Ride. Blog. Repeat until you find your favorite!

Alright, you might remember that Jan. 8 was the inaugural International Blog My Trail Day. Here’s a look at the best and brightest posts from those who participated.

Let’s start with all-around mountain bike mensch Mike, who writes the excellent mtbikeaz.com site. He’ll take you for a tour of his go-to trail at Pass Mountain.

And Teresa, aka Mountain Biking Girl, has herself a case of Cabin Fever. That’s the name of her new favorite trail. Desert rats like me are jealous. Why? Well, take a gander at that beautifully wooded singletrack and compare it to the lunar landscapes we ride!

And Colin, Teresa’s fellow Canadian, can’t even make up his mind. Check out his list of local trails! Jeez. Those cats north of the border have it all. Next thing you know, they’ll have great seafood, everybody’ll love hockey, they’ll have great skiing … oh, wait a second. They already do. Rats.

I really want to give this International Blog My Trail Day thing another go. Should I keep the date the same, or maybe move it to spring so we can have another shot at it again soon?

Related posts:

1. Jan. 8 Named International Blog My Trail Day Alright, bike bloggers: I’m making a decision, and I hope...
2. International Blog My Trail Day – PHX Mountain Preserve Sometimes, real life eats up more time than it should....
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A Google Earth view of just some of the possibilities at Dreamy Draw.

Sometimes, real life eats up more time than it should. Work and other responsibilities nip away at my time until there’s little left over for mountain biking.

For weekend days when scooping the cat box, doing dishes and washing the laundry deprives me of some time, I still take solace in the fortress of mountain bike fortitude near my house: The Phoenix Mountain Preserve at Piestewa Peak/Dreamy Draw.

I can think of no better way to honor this prime piece of foresight than to tell you about it as part of the inaugural International Blog My Trail Day. The trailhead at the east end of Northern Avenue is about 10 minutes from my house. So when I’m short on time, I can count on Trail 100 and its many offshoots to give me a great workout and even better fun without spending too much time behind the wheel.

Typically, my ride starts with:

• a cruise through a wash
• a steep, switchbacked hill
• and a fast, slightly downhill romp through medium-radius turns (marked in purple on the map).

Here are some other highlights marked on the map. If you want  a bigger version, e-mail me and it’s yours:

• Yellow trail – a little-known, slender bit of singletrack. Super-fun!
• Green trail – a long downhill stretch. You’ll love it, but watch for other people and some occasional rock ledges.

Throughout the ride, I’ll encounter everything from super-smooth ribbons of singletrack and stair-stepped rocky nightmares … and a lot of cholla cactuses.

How’bout wildlife? I’ve seen rattlesnakes, hawks and even someone on a show donkey! How crazy is that? I still have yet to see a coati, but I’m holding out some hope.

For the navigationally challenged, it’s really impossible to get lost. Though you can often forget you’re in the middle of a sprawling city, you’re never far from safety. That’s not a license to be stupid, of course!

You can easily ride 25 miles here … if that’s not long enough, you can also head west of the SR 51 freeway and easily double that. I stick to the east because I consider it the most fun – plus, bathrooms and water fountains are never far away (very important for the summer months).

It’s a fairly well-traveled area: Bikers, equestrians, hikers, runners – and all levels of each. It’s a great place to hang out with other riders, or show some courtesy to visitors looking for the best bits of trail.

A much-younger Wandering Justin (L) and his old riding buddy, Scott. Scott is a Michigander who can actually shut up about the Wings for two seconds.

There seems to be a fair bit of history here, too. Nearly everywhere you go, you can see the remains old mining claims. In fact, there are still a pair of open adits (tunnels) that you can check out.

I’d consider the Phoenix Mountain Preserve – and particularly this area – a great asset to our city. If you come for a visit, be sure to bring your biking and your riding gear. Give it a try!

Directions: Take State Route 51 north to Northern Avenue. Exit at Northern and follow it to the end. Park at the trailhead parking lot. Entry is free. There are other trailheads, but this is the easiest to find.

Related posts:

1. Jan. 8 Named International Blog My Trail Day Alright, bike bloggers: I’m making a decision, and I hope...
2. The International Blog My Trail Day Round-Up Alright, you might remember that Jan. 8 was the inaugural...
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I do hereby proclaim Jan. 8, 2010 to be International Blog My Trail Day^SM. Here’s the idea – I want every single mountain bike-loving blogger to post about their favorite local trail. I want to hear about all the go-to trails for all of you – that one that’s closest to your house, where you first learned to ride, where you’re training for an epic race or you see snakes and javelina on every ride.

SO I WANT YOU!

Tell the world all about it. Throw in a map. An elevation profile. Some photos. A short bit of video. Whatever you got. Put it in Twitter. Post about it on Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, whatever ya got. If you won’t have a blog, I’ll offer up to three guest posts right here at WanderingJustin.com.

Here’s a Facebook page where you can become a fan to let everyone know you’re joining.

This is a great chance to show the entire world your trail, and to remind trail advocates, planners, decision makers and all sorts of official folks how much you care about your sport – and your trail.

Oh, yeah – another thing. To those who say I can’t just make up an international day of anything … I just did. It worked for International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and I hope it works a tenth as well for International Blog My Trail Day. Arrrrr.

Related posts:

1. The International Blog My Trail Day Round-Up Alright, you might remember that Jan. 8 was the inaugural...
2. International Blog My Trail Day – PHX Mountain Preserve Sometimes, real life eats up more time than it should....
3. How Specialized Can Build its Brand with the Trail Crew You might remember that, awhile back, I applied to get...

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