God, The Aunt Eater

So lets see, Summerhaven is pretty cool...
72 miles, 7,914 ft climbed, over nearly 5 hours of riding.

Wow, Thats High!

There was a fire awhile back (10 years or so) which sucks, but it made some really awesome views possible.

A pretty classic Lemmon View.

It was a good ride. Originally starting off with a good bunch of people, Shelby, Rico, and Rafael (all from Performance) were there. But, also in attendance were some people from the UofA cycling club. Well, unfortunately Shelby drop out pretty early, Rico and Raf had to get to work by 9, and I still had a good deal of pedal power left over. So I tried to keep up. It didn't work out for long. I kept it up though and eventually made it to the Cookie Cottage! it was pretty neat place with a bunch of cyclists just chilling.

The 'halfway' point

When I eventually began to think about all the other stuff I had to do that day (such as sell Brian the Roomie's storage unit for him) I decided it was time to turn on the metaphorical hair dryer and speed off with hot air blowing in my face. Well, it was then I happened to notice the slight bulge. In my rush to deflate it, I neglected to take the invaluable photo. Instead you are left with this hard to see cut in the side wall.
Luckily some kind people happened to have a floor pump. I pulled out my granola bar wrapper and patched it back up in no time! Now I simply have to hope that its still holding... or I just need to go skidd a bunch (I just hope I wont be as pissed as Gordon-Levitt was!) until it explodes and then i'll have no choice but to replace it!

And less recently. It rained awhile back!

Eventually I did dare. My foot did get a tad wet but I survived. It was good fun.

 And then last Tuesday (awhile back) Rico, Burt and Liz and I biked Gates Pass:

Cool clouds, no rain.

At least not on us anyhow.

Ricardo taking the lead against a great back drop!

And then there was this! Darlene and I got to enjoy it on a nice ride back to my place.

But, despite all these great pictures, despite some awesome rides, meeting some new people and fun planning for Brazil, despite all of the greatness of life, I'm just glad there's at least stuff like this keep things interesting!

Yep. Its a car. Stay tuned for more details...

Not any car, my dear reader, this car is... well. I dont even know what to say!

Come up with the wittiest caption for this picture and you'll win!!!

Tyler Groff - AmeriCorps Recruiter

Dear friends, family, and most importantly, regular readers;
I'm sorry I haven't kept everyone up to date on my latest and greatest adventures and activities. The truth is my adventures have simply been too late and too great to actually share.
And so I'll just give you all a very quick update on the life and times of the one and only, Tyler K Groff.
Just yesterday, I officially and technically committed to living at the YAV (Young Adult Volunteers) house. To be clear, I will simply be a community member and just rent a room in the house. I'm not actually doing the YAV program. I'm excited to be living with people again!

Speaking of programs... the Bizanteen Bikes program is actively seeking AmeriCorps members for this coming year. At first glace Bizanteen is all about teaching youth how to do bike maintenance, refurbishing bikes, and selling said bikes. However, on the day to day level its more about interacting with youth who are going through some tough times. Over the past week I've dealt with someone who suddenly found out that they were going to be homeless that night. I've helped someone else find ways to get extra community service hours. In general my job has become so much more than just teaching someone how to make their wheels straight.
Furthermore, and rather importantly, we are in desperate need of additional volunteers. AmeriCorps' got a pretty cool thing going on. The term runs for a full year (although it is potentially possible shorten the term to your own needs), and is a half time position (900 hours). There is a $5,700 living allowance dispersed every two weeks, and a $2,362.50 educational reward granted at the completion of the 900 hours.
And so, if you know of someone looking to get involved in a cool program, someone who wants to be a good influence on teens, or wants to learn and teach bike stuff, let me know!
This next week we're hoping to get a more specific and solid job description nailed down. I'll be back on the recruitment campaign again when that happens, until then, spread the word!
Thanks.

Hikes, Swimming, Biek rides and Bike rides

Finally some water.                                         Skip ahead to 0:20

But it came at a cost. First we (Jon and I) biked 12 miles, stopping a long the way to help a dude set up his stationary bike stand. Our excitement was dampened slightly when finding out earlier that morning that we would be unable to bike up the road (the park is closed to bikers on Saturdays) but we were gungho and wanted water so we filled up bottles and bellies with water and started off. The four miles up the road were full of joyous expectations and the early signs of having not eaten enough breakfast. Talk of the wonderful supper we would buy with the $20 we earned had already begun and it wasn't even 9:00. Pining  (Mental and physical decline being a key part of the definition) for some shade or some bikes to help us zip of the hills, we eventually made it to the end of the road.

Happily starting into the actual, non-paved, trail we weren't even perturbed by some fellow hikers that held the same pace we did. Nor was our thirst for a swim thwarted by the (ultimately empty) threat of mountain lions.

X marks the spot right? It just means we are going the right way.

We eventually made it and didn't even get to see any lions, mountain or otherwise. Ate our meager lunch/ snack and jumped in!

As you can see, Jon and I, we are quite the daredevils when it comes to jumping off high things.

Naps, and then we began the second half of our 16 mile hike. We started walking at 1:00. It was kinda hot.

That said, some places were kinda pretty. In that harsh, deserty way. Mostly it was desolate and dry and brutal. But it was cool to look down into the valleys where there was a bit of green.

By the time we got back to the road we were very very very sad that we didnt have bikes to coast down on.  I dont think I would've even minded being that guy on the sign so long as I didnt have to keep walking. 

After we stopped being churlish and cantankerous about not having bikes, we began to grouse and act childish about shade.

