Team Darkstar MTB: My name is Tumbleweed...

...and I am the official mascot of Team Darkstar MTB. I am a coyote.
I signed up for the team shortly after they had stayed in Cave Creek, Arizona - home of the famous Chilli beer - the beer that tastes like a lager and goes down like a scotch.
Well anyway, they were staying in the hotel next door and were lucky enough to see some of my cousins come down from Black mountain and head across the parking lot. The dice of fate had been rolled. Passing through the airport on the way home, I was found in one of the stores. My adoption certificate said 'my name is Tumbleweed' - the same name as the Cave Creek hotel they had stayed in and the deal was done. The year was 1998.
Since then I have travelled extensively for business and pleasure and even got as far as Tasmania. I didn't see their famous devils though.
The camping trips are the best as I have seen some great wildlife. Like the coyote that wanted our chicken dinner and the 4.5 foot rattlesnake that slithered though our camp site. I make a great 'guard' coyote.
I have been the team mascot during mountain bike races. Always looks like too much hard work to me.
There have been other incidents as well.
I remember the time we all headed up to Mesa Verde in the snow. She thought it was very amusing to shove my nose in the snow. I was so cross. It was not a nice thing to do. I gave then the cold shoulder for days.
In 2005 the team headed out to travel the 100 miles of White Rim Road in Canyonlands, Utah. We met some great guys - Lee, Cole and Jay (it's not a race guys). I got to travel in the Western Spirit vehicle, on it and best of all, on the backpacks. It was brilliant fun seeing the fabulous scenery and camping in the wild. Not so certain about the pit toilets though.

On the same trip, we were camping in a state park in Colorado during a massive storm. We were the only tent. In the middle of the night, I thought we were going to float away as the area we we in filled with water.The base of the tent was more like a water bed. We were the hero's of the park as we had stayed in the tent all night - and survived.