Made a friend in Arizona who encouraged me to get back into Mountain Biking as a way to help get back into shape.

The trails in Arizona are well, um, desert trails, which equals Dirt, Rocks and Cactus. I learnt that if you decide to fall off your bike, choose the Rock over the Cactus... the pain is much shorter that way... Cactus spines can cause pain for long term and are not easy to get out without ripping skin off!

I mostly ride at South Mountain in Phoenix AZ. There are some flat trails and some seriously technical trails.... I usually do something in between. The summer heat is a killer, and you would die without a couple of litres of water for a 30 to 45 minute ride! Winter is nice, but the sun goes down early.

I have riden once in Prescott which has trees that do provide shelter from the sun... much nicer in summer, but the last climb killed me!

My bike is a cheap piece of junk, but does the job for now.
Had to replace the rear rim because I destroyed the freewheel hub.
Just replaced the front crank set because I destroyed the bearings, smashed the rings on rocks and really needed much lower gearing that what it came with (Would have helped in Prescott!).
Will eventually get a better bike... but in the mean time I'll keep this one running.