There are only a few places where I ABSOLUTELY need to be focused and mountain bicycling is one of them! This trail was a bit sandy, yet I was headed for a huge dip and a need to step on the pedals hard to come up the other side. The good news, I made it!

You see the cacti on the left in this picture? Even when they are at arms length from you they have  a way of jumping into the path. I needed to wiggle my bike tires around them since I was in no mood to change a flat tire. I know mountain biking in the desert has its challenges, but especially when the cholla cacti attack with their barbed spines into your skin. Fortunately it was not me who had the cholla attack, but I was there to help my friend who had a cholla hanging on the backside of her arm! With a comb I could pull the cacti off and with my fingers pull the remaining spines. Do not brush up near these cacti!

Ride on! We are still having fun! This is my retirement!