Test rides

We tried out a route from Flagstaff to Sedona this weekend. For me this was a mistake as I've been under the weather, but it was still a beautiful day and we've been antsy to see if the roads have cleared yet.
The Cosmic Ray guide sends you on a winding route via Forest Service roads out of Flagstaff and down to Old Munds Highway, which connects to Schnebly Hill Rd into Sedona. Right now the Sedona end of Schnebly hill is closed to traffic, so this makes a preferable low traffic route through beautiful sights.

We took Lake Mary to Frontier which is is gated at the end and turns into Forest Service roads. Back in January I posted a picture of us stopped at this gate with a foot of snow behind it; with all this sun and warmth it is now mostly clear aside from patches of ice and mud.

 The start of the Forest Service roads, which all looked pretty much like this. At first you ride gingerly or walk across these snow/slush/ice patches, but eventually you give up and just go for it. I rode unclipped most of the time and was thankful for dual platform/clip pedals.

 Another ice patch surrounded by beautiful brown hillsides and forest.

 Forest Service lands are for many types of recreation. We ran into disc golfers, ATV riders, motorcyclists, and a dude with a big stick looking for a lost cellphone who's kid had been chased by a coyote the day before; I rode with some paranoia thinking about my friend getting attacked by a rabid fox last year.

 Sand, mud, snow... I got pretty frustrated by this ride. The dirt is so loamy that my touring tires were having a hard time. I wiped out several times, once getting thrown off as my wheel sunk into a sand pit and pivoted sharply stopping my bike immediately (but not my own momentum); it's a strange feeling to hate the loose riding conditions and then be thankful as you land in dirt so soft if feels like down pillows. Being sick on top of this was the straw that broke the camels back and Derek did a good job of handling my mini break downs on the trail...

Finally a road that's rideable! Upon finally hitting Old Mund's Highway we were treated to a beautifully graded hardpacked gravel road. Calling it a day, we headed back and hopped briefly onto the 89A to catch up with the urban trail system back to town. This seems like the best route, bypassing the sandy maze of Forest Service roads for a more enjoyable time even though it's not as remote. Maybe next weekend we'll try it again with this new knowledge. Near the end of our ride we passed a lady on on a horse who commented on what a beautiful day it was. She was right, it was absolutely amazing and frustrations aside I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.