaming down the backside of the Pass.  The descent took us to Peeples Valley before descending a bit more until Kirkland Creek.  There the party's over.  When they crossed the creek (a dry creek bed this time of year), the terrain again gives the illusion of flat ahead but actually rises slowly to the foot of the next climb into Prescott.  That steady rise really started to rise 5 miles before what the riders thought was the real hill.  This section is demoralizing as they pedal on what appears to be relatively flat or gently rising only to feel fatigue overcoming their tired legs.  The only way to appreciate how much you are climbing is to turn around and look at the road behind...then you'll see why you are only going 8 MPH and struggling.  The look back is really an eye opener and the riders are always relieved to know there is a reason for their hard effort.  To give you an idea of the amount of climbing we had today, we had the lunch stop at 43 miles, we started about 6:30, and several riders didn't get to lunch until around 10:30...and we had more climbing after that. 

The second climb right after lunch took us over the pass and then a descent into Prescott AZ.  On the way into town, you could still see the results of the fire that devastated this area (right) about 2 days after we came through 3 years ago.  The area is still charred and in most areas, very little new growth has begun to sprout.  Just a little reminder that mother nature rules out here.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes to start to rejuvenate. 

After Prescott and the last SAG, we started up Mingus Mountain our last climb of the day that tops out at 7100 feet.  I was in the van all morning and finally got to ride and happy to tackle the Mingus.  Karen and I rode out of the SAG and the terrain started to rise right out of the chute.  I was really proud of the entire group as they all crested the summits with energy to spare...well, all of them were still standing by the time they all got to the top anyway.  As we neared the top of Mingus, we saw thunder clouds just over the ridge to our left...luckily, it stayed there and didn't come over the top of the ridge where we were.  When Karen and I got to the top, we were a bit anxious to get down the other side before the storm had a chance to build...the descent was extremely technical with switchbacks that were greater than 180 degrees in a couple spots so we didn't need any rain.  The wind was tricky enough but it didn't detract from the exhilaration of the fast technical descent.

If they liked the scenery and the climbing today, they'll love tomorrow.  We climb into Sedona and then out Oak Creek Canyon on our way to Flagstaff.  It's one of my favorite rides of all time.  Looks like we'll have a good day weather wise and we'll have a relatively easier day terrain wise with a couple of climbs before Flagstaff.  But after that (depending on the winds) we should have an easy cruise into Winslow.  Join us to see the results...now, photos from today.