Kitt Peak, Todd's 21st, and More Riding

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 was Todd's birthday. He had decided earlier that he wanted to ride to Kitt Peak for his birthday. It was Zach's first day out here, but decided to go just because it was Todd's birthday. The ride over the the mountain was fast. We had a tailwind and averaged 28-30mph. At the base, Zach and Todd set their own pace, and I settled into mine. It took about 1150 calories to climb the 12.5 miles. At the top I took a breather, ate a granola bar, had some water, and picked up some literature about the observatory. The ride down was freezing cold, but was cake compared to the ride home. Todd bonked and Zach and I had to pull the 40 miles home into a blustery headwind. It was rough, at times terrible, but ultimately it put the ride onto the books as an epic ride.

After getting home and getting a brief recharge, Todd insisted that we go out for his birthday. Zach and I were willing, though not exactly enthusiastic participants (or enablers as it turned out). As one might expect, no one was out on a Tuesday night, so we had to switch to plan B, get Todd drunk. Long story short, we did. He continues to learn about what happened last night as Zach and I tell stories.

Because we stayed up late taking care of Todd, Zach and I didn't get up as early as we had planned. That made us scratch our Bisbee plans, and do an extended version of the Wednesday ride. Once again the wind was strong, but the ride was worth it. If you're coming to Tucson, I definitely recommend Saguaro National Park. The 8-mile scenic route in the park on the east has just been repaved and the park is in great condition. Tues. & Wed.: 6500+ calories. Thursday: Bisbee. Here's just some of what Zach had for dinner to fuel up for tomorrow.