March outdoor rides - let's drop the Lion!

[azfiddle]

Rebecca- neat picture. How were the wildflowers?

I've ridden every day this week: wore our Irish jerseys for a quick 16 miles on St. Patrick's day before gigs, quick trips to Saguaro NP Tuesday and Wednesday, and today rode the very long way via Pistol Hill (southeast of Tucson) to my classroom with a friend. Took her to lunch at the Thai restaurant and she generously helped spend about 2 hours organizing and sorting papers to be filed and recycled. That's a really good friend!!

43 miles, perfect 70's with almost no wind and very thin cloud cover. We saw lots of wildflowers everywhere. These are ones I noted from the ride: brittlebush, desert marigold, Parry penstemon, desert chicory, paper flower, desert zinnia, lupines, phacelias, creosote, fiddleneck, popcorn flower, Streptanthus (common name??), fairy duster, some little yellow mustards, desert globe mallow and prickly poppy. Plus I got a look at a circling hawk that seems to have been an out of place Gray Hawk- usually found in riparian areas where there are some cottonwoods, but this was over dry and not too vegetated Pantano Wash. Other birds noted- Pyrrhuloxia, Phainopepla, Mockingbird, Curve-billed thrasher, Gila Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-throated Sparrow.

[emily_in_nc]

I've ridden four days in a row -- 25, 33, 36, and 35 miles. Today was down to Nogales, AZ (with a view of Nogales, Mexico) from Patagonia. VERY hilly but beautiful ride, and some of the best highway shoulder (wide, smooth) ever. Tomorrow I take a well-earned day off the bike, but I am feeling really good, and DH says I'm riding the strongest he's seen me since my accident in 2005. I've certainly put in the most miles in an early season in 10 years. Not bad for an almost 53-year old!
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