It was very comforting to be back in a familiar area.

It was a long haul from Palo Duro to Cortez, so we split it up by spending the night at a KOA just north of Albuquerque. Say what you will about KOA, like it’s expensive, but the one thing it has going for it is you can do laundry there. That beats the hell out of going to a laundromat.

This was our fourth visit to Cortez. After our first visit to see Mesa Verde National Park and ride Phil’s World, we have returned exclusively to ride Phil’s World. Every time I wonder if it’s going to be as good as my memory thinks it is and every time it is. It’s truly a single speeder’s paradise. When we are biking with another couple it’s a win-win. Mike and Chris came out from the Central Coast of the Golden State to spend four days camping with us. It was their first time at Phil’s World. Thankfully it lived up to my hype and they loved it.

We stayed at Bright Star Campground. It was quite a bit different than any other place we’ve stayed. It’s not so much a campground as it it a big piece of land with some structures, cabins, teepees, four RV sites, only one with water and electric (ours), a community kitchen, and an open air setting for games with picnic tables. It’s about five miles outside of town on a country road.

When we arrived, we almost reached our breaking point. The site was uneven, it was windy, a bit chilly, and we were tired, which was impacting our decision making abilities. We were having a hard time deciding exactly where to park Opal. Then, with a flip of a switch, the wind ramped up to at least 40mph. We took cover behind the Airstream as dirt started swirling. Unfortunately doors were left open on both the truck and the Airstream. A layer of fine dirt covered everything, including ourselves. If it were possible to click our heels and magically be back in San Diego, we would’ve done it.

Robin, the owner drove up to our site. She somehow knew we were struggling. Basically she said sorry, I can’t control the wind, but the storm will pass soon, hang in there. Under different circumstances I’m sure we would’ve set up camp differently. Mike and Chris arrived three hours later to just the normal wind.

On Sunday, we all went into town for beer at Wild Edge Brewing. I’m sure Sunday had something to do with it, but the place was dead. However, we had the most interesting conversation with a young couple, Frank and Gabriella. He had lived in San Diego for 13 years while serving in the Marine Corps, so he and Mike hit it off. I’m not exactly sure how the conversation took the turn, but we learned in detail the traditional Navajo way to slaughter a mutton. Gabriella is a Native American and her parents live on the Rez. They even showed us pictures on their iPhones of all the steps.

A mutton is a sheep typically over two years old, if it’s under one year it’s called lamb. Mutton is a little tougher and fattier. The highlight of the conversation was how they use the entire animal. The women and men have very specific traditional roles. Once the throat is slit they collect all the blood for blood sausage. The carcass remains hanging for the men to skin and quarter it. The skin is put wool side down on a table where the women wash the intestines in warm water repeatedly until they are clean enough to be turned inside out and stuffed with shredded potatoes. Bones are used for broth and all the organs are eaten in some way. Gabriella’s favorite is a mutton liver and fat taco. It was so interesting meeting the two of them.

Now this is a welcome sign!

Yay!

Our payoff for the hellicous wind storm we endured was this gorgeous sunset on the same day. Robin from Bright Star took this photo of us.

They call it a high desert oasis spread out over 30 acres.

Our campsite

Another pic taken by Bright Star. The girls granted permission for them to use the picture for marketing.

A new sign for the Lemonhead Trail at Phil’s World.

Sunrise

Some cool artwork at one of the new trailheads. There’s the original Phil’s World, then two newer sections. The original has the best trails.

Riding the edge

Win-win

That’s Patty following Amelia. She joined us on our last day. She and her husband Bill were camping next to us. Bill crashed and broke a bunch of ribs the day before so we invited Patty to ride with us.

Chambers’ Twinpod, these were all over providing quite the contrast against the dirt.

Amelia, Mike, Patty, and Bill. We had a nice little full moon viewing party.

Dramatic rising

I saved the best for last! A Hernandez Horned Lizard and three chicks looking at it. 😆

Westbound, put the hammer down!

My buddy, Needles, was here in January of 2018 and raved about it, so we went to it. They call it the Grand Canyon of Texas. It is 120 miles long, as much as 20 miles wide, and has a maximum depth of more than 800 feet. Its elevation at the rim is 3,500 feet above sea level. It is often claimed that Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. It was fairly impressive but nothing even close to the real Grand Canyon, or for that matter Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, or even the Wedge at the San Rafael Swell, know as Utah’s Little Grand Canyon.

