#followcamfriday setting the forest on fire with Mason Bond in Flagstaff.

Just what the hell have I been doing with my life... I just spent three months in Sedona and only made it up to flag for a few days. Well, there was that whole "shelter in place" thing going on, so there's that. Flagstaff is probably less than 20 miles from Sedona as the crow flies, but I was trying to obey the local restrictions and travel ban. So I guess that is my excuse. 

I rode here once, 7 years ago, but had never tasted the pleasure of Sunset before. The dirt was basically as good as things get here in flag. Most of this area was decimated by fire last year and riding through the burned out woods feels reasonable surreal. Hopefully all of the trail can be reclaimed. Hopefully the hillside doesn't slide into town. 

Pete the dog has spent his fair share of time at the dirt jumps. At home, I have him well trained to stay on the starting ramp and wait for our return to the top of the line. It took him a few laps to figure out the lay of the land and stay put on the starting ramp. Good boy. Thanks for not taking anyone out. Pete enjoys a proper train as much as the next guy. Can you blame him? Fort Tuthill Bike Park is definitely worth a rip. I can't tell you how many times I have driven right by this place, without knowing it was there on my way to Sedona. Again, what have I been doing with my life??

I have been riding and racing with Mason for many years now. Mason rides bikes for the right reasons. Fun first, whips and skids, flowered shirts and trail side libations. Never a man to take things too seriously, but undoubtedly a man who will absolutely smoke you on a race track. Be like Mason. It's just bike riding, after all. May as well enjoy it. 

If a tree prevents you from leaning your bike into a turn, up and out is your answer. Always pull up into the high line for a proper entrance. As the homie Krunk Shox used to say, "pull up, not out". Words to live by. 

Sunset is amazing. It didn't hurt that the lower parking lot was closed, preventing the normal circus of hikers that are wondering uphill on this one. This particular section with a clear track is unreal. My favorite type of trail. High speed, natural gaps, line choice for days. A thinking-man's track. I am thinking about pulling up. Mason just sent 30ft off of a water bar and landed on some roots. Checkmate. 

Yeah, surreal. Fire is one of the few things in this world that scares me. The power, the devastation, the chaos. Let's all hope that monsoon season turns this place green again and the trails get back to normal. When a small community loses some of its most valuable resources, it is always gut-wrenching. Especially now, what with all of the other things happening currently. We need these places for out mental-health, more than ever. From the ashes come the brightest light. 

Come on in, the water is nice. #followcamfriday surfing wash with Lars Romig in Sedona, Arizona

Sandstone skatepark for as far as the eye can see. My happy place. This is the spirit of freeride. If I am being honest, hiking around and riding goofy lines with Lars has enabled my sanity over that last few months of global chaos. When the surf is breaking, you go the the beach. 

When you have ridden all of the better known trails in Sedona, one million times, what do you do? You start ticking of little bits of new trail and piecing new bits of rock together. Sugarloaf is more of a hike than a ride but the descent is worthy. It's not the type of thing that people would go out of their way to ride but it is amazingly fun at 7am, devoid of hikers. All of the smashing. All of the banging. Happy guy. 

As it so happens, the rock in Sedona is legal to ride, as long as you don't disturb the soil or create new trals. The sandstone offers amazing grip and provides an entirely new way to experience the red rock. I don't get to ride  "real" skatepark much, this is as close as I get. 

The line pictured above is real. There are 3 g-outs to deal with. The last one has broken many wheels and bikes over the years. Lars broke a wheel in it many years ago and this was the first time he had attempted it since. Great success. This was another line that I had stared at for years but never made happen. Basically there is no room for error and if you get slightly off line at the bottom, you will be going to the hospital, directly. No one wants that. Especially now. 

It is very interesting to see how much my perspective has changed, after being here for almost three months now. I am getting increasingly confident with the steeper lines and limit of grip. This line intimidated me for years, but on this morning, it somehow seemed insignificant. This cycle of progression and confidence will surely end badly at some point, but it is interesting to see things with different eyes. 

This is an upper entrance to a line named "sugar pill" Lars' girlfriend Laura came up with the name Placebo. Couldn't be more fitting. We were drinking tequila at the time and that definitely confirms the sneaking suspicion I have always had that tequila does in fact, make you smarter. 

So where does this end? How far is too far and who is going to be the first to end up in the hospital? These are hard questions to answer. Lars works for the fire department and has seen one of the slowest months on record for injuries. Despite what you see on Facebook about hospitals being overcrowded and "taking beds", the opposite is actually true here in Sedona. There is no work for the emergency service people. So strange. Let's hope it stays that way, injury is never the goal. This is a wonderful time to hurt yourself in Sedona. If you put yourself in danger enough times, eventually the odds are stacked against you. Base-jumping comes to mind. Ticking time-bomb. Backcountry skiing is similar. 

So I guess what I am trying to say is to live life to the fullest. We can sit on the couch, paralyzed with fear, or we can go out and push the limit a bit. I am not saying "hold my beer" style, but getting a bit out of. your personal comfort zone, whatever that may be, is absolutely vital for growth in my opinion. This applies to all things in life. Do something every day that scares you. Thanks for the motivation Lars. You my boy. 

#followcamfriday DH laps with the boys. 

After "sheltering in place" for the last 2 months in Sedona, and basically pedaling our brains out, we were long overdue for some shuttle assist DH laps. There is just nothing quite like smashing laps with disregard for bikes and tires. Loud sounds. Smash. Giggle. Repeat. 

