January rides? Anyone?

[BlessedB]

I snuck out of work early on Wednesday and put in 40 miles on paved trails. It really makes me appreciate our Florida weather!
Rode 20 this afternoon, it was in the low 60's to 50's - definitely need to get some warmer clothes. Now back home sitting in front of the fire.

[MarieV]

I did my first 100K for 2015 with DH on Jan. 3rd. We mostly rode on the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River Trails, which were both surprisingly crowded even though it was in the 40s. We saw at least half a dozen other Seattle Randos, including Jan Heine who sped by us in a flash of blue on the BG. It was overcast but not rainy, and the sun came out for part of the ride, which made it feel warmer. We were scheduled to do the Maltby-Granite Falls 100K yesterday, but 40-degree weather and 50-70% chance of rain was way too cold and rainy for me, so DH went without me.

[salsabike]

We did our January tandem 100k yesterday--a 70-miler, actually. Lake Forest Park-Capitol Hill-Renton-Kennydale-East Lake Samm-BG back to LFP. What I like to call "one of the longer 100ks". I think this is the third time we've done this one, and we really like it, but boy! We always JUST make the first two control times, because so much of the first half of the ride is uphill. Yep, it was grey and misty and pretty cool. We didn't get rained on very much--our shoes under the booties stayed dry--but we definitely got condensed on. Lots of bikes out yesterday.

[Crankin]

Funny, I haven't thought about Canyon de Chelly in years. Never in terms of beauty, but back in the day, we'd always say that's where we'd end up if we couldn't get a teaching job in the city!
Not to mention, it's always the spot where the weatherman states the lowest temperature in the state!

[rebeccaC]

Thanks for the nice comments!!

Marie, the valleys red rock canyon has some amazing geologic visuals very much like Bryce!

And this + a trillion

it WAS tremendously beautiful.

Veronica, finding the Inn with a massage for after Saturdays ride is what tipped me quickly into doing it. The Inn is an older building. What I saw of it was being nicely preserved. I’d think the expensive part is because of the location. The location is also great for short or long rides into some incredible landscapes.

Nice to see you could ride to Artist Drive, etc. If I close my eyes I can "hear" the desert. Thanks for posting

Artist Drive was another world especially on a bike ….and thank you

[Veronica]

We've stayed at Stove Pipe Wells and at the Ranch on previous visits to Death Valley. I like the cabins at the Ranch. They're tiny and only have a shower, but they are REALLY quiet since you only have neighbors on one side. The Inn's prices are in line with the cost to stay at most of the nicer hotels at National Parks, but those nicer hotels don't seem to have much sound proofing between rooms! Of course, I don't think either of those places offer massage.

You have to go back. There's so much good hiking there.

Veronica

[azfiddle]

Rebecca- stunning, absolutely stunning photos. I've never been there to bike, but in my serious birding years in California in my 20's- did some intense weekends in the area searching for rare migrant birds lost in the desert. Went to sleep at 10 pm on the golf course in Furnace Creek at 10 pm and it was still over 100 degrees!

[Pax]

I snuck out of work early on Wednesday and put in 40 miles on paved trails. It really makes me appreciate our Florida weather!
Rode 20 this afternoon, it was in the low 60's to 50's - definitely need to get some warmer clothes. Now back home sitting in front of the fire.

Just got back from three weeks at our new place in New Smyrna Beach. The first day we were there we popped over to Lake Mary and bought Townies, I pedaled that thing everywhere, FL weather rocks!!

[salsabike]

Pax, that is great!

[azfiddle]

It's a good time of year to be in Arizona. I was on Christmas break from teaching through Jan 4, and got in about 125 miles. This week, I got in one after work ride (15 miles), 44 yesterday and 39 today. The weather this weekend was great for cycling- mid-40's to start and to mid-60's to near 70 later, and mostly sunny and dry, so it feels warmer. Jan 2 was really cold for us but I braved it when I rode in to work - temps in the 30's on the way in, and about 42 on the way home. Toes were cold but I managed everything else okay.

[Pax]

Pax, that is great!

It was like being a little kid again and getting a new bike for Christmas!

[rebeccaC]

It was like being a little kid again and getting a new bike for Christmas!

Well I guess it’s too easy for me to change my mind. I’d been planning on doing an organized 200k this past weekend but when Sky King posted about her ride in that texas desert area I felt the need to ride in the Mojave desert again…..this is also a good time of the year to do it. So, we did our own 200k ride (+ a couple) leaving from and coming back to furnace creek in death valley national park on saturday. A long days ride, thankfully with little wind and traffic, but beautiful scenery in the quiet and peace of a desert, very good massages when we got back to the furnace creek inn and a sky with an incredible amount of bright stars in it that night. The next day we just rode up to dante’s view, with its up to 15% grade the last 3 miles, to watch the sunrise over the valley and on the way back to the furnace creek inn we rode artists drive and into the badwater basin with its salt flats. It was cloudy with an on/off very light rain on Sunday morning which didn’t bother me as the views were so incredible……and lots of rain on the drive home later Sunday. Temp’s in the high 40’s both mornings and high 50’s to low 60’s each afternoon. My first time in death valley and I’m definitely going back as there are so many great area’s in the national park that I want to come back to explore more.

[salsabike]

Fascinating and beautiful photos, rebecca!

[AppleTree]

Just breath-taking pictures, truly! We were in Death Valley a few years ago. It was late May...and already 110 degrees... at 7:00 pm. We did do a short ride just to say we did it, but it was not a good idea at all, ha ha. But I didn't expect to find it as beautiful as it was...not really a desert person, but it WAS tremendously beautiful. I would love to go back in more temperate weather to ride. How lucky you are rebecca! And not a car in sight!

[Sky King]

Love the photos! We came back to a horrible January inversion and I haven't seen the sun for almost two weeks.
Traffic looks good When we were there in 2013 we realized the week between Christmas and New Years was not prime for biking
Nice to see you could ride to Artist Drive, etc. If I close my eyes I can "hear" the desert. Thanks for posting