DAY 4: HIKING NOT BIKING

After several days of early mornings (including Pearson airport) at long last we got to sleep in.  The previous evening we had been treated to a wonderful dinner made by Petrina's family, including Helen's famous lasagna and lemon cake, Renzo's BBQ steaks, and many delicious salads, and great company, so it was good to sleep in!

For those of you reading this who are thinking that this is a relaxing vacation, think again! This is spring training camp, we have 7 days to work with Petrina and other coaches in this idyllic cycle setting, before returning home to....snow??!!!

Here's a view from a car in Oakville from Wednesday.

We all piled into the Canadian National Cycling team van (at least, it said that, written in dust on the rear window!) with some unfortunate persons drawing the short straw and having to sit in the very back.  First stop enroute to Sedona was Starbucks, we were all suffering withdrawal symptoms from our favourite hot drinks. After a two hour drive, mostly uphill as we gained elevation gradually, Petrina took us to a stunning restaurant at the  Enchanted Resort. The large glass windows in our private dining room looked out onto beautiful red cliffs.

Picture of the Team Van with Canadian National Cycling Team written in to the dust:

Following lunch we set off on a hike to visit one of the vortex's that Sedona is famous for.  After a gradual uphill walk we reached "the vortex",  where we experimented to see if we could find the energy.  The best source of energy there came from our belly laughs as several group members decided to sing and act out the song YMCA". Perhaps this vortex really does make you do funny things? 

Thanks to our late start, leisurely lunch, and voretex finding, we managed to arrive in the town of Sedona at 5:45 PM, just as all the stores were closing. That was unfortunate, but was good news for our pocketbooks! We then headed to the best Mexican restaurant in town, or so we were told, only to find a wait of an hour for dinner.  With a two hour drive ahead of us, we headed back to Carefree and to a late dinner.

While we were gone, Allan, the local mechanic who has been helping out, was repairing two of our bikes and returning them to our rooms. What terrific service! Petrina has certainly planned this trip well, engaging not only Allan's help but also bringing in an exceptional massage therapist, Athena, who kneads our tired bodies almost very day.  Petrina is also arranging to have laundry done daily for us, if we wish. She has thought about all the little details, and several times has gone out of her way for us.  Her family also has played a big part in our experience, and this we are all very grateful.

Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened here: