Date line: Sedona, AZ

Hunkered down in van on bluff listening to persistent rain pelt the roof. Occasional flashes of lightning brighten the alpenglow sunset. Thunder rattles over American Roots show on XM NPR. Jack Kerouac. On the Road 1 of 3 greatest American fiction books, Tom Sawyer, & Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Slept in enjoyably so. Looking forward to riding Black canyon w/ new bike set up. Sprinkled a bit during bfast. Hoping that further South the rain quit and trails are drying out. 50  miles South down I-17. As I got closer there was standing h2o in the rubble groves. Bad sign. Concern about h2o is that it makes the clay sticky.

Made TH, 3 rigs only. Took off. New handle bar & stem raise my hands to just above seat level and way wide. Sit more upright. Pedaled off w/ anticipation. Bike rides so much differently. Les always asks me if I am still having fun. Previously my rides were not all that enjoyable. In the 3 1/2 hours in 85 degree desert sun no shade 2819′ vert climb out & back ride I was all about smiles & happiness. I finished w/ energy to spare and I pedaled almost everything. I rode a river rock boulder field pedaling over or around round rocks to river shore. I have snap under my legs for short bursts of power to climb something. I am having fun riding now. High heart rate and lungs appear to be keeping up. Lowered seat was trick.

Only saw 3 riders on 21 mile ride. Well built narrow technical ST, some places of great exposure on rocky narrow trail. No shade as in Sedona. Saguaro cactus.

Found KOA nearby for $5.00 shower and then drive back to Sedona. Black canyon is @ 2200′, Sedona is 4000′. Outskirts on Sedona caught tail end of rain squall. Stopped @ Bike & Bean to fill Gonzo on ride. Thunderstorm moved in, ran back to van getting wet.

Drove back to place I have been camping. Stuff still @ empty site. Thunderstorm moved S of town and on drive out I saw cloud to cloud lightning. At campsite the clouds let loose another storm and more rain to 8:30 PM. Finally quit. Lots of rain has fallen. Bike shop rented bikes today and they commented that they are cleaner than they thought possible w/ rain.

Mtn Bike Heaven shop ride Sunday @ 8:00AM and I am there.

Brushed against several cactus on ride, drew blood in several places on legs & arms. Have like a nettle itch on my left arm from an unknown cacti.

Last night just a few sprinkles. Cool evening went to single layer down blanket. Slept well. Nice to be cool and in quiet place. Not sure of land ownership but it wasn’t posted to either stay out or it is public land.

Drove more desert rt 6 into CA. At CA port of entry an agriculture inspector checks you out for plant possessions. She asked to come into my van to look contents over including the fridge. I passed the store bought produce. She looked over my collectibles on my dash and discovered the cotton bolls. She confiscated them.

While in the NV desert i was seeing snow capped peaks. Ohhh, I read an internet comment that trails were open. Not to be so.

Mammoth is just off rt 395 which runs thru Spokane. Drove to visitors’ center seeking info. Was greeted by Bill Clark, author-speaker. He asked where I am from. I told him homeless. He said he and his wife were sort of same as they are full time RVers except for volunteer stints for USFS. When he is asked where he is from he names the city & state where his PO box is. I do not want to be from Seattle. I asked about a bike shop and he sent me to Brian’s. I did.

Today is a rest day so i had time on my hands. I visited w/ Brian. He recommended that I hook up w/ Mark Davis. Brian made call on his phone to Brian’s voice mail.

At Vons grocery I discovered local brewery, Mammoth Brewing. I found their address in phone book and drove off seeking the source of the local stuff. Found tasting  & retail room. Sampled 2 beers and bought a 22er of each.

Weather is bordering on wet snow as I drove out of town seeking a primitive campspot. Phone rang, it was Mark and I drove out of cell coverage. I found a camp spot and called him back. We agreed to meet it ended up in the local brewery pub. 1 long beer w/ lessons in history of gold mining, travel on wagon roads,mtn biking rides, & castigation for loss of trails to wilderness designation. Wagon roads he explained were route as required for h2o & feed for working animals. This might generate a longer route than even earlier car roads, but no fuel for the engine, it dies.

Which brings to the ride for tomorrow.

I have a primitive spot under old growth firs & maybe hemlocks @ 8000′. Rain has fallen daily for last 2 weeks which is abnormal. However the wet bonds the pumice together making it faster. The ski area is still open. Way too much $ to rent tele gear and a lift ticket.

