Grief Hill (Camp Verde)

 It was warm when I finished my ride on Quail Springs & Copper Chief, but it was still relatively early - noon-ish. There was another trail in the area I was certain was under construction. I made a quick stop for cold drinks and some calories, then made my way over to Cherry Rd. A short way up I came to the Grief Hill trailhead. I had been here before, it's a new parking area, restrooms, kiosk, even has a rollover gate...to nowhere.

The new trail was somewhere around here, but obviously not linked to the trailhead. I started riding out a dirt road heading east from the trailhead. I rode about a quarter mile and had a feeling I wasn't going to run into the new trail if I kept going. I stopped and scanned the area. Farther up the flanks of the hill there appeared to be a new cut. I figured that was the trail I was looking for, now I had to find where it started.

I rode back to the trailhead and right before reaching the parking lot there was a lesser traveled dirt road behind a gate. I started going up the rugged 2-track and barely 0.1 mile later I spotted a couple of cairns marking the pristine new tread. How far would it go? I guessed not too far, but I had to find out, heat be damned.

Sure looks new, doesn't it?

It was a gradual climb away from the trailhead.

Cool topography it wound around.

I saw no other bike tracks, only footprints and one set of horse tracks.

About a mile and a half in, I started seeing equipment parts. Must be getting close to the end.

What is this?

Air hammer??

It was getting toasty, so I wasn't too disappointed to reach the end.

It was 2 1/4 miles from the trailhead to the dozer and almost 500' of gain topping out a bit over 4000'. The good news? It was slightly downhill back to the car!!

Hand tools for the final tread work.

The trailhead comes into view.

This trail had a real nice routing to it.

The infamous rollover gate to nowhere. Soon though.

When complete - trails in pink - there will be a bunch of options from the Grief Hill TH.

The trail I rode is the righthand side of the bigger pink loop. On the bottom left of the map, you can see where the Black Canyon NRT ties into the system and where it currently ends at the yellow marker. If you like what you see here and on the ground, please consider making a donation to the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, VVCC.

There's not much right now, but if you're in the area, check it out.

Route:

Quail Chief Loop

 Back in April, Kara and I were up in Cottonwood to check on the progress of the new Copper Chief and Quail Springs trails. They were coming along, but both still had work to be done. Fast forward to now. I saw a ride posted on Strava recently and I could tell the rider did a little bit of bushwhacking, but was able to tie the top end of Quail Springs into Copper Chief. Also, Copper Chief's construction had officially linked to the Mingus Black Canyon trail. It was time I made another visit to complete the loop. I figured another week of trail building on Quail Springs would have it a bit closer to completion.

It was going to be warm, so I did my best to get there early after the two hour drive. It was in the mid-80's when I started. The higher you go, the cooler it gets.

Trailhead parking is available at the end of Ogden Ranch Rd.

First mile of so is wide open and gently uphill to get things warmed up.

Looking ahead, the upper switchbacks dance back and forth up this hillside to where it'll link into the Copper Chief trail, which you can see here about halfway up. Look real close and you can spot the dozer at the end of Quail Springs.

It wasn't blazing hot, but I still took advantage of some shade breaks.

It doesn't take long to be high above the lower portion of the trail.

Singlespeed friendly most of the way.

Now on the newer upper section.

Mingus Mtn. towers above all.

Getting into the meat of the upper switchbacks.

End-of-the-line...for now. I did go a bit beyond what had been published on Trailforks to reach this spot.

Blue circle is the current end-of-trail as of July 13. So, so close.

Wide open view of the Verde Valley, a bit hazy today. Possible smoke from the Grand Canyon fires.

Looks brutal, but it's only 100' or so of bushwhacking to tie into Copper Chief.

Good looking Bull snake.

The climbing eased a bit, but continued on Copper Chief.

This was the location of trail's end back in mid-April.

New tread for me.

It keeps going and going...

Down below, the Mingus Black Canyon trail can be seen.

