May 17, 2015
Day 0: Flagstaff: The Gang is Calling
The Illinois contingent and the California contingent conducted a successful rendezvous in Flagstaff Saturday evening. We spent Sunday exploring the Flagstaff area. By great good fortune, we discovered it was a day of local bicycle festivities, including a parade, which we managed to infiltrate.
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Mount Humphreys, the tallest peak in Arizona.
That's where we're headed tomorrow morning. More or less.
Here's RJ at the bike festival in Flagstaff, looking rather serious but dapper in his ISU Redbirds jersey.
These folks seem to do a good job organizing bicycling activities in Flagstaff.
RJ and Old Grumble-Face sprucing up and preparing to infiltrate the big parade with our matching black Surly Long Haul Truckers.
Do we look too uncouth to join the Flagstaffians?
(Photo by DJW)
RJ and I wore our most colorful jerseys, but we couldn't compare with some of the great costumes in the parade (like the tall green guy behind me), and our sober black LHT's weren't wrapped in nearly enough tinsel and crepe paper and sparkles and other decorations to win any beauty contests.
I halfway expected to see Graham Smith's famous red devil along the way, but no such luck.
(Photo by DJW)
A few of the participants in the parade.
Some of the stars of the parade. I followed the fire chief most of the way.
The Jolly Green Giant and his bean-mobile?
Can't have a parade without balloons.
Kids excited about the parade and pleased to have picture taken. I don't know about the big one.
Not always sure who's dressed up for the parade, and who's just wearing his or her ordinary riding garb.
Hmm. Pirate Johnny Depp, someone from Kiss, and Mike Myers from Wayne's World?
The pirate played loud buccaneer music over and over during the parade. Yo ho ho!
Answer: A bike parade!
Question: What's the best way to prepare for a bike tour?
(Photo by DJW)
Not Old Grumble-Face. Not RJ.
(Photo by DJW)
Heck with riding to the Grand Canyon. RJ would gladly drive two days for a bike parade.
(Photo by DJW)
Bill: Knock knock.
RJ: Who's there?
Bill: Isabelle.
RJ: Isabelle who?
Bill: Is-a-bell necessary on a bike?
(Photo by DJW)
Later in the day, after the parade, we ran into Jessup (I think I got the name right), riding from San Diego to Boston.
If I understood correctly, he said he had started four days earlier in San Diego, which is about 500 miles from Flagstaff. If that's right, he's definitely moving at a rapid pace, but you can see he's carrying an extremely light load.
Too bad he missed the parade.
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