Already we’ve become total pansies about the “cold”. This applies to an overnight low below 40°F, which sends us scurrying to the heater in the morning and complaining loudly that it’s freeeeeeeeezing. But any local will concur, and tell you it’s not just the air temperature, “it’s the wind chill.”

To stay warm today I head for a new trailhead on the bike, Ventana Canyon. Cranking up the hill feels good, though I make a note to avoid Craycroft and take Kolb road instead next time to avoid narrow shoulders. The trailhead is at the rear of a ritzy resort parking lot.

I switch from bike to trail mode. This goes pretty smoothly – I’ve remembered everything except my phone, and I decided against the camera today. The trail starts winding through the resort on an easement, then climbs ever more steeply up the canyon. At mile 2.4 it reaches a slab of marble that ends in a dramatic waterfall.

On the way down my legs start cramp a bit, and the bike ride back is hard despite being mostly downhill. And it’s cold! Do I have to move further south now?