An afternoon mountain biking on the Black Canyon Trail

Warm temperatures and bluebird skies beckoned us to ride on the Black Canyon Trail near Rock Springs, Arizona, late last week. We arrived to a nearly empty parking lot at the trail head. In fact, we only saw a few other mountain bikers and a couple of hikers during our five hours of riding. It’s probably more crowded on weekends and holidays.

Looking down on the Aqua Fria River from the Black Canyon Trail.
Looking down on the Aqua Fria River from the Black Canyon Trail.

The trail starts with a moderate climb before descending down and across the Aqua Fria River. As long as there has been no significant rain (or mountain snow) the river is shallow and easily crossed on a bike. If the water is high, it’s time to turn around.

 

Crossing the Aqua Fria River. It's not deep.
Crossing the Aqua Fria River. It’s not deep.

The trail climbs steeply after the crossing but after a bit the grade relaxes. But only a bit — there is still a lot of climbing.

Black Canyon Trail.
Black Canyon Trail.

The trail can be done as an out-and-back or, if a shuttle is arranged, as a point-to-point. We did the former and ended up riding about 18 miles for the day.

Late afternoon on the Black Canyon Trail and we're almost finished.
Late afternoon on the Black Canyon Trail and we’re almost finished.

By late afternoon, we were approaching the end of the ride. We stopped for a few minutes on this convenient bench and let the warm afternoon sun slowly sink behind the hills to our west. With the ride complete, it was time to drive back to Flagstaff where there is still snow on the ground.

Winter returns to West Fork Oak Creek

Winter has arrived in northern Arizona with snow and very cold temperatures. On this morning (09 December), the temperature fell to -9°F in Flagstaff and -23°F at Grand Canyon Airport. That’s getting cold enough for West Fork Oak Creek to start freezing over allowing wintertime travel. It had snowed a few days earlier and with fresh powder this had the potential to be an interesting hike and photo trip.

Dry grasses poke through the shallow snow.
Dry grasses poke through the shallow snow.

But the creek wasn’t frozen enough. Where there were rocks or logs crossing the creek was possible — if not easy. But in spots where one had to cross an expanse of ice — well, no, not yet. Nothing quite like stepping out onto the ice and having it crack in spider web fashion under your feet — with knee deep water below. So, we were unable to travel more than about 1 ½ miles upstream before returning.

Snow and ice in West Fork.
Snow and ice in West Fork.

We ran into only one other group of hikers on the trail. Although from California, they have lived in cold climes before and were not daunted by the cold and snow in the canyon. But they, too, turned around at the icy crossing.

Giant icicles hang from the sandstone walls of West Fork Oak Creek.
Giant icicles hang from the sandstone walls of West Fork Oak Creek.

There will be other chances later in the winter when the ice may be safely passable. Or, maybe not. It’s always a bit of a mystery on what we will find when we arrive at West Fork Oak Creek.

 

Fog in Northern Arizona

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We woke up to a foggy morning in Flagstaff and a quick check of satellite data clearly showed widespread fog across northeastern Arizona but not across the remainder of the state. We quickly broke out of the fog and into sunny skies as we drove south of the Mogollon Rim for a trail run with our running group.

Visible satellite image showing widespread areas of fog across the west.
Visible satellite image showing widespread areas of fog across the west.

Intrigued by the fog, I traveled to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon in hopes of getting some interesting photographs. At Yavapai Point on the South Rim there were few visitors. After all, who wants to see a canyon filled with fog! Visibility was on the order of a hundred meters or less and driving was an interesting challenge.

Fog at Yavapai Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park.
Fog at Yavapai Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park.

Leaving Yavapai Point, I drove east on the Rim Drive to the first pullout. Moments later, the fog briefly cleared and I could see the North Rim above the top of the fog. Then, just as quickly, it filled back in. A short while later, this clearing repeated itself. This time I captured an image that shows a vast expanse of fog filling the canyon and the North Rim just barely peeking above the fog.

A break in the fog along the South Rim, Grand Canyon.
A break in the fog along the South Rim, Grand Canyon.

A sea of fog fills the Grand Canyon and the North Rim peeks above the fog.
A sea of fog fills the Grand Canyon and the North Rim peeks above the fog.

Then it was time for some fun. I set the camera to take long exposures and shot a photo every time a car drove by. The red streaks of the vehicle tail lights and the fog being illuminated by the lights created interesting images.

Vehicle tail lights illuminate the fog on the South Rim, Grand Canyon.
Vehicle tail lights illuminate the fog on the South Rim, Grand Canyon.

Fall mountain biking in Sedona

Because the weather has been generally mild and dry this fall, we have been able to continue mountain biking through October and much of November in Flagstaff. That all changed last week when we had a multi-day storm that brought plenty of rain and a bit of snow. Most of the trails in the Flagstaff area have at least patches of snow and the rest are probably a bit muddy.

Riding the Aerie Trail.
Riding the Aerie Trail.
Taking the turn on a sandstone bench on Aerie Trail in Sedona.
Taking the turn on a sandstone bench on Aerie Trail in Sedona.
Descending the backside of Highline Trail in Sedona.
Descending the backside of Highline Trail in Sedona.

The trails in Sedona, on the other hand, are in great shape. The 2+ inches of rain was absorbed by the dry soils and there was only minimal runoff. Area streams and washes only briefly showed a rise in water levels. Now, several days after the rain, the trails are damp but not muddy. This makes for excellent mountain biking conditions because the moist soil provides better traction. We’ve spent three of the past four days in Sedona riding some of our favorite trails — and will probably to get in a few more days before the really cold weather arrives next week.

Comet C/2012 S1 ISON in the morning sky

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Comet C/2012 S1 ISON (or just “ISON” for short) has been in the news for many months. Some have predicted that it will be the comet of the year…or decade…or whatever. So far, it’s been just a normal comet that isn’t easily seen without at least binoculars this week or a telescope in previous weeks and months.

ISON is rapidly heading for a close encounter with the sun and, if it survives, should become a brighter and more interesting celestial object in the next few weeks.

Earlier this week, ISON began to brighten as it approached the sun. At the same time, it was moving into morning twilight and the moon was high in the sky. These two factors made it more difficult to see the faint tail of the comet. Still, it was worth getting up in the pre-dawn hours and setting up the camera to get some images.

Below is a composite of images taken on 17 November and 18 November. They clearly show how far the comet moved in a 24-hour period.

Comet ISON in the morning twilight of a cold November morning.
Comet ISON in the morning twilight of a cold November morning.

A larger view shows Comet ISON in the upper right with the planet Mercury rising above the clouds in the lower left.

Comet ISON and planet Mercury in early morning twilight.
Comet ISON and planet Mercury in early morning twilight.

Hopefully Comet ISON will become a bright object in the sky in late November and early December — and prove some of predictions correct.