Quiet night last night.
Plan today is to do laundry, hit Bike & Bean and perhaps pick up 1st bike part.
Finishing up breakfast cleanup when i heard a whooshing sound. earlier I saw a hot air balloon maybe 1/4 mile away towards Sedona. I connected the whoosh to the hot air burner in the balloon and looked out the windows. I saw the balloon trying to touch down on the road about 150′ away. The basket was being drug by the in motion balloon into a juniper tree. I heard the snapping branches. A guy on the ground was trying to corral the thing, he was overmatched. I went back to chores, next look and the balloon was almost deflated on the ground, chores, looked back and the chase truck et. al. were gone. This Deer Pass road must be on the flight path.
Did laundry. Weather forecast for next week is rain almost all week long. Air dried clothes need to dry before weather change.
Checked out a fitness club in W Sedona for showers. No deal, I proposed buying a short time membership but manager said it wou;d cost $100 to join. Cross that idea off.
Next chore is to patch the leak around the fan. At an Ace store I bought a tube of sealant, a $4,00 caulking gun, wire brush, & spatula. I needed a way to get on top of van. Hardware wouldn’t let me use one of theirs for insurance reasons. A woman clerk worked w/ me to find something to climb up on to get up on roof. I drove behind their store and found that the next building had a below grade delivery dock. Just drive down the ramp until I can step on roof. Success. Previous patch looked solid. Best I could do was wire brush the leading edge of sealant and apply a new bead. Rain this week will validate my fix. This is all because when i installed the fan onto the van I forgot to place the gasket between the 2. I am chasing the leak after the fact.
At B & B the Fork Up mount arrived via USPS as I was walking in the front door. This Fork Up mates the new fork w/ a 20mm Through Axle (TA) to my existing fork mount. This is the cheapest and easiest method to attach the new fork.
Rode from B & B on the main tourist trail heading up canyon. I rode out templeton until the switchbacks and turner around. I tried reriding several sections, some I rode the 2nd time and used that skill to ride something else. On the way back i found a non mapped trail that took me back to shop, more technical and no traffic. My wound hurts when I hit bumps going down hill so I cut the ride shorter.
Riding slick rock is like friction climbing: both count on friction. Going straight up or down is straight forward. It’s crossing a face at various angles using the side lugs of the tires. 2 vectors fighting for dominance. In rock climbing you don’t edge on rock. I am asking these side (edge) lugs to maintain friction to go upward w/ o sliding out. My tires give me more traction than I give them credit for. I just don’t want to fall.
No shower to be had in Sedona. No KOAs, state XG up canyon has showers but it is booked up. Forecast is for rain next week w/ snow level @ Flagstaff elevation. Black canyon KOA is 50 miles away and below snow level. Jim suggested getting a day pass @ the Hilton day Spa. A perfect night’s sleep is when i have just washed sheets and body.
Dirtbag camped in a parking lot just off main hwy in Oak Creek. Watched Zag game on web TV. Again better than listening on radio. Perhaps if I received the game from a wireless network the reception might be better than my card.
Tomorrow is another MBH shop ride. Need to ride on Monday hopefully before the week’s rain starts. Late in the week the rainfall is to be heavy, might get to see some gulley washes.