My husband’s bunk mate at Asilomar State Beach was a ranger in Denali for many years. Sadly we never ventured this far north to see them. Hi Walt and Candy! :)

We had a three day storm in Colorado this weekend. Happily, only rain at our elevation - but the mountains got over a foot of snow. You are correct, anything can happen with springtime in the mountains!

Wow. I’ve never been up there to see this, but that’s really amazing.

It’s no wonder you head south for the winter, Larry. It’s a wonder that you don’t stay longer.

The moose story was all over the news up here. My only guess was the he gutted the moose but possibly didn’t move the gut pile far enough away or only gutted the main body cavity and left some parts inside. Dallas is a long time Alaskan and he took the 2 hour penalty without argument.

All the mushers I personally know carry a gun when they run their dogs. A moose can do a tremendous amount of damage if it gets tangled in the lines although most moose run for the trees when they encounter dogs and mushers.

But we don’t have all those pocky, stinging, and needles things up here nor snakes or scorpions.

Did you read the article recently about the man in the Iditarod who was penalized two hours because he improperly gutted a moose after killing it? It seemed the issue was that he didn't do a good job, but the article didn't say what he should have done. Who knew that you needed to put that in your training, along with the usual physical requirements! He did have a handgun, which he used when the moose attacked. There's something else I wouldn't be prepared to do. There's all kinds of level of toughness.

Haven’t noticed any gear issues when we come back from our trips but I also do a thorough cleaning and relaxing of the trikes when we come back. It helps that the trikes are already in their folded form from the travel. For the first time in at least 15 years, the airlines did a small bit of damage to one of our front wheels. Somehow their handling broke the spoke nipple on one spoke. Easy fix but I’m still trying to figure that one out.

I’m glad you enjoyed the journal. Doing a yearly journal is a new one for me but I’m hoping its gives the larger picture of a cycling year versus just one trip.

We are definitely in a state of withdrawal and slight depression since returning home. Think the colder, snowier outside isn’t helping a whole lot. But on the bright side, we actually as as much daylight as Tucson this time of year but not the 70 degree temperatures.

Do you have trouble shifting gears after your warm weather escapes? Spring weather in Colorado has been unseasonably warm - high 40's, not too much wind, rain (not snow). Do I ride? Very little! Mostly I look out the window and think of the sunshine and high 70 degree temperatures in Tucson right now. Today I did ride 23 miles, I managed to stay mostly in front of the rain, but got wet enough to zip my phone away. Yes, my preference for warm weather riding is a bit worrisome.

I've enjoyed your journal. It was fun to meet in person. You did an excellent job of exploring all parts of Tucson and beyond.

Thanks for following along.

Thank you for your journal of this trip! Safe travels back home..

We have learned over the many trips that renting a van is the only way to go as long as the back seat folds down and hopefully the mid seats as well. We were fortunate this trip is that we could store the boxes and mid seats with our friends which made transporting the fully assembled trikes very easy.

That's a perfect fit - did you know which vehicle to request at the rental agency? We shall see you next year!

So proud of himself, as he should be! Thank you for acknowledging him..

Admittedly we would love to stay much longer but granddaughter duty is luring us back.

It is too bad that the weekend Lycra warriors feel so entitled. One finds them almost everywhere. Often they ride 2 or 3 aside on a narrow path, expectings all others to leap sideways to avoid them. Sheesh. Glad you are having such a good winter break, are you sure you want to go home so soon?