I had to resort to making my own shade. 

You do look funny.

It was nice to get back to our bikes, and more water, and shade.

Then burritos at Chipotle! Then a quick cruise across town to my place for some cold drinks and West Wing and some not-walking.

Before we knew it it was time to get up and get moving again!!! It was the Super Moon biek ride of course!!!  As far as that goes, well there aren't quite as many pictures, and it wasn't strava-ed, but I think there are enough witnesses to be able to say that it did indeed happen. Although this was probably the most flats I have ever seen a group get before a ride (three(3)) we did end up getting on the Santa Cruz river trail heading North with about 14 people! It was a grand ol time and we cruzed faster and further than I had expected. (nearly 25 miles) The moon was beautiful, the company was grand and riding comfortable.

Saturday kinda wiped me out. I decided not to go on another ride under the actual full moon, which was Sunday night. I had better things to do anyway.

Tuesday, though, Tuesday was next big bike ride. It was grand. Woke up at 4:45, met the other riders at 6:30. Lots of solid hard riding up the mountain, and some more back down. 43.1 mph at the max and I wasn't even drafting a steel framed buddies.
Wednesday also wanted in on the early morning. Kendra and Austin convinced me to bike Gates Pass with them, once again leading to a pre-5:00 am wake up time. Luckily I was able to nap hardcore when I got back.

All in all things are on the up and up. Its nice to have so many events to write about. Its just too bad that fun times and write-about-able events seem to only really avail themselves to me on those weeks where I'm only getting a handful of hours at work. Well, so it goes.
In closing. I love this guy's voice.

Worth the Wag

Not much to say today, er... at least not much time to write it. I'm tired and am going hiking tomorrow to Hutch's pool. I really like water.

Until then though, I'll leave you with this:

And, although this draft definitely was not the best, (nor was it even my best) it was still a draft nonetheless.

My Story as Told by Water

It rained yesterday.
I was working.
Building bikes.

After a long and lonely work week with temps going above 105+ according to the forecasts and 110+ according to my bike computer it made my heart ache to see and hear water right outside the door without being able to enjoy it. Today I picked up David James Duncan's My Story as Told by Water. It didn't help the heartache.
Duncan speaks of his childhood of fishing and creek stomping fondly. It took me back to my own childhood. The countless hours spent sitting with my slingshot in the tree with the little round green fruits. The awesome power that I enjoyed imagining myself having over the banana trees as I slashed my machete through its fleshy body to get to the regime of bananas at the top. The combination of frustration  that I had for Monkey while he went scampering off with my highlighter that I needed for AP Euro, and the love I both felt toward and from him when he would hop specifically onto my lap, belly up, wanting it to be rubbed.
And that was just the childhood of 'home'. Some of the most defining memories come from sliding down a slide into a mud pit in a cave in some province in China. Or finding myself swimming in place against a strong current deep in one of the oldest protected rain-forests in the world in Malaysia. Or jumping into the deep dark blue of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam with MCC friends and family amongst the giant jutting rocks that give the place its magical feel. Or snorkeling with the Schrock-Hursts through shallow beautiful coral right up to the edge of the reef in order to peer over the edge and into the darkness of the deep. Or being stranded on an overturned catamaran in midst of a tropical storm with my cousins with out sight of land. Or simply sitting on the bottom of a sandy ocean floor with scuba gear, gazing up at the sun twinkling through 50 feet of clear tropical water disturbed only by the bubbles we send upwards.
As you can see, my story too, can be told by Water. From what I've heard, and from the little I saw on Saturday, that water is coming. Its coming soon and it'll be coming hard.
I can't wait.

SUPER MOOOOOON!!!

AHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

It has been brought to my attention that another full moon is coming up. That, is not the news. This up and coming full moon is a super one.  
And so lets go riding!!! It'll probably be a chill biek ride along some river trail where we can chill and chat and mess around with out serious cause for concern.

Biek Rides and Long Socks

Being Studly

'twas a big mountain.

I've been feeling pretty great lately. I've got my bib-shorts, slick jersey, bright green glasses. I've been riding a lot, riding fast, and riding pretty hard. Its been hard to not start getting a bit full of myself. Luckily I have a couple effective measures to combat such tendencies.

Tall Socks!!!

In this way I make my own small stand against the cycling elite's attempt to make us all into tightwadds. Also, please note the frame mounted pump, the saddle-bag, and all the other stuff I could've taken off.
In the end though, if I am ever confronted by one of the esteemed 'keepers' and forced to explain my blatant rule breaking I will just claim an attempt towards the fifth.
And, if the socks isn't enough to bring me back down to earth there's always this:

The most effective form of watching is to just watch the first couple of seconds in rapid succession.


In other news, my housing situation has changed yet again! Not nearly as dramatically as it has in the past though. Really all thats happened is that Zander has moved out to go on a pretty epic summer adventure, but more on that later. So, its now basically as if I've just moved into my own place! suddenly its just me in this place. I get to organize things as I will and basically have the place to myself! Or at least thats how I was feeling earlier this week. Last night I was reminded that of course I still have my weekend roomie who works and lives in Phoenix during the week...

Regular readers may also remember a moonlit night ride that was publicized. It was a great time, some of the Mennos and Zander were a long. Well, sadly I have no stunning moon photos to share, but I can say that it was a very lovely time and I fully intend to go on another great laid back biek ride with my friends next time it comes around.




Although frankly, I really don't think you need to wait till next month to ride in the light of full moon....