Fountain Hills Loop

Let the conditioning (for Florida) begin!

 

Relative to my riding thusfar in 2013, today’s Fountain Hills loop ride was significant, which isn’t saying much.   I took off early in the morning down King Kong and then eastward on Bush Highway, then by the somewhat steeper grades around Saguaro Lake.  This was a repeat of a frequent conditioning ride taken in prep for RA2011.

I’d never tried this ride in August.  The monsoon humidity in the air felt heavy when stopped and wonderful when moving.  Hills around the lake were a bit challenging for me but nothing too bad.  I love doing the loop in this direction because all the heavy climbing work is done in the morning before breakfast.

I was interested to see what, if anything, would be blooming in the desert, and didn’t find too much – a few tiny purple ground flowers, and lots of yellow from flowering desert senna. Perhaps the most impressive desert color came from the prickly pear cactus.  This time of year the fruits are brilliant red.

Cruised SW down the Beeline Highway (AZ87), then ducked up Shea Boulevard and into Fountain Hills, where I settled in to the Euro Pizza Cafe right next to the fountain.  I like this place.   The food is OK, but the atmosphere has a chill Euro-feel to it.  Today it was especially empty.  Coffee, paper, iPhone, and eventually breakfast.

Return by AZ87 and Gilbert Road.  This was a beautiful ride and the legs felt pretty good – encouraging.  52 miles unloaded.