Part 1: Beautiful and brisk start to spring break in Rocky Point, two days of heavy rains where we crammed in some paddleboarding in the calm from the cold sitting over us and squashing the typical winds. Then it was beautiful again.
When the wind is blowing hard on the beach side, or I’ve missed low tide, the estuary can deliver a fun ride.
The estuary is all about choices.
My pro tip – always choose the sand
looks like a lovely carpet to a firm beach? The grass is spongey and comes exactly to my pedal’s downstroke, where it tugs my feet every single turn.
The beach will sink 6 inches instantly.
Bad choices.
If you can see your track, its already too late for Death Mud. Bad choice, always choose the sand.
end of the ride unless I wanted to push over the dune. Sometimes you can connect with the beach side, but not today.
there is no bad weather, there is only inadequate clothing. Old raingear never dies, it lives forever in your beach house garage.
A few years ago I was showboating for the kids, and promptly got my truck stuck in the sand in Rocky Point. I was saved by a tow from a couple strangers, and quickly bought a tow rope and shackles to store in my truck. This week Rocky Point got nearly an inch of rain in less than 24 hrs, which turned the graded sand roads into our neighborhood to a mud pit. Not a problem for me w 4WD, but devastating to some of the local working people in small cars with old tires. We helped pull two cars out of the mud, and finally gave a few of the local workers a ride back into town along with the bumper from their car that the mud wouldnt relinquish. They were shocked, to say the least, that any Americans would stop for them, let alone get themselves and their cars filthy and go out of their way for a Mexican stranger. One woman tried to give me money, all I could say was ‘mucho gusto’ over and over.
Plenty of times my kids have seen us roll our eyes and mock some of the things that work backwards in Mexico, but they’ve also seen us almost unfailingly treat everyone we meet with respect. Because we are so much more fortunate than most of the people we meet there, its that much more important to set a good example for the kids about acting with decency towards everyone.
Bonus: I got to use a poncho that i havent worn since 8th grade, and has been sitting in the gear compartment of the truck for almost 10 yrs.
i really should know what this is growing out of the dunes on the beach side…but I dont.
Next time I will ask at the CEDO.
Spring Break part 2. Big rains at the beach mean big dump in the mountains. Except 5:30am in Scottsdale my engine wouldn’t start. I hosed it down for 15 min and washed off a gallon more mud, then it started. Mexico.
The eternal dog question:
better to be home alone for for 36 hrs
or
6 hours a day in the parking lot, all I can eat ham & eggs from the hotel breakfast buffet, and LOTS of time surrounded in close stinky quarters with my family?
G is hooked on trees with me!!
i’m not sure yet if she does it for the trees, or for the powder. I do it for both, and I think she does too. Maybe so does everyone. She can barely toe turn in the trees, but is getting the confidence and patience and vision. That’s all so much more important than being clean, when your goal is to get through challenging terrain safely. I love her mindset.
It was tough riding my lines while keeping an eye on her for 2 days, but we got more compatible quickly. I figured out about where she was and kept near, she about figured out to keep an eye on me. I had to unbuckle once and climb uphill to pull her out of a dip. And one time she slammed into a tree. The rest was awesome. We were in the trees like 80%. she was extremely autonomous the other 20%.. well sure its only Flagstaff blacks, but…not bad for her Day 10.
Alana skied, some. she got better, when she wanted to. She is fun even if she is high-maintenance. Here’s the secret code to successfully skiing with Alana these days: 4th graders ski free all year in Snowbowl. Online ski rental for her is $10, with a $15 restaurant credit. I actually made money by giving Alana $5 to go to the lodge and not complain. And that satisfied my inner scales with an AZ girl who is not grateful for getting to drive 2.5 hrs to ski powder at 10,000 feet for free.
No friends on powder days.
Beckie rides a lot like Alana. It was spectacular!
