September 7 -- A Bike Ride On A Dirt Road, Pulling Up Posts, And Preparing For A Costco Run

September 7, Labor Day, wasn't a day of rest for me -- but it was a day of "labor'. But the good kind...Morning saw the usual sunrise over the Peloncillos, zoomed-in with the 100-400 f/5.6 lens --

But about a half-hour later, the wind-whipped clouds put on the real early-morning show. It's enough to make one become a meteorologist -- on an artist -- or both -- 

It had been awhile since I'd taken the Diamondback hybrid bike out, so I loaded it up and took off down my driveway -- only to come across a garter snake, the first snake I've seen so far out here. Alas, no photo, as the snake slithered into the bushes when I doubled back to photograph it. But it's nice to know it's a "good" snake, eating rodents and such. Heading north on Foothills Road, you come across a fording of Cave Creek, which provides a cooling (and wet) ride for a few seconds. Then after about a mile of paved road, it turns into dirt -- 

And believe me, they ain't kidding when they say the road is primitive -- and I don't think anyone drives 35mph. The real trick is when the road dips into gullies, which may be flooded depending on if it rained the night before. Luckily, I was also scouting out the road in advance of using it to provide the fastest way to get to Interstate 10 on Tuesday for a "Costco Run", -- and the road was clear. Surprisingly, I didn't encounter a single snake, though I was wary of every stick or suspicious object I saw. My hybrid bike has a neat feature where you can turn the front fork shock absorbers off or on, depending on whether you're on a paved or dirt road, so I turned them on, and it made a big difference in making for a less-bumpy ride. I went as far as Whitetail Canyon, 9 miles to the north of Portal; here's the Diamondback at the furthest point of the ride -- 

The scenery here, as in pretty much all of the Chiricahuas and surrounding areas, is magnificent, with mountain backdrops and high-desert Sonoran and Chihuahuan yucca, agave, ocotillo and cactus. I also came upon a herd of horses, unfortunately not wild (and with obvious brands on their rumps) but still magnificent creatures -- 

Though I really wanted to continue on, it was getting to be around 10am and noticeably warmer, so I headed back down Foothills. Just before the road turned to pavement, there is the turnoff to Sky Village, where you can have an observatory right next to your house (the skies here are some of the clearest in the country, as there is no industry -- and no street lights -- 

Once back on the pavement, the views up Cave Creek Canyon became more impressive --

And I was finally back at Faranuf -- where I noticed I'd left the back rack bag's back pocket open, and my tool kit must've bounced out as it was missing. Rats!  So now I have to buy another one...I have a BIG soaking tub in the master bathroom, but had yet to use it, so after a long, hot bike ride it was as good of a time as any to give it a try -- and it felt GOOD, so much so that I pretty much dozed off for a few minutes while in it. After lunch I took a nap (I find I can think a lot clearer during the day, and feel refreshed, with an afternoon nap after being up since, say, 1am) then did computer stuff, and around 3pm i pulled up some more posts and fencing in the back yard. John gave me the tip of soaking the ground around the post with water to make it come out easier -- but of course I splashed dirty water on my nice, clean white socks. But another set of posts were GONE...I then prepared "Tundra Dos" for the Costco Run the next day by putting the extra-cab seats up to accommodate the Desert Willow tree I will be buying for planting in the back yard, and placing the big cooler in the truck bed to keep refrigerated items cool for the nearly 200-mile trip back to Portal. Meanwhile, during this time the skies were turning a bit ominous, but though it never developed into rain the clouds were putting on a show once again -- 

Oh, I nearly forgot -- As soon as I got back from my bike ride, I looked out back and the Roadrunner was back -- and posing once again. I think he's getting comfortable with me -- 

Notice how he's slyly looking at me out of the corner of his eye...And now it's the day for the "Costco Run".