The dirt serpent makes its way down the mountain.

The switchbacks had a nice arc and slight bank to them.

Nearing the end.

The official tie in to the Mingus Black Canyon trail!! This is looking uphill.

The downhill view. My direction.

The Mingus Black Canyon trail is raw, narrow and rad AF.

A few tech sections keep you on point.

It was getting warm now, but the riding was going downhill for 95% of the time. Seems this trail would be a tad steeper to climb than Quail Springs.

Nearing the bottom.

Couple of gates on the way out.

All done, right as it was tickling 100º.

Wow!! What a great loop. For more miles there are some options. Park at the Blowout Wash trails and make a lollipop loop of this. Add an out-n-back climb on Mingus Black Canyon. Some bigger loops can be made using the dirt roads in the areas as well.

Either way, put this one on your list. I'm guessing by the time you head up there to ride Quail Springs, it'll be completed to Copper Chief.

As you can see on this planning map of the area, a lot has been built. Pink trails are the new builds. If you like what you see here and on the ground, please consider making a trail donation to the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, VVCC.

Quail Springs and Copper Chief are left & below center. Mingus Black Canyon is the blue trail near the bottom.

Route:

Playing Tour Guide in AZ

 My longtime buddy and one of my best friends, Brant, who I've known since the 10th grade has been listening to me pester him relentlessly over the years to come visit. For one reason or another it hadn't happened in 34 years, except for one brief airport layover in which he swears he got food poisoning from eating chicken fingers at the Four Peaks Brewery in Terminal 4. Karma at work?? Who knows, but his current employer recently opened a plant in Glendale. That resides about an hour from our place in Queen Creek, Glendale in the NW corner of Phoenix and the QC tucked away in the far SE corner. As luck would have it, Brant was scheduled for a week long work assignment at the new plant...in June. I asked him who he pissed off to be assigned a work trip to Phoenix in late June where temps often hover at or above the 110º mark. Haha. I told him he better be extending his trip...or else!! He agreed and the path was clear on both of our ends for a week+ to show him why I love living here. Of course that meant some mountain biking was going to happen as well.

I vowed to keep the riding fairly short, which wouldn't be an issue since it was hot, but he needed to ride among the Saguaros too. I was finally feeling recovered from my three fractured ribs back on May 15, so it would also serve as a recovery period for myself. Talk about perfect timing. As for the rides, I wanted him to experience the variety of the state: Desert, red rocks and Aspen trees. Easy.

He wrapped up his work responsibilities and I made my way to Glendale on Friday morning and met him and his work team, who already cracked open a box of Tastykakes Brant had brought me. He'll tell you it was an extra box anyway...

Gray beards, shades and baseball caps. Get used to it.

One of our first stops: SanTan Brewing Co. in Chandler.

Full disclaimer on the photos: They are all taken be either myself or Brant unless otherwise noted. And there are a lot taken through the windshield of my car!!

Red Mountain over by Hawes.

Water in the desert. Salt River here, fairly empty on a Friday afternoon.

On the dock at Saguaro Lake.

A desert's welcome: 109º.

We ended the first day with tacos at the Creekside Taco Shack by our house. The next day I had planned a driving tour along the historic Apache Trail to Roosevelt Lake, then through the mining district of Globe/Miami to complete the loop.

The Lost Dutchman Museum & Historical Society hadn't opened for the day, but it makes for a good photo.

Had to make a stop here: Goldfield Ghost Town.

Next to the big city, it gives a glimpse of what life was like over 100 years ago here.

The shops hadn't opened for the day, so we just enjoyed the emptiness.

Superstition Mtns. provide the backdrop.

That's a big Saguaro!!

The Blue Bird Mine is up the road and has some historical tidbits.

Weaver's Needle poking over the ridge.

Short hiking path to the Weaver's Needle overlook.

There was what appeared to be an abandoned car in the parking lot, busted windows, flat tires, etc. Then someone moved around in the front seat trying to sleep. Hmmm.

