If patience is a virtue, than I've got so much damn virtue that it's starting to exit my pores.  (Not sure if that's a good thing or not.)  For the past month or two, the riding areas around Phoenix have been closed due to wildfires in the area.  Not just some of the riding areas.  All of them.  So while a brand new kitted out 525 was sitting in the garage, the only places to ride were a couple of hours away.  Talk about the seventh level of hell. 

But not anymore!  They finally opened the majority of the local trails, so we've spent the past couple of weekends working out the cobwebs and testing some of the mods made to the 525.  Damn, it feels good to be back out there...  

Exploring the burnt trails	Testing the kitted EXC	Nice air on the XR...
Doing what the EXC does best...		Matching suit on the XR	Hey Carl, the road's over there	Loving the 525 DS

This past weekend we rode from New River to Black Canyon City, exploring a lot of trails we'd not been on previously. It never ceases to amaze me how many trails really are out there.  

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Tackling a gnarly downhill	The trail ahead	The trail behind	Checking out a tunnel	Shooting up and over
Underneath the interstate	The only people who had a better time than we did	Dropping the EXC on an uphill		Running water?! In Phoenix!?
Making the most of it			Carl taking an uphill	Did I mention the EXC likes to wheelie?

While coming into Black Canyon City, we came across a small deserted MX track on the outskirts of town. Even with our helmets on, Carl and I could tell we had the exact same look on our faces... hell yeah!  We spent the next hour or so just playing around before heading on into town for a good lunch.    

On approach for a set of doubles	Nothin' but air	Love this shot	Playing on the track	Hitting a double on the XR
Having a blast	If this ain't a greasy spoon...

The old saying goes... you don't know what you have until it's gone.  That is definitely the case with off-road motorcycle riding. For a couple of months we were reminded of what's it's like not have any decent trails in the area. Now that the riding areas have been re-opened, I'm even more thankful to be living in such an outstanding place for people who live to ride.