I'm hoping to pique the interest of one or more mountain bikers to accompany me exploring some trails in the unincorporated area south and west of Maricopa.

I live in Papago Buttes (approx 10 miles out of town near the Raceway Bar) and ride out regularly on the unpaved roads, jeep trails, and canal roads in between here and Route 8, and in Hidden Valley. My normal ride is approx 20-25 miles loops through the desert and over the many miles of agricultural roads that most folks are not even aware that exist. The terrain is mostly flat, and the roads are near deserted.

I've explored quite a bit of the BLM area on the bike, on horseback, and on foot, and have identified some trails that have real potential. I've mapped the area with my GPS and am confident that I can navigate the area without getting lost. I am however reluctant to go off on these trails alone for safety reasons (I've had too many search and rescue and survival courses to not treat the desert with due respect!). The trails I am interested in riding do not appear to be "technical" but they are somewhat remote and very, very seldom traveled by anything other than the local wildlife!.  A fall and injury for a solo rider can have really bad consequences, thus I am hoping to hook up with other riders that might want to experience some of the local areas they might not otherwise get to see while keeping me from doing something stupid!.

I am NOT looking for a competitive single-track- gonzo-charging-through-the- rocks-and-lets-compare-our-scars style riding or fantasy racing situations. I can get up and go when the need arrises, but my interest here is just enjoying riding in the open desert and agricultural areas while getting some needed exercise and hopefully seeing some wildlife and maybe some petroglyphs and interesting terrain. An easy pace, a relaxed state of mind, and no stress riding is my goal.

I am a self employed consultant and can ride almost anytime. Obviously early mornings are the way to go during the "warm season". If interested please get in touch and I can describe more specifically what I am doing bike-wise out here. I'll keep an eye on this thread and will provide some contact info if anyone shows interest.

I'd also like to get oriented on what the road bike possibilities are in the Maricopa area. Before I moved out here I used to be a fairly manic "Roadie" and rode solo and with fairly challenging group rides. I'd like to get back into the road bike groove again.  If anyone is doing some local rides through the Maricopa area  streets and would not mind some company please let me know.

cheers
Jack