(Fri, 2/28/25; 36 miles, 835 feet of climb)
My last day of city biking was splendid! The eight miles from Tempe into Scottsdale was perhaps the most serene of the whole trip so far: The bike path wove around endless lakes with ducks, geese, swans, adults golfing and children playing.
The weather was near perfect. Yesterday’s harsh winds were gone, and even the heat was milder. My first stop was REI so I could evaluate their cargo netting for my front rack. It was too big, so I bought some little straps instead. (And filled my water bottles, used the bathroom, and walked endless aisles of camping equipment.)
I cranked up some steep climbs on the way to Fountain Hills where I’m staying tonight with Bob and Mary Michels, foreshadowing the mountainous days ahead. They had just returned home from the airport less than an hour before I arrived (snowmobile racing in Minnesota), but insisted that they wanted to host me!
Once again, I have been spoiled beyond all recognition. They had snacks waiting for me, and cooked up a delicious steak dinner with all the trimmings, followed by hot fudge sundaes!
Mary is very outgoing, and in fact was the first girl I talked to at Fairview Junior High in Roseville , Minnesota, in September 1973, back when her last name was McMahon. I had switched over a year earlier than my peers at St. Rose, so I was the only “new kid” at this huge new school. It didn’t help that I was clinically shy.
Mary just walked up to me the first day of choir and said “Hi! What’s your name?” I was flabbergasted that a real live GIRL was talking to me! I don’t remember what I said, but it probably wasn’t very smooth.
Since then, we have worked together a bit over the years on our class reunions. Mary heads them up and does all the work, and I have helped with web pages and email lists and Facebook groups as we track down classmates.
After dinner we turned our skin to raisins by sitting way too long in the hot tub at 103°. We talked about kids, grandkids, building houses, and of course religion and politics. The view was mesmerizing — twinkling city lights below, and a thick tapestry of stars above. (This is a “dark community” perfect for star-gazing, according to a sign I saw on the way into the neighborhood.)
Oh, and I said Fountain Hills, but that’s just the general area. Guess what their neighborhood is called? EAGLE MOIUNTAIN!!
For those who don’t know, “arneberg” in Norwegian literally means “Eagle Mountain”! So my whole life I’ve wanted to actually see a place with this name. Another life goal completed.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “CANTBIRD” = CA-AZ-NM-TX Bike Ride, my own nickname for the 1000 miles on the western half of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route, from San Diego to El Paso, using maps from ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). (I did the 1500-mile eastern half in March 2024, which I called GUMBIRD [Gulf of Mexico Bike Ride].)
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):