Verde Valley by Van

  Well, I'm not sure what I think of posting these trips by van, since they're in the van, and not solely by bike, but somehow they seem to fit.  Maybe it's because doing things based out of a motor vehicle seems new and somewhat strange (which, for me, it is), or maybe it's because this is where I am right now: living more or less out of the van.  Call a cactus a cactus.  In any case, I spent a week or so moving the van around the Verde Valley, riding and running in between healthy servings of bacon ends and eggs and bacon-grease pancakes.  I figured that since I had the van, I might as well live it up!
  I rode both sides of HWY 89 based out of the Cultural Park, then ran Bear Mountain, which had a lovely view.  I spent the night in Jerome, and had to leave earlier than I would have liked.  That town in the sky deserves a more thorough going-over.  Good folks came down from Flagstaff and we rode in Cottonwood, at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which was pretty fun, and looks like it will only be improving with time.  Ranger Randy is on a mission, and that mission seems to be focused on getting more bikes riding Cottonwood.  Go now!  DBO and Nate stayed to ride limekiln the next day, and then we ate Mexican food.  It was a kind of life.  I figured I'd post a few photos, since that seems to be what it's really all about right now.  Funny that there aren't any riding photos.  Funny.

Cultural park area.

Looking West, toward Western Civilization.

On the way up Bear Mountain, just after the rocks turned from red to white.

The view from the top of Bear Mountain. 

A view from the climb on Bear Mountain.

Red rock.

Pine nut shells.

White rock on Bear Mountain.

Sunset in Sedona.

I was there.

Another Bear Mountain view.

Jerome rooftop.

Sunrise in Jerome.

Gallery in Jerome around sunrise.