One of many scenic pullouts along AZ88, the Apache Trail.

Canyon Lake is surrounded by towering cliffs.

After Canyon Lake is the outpost of Tortilla Flat, population: 6.

Wyatt Earp 'Were washed heah'. Say that with a western twang.

Gift shop, ice cream, saloon and museum make up the town.

New outdoor seating area. Note: I donated about 40 license plates to the project, most of which are here. Cool.

Fish Creek Hill overlook. It's the high point before making the one-lane white-knuckle descent.

Down at the bottom.

Car getting dusty.

Apache Lake was the next stop on our drive.

It's a long, narrow body of water popular for boating.

We hiked down to the vista to avoid powerlines in the photo!!

North end of Apache Lake, aka Salt River. Here AZ88, recently paved, follows the water closely.

Roosevelt Dam.

Roosevelt Bridge & Lake, the biggest of the 4 lakes along the Salt River.

The Arizona Trail crosses the bridge as well.

Cliff dwellings at Tonto Nat'l Monument. Hiking trail was closed due to heat, otherwise you can walk inside the structure.

Behind the scenes...

...the result.

We continued on our loop towards the mining towns of Globe / Miami. I had planned to stop for lunch in Miami at El Rey's, but they were closed for summer vacation. Plan B: Superior.

It doesn't look like much, but Jalapeños hits the spot and their horchata is on point.

Back home, we finished up the day with some pizza at our local taproom: BrüCo.

Ride #1: Brown's Ranch

I told Brant we'd definitely be doing one desert ride, so we'd be up before the sun to try and beat most of the heat. There's something special about riding among the giant Saguaro here. I never take it for granted, it's such a unique experience. Our alarms went off at 4a, typical work day for me, and we were out of the house before 5:30a for the drive to N. Scottsdale to ride at Brown's Ranch.

My buddy, Mike, was generous enough to loan out his Pivot full squish ride so Brant could ride in style while he was here. What a guy!!

The anvil of the sun cometh.

Lots of options here, over 100 miles of singletrack.

Barely one mile from the trailhead we reached our first POI, Point of Interest, a Crested Saguaro.

Taking in the scenery. There are at least 4 Crested Saguaros at Brown's Ranch.

Typical scene here.

It's not east coast dirt here, crushed granite over hardpack. It can be like riding on ball bearings when you're not used to it.

Peering out from Cathedral Rock.

Not sure what I'm pointing at, but I do it a lot!! Haha.

Saguaro fruit nearing end-of-life.

Near the highpoint of the main trail network, just over 3000'. It's notable because that means the daytime temps here are typically 7-8º cooler than downtown Phoenix. It makes a difference.

Riding towards a small almost closed archway along Branding Iron trail.

Another POI: Balanced Rock.

A bit of chunky downhill riding from Balanced Rock.

Blooming Barrel Cactus.

Rolled up on this 5' Bull snake near the end of the ride. No rattlers today. Bummer.

Saguaros are slow growers.

It was a fun ride, almost 20 miles. We took a bunch of stops, therefore didn't get off the trails until after 10a, which is later than I shoot for. It was a bit over 100º at the end of our ride and thankfully the final 4+ miles were gently downhill. Brant mentioned something that I felt when I first moved out here, it's like a different planet in the Sonoran Desert compared to the east coast. For sure.

Route:

I was really hoping we'd have at least one hot day for Brant, Monday obliged.

After the ride we decided to take a cruise around Tempe, the ASU campus, Papago Park and stop for a good beer.

Hole-in-the-Rock wasn't too busy on this hot afternoon. It's usually crawling with people in the cooler months.

Hunt's Tomb perched over the Phoenix Zoo.

'A' Mountain next to Sun Devil Stadium. It'll always be that to me no matter who's sponsoring the stadium.

The Shop Beer Co. in Tempe.

Their flagship offering: Church Music Juicy IPA

It has its own van too!!

