Phoenix

Tuesday, Sept 13

I hit a few local bike shops in the morning. I need to find a new stem for my bike, b/c the stem on it is too small and I don’t have the control I should have on the downhills. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything that will work. I head out for another ride, and get roasted for over 2 hours. Then I meet up with Tara to hike Squaw Peak…a very technical and somewhat challenging hike, but it sure was amazing once we got to the top and were overlooking Scottsdale and Phoenix. We watched the sun set over the city, then trekked back down as quickly as we could so we didn’t have to break out the flashlights. After our hike we grabbed a late dinner at a very cool fusion Asian restaurant…good times.

Monday, Sept 12

After an awesome pancake breakfast at my friend Mikki’s house, it is time to start heading East again. This is a big moment in my trip, and I may add, a very depressing one. I am down to only 3 weeks remaining on my big adventure, and have started the trek back to reality. Before I started my trip, I knew at this point I would either really want to get back home to DC, or be totally bumming that my trip was coming to an end. The reality is the latter. Oh well.

So, off I go to Phoenix/Scottsdale. I get into the city in the afternoon, hit up a bike shop and find a really cool trail that is close by. After a great ride on the new rig (which is SO amazing), I head to Tara’s house (friend of a friend)…and we head to this really cool bar/restaurant to grab some food. The place is way cool, and has a full beach, pool, and cabanas. I love the atmosphere.
Oh, did I mention that it is scorching hot during the day? I am not sure why Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US, it is WAY too hot here. Everyone is talking about how nice the weather is right now and how it has cooled down…well, it was 100 degrees today!!