What at first was thought to be alergies affecting several of us hanging @ Bike and Bean. Reality became it is a cold. I have it. Last week I had a nasty sore throat that hot salt h2o didn’t abate. It went away but then my chest hosted the virus. I rested my lungs on Sat while high winds moved the sand around.
Friday shop ride route was pretty neat: Bell Rock, Llama, Little Horse, Broken Arrow, Hogs, Twin Butte ( which is a newly built trail, my first time), Hog Wash, Peccari, Mystic, HT, Breezy, Templeton, Coconino, Shades. Hogs is a double black diamond but the new trail offered an easy way to drop down. Bunch of locals and several visitors. Beer, pizza, & moonshine cocktails followed back @ Bike and Bean.
Bee Sting Cocktail:
juice 1/2 lemon, pour in tall glass. Add a dollop of honey, mix to dissolve. Add a shot of moonshine (100 proof Old Smokey) add ice then top off w/ however much sweet tea you feel like. Goes down refreshingly smooth.
Sat was very windy. I parked my van in the parking lot. Today I will put on the high performance brake rotors Formula Brake sent me and new brake pads. I planned to be a shade tree mechanic using the awning attached to my van. Like I said Sat was windy. The wind was strong enough to lift the awning a little bit which was of no concern. However, a rogue gust hit which blew the awning straight up in the air and was held there. SHIT. I scampered up the back of the van and grabbed an awning strut and pulled downward. The wind was still holding it up and my purchase on the short end of the lever arm did little to pull it down. I verbally coached the awning back down. I rolled it back up into its closed position, one strut is bent. Someday I will roll it open and study the damage for repair if needed. The rotors and pads are on the bike. Thanks Formula Brake.
Today had another high wind forecast. My lungs felt better. I am a mouth breather so the dust laden air makes a bee line to deep in my lungs. I passed on a ride today. Instead I hiked around Transcept and returned on Hiline. Very windy. Transcept is closed to bikes but open to hikers who illegally created the trail. I encountered several mtn bikers; we passed each other cordially. I did yield the trail to them even though the IMBA trail user triangle shows bikers are pond scum and yield to all mighty horses and hikers.
Out @ Beaverhead Flats being buffeted by high winds. I held my wind gauge into the wind for a few minutes, long enough to record a 25mph gust. Dust has been blown inside leaving a gritty feel.
Planning on heading east on May 3rd after 1 last Friday shop ride & post ride shenanigans.
Thurs Jimmie invited me on a ride. His lungs were suffering. He wanted to ride slow. His slow was my almost full on effort. I rode behind him and watched his line choices. He coached me @ 4 tech features that I have not mastered. I did solve one feature by breaking it into 2 moves but balked at the others. I am afraid to commit and follow thru w/ a pedal stroke.
Another day of high winds is forecasted for tomorrow.
Thurs I was parked in the laundromat parking lot w/ the door open and me sitting w/ my back to the outside. I heard a man’s voice asking something about breakfast. I recognized the voice w/ o turning around. It was Scott Taylor of Cascade Cream Puff promoter fame. he and his wife were down visiting from Eugene, OR. I helped before, during, and after @ 2 Cream Puff races. Oakridge, OR.
Flat pedals help out with those scary Tech moves.
So glad to meet up with you at BnB. Thanks for all the great trail beta. Ended up heading to West Sedona and riding there for the rest of our days. Really liked Mezcal. Chuckwagon, not so much! Anyway, happy trails and keep on charging!