It’s a steep windy 10% grade down into the park and the first time the Tundra has been in first gear. She handled it like a champ. Amelia’s modus operandi at a new campground worked like a charm. Look for real mountain bikers by checking out their bikes then ask them about the trails and what they recommend. It’s even better when they have an Airstream! There were three guys from Dallas that gave us great riding tips for the area. We had a one day respite from the wind, then it returned with a vengeance.

We visited five Texas state parks and camped in four of them. All told we spent 25 days in Texas. 😳

I really like this pic of a defunct water tower in Britton, Oklahoma.

Goodbye Oklahoma, hello again Texas, we are getting closer to home.

Beautiful Site 79, Mesquite Loop

Here’s an early morning view of the campground. The only negative against the campground was we had zero cell reception. I had a hunch if I climbed the hill above us I might have reception. It worked the first day. The second day not at all. I blamed it on the wind.

Artsy fartsy shot from my hike down from the cell reception site the first morning.

Purple Locoweed

I’ve seen a few things in my day, but never a sunscreen dispenser at a trailhead.

We survived.

The riding was better than we anticipated, so that was a pleasant surprise. 🙂

And quite a bit different than the terrain at Bentonville.

The Lighthouse,  the “famous” landmark at Palo Duro. We rode our bikes then hiked up to it.

It was actually quite impressive. The couple pictured were geeking out on taking a jillion pics for Instagram.

Amelia walking towards the unseen Lighthouse in the picture, between the two rock formations.

Here it is, the last sunset in Texas. My cousin means the world to me, but I think it’ll be a long time before we are back in this state.

The furthest east we’ve been in Opal.

Back when we were in Austin, we intentionally got on a toll road to beat the horrible traffic on the I-35. It was an electronic toll, so we’ll see how they are going to enforce payment. I’m sure we’ll get a letter. The question is will we pay the toll or just blow it off?

After we left the southwest corner of Missouri, and entered Oklahoma we got on Interstate 44. It was also a toll road, but this was old school with booths that collect cash or credit. I don’t understand how they can have a toll road on an interstate? Anyways, we went through two toll booths and had to pay $8 and then $12 for four axles. The exits were few and far between, and they all said toll refund. Finally we took an exit so I could go number one. Right as we exited there was a booth. The booth lady asked for our ticket, looked at it, then gave us a $1.75 in cash. I asked her if we could just pull forward to use our restroom in the trailer. She directed us to where we should park. Less than five minutes later we got back on the toll road, the same lady was working both sides of the booth. She said that’ll be $2.25! Basically a fifty cent fee to pee! I was laughing at the booth lady telling her it was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. She just smiled at me. I’m still kicking myself for not taking a picture of her.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We are tired of the wind and can’t seem to escape it. A breeze is one thing but constant 25-40 mph is just stupid. The wind was brutal in Norman, and got worse as the night progressed. So windy you couldn’t open any of the windows. It was shaking Opal, not ideal for quality sleep. Throw in rain and a rich guy with a million dollar diesel pusher, running his loud air conditioning all night, that could’ve parked further away from us in the huge back parking lot of the aptly named Riverwind Casino, and it made for a miserable night. But it was worth it because Amelia completed the trifecta of her special friends; Corie, Melissa, and Tia.

I gave this lovely young lady the nickname Trifecta Tia. She’s the third and last of the special friends that Amelia visited this trip.

Riverwind Casino RV parking lot. It’s enormous, yet Diesel Pusher Dan had to get too close to us when he arrived in the dark.

Retired plumber guy arrived while Amelia and Tia were dining in the casino. I was laughing so hard watching him.

Cows adjacent to the parking lot

Parking lot sunrise

Gambling geese and goslings

Driving away in the morning.

Here are all four of the special friends together. The picture was taken last summer at the end of a retreat: Amelia, Corie, Melissa, and Tia.

Michelle and Amelia, atop the Ledger, looking down on Bentonville. The building has six stories of bikeable ramps that take you from the ground to the top floor!

Bentonville: The self proclaimed mountain biking capital of the world!

The first time I visited Bentonville was sometime in the late aughts on a business trip. I was working for Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp, the old parent company of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes. We were trying to sell some salad kits to Sam’s Club. One of my favorite people in the world, Vinny Lucido, co-owner of Xperience Marketing, was our broker. He has a house that doubles as an office in Rogers, which is about a mile away from the Sam’s Club buying office in Bentonville. I made at least one, if not two more business trips to Bentonville. The last one was probably in 2010.