I had to work my airport shift on Monday morning, which wiped me out and I took a nap afterwards!! We made our way over to the Queen Creek Olive Mill for a late lunch, but no pics. 

The following day we were back at it. I had made reservations for Kartchner Caverns in southern AZ. We'd be passing through Tucson in the morning so we had to make a breakfast stop at Bobo's.

It may not look like much on the outside.

Look for this sign on your right as you drive down Grant Rd. from I-10.

One apple pancake. No syrup required. 10/10.

After breakfast, we had time to drive the loop through Saguaro Nat'l Park East.

Cool mural showing all the critters found here. 

Obligatory Saguaro photo.

Lush Ocotillo too.

I highly recommend a visit. Check the Kartchner Caverns website for tours and to see if the Big Room is open, as it's closed in summer for the bats.

Cell phones are not allowed inside the caverns, so this is all you get. Courtesy of the Kartchner Caverns State Park website.

For the drive home, I opted to take a more scenic route. We headed south a bit, then west to Sonoita and down through Patagonia. We eventually reached the border town of Nogales where we'd take I-19 back north through Tucson.

Rail line coming into the USA.

I-19 still shows distance in kilometers not miles. It began back in 1980 when the interstate was constructed and has stuck.

Downtown Tucson and Mt. Lemmon.

It's been a go-to stop in Tucson for over a decade now. Seis Kitchen, just off I-10 near downtown.

Shrimp & fish taco, plus horchata. Mmmmm.

It's misting season in AZ.

Back home I wanted to take Brant up to South Mountain for the expansive night view. It's really the only place in the valley you can see the full city at night. What I failed to realize was the gate closes at 7p and we arrived around 7:30. I guess in year's past, I've driven up in the cooler weather when the days are shorter. We still got a semi-descent view from the 19th Ave. trailhead, but not the same.

Not nearly as impressive from here.

Instead of city lights, we broke out the black light back at the house and found one scorpion hanging out by the hose bib.

Wednesday arrived and we pointed the car north for some prime tourist activity...and some more riding. We'd be spending a couple of nights in Flagstaff at Mike's house. He was returning from a Cali band camp on Wednesday, so the timing worked out perfectly. We had been trying to find time to make some margaritas at home, but just couldn't fit it in. So, we packed up all the fixin's for Mike's.

Sedona was our first stop. I had planned a short loop here, but first I dropped K off at Tlaquepaque to relax while we rode.

First, a quick stop to view Bell Rock.

Ride #2: Sedona

We staged our ride from the Hermit trailhead on the east side of town. Sedona miles can be tough and slow, so I put together a short loop that packed a bunch of classic red rock views. The initial 100' out of the trailhead had Brant bent over. He was feeling the 4500' of elevation coming from near sea level. The good news? We were at the high point of the ride.

Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock.

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up??

Putting that full squish bike to work.

Not a bad place to be.

West and East Twin Butte frame the Chapel.

The famed Cathedral Rock. It would be our focal point of the ride.

Slickrock leading to Cathedral Rock.

Smooth sailing here.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure how much of the rocks he would ride. Exceeded all expectations.

Finding the flow on the ledgy rocks.

Fun roller.

And in an instant, back in the trees as light rain began to fall.

Storm clouds rolling in, but they sure make a dramatic scene.

The final bit back to the parking lot as Bell Rock comes back into view.

We made it just as the rain intensified. Perfect. It was a short loop, but was precisely what I wanted today.

Route:

Tlaquepaque is a great place to hang out & window shop.

I had a message from K, she was having a beverage at Oak Creek Brewery. Be right there!!

That's a big cat!!

We did some shopping downtown so Brant could pick up a few things, then headed north through Oak Creek Canyon. The slow, scenic drive to Flagstaff. Traffic wasn't too bad, minus the two vehicles driving 10-15 mph under the speed limit for a while. Why do these drivers refuse to pull over? If you want to gawk, then gawk after you let everyone get by.