Interestingly enough, Lars Romig grew up in Jerome, the small mining town at the bottom of the pass. Jerome is "haunted" supposably. Although I cannot confirm or deny this claim, there was a certain something about Jerome that felt a bit different. Not that anything actually feels "normal" right now. So there is that...

Where did all the red-rock slabs go? This was a welcome change from the visual masterbation that Sedona delivers. Nothing out here but pines and rocks. Sharp rocks. I love Sedona with all of my heart, but it lacks one thing. Shuttle trails. Brewer is as close to a "shuttle" run as Sedona has to offer. Trail 28 on Mingus can be ridden without a drivetrain. Exactly what I was in the mood for. Variety, spice of life. Now where did I put my DH bike? Oh yeah, it is inside of my garage in Colorado, last seen 11 weeks ago. Hope she isn't mad at me when I get home. 

Every high-line is rewarded with a proper exit. Get high, stay high. Frenchie Alex putting on a turn clinic as usual. Baguettes and Roquefort for breakfast. Yum. 

Life is starting to feel a little more "normal" here in Sedona. Restaurants are opening back up, most retail shopping and campgrounds. The "stay at home" order expires today and this place will undoubtedly be crawling with tourists soon. Will we regress and have another round of quarantine? Only time will tell. I hope people have learned some lessons in all of this. This world is strange enough currently. 

So now that I am allowed to travel, where should I go next? I am getting really excited for some alpine shenanigans. The mountains are calling, this was just a taste. A pleasant reminder of why I live in the mountains and feel at home in the mountains. 

Say What? Another new trail in Sedona... What a wonderful time to be alive. #followcamfriday with Alex Petitdemange on "Bottom Out"

The trails are growing faster than weeds here in Sedona. "Bottom Out" was recently completed and opened to the public, finishing a multi year trail intuitive in the Dry Creek area of Sedona. Kudos Sedona, you are a shining example of trail expansion being done right. Love your work!

The Dry Creek area is a bit more "XC" than the rest of Sedona, and this new bit of trail is a nice contrast to that style. This one is aptly named and may just be in the running for "jankiest" in town. Trying to make sense of the squares is always amusing. Alex and I did two laps on this. We encountered 5 mountain bikers total, only one was actually riding their bike. Get the picture? Jank. 

I am a man who can appreciate some proper jank. Always a puzzle worth solving. The puzzle goes together quickly with Alex in the lead. Once I pulled my head out of my ass on the second lap, things felt much smoother. Much love for the jank. Banging sounds and square wheels for all of the people. 

This marks week 10 in the land of red-rock. It appears as though Colorado has eased travel restrictions, so my self-quarantine days are numbered. I couldn't have picked a better place to shelter, in place. Very fortunate indeed. As I type these words, sitting in Lars' house with my dog Pete, I can't help but get a bit nostalgic as I will need to get out of here soon. My what a trip it has been. I am grateful for my friends and my support structure that made the last 2 months bearable. Alway surround yourself with good people. Love my quaranteam. 

Picturesque jank is still jank. You can dress the jank up and put a bow on it, but at the end of the day, it will still try and break your bike and your spirit. So good. Less pats on the back, more punches in the jugular please. I'll have another serving. 

Pretty stoked on the performance of my drone out in the wide open desert. This will be an amazing tool for the Colorado alpine season that is fast approaching. It is exceeding difficult to make plans currently with all the chaos in the world, but I do know that the mountains are calling. I am truly looking forward to spending some time, way above treeline in the very near future. 

So yeah, grab your smash wagon and go check out Bottom Out. See if you can clean it, first go. See if you can figure out where this trail gets its name from...I wish you all of the best. Keep the health levels up, people of the interwebs.  

You would be foolish to not ride this canyon. #followcamfriday Sedona self-quarantine week 8 with Lars and Alex

If there is a place to hang out in the afternoon that is more visually stunning, you can just let me know in the comments. There is just something special about the light on this one that makes the tourist in me smile. Tourism is still being discouraged however, as the governor of Arizona just extended the "stay at home" order through May 15th. I have been here for 9 weeks now, sheltering in place and exercising daily with caution. 

Deadman's Pass is a notoriously crowded section of trail that is normally riddled with hikers in the afternoon. With Devil's Bridge being officially closed, this was the perfect time to ride and film this amazing section of trail. While it is obvious that Sedona would not be sustainable without tourism, it sure is nice to have empty trails and quiet spaces to recreate. After living and working in a tourist destination for the last 20 years, this time is even more special to me somehow. Perhaps we have tipped the balance too far. 

Ranchero life is the life for me. This car just makes me feel a certain way. Makes me want to grow a mullet, head out for a cruise to the shake shop, and grab a burger and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drive in theaters, that sort of thing. Instead, Lars helped me shave most of my hair off in the driveway, followed by tacos and tequila. Then we looked at our cell phones. Either way. 

Lars and Alex have this trail dialed. Good thing, because one wrong move and there will be a pile-up in this canyon. Fools on the ground, in the canyon. An appropriate name if there ever was one. The name "Canyon Of Fools" could also be referring to  people using this trail in flood conditions. Not a place you want to hang out in a rain storm. 

Would you just look at it. The stuff of Hallmark postcards. I am still having my mind blown by the technology that allows my drone to chase us and make these surreal shots possible. Crazy times indeed. 

Maybe I will be able to head home soon. Maybe I will just stay here for the rest of my life. It is a bit strange not knowing what tomorrow will bring. People keep asking me, and I still do not have an answer. All we can do is make the best of what we have and live life to the fullest right now. Keep the levels up friends!