Never in a million years did I dream I’d be vacationing in Bentonville. Its was literally a nothing town where the headquarters for Walmart and Sam’s Club were located. According to the internets, the first area to be developed for mountain biking was Slaughter Pen. In 2007 there were only five miles of single track. In 2010, it grew to 17 miles, that’s it! No wonder I didn’t take notice.

Fast forward to 2024, I don’t even recognize the place. The transformation is mind-boggling. There are over 380 miles of trails in the surrounding area. The founder of WalMart’s grandkids, Tom and Steuart, are to be applauded. A passion for mountain biking and 200 million or so dollars have changed the area into a Disneyland for bikers. It is on the map! The self proclamation, advertising, and marketing has made Bentonville a destination.

And again, lucky us! Michelle, yet another MTB chick (for you non bikers, MTB is the abbreviation for mountain bike) that Amelia met on the trail, moved to Bentonville two years ago. So once again we had a guide! And as an added bonus, Dom was flying in from San Diego, staying with Michelle and her family, and we would have an overlap of two days. He’s an incredible rider and one of those guys that everyone in the San Diego MTB community knows or knows of. We met him close to 20 years ago, on a ride with Michelle. I hadn’t seen him in probably 15 years, and one day he showed up to ride with the Thursday night group I ride with. To weave the story deeper, he also bought Amelia’s old Niner Sir 9 singlespeed a couple of years ago.

We hit the Little Sugar Trail System, the famous Slaughter Pen, Coler, and The Back 40 but only scratched the surface of what each area has to offer. The trails for every skill level, jump lines, crazy features, connectivity, amenities, signage, trail art, and how quickly the mountain biking culture has been ingrained into the community is nothing short of amazing. And it’s free! Indeed, the mountain biking capital of the world! However, what’s up for debate is who has the best mountain biking. I’m sure the people and fans of Sedona, Moab, Hurricane, Tahoe area, Bend, and Whistler would beg to differ.

We stayed in the parking lot called Boiling Springs RV Park. Glamorous it wasn’t, but it was located at multiple trailheads!

The Dogwoods were blooming and the other trees were just starting to get their leaves.

Our first ride was on the Little Sugar Trails which included part of Tunnel Vision and Tweety Bird.

The trail art work was next level.

How’s this for a trail amenity? A changing station.

Oz Trails Northwest Arkansas, another name for the greater Bentonville area.

Amelia crushed the famous Bush Push! When you get to the top you kiss the rhinoceros.

I’m stating the obvious, Arkansas is not a desert.

And here’s another obvious statement, this is not a Southern California home.

Big Foot is alive and thriving. If you are paying attention he can be spotted twelve times.

On Dom’s first day we did the famous Back 40. It was a 25 mile four hour adventure.

Dom wheeling across a bridge.

All smiles

Three different sections of the Back 40.

The iconic Back 40 shot, coming and going.

Red Columbine

Dom on a feature at Coler. I want to make it publicly known, I owe him a beer.

Dom’s friend, Bob, getting massive air. The Harris’ do not do this type of stuff.

Thank you to Michelle and her family for showing us such great hospitality.

Adios Oz Trails

We parked Opal on my cousin’s property for six nights while we enjoyed resort living in his house.

My cousin Eddie is the consummate host and guide. He needs to get back out to San Diego so we can return the favor in kind. It was a nice break for us not to drive the Tundra, instead we were passengers in his Subaru Crosstrek, while he toured us around the Hill Country. The first day it felt like like were doing 100 mph, low to the ground, hugging corners, yet he was only doing 60 mph. It’s quite a different sensation after five weeks in the truck.

Having a friendly outgoing wife pays dividends. Last fall on our Utah trip, Amelia met Carolina. It was her first time in Hurricane and she was all by herself, so Amelia offered to guide her around the next day. It was a fun ride and of course they clicked, exchanged numbers, and have kept in touch.

Well lucky us! Carolina lives in the Hill Country. She guided us on two rides and got some locals to take us out the third day. It eliminates so much stress and bickering. Instead of trying to plan a route, stopping at intersections and checking the map, we get to just ride and listen to stories from the folks that always ride the trails.

Another stop and another new bird. This one I’ve been wanting to see for a long time: the Crested Caracara. It behaves like a vulture, but it’s actually a large tropical black and white falcon.

Eddie’s beautiful five acre spread located between Sisterdale and Boerne (pronounced Bernie).

Cousins

Eddie and Amelia are bad influences! They got me to go day drinking in Boerne.

