Last night I identified a dentist & a chiro and called each on Wed morn & scored a same day appointment. My teeth were cleaned by the dentist who remarked that my teeth look fine. OK by me. Later in the day the chiro straightened my neck and back from the repeated step smash my head on the cutting board.
I started the day by touring a historical museum in Hurricane. 70 yo couple were the volunteers during my visit. The woman and I shared history facts. Several times she said w/ a sincere comment that she really enjoyed listening to me for the facts I shared. She asked if I was a professor.
I stopped @ Over the Edge bike shop in town which is somehow tied to namesake in Fruita. CO. Learned that gnats are Utah Juniper gnats and yes they bite. Somebody said that different people have different tolerances to their bites. I am so bitten and welted and itch. One guy @ Virgin Bike complained about mosquitoes that don’t bother me. They seem to like the mesas. If the spring is wet and cool they last longer. He said that several 100 degree days kill them off.
Stories intermingled.
Wed was spent @ drs etc in Hurricane. Woman @ propane store told me to drive up Kolob road and camp in P-pine forests away from gnats. I followed her advice. my route took me towards Zion NP. Kolob split of from main road and ducks in @ out of Zion as it works its way up higher into mtns. Miles and 3000 some ‘ of elevation I arrived @ reservoir in a mtn basin. The peaks on ridge ringing the body of h20 still had winter cornices. Lots of people were camped. Road around lake was not Sprinter certified so I parked on a concrete pad much like the start of an RV campground. Exposed spot but it was late afternoon and the skies were overcast. Temp in Hurricane around 3000′ was 100 degrees when I left. At the reservoir @ around 7800′ was in low 60s. Great sleeping night.
Thurs I crawled out of bed with a neck that turned like it meant to be turned. Chilly @ 40 deg. Fixed bfast, cleaned up, and headed down mtn while hardly anybody else stirred. Kolob is a small bedroom community near the res. Ranch land. I passed 5 heavy duty pickups pulling calf stuffed stock trailers up to summer grazing. The brakes will be well worked during the descent in the fall. Steep road.
Drove up towards Zion NP to Bike Zion, the shop dean @ Sedona used to own, to learn of the trails off the Virgin River which flows out of Zion NP. He was the gnat knowledge person. I picked JEM trail. He was suggesting other rides but they were on top of mesas in gnat land. I emphatically said NO. I will not be bitten again no more.
JEM TH is back down towards valley. Passed mile post 24 where people are primitive camping and where I will go tonight. Today’s ride is all exposed desert. i followed the route guide and rode up jeep road to upper TH and then down ST back to lower TH. This ride is right under Gooseberry mesa. No gnats. Actual ST JEM is an almost buffed trail with a gentle elevation drop turning around sage bushes. Fun keeping speed and slaloming small berms on trail.
77 degrees when started, 2 hours later it was 91. Rode over to Zion Falls park to scope out dunking in Virgin river. 4 young men were in and claimed it was cold. It was not a fresh mtn stream and I would have wanted a shower afterwards. I left them to their chilly fun.
I drove down into laverkin to fill up h2o and the shower and to do computer work.
I will stay @ mp 24 primitive on the river site tonight and then ride a 22 mile desert ride tomorrow that ties JEM and several other trails for the loop. And then move down to ST George rides.
Some of the rides are very technical, some are simple fun like today. Great to work on spin. The tech stuff calls other skills into play. Mix ’em up.
Its windy here in town. I am hoping for a sheltered camp spot to pitch shower in to have it stay expanded instead of wrapped around me. On my jeep road ride today i was blown around on the road; the wind was steering me and I was forcing my will on the correction.