On the road again

30 hours in the Moots battle-wagon, solo, can teach you a lot about yourself. For instance I know every word of every verse of the song "Brandy". Mainly though it was an excellent opportunity to soak up the scenery of the desert southwest. From the arches of Moab, to Monument Valley to the stunning Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona, AZ the Moots van rolled thru some of Americas most beautiful landscapes en route to a rendezvous with over 10,000 century riding bike fiends in Tucson, AZ. Weather was perfect, iTunes were rocking and the odometer kept rolling over as I headed south from Moab thru the metropolis of Bluff, NM to Kayenta, AZ and eventually Tuba City, which ironically did not look like a great place to buy a tuba. Got a chance to stop in and visit the Moots dealing crew at Slippery Pig in Phoenix (and fondle the $90 Brooks leather grips!) before arriving in Tucson approximately the same time as the ill-fated Oregon Ducks. Oregon (#2 ranked football team in the US) got killed by unranked AZ the next night while I slipped over to say high to our local Moots dealer, Michael at Arizona Bike Experts. Lotsa Moots riders, Coloradans, and fans of old world craftsmanship stopped by our little booth at the El Tour Expo and big Greg Lemond even stopped by the expo to present a speech on riding clean...good times! Sadly it all came to an end too soon and I had to hit the road northwards early Saturday while 10,000 riders hit the road westward aiming for 109 miles under the desert sun. Even rolling casually most would be finishing up about 6-7 hours later while my day ended about 15 hours and 900 miles later back in Steamboat Springs. ..."and all the sailors said Brandy, what a fine girl, what a good wife you would be!"