After two beers each we were doing our best Reservoir Dogs strut through Boerne.

The first ride Carolina took us on was Kerrville-Schreiner Park: fast, easy singletrack, much like Austin.

Carolina and Amelia on the bank of the Guadalupe River

After the singletrack, she took us on a tour of Kerrville. The hype was in overdrive for the eclipse.

The next thing I knew I was day drinking again, but this time only one with lunch.

Finally some recycling! They call this Recycle-Dillo.

The Kerrville Library

This was a multi-day debate, Halibut or Flounder? Initially I thought it was a Halibut, but Amelia and Eddie convinced me it was a Flounder. We had amazing sunsets every night until the eclipse day.

It’s always cool to see new flowers. This is an Antelope Horns Milkweed.

Blackfoot Daisy

The gorgeous Catclaw Mimosa

The best riding we experienced in Texas, so good we rode it two consecutive days.

Scott, Carolina’s friend, rode with us two days and regaled us with great stories.

What a beautiful trail name!

Mr. & Mrs.

Tracey and Scott, the locals that guided us on the last day. Tracey is a bad ass! A few short years ago she was the Texas Woman’s Singlespeed champ. It’s always a treat to ride with another singlespeeder.

Eddie’s sister, my cousin Lisa in the middle. We were born 14 days apart.

Some folks are lucky and get better looking with age! These pictures are nearly twenty years apart.

One of the amazing sunsets

Eddie snapped a pic of us departing. It was a warm, misty, cloudy morning. Little did we know what we were about to encounter an hour down the road…

We pulled into a gas station because we couldn’t see to drive. As the bolts of lightning flashed immediately followed by thunder cracks we checked the iPhone weather app to see that we were in a Tornado Watch. Minutes later our phones made that loud warning sound…

🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨

Checkout this video!  I was telling Amelia let’s just wait in the truck. She texted her TX and OK friends about the Tornado Warning. Melissa promptly replied: A tornado can pick up your truck and your Airstream! Tia also replied: Go inside! We drove closer to the building so we wouldn’t get drenched running inside. Another Airstream pulled in behind us and we all took shelter. The store employee seemed to have gone through numerous warnings. She told us to stay away from the windows, especially since according to the weather reports “rotation had been sighted.” The Airstreamers were a nice retired couple from Dallas. Once it was safe to leave, we followed them for many miles.

Our escort on a stretch of good visibility. We’d both be fine never experiencing something like that again.

We did an overnight stop at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. It’s an hour north of Dallas. Melissa, a special friend, made the drive from Denison with her daughters to spend an hour walking and chatting with Amelia.

The Editor-in-Chief working on the Austin blog post.

Eddie got a peak behind the blog curtain and he was shocked! He thought his cousin was some literary genius. Ha! He had no idea, as I’m sure some of you don’t, that Amelia polishes the turd! I can spin a yarn, but someone needs to clean up my punctuation, run on sentences, past and present tense use in a same sentence, etc, etc, etc. The blog would be amateurish without her. 

It was a cloudy shitty day in the Texas Hill Country for the much hyped solar eclipse. My cousin Eddie’s house is in the direct path of totality. We have been anticipating this day for over a year. The event was to begin at 12:15pm, totality at 1:34pm, then it’d all be over at 2:56pm. At 7am, I began announcing, “It’s the big bust.” Of course, being myself, I kept repeating myself, “It’s the big bust,” over and over, annoying my cousin and especially Amelia.

At 12:15pm we went outside, occasionally the sun would make it’s way through the clouds for a few seconds. You had to be quick or you’d miss it. This was definitely the big bust. Friends were texting us asking how the eclipse was going, I don’t know what Amelia was responding to her friends, but I was telling my friends it was definitely a big bust.

Then at 1:30pm, the magic began, it was noticeably getting darker. At 1:34pm, it was dark! Amazing! Totally bitchin’! Unreal! Then as quickly as it got dark, it began to get light again. The totality lasted three minutes and 58 seconds. It was not even close to being a big bust. It was awesome!

9:45am, our morning walk. Looking like a bust.

12:32pm

12:41pm, my cousin Eddie

1:30pm

1:32pm, it began to get darker.

1:32pm, Eddie’s solar powered lights lining his driveway came on.

1:33pm, that quick it was dark.

1:34pm, the best of the grainy photos

1:36pm, no filters, no editing, dark out. You can see Amelia’s iPhone light.

1:38pm, that quick the light returned.