Tag: Saguaro Lake

Saguaro Lake

Posted on July 25, 2018August 5, 2018 by Rich

So little riding this year means that today’s modest ride gets a blog entry. Ah well. Isam and I took off around 6:30 this morning up Bush Highway. Already 90F – gonna be a hot one. But oh so beautiful overlooking the Salt River coming down King Kong. It was great to see so much regrowth of foliage after the big ‘Cactus’ fire in the salt cedars last year. North through one of my favorite sections, the rollers past Usery Moutain Road. We stopped at the Pebble Beach rec area to splash water on our heads and generally look around,

Fountain Hills 2012-2

Posted on April 1, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

58.0 miles What a great day to ride! Temperatures dropped from yesterday’s 90s to today’s 70s, coinciding perfectly with our 2nd meeting out in Fountain Hills. Today’s was the usual splendid roll out by Saguaro Lake, with a brief stop at the river below the lake for some photos. Particularly noteworthy were the ocotillo, fully decked out with leaves and flowers. Southwest winds assisted the climbing around the lake. The turn onto the Beeline faced me directly into them again, but at 10-15 mph, they were only a small factor, since the remaining 8-10 miles to Fountain Hills are a

Back to Fountain Hills

Posted on March 11, 2012May 8, 2012 by Rich

59.8 miles While I might normally not create a post for a simple local ride, my riding season this year has been sparse. I’m riding weekdays with friends and neighbors, good for about 60 miles per week, but that’s about it. Last week Jesse suggested we resurrect the Fountain Hills ride, so I jumped onto the trusty Surly and stretched it out one Sunday morning. Since last spring, I’d really forgotten that this is a tough ride. It seemed easier then. The hills out by the lake are moderately challenging. This winter and spring have been unusually dry – we

preRA: Fountain Hills #4

Posted on April 18, 2011November 25, 2011 by Rich

Off the bike for 5 days in a row this week, playing in a golf tournament. My partner and I didn’t do too badly, so I made a brief post about it here. [By the way, if you’re into exquisite dining and a way cool celebrity encounter, you should check out a couple other very recent posts on our travel site – start here.] The desert up by Saguaro Lake is always beautiful, and this morning the temperatures were a perfect 75F or so. Most of the penstemons have waned, but the desert marigolds are in full glory. The other

preRA: Fountain Hills #3

Posted on April 11, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

Another loaded spin up by Saguaro Lake, then down the Beeline to Fountain Hills. When the weather behaves we get NE winds in the mornings, and it makes the hills out by the lake interesting. At Beeline and Bush I spied this outrageous orange-red cactus in bloom in the desert and trudged out for a photo. Rolling down the Beeline is almost always fun, and this morning I did so for about 7 miles at 24 mph. Approaching Fountain Hills, I watched the end of the fountain’s cycle, realizing that it was actually the 9AM cycle I was watching, with

preRA: Fountain Hills #2

Posted on April 4, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

Yet another loaded conditioning ride, same route as my previous ride to Fountain Hills. I battled some steady 18 mph NE winds out to Saguaro Lake and up to the Beeline – a bunch of work. Jesse and I met at the fountain. We decided that the breakfast prices in Fountain Hills are not a very good value, and so this time we both brought our own food and drink, and sat and watched the kids, ducks, and fountain for a good 75 minutes or so, discussing our upcoming tour. While we sat, my bike spontaneously toppled over. When I

preRA: Fountain Hills #1

Posted on March 25, 2011May 29, 2011 by Rich

Originally I had a multiday ride scheduled for this weekend, one over in California. Postponed due to 2 factors: 1) medium winds are forecast for the area (Salton Sea) for all three days of riding, and 2) no one will go on it with me <grin>. This ride was a nice surrogate. Jesse and I both loaded down our bikes and took off from our respective homes towards Fountain Hills. Both our routes took us about 35 miles, mine up around Saguaro Lake, his up around Dynamite and Rio Verde and down McDowell Mtn Rd. At the junction of Bush