Sedona, Jerome and Tucson.

I lived in Flagstaff for 4 years (2001-2005). I remember it being a busy little town of 68,000 people and an epicenter for endurance athletes to train at high altitude. I was one of them back then, focusing mostly on road cycling. There was one race team in town, FlagVelo, and they wanted nothing to do with me. I tried to get down to Phoenix to race but I couldn't tag along with anyone and we didn't have the money to support my passion. I continued to train and use the weekly group ride as a fitness milestone.

Back then, I used being pushed around as motivation to beat the odds. I decided after a nearly a second season with minimal racing and excellent fitness, that I would start my own team, Renaissance Cycling. I found there was a nice group in town that had been unorganized for a long time, Red Rock Racing. These guys were feisty, very strong and motivated to be a solid team. I got us funded pretty quickly by local companies and eventually got us a solid sponsorship from a local bike shop in town.

We competed all over the place and used Sedona AZ as a training ground in the fall, winter and spring months. Going through Sedona and Flagstaff reminded me of those fun times where life was quite a bit more simple.

Flagstaff is where I opened my first business, Spangler Training Systems. It was a personal training and endurance coaching business. I had it initially in the Flagstaff Athletic Club, then moved it to a chiropractic office to make it more one-on-one. It thrived the first year. I bought my first home at age 24 and was the lead sponsor of my team. At that point, our little team that began as 6 elite cyclists, turned into a club of 75 members, of which, is still alive and kicking today! Oh the memories.

I left for Boise back in 2005 because the chiropractor I was working for committed multiple counts of fraud (my first experience with unethical/fraudulent people). He was billing for X-ray's and not performing them. I was his rehab assistant and working with my own clientele but his side of my business was booming, therefore, I was booming. I had no idea he was doing all this and when he got busted, I lost a majority of my income. I had to sell my house and decided to move back to Boise and began college again with the goal to become the best sports doctor around.

Every setback has fueled my desire to win. It's taken its toll for sure over the years and for once I feel like I am free to relax. Kind of. :) I'm slowly adapting. Many things have happened with Trailhead and Myofly over the years that have taken life energy from me. I'll go into those things when I am ready but for now, it's time to shift to current events that are bringing joy and happiness. A big part of this trip is to heal up from the things that we went through and also to use joy and happiness as the medicine to find some peace and wellness. A big part of this process was and is all about letting go of things you don't need in life. Minimalistic living takes daily work. It also forces you away from all the distractions that used to be a "norm" in the past and puts full focus on your actual reality. We are 3 weeks into this adventure and I am still struggling with controlling frustration. I am getting there with Laura's help. I've dealt with a lot since the year 2001. 20 years of accumulated stress, in multiple forms, to try to find "success" will likely take me a few months to overcome. Onward we go!

A couple days ago, we got stuck in traffic heading to Sedona. It took over an hour to get there from I-17. Tourist traffic is really bad right now, which prevented us from going to the Grand Canyon as well. 5mph for 17 miles demolished our day. We left at 12:50 and got there around 2 and walked around looking for a place to eat. The place was incredibly packed full of tourists. I've never seen it that busy. I was so frustrated by it all and learned that we were very spoiled in Boise. That was the lesson of the day, "You can't always get what you want" (Rolling Stones).

By the time we got seated for lunch and ate, it was about time to head back to our little abode. Henry has to be in bed and napped well, or he gets a little difficult to deal with. Overall, he's doing so great on our trip. He's a giggly little happy baby who is developing in so many ways so quickly. I have never loved like this before.

It's crazy how stinking sweet and perfect he is. I know Laura feels the same way and having that entity is a new kind of love for us too.

We made our way to Jerome AZ for a day trip before leaving to Tucson. Jerome is a little gold mining town that went vacant for a bit, then rebuilt into a arts district town. It literally sits on the side of a mountain, (Mount Mingus), with steep twisty roads going through the downtown sector. When I was training, I would park in South Sedona and ride to Jerome and climb Mount Mingus and head back to Sedona afterword. The Verde Valley sits between Jerome and Sedona at about 2,000 feet elevation. Sedona is about 4,000 feet high and Jerome is around 5,000 feet. Lots of climbing! It is typically about 15-20 degrees warmer down there, so it was a great place for cyclists to ride in colder months.

While in Sedona, we hiked the airport loop and checked out the panoramic views of the town. It was so beautiful. I posted a few pictures below. We packed up the next day and headed further south to Tucson AZ. When we arrived, it was 85 degrees! Summer came early for the Spangler's this year!!

We will be staying South, hugging the border of Mexico into Texas and eventually New Orleans. At the rate that we are traveling, I think New Orleans will be arriving in either mid-April or first of May. We will see.

So far so good! Today we head to a small town called Deming New Mexico. It's a stopping point before we hit El Paso Texas.

I'll update when we get to Texas.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Nate