We arrived in Flagstaff and met up with Mike at his place. While unpacking we realized we forgot a very important ingredient for the margaritas. Limes. We had purchased a bag of them just for this, then left them at home. Insert face palm here. We were going to make deluxe nachos at Mike's anyway and needed a quick trip to the store. But first, I think we have time for a ride in Flagstaff before we run out of daylight.

Ride #3: Flagstaff - Schultz Creek

Mike and I bounced a few ideas around, not thinking we had enough time for a larger shuttle ride. Instead we opted to shuttle the famed Schultz Creek trail. It's a longtime classic of the area and rides really well. Plus, the shuttle is easy to set up. Let's go!!

We arrived at the 'Y', the bottom staging area and began driving up the road...what the?? Road was closed. Drat. Hmmm, now what? We couldn't really come up with a good alternative, so we opted to pedal up the road. I think Brant thought we'd just bail on the ride. Ha!! There were a couple of connector trails we could bail on if need be.

Mike cruising up the well maintained road.

Brant wondering what he's gotten in to. If he thought the 4500' of Sedona was low on oxygen, we started this ride at 7200'...and climbing.

We made it up to the split, second from the top, which was fine. It was right about sunset and we needed to keep moving. We topped out just shy of 8000' and in spite of the heavy breathing, Brant did fine.

The payoff: Hero dirt after and earlier storm.

Real dirt to ride on here.

Whooosh!! Photo by Mike.

Light is fading.

As the miles ticked by, the light was waning. I heard Brant smack a rock with his pedal behind me, but thankfully he didn't wreck!! Good thing the rocks here are light colored, easier to see as darkness settled in. We weren't far now. It was a bit after 8p when we reached the trailhead. I told Brant, if I had lights, I would've turned them on about 1 1/2 miles ago!! Haha. He said he was giving our shuttle service a 1 Star rating, only because zero wasn't an option!! Ouch. We'll see if we can improve on that for the next ride...

Yeah, it was about that dark when we finished. Adventure complete.

Route:

A quick jaunt to the grocery store...don't forget the freaking limes!! Then back to Mike's for oven baked nachos and margaritas. Great way to end the day.

The next morning we set our sights on the Grand Canyon.

But first we had to wait out dueling cargo trains, one coming - one going, on the busy rail line through town.

It had been a while since both K and I were at the Grand Canyon together. Last year I did an out-n-back ride to the South Rim from Babbit Ranch, which is always a good time. I could tell Brant was excited to see it, it truly is something to behold. Everyone should experience that view at least once in their lifetime.

We stopped at a roadside convenience store in the small outpost of Valle for a short break. We didn't expect to see a classic car collection out front. I'm not much of a car person, but can appreciate a fine looking automobile. Check these out:

That looks fun.

Top notch details.

K's favorite!! Tweety Bird.

Hahaha.

The line at the entrance station of the South Rim wasn't too bad, only a handful of vehicles in front of us. Glad we have an annual park pass, as it's now easily paid for itself.

Parking at the main visitor center area wasn't too bad either, we were only a short walk away from Mather Pt.

Stunning as always. Fairly clear as well.

Looking east.

What's the big deal??

It's been a few years since we were both here together.

Looking across to the North Rim Lodge.

The above photo will now have to be a time capsule photo. This was taken on July 3. No one could have foreseen that the following day a nearby lightning strike would begin the Dragon Bravo Fire. Barely 10 days later, the North Rim Lodge and some 50+ historic cabins, housing and maintenance buildings would be gone. Burned to the ground. The fire has since burned down a portion of the N. Kaibab trail. The area has received some rainfall the past couple of days. Hopefully, things get fully under control soon. Heartbreaking.

Sense of scale in the visitor center.

It's such a fascinating place.

Hard to comprehend this was the vessel they used for early navigation on the Colorado River.

Fantastic display of the geologic layers.

There will be a test later.

