When you think of Spring Break for the average 18 year old boy, you might think of the beach, lots of beer drinking, dope smoking, and the hope of having sex in the sand under the moonlight with a girl you only met that night.
Five 18 year olds, Elliot, Nick, Noelke, Ron and Strickland, decided to accompany Daniela, Ignacio and myself (Neil) as we rode our bicycles from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon and back again in 4 days.
This was El Grupo's first unassisted tour where everyone riding carried all that was needed on his or her bike: tent, sleeping bag, change of clothes, food, water, etc. Each rider added an extra 25-50 lbs to the bike using racks and bungee cords.
Day One: We rode over 70 miles, climbing from around 7000 feet in Flagstaff to over 8000 feet, with snow along the roads and on the mountainsides. We camped at a closed site just off Highway 89 just outside the Grand Canyon named 10X by simply going under the barricade. We had the place to ourselves.
Day Two: We turned off onto a dirt road, fire road 328, and proceeded to sneak into the canyon, the back way, thereby avoiding the entrance fee we would have had to pay for each cyclist. This was surely a highlight, riding, with all our gear, through mud and dirt with no cars around. We even missed a turn and went a few extra miles, but they were worth it. It was a true test for the bikes as the bumps knocked loose everything that was screwed in or on, including our heads.
Day Three: We woke up, ate breakfast, packed up camp and loaded our bikes for a short ride to the South Kaibab Trailhead. We walked down about a mile to “Ooh-Ahh” lookout point and lounged on the rocks. Ron was wearing his white long underwear, as he had been for days, when an older gentleman passed us on the trail and said to him, "Son, I think you forgot your pants." Ooh-Ahh! Then we rode to Cameron on a screaming downhill, stopping one last time to look at the little Colorado River Gorge.
Day Four: After sleeping in an RV parking lot across from the Cameron trading post, where stray cats and drunks wandered around, we loaded up the bikes for the last time and returned to Flagstaff, climbing back up a couple thousand feet elevation.
