Yesterday got off to a strange start. I was lying in bed, not sure if I was awake or dreaming. I heard a rooster crowing. He sounded a little hoarse, like he was suffering from the pollen allergies that are hitting me. I heard Donna get up as I fell back into a slumber.

Donna was up early, to go for a bike ride with her friend, Dara. I got up and dressed. I pumped up her bike tires for her. Her plan was to ride over to Dara’s place in Las Sendas, a few miles from here, ride for awhile and then finish up at DNA Cycles on the corner of McKellips and Power Road. She wanted to drop her bike off there for a tune-up while she’s away next week.

After I drafted yesterday’s blog post, I rode the scooter over to DNA around 10:15am. I’ve been thinking about getting a mountain bike since we were at McDowell Mountain Regional Park. I looked at bikes at the shop in Fountain Hills, but I thought I needed a cooling off period before I spent the bucks on a new bike. I figured I should wait a week or two, do a little more research and see if I still felt like I wanted a mountain bike. I haven’t ridden my road bike much since we left San Diego.

I arrived at DNA Cycles before Donna. I started looking at their selection of mountain bikes. By the time Donna showed up, I was set for a test ride or two. I wanted to try a couple of bikes I was interested in and also try a couple of different frame sizes. I thought a 17.5″ medium frame would be right, but I also wanted to try the 19″ large frame.

I didn’t want to go overboard and spend too much money. I don’t have any intention of entering mountain bike competition. I just want to take recreational rides and stay in shape.

There were two models I tried out, both made by Specialized. I tried the Rockhopper Comp 29 and a Crave 29. The Crave is a higher quality bike and it’s priced accordingly. I liked both both bikes and it turned out that I fit either frame size comfortably.

Donna  had a hair appointment and needed to get home to shower. Her friend, Stevie King was coming to pick her up and drive her to her appointment in Scottsdale. I thanked Ted, the bike shop guy, for the test ride and told him I’d be back. I scootered Donna home.

We ate leftover pizza for lunch. Then I rode the scooter back to DNA Cycles. I took the Crave 29 out for another test ride. I came to the conclusion that I would be most happy with the Crave 29. I thought, if I buy the Rockhopper Comp, I would soon regret not buying a better quality machine. The Crave 29 has a better frame that’s made from higher quality alloy. It’s equipped with higher quality components as well. The big change in mountain bikes since I last had one in 2006 is the change from 26″ wheels to 29″ wheels.

My last mountain bike, a Specialized Stumpjumper, had full suspension. Full suspension frames add about $1,000 to the price of a comparably equipped hard tail bike (one with a rigid rear frame and a hydraulically damped front fork). The ride quality of a bike with 29″ wheels makes a hard tail frame viable for me.

I bought the Crave 29. I had a few items that needed to be added to the bike before I took delivery. I told Ted I would return in a few hours for the bike.

Donna’s plans included a pedicure and manicure after her hair appointment. She would have her nails done at a place in the plaza by the Red, White and Brew Bar and Grill. At 3pm, I put on my bicycle helmet, stowed Donna’s helmet under the seat and rode the scooter to  the Red, White and Brew. I parked it and left the keys in the little compartment on the dashboard.

From there, I walked about a mile to DNA Cycles. I sent Donna a text, telling her where she would find the scooter and keys. I took delivery of my new bike at DNA and rode it down the street to Lucky Lou’s. I had a beer with the guys before I rode home, a few miles away.

My new Specialized Crave 29

Donna came home a few minutes later. She had something to show me. Her friend, Stevie King and her husband, Jim Zedaker invented a product called Zippy. Zippy is a rolling ball therapy device that uses a golf ball in a glass-filled polypropylene frame to roll away aches and pains. She gave Donna a few samples to try out. I plan to try them out this week while Donna is away, since she won’t be here to give me a massage!

Last night we watched the movie Rush, directed by Ron Howard. It’s a true-life drama about the 1976 Formula One racing season and the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. I really enjoyed it. Before the start of the movie, I told Donna about the hoarse rooster crowing that morning. She laughed and told me that was the sound of  her smartphone alarm set to wake her up! I wasn’t dreaming after all.

Today, Donna has a driver picking her up around 11am. She’s flying to Chicago for the International Home and Housewares Association show this weekend. From there, she’ll fly to Albany, New York to visit her parents next week.

I really should start my washing and waxing project on the coach, but I’ll probably take my new bike out for a ride instead. Next week, while I’m a temporary bachelor, I’ll have plenty of time for washing and waxing.

Yesterday the wind picked up, but it was still warm and dry here with temperatures in the upper 70s. Donna went out for a short run. I didn’t do much. I didn’t sleep well the night before. I read for a while and took a nap after lunch.

The weather forecast is calling for a 40% chance of rain this afternoon, 100% tonight and Saturday. Since the Jeep we borrowed from Mike Hall is a fair weather vehicle with a canvas top and no side curtains, I decided to return it to his shop for shelter. I drove to Mesa, filled the gas tank and met Mike at Lucky Lou’s for a beer. Then I drove over to his place and retrieved the scooter. I anticipated an interesting ride in the gusty wind, but by the time I was heading back the wind had turned into a steady breeze.

When I got home, Donna had a rack of lamb on the counter, ready to grill. While I grilled the lamb, she prepared vanilla whipped sweet potatoes and garlic steamed spinach. She served the lamb over steamed spinach with the sweet potatoes on the side.

Lamb chops with vanilla whipped sweet potatoes

This morning I’ll secure the grill and our outdoor chairs in the trailer. If the weather guessers have it right, the rain later today and tomorrow will be interesting. If we have a thunderstorm with a sudden downpour, the arroyos will flood.

Back in the 1970s, I hitchhiked cross-country from San Diego to Longmont, Colorado. Along the way, in Gila Bend, Arizona, a geology professor from the University of Arizona in Tucson, stopped to pick me up. He was returning from a field trip with a couple of students. As we drove along, he pointed out the dark clouds and lightning to the north. It was raining heavily in the Maricopa Mountains. A little while later he said, “We’re about to witness a rare sight.” He pulled over to the shoulder where a dry creek ran under the freeway.

He told us to watch the dry creek bed. I expected to see a small stream of water that would slowly fill the creek. This isn’t what happened. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of water approaching. It was a violent crashing sound, almost like surf hitting the shore. Then I saw a wall of water, about two feet high and 15 feet across come rushing down the arroyo. Rocks and sticks were tumbling as they were pushed along. The wall of water ran under the freeway and the creek quickly stabilized into a muddy stream.

I was really surprised at the swiftness and violence of it. The professor simply stated, “That’s why you never set up camp in a dry creek bed.” We got back into his Toyota Land Cruiser and continued on to Tucson.

When the rain arrives here later today, I doubt if we’ll witness anything that dramatic. We’re on high ground, but the road at the park entrance is much lower. There could be some flash flooding of the park road and McDowell Mountain Road below. If the rain continues tomorrow as expected, the dips in the road will surely be flooded.

Sunday is supposed to be dry. The ground here usually drains and dries quickly. The creeks that form in the arroyos will have drained into the Verde River and become dry creek beds again. But where the road dips across the arroyos, sand and debris may be left behind. This could be tough to deal with on the bike portion of the duathlon Donna is competing in on Sunday. The bike course runs along McDowell Mountain Road through these dips.

Today, I’ll batten down the hatches. Donna and I will probably take a hike before it rains. Later, I might brave the elements and take the scooter down to the road and watch for flooding.