Have the heater on and it feels great. Desert tan will fade from cold coverup.

Mark said that during gold years of Mammoth extensive logging occurred to susport gold mining. Wood was fuel for steam engines that operated the mine and for the rock pulverizers for gold extraction.

Last night just after I crawled into bed i heard car tires crunching gravel & lights in my rear view mirrors. I laid there still listening to prepare for possible response. No voices, car door slammed a few times and then a structure door closed. I looked out to see a shiny black car tucked in between me and the building. I saw no building lights possibly because of building structure. No bother during night.

Hot night, woke early and drove up to Bootleg. Fixed bfast in parking lot. No RV crowd today. Cool day. Left before 8:00 pedaled up Girl Scout again. I intended to do a Caldera loop by picking this trail that I thought met a verbal description. Trail never broke to North like the map said it should have. Darn trail turned out to be the back side of Mother trail that I rode on yesterday. OK, up to ridge and down to where I turned around yesterday to finish the loop out. Rode more of places I walked. Still, exposure to potential fall on jagged rocks gave me the grip and I walked. Finally an easy trail down POW on slight down grade on tread of crushed rock w/ shallow turns, kind of fun brainless trail that relieves mental fatigue of concentration and managing fear on the tough stuff. But that is my story. Yesterday @ AMC I watched a video showing various downhill rides and those guys were flat out fast. Apt description of my riding style is, “controlled”.

Just a few riders out. Took another park shower.

Michael, the beer man from Saturday night, mentioned several times that  Boulder Boats, across the street where he works, had dashboard bobble upper body hula girls. I gave the thought of an addition to accompany the mtn biker bobble head. I drove to the shop in a geodesic dome, visited w/ Michael, and bought a doll for the dash. I also straightened out credit to him for discovering my loose crank. He reminds me of Jeff Hart, a PT in Spokane who previously repaired my body. Jeff just cuts his hair shot, Michael shaves.

Plan is to ride @ Cottonwood which is like west Las Vegas. GPSd King Bikes and met Ray, the owner, (Michael’s recommendation as he used to work there). No map of trails but steered my to Blue Diamond further out. I missed the turn and climbed up to summit of Spring Mountain. Turned around and made turn into small town butted up against BLM land. I noticed horse like droppings in yards where they should not have been. Blue Diamond is in the Burro & horse management area and they are allowed to range free. I bought diesel @ town’s small store and asked about any burros. She told me they come around whenever they feel like it. She has a fence around her yard keeping them out. A guy playing video gambling told me the street several were on. One is a young born. I found street and saw 2 adults & a young one. The mother was donkey kicking but not connecting on an overly amorous male. I got my pictures & saw rejection.

Cottonwood is all out in desert. I decided I have enjoyed the desert to fulfillment for time being and will move North to Mammoth in CA. And the desert drive was underway. Visualize greenless landscape: no h2o & rocky soil, not even grazing cows. Sharp peaked mountains on either side of road. Stopped @ a buffalo jerky store and bought a package for $10.00. Ate about 1/2 and am still typing.

Plan was to drive till 7:00 and duck off on a side road thru desert for night. Passed 7:00. Drove into Goldfield, a played out but not completely dead gold  mining town. Abandoned vestiges of passed success littered the town among inhabited buildings at various stages of their lifecycle. I found the ball field and concluded that it would suit for the night. Darn, dreaded No Overnight Parking sign. Drove to another spot and ate cold leftovers.

New plan is to drive into Tonapah for a business parking lot. Just outside of Goldfield I spied a cattle guard thru fence and a good gravel road leading away. I drove back aways and that is where I am spending the night. 5450′, in 50s, and slackening wind on a bulldozed flat spot well off highway. Not in Tonapah but out in sticks, Nevada desert sticks that is. Its starting to rain

Sat as i drove theu Las Vegas i watched planes like 737s queue up for landing right behind each other, they were landing maybe 2 minutes behind each other. Today i watched a similar leaving. I witnessed the popular times and then traffic waned. Drinking lots of liquids but little comes out. Hot & dry.

Tomorrow os California. I wonder how I will be greeted @ border? A dust bowler? Tom Joad?

Rick, I did not see a road runner @ Bootleg.

Off to bed and a good sleep unless it rains.