You lose the structure of time out here on the ranch. The horses don’t recognize 6 a.m. as time for breakfast, nor do the owls start hunting at 8 p.m. Time is replaced with a more intimate feeling, one that requires you to listen intently to your body, and your soul if you believe in…
Tag: biking
Eco-ride Mexico
I found the tour company Eco Ride Mexico on trip advisor while planning out my daily Puerto Vallarta adventures. What initially caught my attention was a 30 mile bike tour they offered along the rugged Mexican coastline. I really wanted to test myself, and this ride certainly would have done that. A week before I…
The Sonoran Preserve
Captain Tripps is taking over the world, yet I will try to resist the temptation to let fear take hold of me. It’s not easy. Each cough, sniffle or the feeling of shortness of breath has me wondering if the virus has a hold of me, and if so, where do I go from here?…
Big Bear for the 4th of July
Is there such a thing as the quintessential American holiday getaway? This is the question I was looking to answer as I rumbled along Interstate 10 from Phoenix up into the mountains above Los Angeles. Destination….Big Bear. It is the start of the long 4th of July Holiday weekend, and the town is packed with…
Sunday at Christopher Creek
The smell of coffee is on my breath as my eyes adjust to the early morning light in Christopher Creek. My fishing pole in one hand, my tackle box in the other. I start down the trail, heading to the sound of rushing water. My tattered and torn flannel shirt feels so good. I settle…
Saturday at Christopher Creek
Countless times have I driven past the exit sign to Christopher Creek. It was time for me to finally stop and really check out the area, so I get a cabin and start exploring. First stop is heading up the Mogollon Rim to find Woods Canyon lake to get some early morning fishing in. For…
more time on the trails of the White Mountains
Back up into the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona I go, ready to ride. I still have her on my mind, with years of memories flooding my senses. I need to push my limits of physical exertion and clean air to help me categorize the loss. It is Sunday, and so families are out on…
Sweetwater Preserve
April the thirteenth, two thousand and nineteen. It is a rarity that I recall the exact date of something, but having just gotten my first National Park passport stampbook earlier this year makes that easier. The Sweetwater Preserve in the Tucson mountain district is where the locals go to get their mountain biking done. I…
Fox Ranch Valley
The old man rumbles along in the high desert, heading back to Chocolate Falls. Water is flowing this time, although not as abundantly as he would have liked. He spots tiny moving dots below of people playing, and searches for the trail downward. Its a warm spring day, and so he moves with extra caution…
Riding with loss
I was with her from 1990 to 2002. We raised her three children, bought a home, tried our best to have a life better than our parents. Without a doubt there were hard times, but I foolishly thought that love would keep us afloat. When we broke up, I was unable to give her kids…
House Rock Valley
I hear from a couple of social media outdoor advocates about a random road they found in Northern Arizona that led to great off the grid camping around the Grand Canyon. I left the following weekend to see if I could find a similar spot. Ive been following The Morning Fresh and Brody Leven for…
Lost Dutchman
The fabled tales of hidden gold in Lost Dutchman circle my mind as I enter one of the newly built cabins here in the park. The expansive Sonoran desert inspires as I stroke my long whiskers while the sun sets. I catch a glimpse of myself in a windows reflection and hardly recognize the face…