Raw Deal Trail 2001
Arizona
We were cleaning out the ol' email inbox last December
when I come across an email from Bobby Rumbaugh down in Arizona. Bobby
is the founder of a group called "Zuks of Arizona" (or ZOA
for short) and Lora and I have met him a couple of times on the trails
in Moab. Bobby invited us down to his neck of the woods to run the
"Raw Deal" trail north of Phoenix, AZ. So I gave him a call
and was chatting with him when I happened to glance out the window
at the thermometer I've got hanging outside. 20 degrees. "What's
the temperature down there right now, Bobby?" I asked him. "Oh
around 70 degrees" he said. I'm not even sure if I said good-bye
as I hung up the phone. Next thing I remember, I'm on a plane screaming
south towards the Sonoran Deserts of Arizona.
The Raw Deal trail is located about 40 miles north of
Phoenix and is just a couple miles away from another famous trail
in that area - "The Terminator". It's a short trail that
consists mostly of dry creekbed crawling. Lots of cracks, boulders
and a few climbs up the walls. If you're looking to flex out your
new suspension - this would be a nice trail to do it on.
My ride for most of the day was Eric (the orange rig
below with "Stomper" painted on his doors). I say "most"
of the day because I spent a fair amount of it walking. Erik thought
it was because I wanted to take alot of pictures. In reality, it was
because the guy was scarring the BEJESUS outta me! (just kidding,
Eric!).
But seriously folks, I want to extend a big THANX to
Bobby, Eric and the rest of the gang of Zuks of Arizona for taking
the time to show me some pretty cool trail down in Arizona. I had
a blast - check out the pix below and I think you'll see why...
(click any pic to zoom in)
