Parker Canyon Lake Loop

 The third Thursday in October is quite the day for me. The annual AZTR kicks off and when I'm not riding in it, I enjoy watching all the riders pass through the Parker Canyon Lake area. It gives me an opportunity to capture at least one action shot of every single rider. It typically takes a few hours and this year was no different. Afterwards, Connor was hanging around and we noted that for all the years we've known each other, we had never actually been on a ride together. Today would be the day. Per the nudging of the Red Rock Chica, who I haven't seen in forever - but more on that later, she suggested we ride a clockwise loop around the lake. All the times I've been down here, I've never done that. It's only a 5 mile loop, but appeared to be fairly scenic.

The RRC and her trusty KTM.

The trail and views were fantastic right out of the gate.

Beautiful lake-level panorama.

Naturally, a short hike-a-bike brought us up here.

Connor riding across the dam.

A few fishermen out enjoying an absolutely perfect day. Mid-60's.

Creek flowing down Collins Canyon.

There appeared to be a trail heading up the canyon, but it soon faded away. We aborted our exploration and returned to the main loop.

Stacks of perfectly cut logs line the trail.

Benches placed for moments of reflection.

Not sure what this was originally for, but the trail went around to the other side of it.

Starting a fun technical section of trail.

We could see plenty of large fish in the clear water.

Route:

For only 5 miles, this was a really fun route. It had a bit of everything, flowy trail, hike-a-bike, views, flowing water, fun technical riding and could be done relatively quickly. If you're in the area, check it out.

I eventually made my way out of there driving north through Sonoita before heading back south to Patagonia to meet up with the RRC for lunch. She was there, hanging out at one of the newer eating establishments, Quail Covey. It was so good to catch up with her, we figured it had been over 5 years since our last ride. Our schedules never seen to mesh, but we'll figure something out for a long overdue adventure.

The coffee was spot on.

A racer popped into town looking for water.

Always great to track her down in person.