Our girl
The more days that pass after a trip the harder I find it to write about it. Right after Hurricane we went down to Cabo for a wedding. And just one week later my perspective of the Hurricane trip has changed.
Two weeks before the trip our sweet little Puggle Sara was diagnosed with Transitional Cell Carcinoma. She has a small cancerous mass in her bladder. She’s probably 10 years old, so we decided against any invasive surgery and/or chemo, instead she’s taking an NSAID, Piroxicam, and Misoprostol to protect her stomach lining. Piroxicam can sometimes slow down the growth, and in some instances reduce the size of the mass. It’s hard for the vet to guess how much time she has left. It could be six months, or more or less. So this trip was very melancholic. We were also struggling with the thought of leaving Sara for the first time ever when we went to Cabo. She’s never been without at least one of us. It all probably sounds silly if you have kids.
We were joined in Hurricane by our friend Michelle and her dad Jim. We stayed at WillowWind RV Park and they were across the street at a new hotel. It’s always a blast riding out there. We had dinners together at the Airstream, told stories, Amelia and Michelle reminisced about all the girls they used to ride with, and we all learned a little more about each other.
A couple of noteworthy things occurred on the trail.
On day one, before Michelle and her dad arrived we rode Gooseberry Mesa. Immediately we ran into a bunch of people wearing bib numbers and walking. What the heck? We’ve only ever seen bikes on the awesome Gooseberry rock. We asked one of them. It was a 50K run. How strange seeing people not on bikes. And they were always coming directly at us.
On day three, we rode the J.E.M. trail, a super fun, one direction, downhill single track with wide open vistas, and beautiful scenery. It’s a grinning ear to ear, hauling ass trail. The kind of trail you relive as you fall asleep on the day you rode it.
So I’m flying down the trail and in the distance I see a large group of riders. As I get closer I can see that they are coming towards me! Hello! One way downhill! There were three families, some trying to ride and others pushing their bikes. I slow down so I won’t send them all flying like bowling pins. Then a mom says, “Please be careful, there’s a little five year old girl coming.”
Good God, why aren’t you people at Disneyland? I know I sound like a sourpuss, but what the hell are these people doing? It’s totally dangerous going the wrong way on a one way trail.
If you really want to hear a rant ask Amelia about all the new cheater lines on the Hurricane Rim Trail. That really burns her up.
Site 122. WillowWind is looking more and more like a Motor Coach Resort. There were many of these big $$$ rigs like the one next to us.
New singletrack signage
Gooseberry Mesa
Three of the 50K walkers in the background
Trail marker art
Michelle and her dad Jim at Churchrocks
Who’s who? These girls have great form.
Michelle and Amelia, Little Creek Mesa
The amazing rock of Little Creek Mesa
Fremont’s Barberry Bush
We saw a lot of trees in town with Western Tent Caterpillar infestation.
How about them Canadians, eh? What a great license plate.
I think this is the first time we’ve seen Clear Gas Ethanol-Free, whatever that is.
Gould Trail
Greg & Amelia's Airstream Adventures 