It was supposed to be something of a “goodbye Hawes” ride for me and my invited guests, revealing every locals’ B-line learned over 10 yrs. But the weather turned to shit for the 2nd day in a month (averaging 24 days of shit weather a year – I still love AZ). About 10 people bailed, even Alex who invented most of the lines, leaving only me and Beckie, James and Dave.   This last-crew-standing made sense: we lived here and were in hock for a babysitter, Dave is from like – i dunno – Nova Scotia, and James is a wannabe-mountain-man who won’t even wash his beard.

A quick stop at the Walgreens turned this into Team Showercap

Dave and Beckie coming up Tower

Top of Tower

Winter brings downed trees

for the first time ever on the intertubes: The Las Sendas Staircase

Dave jumped down the Las Sendas Face before I even explained the line, which was much his idiom on the day.   His new Pivot 429 has empowered him, and it is a handsome bike. James gave it a go next, followed by Beckie.   That’s right!   Beckie, technically speaking, sessioned.

We stopped and hit the Beetle, both ways

Dave learned the hard way about the sticky spot, but 3 of us were able to bail him out

After 2 hrs on the trail, noon and Candyland brought sunny skies, which lasted til the end of our ride.   The rain was just not that bad, we hugged the worst AZ had to offer with core-warming base-layers of toastiness.     Rolling was a bit slower, but the control on the DH’s was crazy and the Heckler rocked out.

Secret Trail, needing a new name.   Leading candidate is ‘Sandy Sister’.   Comments?

My play pit.   The 8 beers James and I carried were fully utilized

Full of Irish Courage, Dave leaped off the 2-footer.   Impressed, humbled, and emboldened I followed.   It took us 3 reps each, but we jumped it.   Woot woot!!!

We rolled up the road home instants before the impending rain, and hung in the garage drinking beers while potential buyers trolled the house and Alana crawled the floor and the storm poured. It was mellow, holistic, if only the (potential)buyers hadn’t been between me and my camera I’d have captured a shot of sunny skies through dumping buckets of rain out the door of the ManCave, Red Mountain in the distance, Hawes .25 miles around the corner.   We shot pool, drank beer, hung with the kids, and chillaxed. Hawes is the kindest trail in the Valley, letting you get out of it exactly what you want, and this day went exactly as I wanted.   Couldn’t have asked for a better goodbye.