I usually don’t see this side of Granite Mountain.
Yesterday, I was at The American Ranch here in Prescott and could not help but take this picture of what I call the “back side” of Granite Mountain.
We live on the other side of this amazing work of natures beauty.
Pretty good photo for a cell phone too.
Stopping by the woods just after a snow storm here in Prescott proves to be breathtaking and worth the time invested to take a break and be reminded of its mystery and beauty.
Just look in the woods and you can’t help but be amazed..
Tonight driving home I just had to take some pics of the woods the water and the winter.
Each Winter I think about Robert Frost famous “Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening” poem.
If you know the poem you probably think about it’s amazing words whenever you see snow in the woods.
Stopping By The Woods by Robert Frost
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Granite Basin Recreation area just behind the house here in Prescott is an amazing playground of beauty and God’s art.
Here is a great youtube link if you would like to hear Stopping by the Woods.
Enjoy every season of your life.
Steve
This after noon just before dark I did what I will call a “thorn in the flesh” ride .
I call it that for two reasons. First, When ever you ride with Steve Becker and Robert Middlemore, you will suffer in your flesh. ( at least I know I do). These guys are great mountain bikers that have an amazing cadence through the woods.
We started at our my house and climbed over the new 317 into Thumb Butte and climbed up then down the 392 over into the pines and tapped out about 10 miles before arriving home.
Here are a few post ride pics.
Left to right – Steve Lummer, Steve Becker, Robert MIddlemore.
The second reason I call it the “thorn in the flesh” ride is because of the thorn I found in my right arm after the ride.
Interesting what you pick up on a mountain bike ride.
Great times were had by all.
In the world of mountain biking there is no resource more valuable than singletrack.
Singletrack is typically a trail that is no more than 18” wide and requires you to ride in single file rather than side by side.
Whether you ride Downhill, XC or All Mountain the idea of a scenic, challenging ride in the backcountry is what many riders invest their time and efforts into this sport for.
I love this picture of the middle-fork of the Snoqualmie River because it keeps things kinda in balance.
And this writing by Edward Abbey goes right along with the pic.
“Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast . . . a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic.
Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over those desk-bound men with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.
I promise you this: you will outlive them.”
Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
Jesus said it perfectly when he instructed us to come apart so we don’t come apart.
Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:”
CFS – Cubic Feet Per Second.
Here are a couple of photos of the Verde River about a mile up from Beezly Flats flowing at approximately 160 CFS.
Here is a pic of the remnants a an earlier CFS of around 900 to a 1000.
I actually floated the upper section where Oak Creek drops into the Verde @ 1100 CFS. What a ride that was.
Any way back to the CFS discussion. Here is a a chart provided by the usgs.
Current Verde River flow information: http://az.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=09506000
Almost every water shed in the USA as well as Canada has these stations to give hourly reports of water flow. Very Cool.
Here is the actual chart flow when the top three photos were taken.
Notice the dates at the bottom of the chart.
If you want a perfect float down the Verde River, float it a between 25- and 450 CFS and you wont be disappointed for sure.
Before you float any river make sure you know what the CFS is for the day you float. It will help make the difference between a great time on the river and a not so good time on and possibly IN the river.
Just one more point in this blog.
Here is another link for the Verde River Canoe Challenge sponsored by NAU every year.
Chuck Hammersly does a fanastic job of putting this event together and all for just 10 bucks (includes t-shirt)
http://www.prm.nau.edu/PRM325/verde_river_canoe_challenge_informati.htm
Go for it – you will love it and fall in love with the Verde as well.
Brenda and I – Verde is running @ 450 CFS
Saturday Novermber 7th we road our bikes into the the parking lot of the Cayus trail head and we witnessed this beautiful crowd of fellow mountain bikers waiting for the go word.
Here are just a few pics of the crew that showed up here in Prescott.
The Raven Singletrack leadership said there were at least 52 people that did the ride.
Single speeders Rick Brazil and Ed Furbush
Got to meet Daryl of FORM Cycles out of Sedona.
I followed these guys for about half the ride until I bonked .
Great day of friends and bike fun.
Thanks to ;
http://www.ravensingletrack.com
for bringing us all together.
Saturday afternoon Caleb and I headed up to Mount Humphrey for an afternoon hike.
I just wanted to post some of the pics of this beautiful place.
Interesting factoid. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is 72 miles away from Mount Humphrey.
At the top, Caleb told me “as you are snow boarding down the slope you can actually see the Canyon” –
This is another NO STRESS ADDRESS. 🙂
Proverbs 22:6 confirms what I was feeling on my most recent mountain bike ride with my daughter.
” Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost.”
There is just something amazing about being able to be 50 plus and still have a great relationship with you adult children.
Yesterday in the late afternoon I managed to squeeze in some time for a pre sunset mountain bike ride with Natascha my amazingly focused and goal oriented daughter.
Really, I might say she squeezed in the time.
Anyway, as I looked behind me to watch her flying over babyheads and cleaning some “non average terrian” I thought about Proverbs 22:6 and how I have watched Tash find her own way along lifes path without getting lost.
Man, the rewards of parenting for the long haul just keep getting better.
Here are some pics of my reward as well as hers.
Helmet heads having a blast in this life! 🙂
If you are parenting here is a qoute from one of my heros Pastor Bill Wilson of Metro Church in NY city.
“It’s easier to build boys and girls than it is to repair men and women.”
And just a note to self : It is a lot funner too.
My son Caleb Called tonight to inform me that his camping gear is now complete.
His Marmont “pounder Plus” sleeping bag had just arrived.
There is something about getting a new peice of gear to rev you up for a new camping adventure in the mountains of Northren Zona.
Here is a pic of the bag that gets dad and son thinking and preparing for another adventure in the wild.
I am really looking forward to pushing up mount Elden labor day weekend and camping with the lad.
Also, just going to have to get a lttle single speed mtn biking in while the flagstaff area.
Here is a link from mountain bike bill and the trails on mount Elden.
http://www.mountainbikebill.com/AZ06Flagstaff.htm
Marmot pounder plus stats:
| Weight: | 2 lb 5 ozs / 1.49 kgs |
| Main Material: | Astral Rip N-100 DWR |
| Lining Material: | Omni140
N-WR |
| Insulation Material: | Primaloft® SB |
| Size for stre: | 183 cm |
| Size on shoulder: | 152 cm |
| Size on hip: | 145 cm |
| Size on foot: | 102 cm |
stevelummer.com 