Tucson's Finest | La Milagrosa

#followcamfriday chasing afternoon light with Randy Sooter and Kyle Mears on La Milagrosa, the most classic trail in Tucson, Arizona

After getting denied last week, we were determined to get a late afternoon redemption lap on La Milagrosa. Last week, everything exploded at once, leaving us out on the trail, well after the sun had set for the evening. Not a big deal really, it's just a shame to miss out on one of the best sections of trail in Tucson. The two last sections of Mili, directly before and after the last climb are two of my favorites anywhere in the world. As fast as you want to go. Remain upright or explode in a fireball of twisted carbon and metal. 

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When I am planning these rides when cameras are involved, I am always trying to play the light game and this oftentimes leaves us racing sunlight to get out of the woods or off of the mountain. Shooting in blown out, midday light is suboptimal in my world. I mean, the riding is just as much fun, but the footy for the boys is somewhat lacking when the sun is high in the sky. Hella cinema. Basically, I have been doing this long enough to not shoot in shity light. That said, sometimes I wait a bit too long to start the day, leaving zero room for error. Errors were made. 

Again, due to another camera snafu, we found ourselves almost riding out in the dark, again. People ask me all the time why I still run a gimbal and the last few minutes of my video are one of the best reasons. You see, internal stabilization is great and all but stops working in low light. The entire bottom of this one would have been unusable if I was shooting without a gimbal. Instead, we have perfectly smooth, low-light goodness with heaps of grain. Some call it "cinematic". Believe me when I tell you that this would not be possible with the newest GoPro's internal stabilization.  I like the look of the grain and darkness as we finish this one. 

There is just something special about riding Milagrosa into the sunset. Of course you can't actually see anything, but the beauty is so overwhelming that you don't actually need to see to feel the vibe. Riding blind into the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen is special. What you cannot see cannot hurt you. It is hard to explain, but Randy and Kyle understand. It's a vibe, the type of thing you never forget. You can almost taste the tequila as the bottom draws closer. Eyes up, heels down.