We inquired about access to the S. Kaibab trail since things have changed at the park in recent years. I've been here a bunch of times, but usually via bike which makes getting around rather easy. Being in full tourist mode this go-round, we had to take advantage of the free park shuttle. It's quite convenient, running every 12 minutes or so. I wanted Brant to see the S. Kaibab trailhead, where the AZT goes down a dizzying array of switchbacks.

S. Kaibab trail winds its way down along the cliff band. A lot less crowded over here.

PeakFinder app looking west back towards Mather Pt.

Switchbacks approach!!

It's wild how you can look almost straight down here.

Mike & Brant cruising down.

I had only planned to walk down a turn or two, but Brant wanted to go a bit farther. You may want to look back up, we have to get back there!!

Mini-hand contemplating... Photo by Mike.

Making our way back up.

Cool cliff band down the middle of the photo.

Back up top.

That's the straightest unintentional pose I could come up with.

Deer coming in for a drink.

Spotted more on our drive along the rim. Photo by Mike.

Rack is still fuzzy.

The next major overlook: Grandview.

Nice view of the Colorado River.

Desert Tower, the last overlook before leaving the park on the east side.

Panned out view, the tower is barely visible on the righthand side.

The clouds had been building all afternoon.

Storm clouds were beginning to put on a show.

Desert Tower is actually a good size.

We had to stop here on the way out because there wasn't one on the way in.

The rain had started as we made our way out of the park. The temps dropped as low as 56º, more than half from the 116º we saw a few days earlier.

Humphrey's Peak, 12,633', from the north.

We stopped for an Oatmeal Stout at Beaver Street Brewery before making our way here: Mother Rode Brewing Co. for dinner.

Ride #4: Snowbowl to Kelly Tank (AZT Shuttle)

Mike and I were determined to get our shuttle rating score increased. We wanted to begin our ride from the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Area, then ride mostly downhill along the AZT going northbound. Initially, we were going to stage a vehicle at FS418, which is a popular place to end a ride. However, I knew the next few miles of trail continued the downhill trend and we were shuttling, so of course we could do a few more miles. It wasn't much farther of a drive to get out to Kelly Tank anyway.

Ready to shred on this bluebird morning.

The base area has changed a bit since I was last here.

We spotted a trail near where we parked, no signage, so we hopped on.

It took us down under the Hart Prairie lift.

There was some fine netting on the ground near the chairlift and the knobs on Brant's bike picked it up and made a tangled mess!!

At least it was thin enough to rip out.

Bzzzzz. Photo by Mike.

I was feeling it after a short hill climb at 9500'. Photo by Mike.

Large beginner area at the ski resort.

The Aspen Loop connects the ski area to the Arizona Trail.

Nice to see a splash of color too.

Joining the AZT. Only 610 miles to Mexico!!

Going northbound, it's 190 miles to Utah.

Not in the desert anymore.

9000' Hike-a-bike.

Photo by Mike.

Mike getting aero.

Brant in hot pursuit.

Bismarck Lake junction. Photo by Mike.

Steady downhill cruising from here.

That's a big one!!

The ferns were thick in sections. Photo by Mike.

Not exactly a putting green, but it sure is vibrant!!

This was the only area that had the thick, tall grass.

Elsewhere, the ferns were handlebar high!!

Almost made finding the trail a challenge.

We were surprised to see it this high so early in the season.

Huge Aspen grove covered in ferns.

The fast trail continued after we crossed FS418.

Hooray for rollover gates!! Photo by Mike.

Now on the northwest side of the San Francisco Peaks.

Another Subaru ad photo.

Both Mike and I agreed, anytime we're ending a ride on this side of the mountain, extend it a few miles to Kelly Tank. It's worth it.

As for our shuttle rating, I think it's back in the recommended listings.

Route:

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign.

We made our way back to the desert, taking the scenic route by Lake Mary, then through Pine and Payson. It really didn't take any longer because of where we live.

That was pretty much a wrap for the week+ of trips and sightseeing. It was a blast and hopefully he'll return with Beth next time without the work stop.

Had to crack one of these open to put a bow on it.