PLU

People Like Us. Shrimper gave me that. There are PLUs that we really connect with, the degree runs the gamete. I am so fortunate to share time w/ the connectors.

Yesterday was another trip to Asheville to the phone store to transfer data from old phone to new. Their technical expertise is better than i want to acquire and it seems that a small detail in my learning process is missed which torpedoes my success. The fixer guy I met yesterday is a mtn biker coming from a youthful road bike life. Amazing he is from a town maybe 30 miles from where I grew up. The transfer time was long which allowed us to talk about mtn biking. Phone was partially populated w/ data. I spent enough time to fuss w/ him figuring out how to bring over all my text messages. I sent the old phone off.

I warrantied the GPS for a replacement.

Last night was a secret handshake ride requiring a long shuttle. We started riding a bit after 6:00 under rain clouds under the tree canopy. The tread is a hiking trail, rooty, rocky, slippery, dark, and something else I might remember. Just classic Pisgah type riding. AND I am riding new I9 Enduro wheels. The rim width is slightly larger than the Stans Arch rim, this increase changes the tire profile essentially making it wider. And also stiffer. The rear hub has a 3 degree engagement which is really great for rapid acceleration. Another technical advancement. I’m keeping them, now just negotiation over $. List price is $1,000.

Back to the ride. AMazing, 9. 50 mile ride, climbed 941 feet but dropped 3000 feet. we rode 2. 5 miles pavement to shuttle, road was almost flat, subtract the road from total, what 7 miles dropping the 3,000′. Daylight is blocked by the tree canopy, sun was less than overhead and was filtered thru the rain clouds, rain that never fell. I were amber tinted glasses that highlight shadows but they were too dark still. I ate a nibble of edible b4 starting, the effect affected my vision. Slippery rocks. I rode usual last. Shrimper stayed not too far ahead and called out the slippery places like all the wood bridges and some log steps. Everything slippery. Roll over it unweighting the front wheel and counter steering for the rear wheel slip. Or, jus go fast over it and skip correcting. Sissy was just ahead of me. The tread was on an outward sloping downhill exposed bed rock. I saw her loose purchase and watched her splatter right in front of me. I scrubbed my speed, still slowing down when I hit the rock. Nobody watched my fall but I landed hard on my left side, adding another bruise. I slid on the dirt on my left side, from the corner of my eye I saw a tree stump getting closer setting me up for a good head smasher. I stopped making gentle contact w/ said stump. A scrape and a  bruise. It was almost completely dark when we arrived back to the shuttle.

Got to tell you: drive these mountain roads.

Back into town way pass restaurant closings. Back @ the Farm for the night. Temps here drop into low 60s & being in the country I sleep w/ the door open which cools off the interior such that I sleep under the thermal blanket: I don’t sweat.

Musta hit the wrong key which caused a bunch of text to disappear.

Converting to 2X10 drivetrain as I need a new derailleur and shifter.

Spent day in The Hub parking lot. Several riders reintroduced themselves to me from a meeting somewhere else.

Dinner w/ Todd @ Heather and a ride tomorrow w/ Shrimper and gang.

Shimper lives a bit of way away from here and up in the mtns. Last year he recorded 147″ of rain, normal he said is 140″. He said the rain comes in brief storms w/ sunshine mixed in or at least no rain falling. Trails are amazing to ride even washed by that much rain.