State College, PA

I tossed a few times last night but seemed to always fall back to sleep. Gingerly crawled out of bed. I am sore: my right side trauma affects my core strength, I can’t stand straight and my right thigh is stiff.

Got up & stowed the sleeping gear and drove off out of business office paved parking lot seaking a patch of gravel for my B fast. Found 1 finally near a church.

Finished drive to State College via non major roads. Called Jeremy, he gave me his address and meeting time and I made it happen. I asked how he knew me @ the Summit. He said he didn’t, just that i looked like an interesting person.

We packed up & drove out to meeting place in Rothrock SP and met Chuck & Herm. Took off. I am stiff and sore. Start climb and fall back as bruised ribs limit chest expansion. Later I learned it affected my core severely limiting my upper body activity. Climbed up onto ridge of Tussey mtn where trail became rocky, less that yesterday. I couldn’t ride the more difficult tech stuff. The other riders waited for me @ intersections.  Finished @ parking lot.

Herm shared his created map w/ me and showed me places to camp. I  missed the first turn and camped somewhere else.

Plan tomorrow is visit Freeze and Thaw bike shop in town, chiro treatment, & meet Jeremy @ his house for a drive to ride.

In way over my head

Cold morning, got started a bit earlier today as I had a full schedule.  Did laundry @ only laundromat in canyon, not crowded. Owner struck up a conversation about my sprinter and life on road. Clean clothes.

I drove out of parking lot & turned the wrong way. Fortuitous.  U turned heading back to MBH when a car w/ a bike pulls up beside me. I recognize him from yesterday’s ride. He makes some gestures asking me if I want to ride w/ him. I say yes and off he heads into Sedona where we park and join the 2 french canadians from yesterday & Gayle who has lived inn Sedona for 53 years. John promises an epic ride. I stay at the back to walk while they rode most everything.  How we got to the high point in the saddle & back down was all in a day’s ride for John & Gayle. Friction climbing on wetted slick rock w/ patches of snow mixed in. Oh, and exposure. It would have been a sliding fall.

slick rock climb, trail zigzags across face & back to left.

I did a lot of walking my bike sliding down snow. These locals are very good riders. Some of these advanced trails are almost trials riding. Again schooled. I was in way over my head in the tough technical that they rode. 6 inch travel set up soft, good granny gear to softly pedal over the challenges. I still used mid chain ring and muscled my way. Granny gear spins out too easily & leaves nothing for a balance move.

up here @ needed to get under bridge in center of pic

Crossed Oak Creek on stick bridge. Canadians bailed. Gayle left a bit later and I could have left w/ him but no, I stayed w/ John because he said he had more riding to do and that at the end he was doing a steam bath in this fancy time share deal in downtown. Real swank. I was just looking for a KOA shower. At least once we got off the sandstone faces the trail was almost all rideable by me. Soft ground. I asked today about riding on so soft a ground and they said it heals quickly. I was satisfied. Pedaling was hindered by soft.

Rode into downtown Sedona. John stops @ Burger King for a $1.00 burger. Later he introduces me to Phil another trail builder.

Van is not to far away. We load John’s muddy bike in the van and drive up the road to pick up his car. (It was a 2 mile shuttle).  We then drive into the enclosed grounds of the condos and enter the spa as John’s guest. He bought a time share on Ebay for $165. which makes him an owner and he has privileges. Shower, steam bath till I was superheated, a hot tub soak after. I am toast.

I split back to the desert after a grocery store stop. I bought a good pair of  tweezers to remove more cactus spines. I have a bunch that are broken off in my legs. Camped at same spot

Drying out in Sedona

What? Me? No, the trails after last night & this AMs rain. Bike shop would not rent bikes for rides today as the clay just sticks and cleaning is a chore plus possible replacement parts. But that is today. Yesterday was another story.

Woke up early and drove down to Scottsdale for Sprinter service. GPSd the dealer. Charged just more than Hendersonville, NC charged by $120. They hand washed the van.

Yesterday’s ride I learned that my handle bar was too low which makes the front heavy for going downhill, for lofting the front wheel, closes off my breathing, and costs $ to fix. While @ dealer researched a Phoenix area shop. Found DNA w/ Chris who is a bike fitter. 2:00 was my fitting appointment. He remeasured my knee bend and reported 30 degs because he measures bottom of pedal stroke @ about 5:15, the PT measured at full bottom of pedal stroke. He said knee bend is OK. He raised my hands and shortened my arms by a shorter stem and a wide riser bar. These parts made the shifter cables too short so I now have complete new shifter cables & housings. I surrendered my wonderful shaped composite bar ends because the shape of bar negates benefit. I was given a pair of Specialized bolt on grips. I test rode in the parking lot. Yes, I sit up higher and more comfortably but my hands are like longhorn’s horns. They were great in working my cable replacement in and doing it like right now. I was told about Red Mtn just down the road.

I parked @ Walgreens instead of TH along side hwy because of break ins I was told. Rain storm threatened but it was in low 70s, perfect bike ride temp w/ h2o cooler. Light faded and rain fell. I really dug the upright position and am adjusting to greater leverage w/ longer bars. I smoked some technical uphills because of seat height and new bars. Just wandered on trails, missed junctions and bailed exiting into a multigated community. I turned right and rode a short distance to an intersection and flagged down the first driver by to ask for road directions back to van. She gave them to me and I enjoyed a cooler in rain downhill pavement ride to van.

Originally I had no ride intentions for Phoenix because of its early season 100 deg days. I wanted to solve the hand problem & return to Sedona to reride somethings previously rode to learn of handling improvements. Temp was cool and then it rained. Soil on trail appeared to be large grain decomposed rock which drained h2o right now. Saguaro cactus.Land between mountains is flat & heavily built up but newer houses I saw were stucco neutral color & 2 story staying about tree level so none stuck out on sky line. Elevation about 1400′.

Arrived @ van rinsed off & cool. Washcloth dryoff was my daily cleanup.

Drove back to Sedona in rain most of way. The desert takes on a unique smell when wetted. More noticeable down low than Sedona.

Slept last night to rain tapping on the roof. Rained till mid morning, soft but steady. Crunched spending numbers to income. Come on social security in 2 1/2 years. Bike is there as long as I ride carefully so as not to break parts.

Drove back to Bike & Bean to learn of possible ride. They don’t rent bikes in these conditions. Enough for me so I hung visiting w/ Gonzo who was looking for a ride also. We have ridden same places in Pisgah.

Early afternoon the rain let up. Bought propane & groceries & drove back to same place on ridge. I look right down the canyon onto road is less than 3/8 mile on skyline interrupted by juniper trees just higher than van and same color. The unwashed green blended in better than dull green sheen presently.

Gonzo told me about Black Canyon 50 miles to South. The soil is to be similar to Phoenix and it is elevation lower. Bikemag said it is best in AZ and I know that value. Plan is to ride it on Sat, Ride the shop ride @ mtn bike heaven on Sun and then head for Flagstaff. I am thinking Grand canyon beyond that and then slip back into SW UT for St George, Gooseberry, & Cedar City. Then North to Lake Tahoe. I am not keen on driving over to ocean preferring to stay E of Sierra.

Forecast is for less than 50% possible rain storms. If no rain falls tonight the trails tomorrow will be fast in that the sand is bound by h2o &/or damp clay. No dust. Sunday will be special. Bike riders told me these storms are not typical for this time of year but they will take all the rain that falls which is not much and they never will get what the SE has been getting this spring.