Come one, come all!! That seemed to be the order of the day for a Black Canyon Trail, BCT, shuttle run. We had riders from Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, Phoenix, Durango and Missouri all gathered for a fun day on the trail, 10 of us in total!! We'd be starting from the Big Bug trailhead off SR69 near Mayer, some would end in Bumble Bee while a few of us would continue south to Rock Springs.
Being January and a bit higher in elevation, it was a chilly start for us desert dwellers. Thankfully, the trail does a few short climbs early on to help generate heat.
The first couple of contoured miles are nice, then the post-holing began. The free-ranging cattle up there really did a number on the trail. It's one of the few sections of trail around that I wouldn't mind having a full squish bike!! It was also during these early miles when I realized my brakes weren't actually working all that much!! I really needed a brake bleed and the cold temps weren't helping. I just needed to pay attention to what section of trail we were on, so I knew when to let it loose. Oh, and add a nagging cough & chest congestion on top of everything. I often like to ride out a sinus infection, tends to clear things up a bit.
Before we knew it, we had finished the upper section and were about to enter Antelope Creek, arguably the best section of the BCT.
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| Brian, on vacation from Missouri, was back in AZ after an AZTR750 attempt last year. |
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| Steve, from Durango, is no stranger to riding in AZ. He has some impressive routes under his belt, including the AZTR750 & Queen's Ransom. |
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| String of riders make their way into Antelope Creek. |
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| Mike and I have shared a few great adventures as of late. |
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| Brian and Mark - who brought a few folks from Sierra Vista. |
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| Gavin and Doug from SV. |
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| Amy from SV. |
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| Jalene leading the charge. |
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| George doing his best to keep up!! |
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| Lots of zig zags on this section, eventually the views begin to open up. |
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| Mike leaning into a turn. |
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| Quite the view over Bumble Bee Creek. |
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| The crew, L - R: Brian, Mike, Gavin, Steve, Amy, Doug, Jalene, George & Mark. |
We all made it to the Bumble Bee trailhead in one piece. I wasn't feeling too bad all things considered. Mike, Steve and I opted to push on to Rock Springs for another dozen or so miles.
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| We all took turns, but alas no cleans on this nasty switchback today. |
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| Agua Fria River wasn't too difficult to cross. |
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| Rock Springs trailhead, end of the line today. |
What a fun day with a solid crew. The BCT is always good, no matter how you choose to ride it. GO get some!!
Route:
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