3 days of rain, wet, cold, & snow mixed in. To wet to ride, even Rama rain checked today, which was just as well as I watched several snow squalls back up against Grayback while parked in MBH parking lot. I was warm & dry inside my van taking advantage of faster internet speed. I did my tax return. Seems I owe $4.00, I am taxed @ 3.4%.

Monday hung out @ B & B staying out of rain. Staying down canyon to watch Zags WCC title game @ PJs. Jimmie invited me & guys on work Chewie & Tony down for burgers & beer. Guys like hanging around w/ boss & like wise. I enjoyed their company. Jimmie is from Long Island. Chewie is international. Zags game came on & they all left me to watch in shock as the Zags were outplayed & coached and lost to ST Mary’s. Find out Sunday their Big Dance ticket.

Tues was mid morn shower @ Hilton spa. I drove out to Cottonwood via Beaverhead flats rd & thru Cornville. Intense thunderstorm dumped wet snow big drops of rain propelled by gusting winds. Head lights & regular speed wipers. Visited Dean’s new employment shop Zoomers but he was off. Finished day back @ deer pass. Later afternoon several snow showers moved thru. Nothing stuck. Ran heater again while inside.

Today the skies looked more favorable but forecast was still for rain & snow. Bought propane. Drove to MBH for shop ride. Called Rama, he decided to remain dry.

Decided to see Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton’s new movie.  Crazy Heart was also playing 15 min later. Too many surreal images for me. Special effects were great. Would rather of seen Crazy Heart. Senior citizen discount of 50 cents.

Back out @ desert. Still cold w/ scattered light showers. Roof repair is keeping me dry.

Today in the Safeway parking lot I was searching for a parking spot close to door. Turned up an aisle and watched a truck  back out of a stall & drive away. I pulled in behind him before the dust settled. I noticed a rig in the traffic lane w/ turn light flashing. This person to follow turn light would have had to scribe a tight turn to get into the stall I was in. The drive hung in the lane. I got out and approached the rig. She electrically lowered the window and said did I see her waiting for that spot. I said no. Man, I don’t know if she was there ahead of me or not but I was embarrassed enough and offered to leave the stall. She said no. I don’t know if I took a spot she had been waiting for.

Hoping tomorrow no precip falls and that the sun shines and temps climb drying out trails. Sat is Sedona ride day for Arizona Spring Fling. Weather forecast is for Thurs & Fri being dry & warm which will make Sat ride just right. Washes will be running.

Sat night rain out @ Beaverhead Flats. Down below the Dry beaver creek flows not like it’s adjective, ever higher after last night’s rain.

Stopped @ B & B to return pedals borrowed for Grace. Jimmy & I shared thoughts that trails other than Sedona are boring. I was looking forward to Black Canyon trail for it’s pedaling & steering on a “smooth” tread. Once riding that excitement lasted about 20 mins and I was ready for chunky & some walk over. I will so miss riding here.

Made MBH, a fresh scrubbed woman in bike gear was looking to join the shop ride. She is from Cincinnati and way out of her league. Johny, Tim, Rama, the girl, & I headed out in a sucker hole. Plan was to ride the washes & stay nearby and out as long as we could tolerate the rain to fall. I was running late leaving even though I was first to arrive. I was living up to my moniker of Talkin Dude.

A white Sprinter w/ WA plates and a home conversion pulled into the parking lot.  I might have approached the guy, Dave, to aggressively. He was back pedaling getting some space . I shared my story and he relaxed. He & his wife are on a 90 day tour of the US making DC visit to a child. They are from Winthrop. His van interior is like modular. He outfitted it w/ removable things. They cook etc outside. Idea works for him. They are mtn bikers. He said he had only today to ride in Sedona and it would be wet and maybe rain. They will miss out, the nature of traveling.

Clean clothes again.

Drove back down to VOC and a bar, PJs to watch Gonzaga basketball, WCC tournament. Had bar seat comfortably distanced from big screen TV but volume turned off for bar band. Zags won & music was listenable.

Camped @ B & B. Dean called asking for moving help. I volunteered for Mon ( Today) to help.

This AM I helped Dean load & unload, out from the old into the new. He has a large & heavy rock collection to move. Interesting things cast into the rock. Dean was a big part of the original Red Bull Rampage @ Bootleg Canyon. Dean is just now managing a bike shop in Cottonwood. Years earlier he had a shop in Springdale, UT outside Zion. Remember I met him on my trip thru back in ’98.

Wet day today. Sat is AZ Spring Fling ride in Sedona. An informal gathering of mtn bikers to ride several places as a moving festival. Weather dries up Thurs. Traildoc has a blood clot in his lung that broke loose from one of his legs. He had a worse go than i did w/ mine 3 years ago.

Grace made it back to Huntsville and her luggage is getting additional address tags put on as it is elsewhere. Sun was her 49th b-day.

New snow is landing on mountains above town; tops look like 6800′, are in wilderness & off limits to bikes.

Today I rode McDowell park Pemberton loop w/ Grace & her bf, John. Grace said it was a year ago on this day that she rode outside. This year back in Huntsville she would still be inside. Hot sunny day, getting warm for me this early, 60 degree is just great.

Catchup:

Friday drove back to Urgent care to deal w/ continuing abdomen pain. Doc says that nothing is growing inside me and probably never was but to have my guts checked out by specialist up in Flag. Mon I’ ll make the appointment.

Drove back down canyon and onto I-17 to Black Canyon City & Black Canyon trail. Managing time to be @ Carrie’s house in Scottsdale @ 5:00. Desert south of Sedona is really greening up. Black canyon is around 2200′ well below Sedona’s 4500′. Upper 60s, just perfect for ride in Sonoran desert, tree cover is Saguaro cactus. Challenging single track mostly bench cut side mtn traversing, edge dropped away that would hurt stopping on. Broken rock, sharp edged and about fist sized. Keith told me to bring Tevas to cross Aqua Fria and he was right, the river was just below my knees flowing w/ gusto. Jan. rains flooded the river and littered the shoreline w/ debris. It was quite a flood, maybe 15 feet above present level. Lots of firewood. Rode out & back, i turned around @ 1 1/2 hours for 3 hour ride. Took 15 min less to get back.

Back on I-17 and megalopolis of Phoenix to Carrie’s house. I was going into the city while masses were leaving the city. Found her family’s home. She saw my van and said that her husband, Nick, was going to drool over it. He contained himself but inquisitive. I learned that he would like to take less than 1 week trips & return to a home base. Carrie & my middle sister were best of friends and she was shared by my family. I was away @ school and wasn’t part of  family. Visiting w/ Carrie was sort of like talking to a sister. Great stimulating conversation w/ Carrie & Nick and were joined off & on by their brain popping 2 semester son. His brain is being filled & stretched and worked, I could handle about the first 3 lines of a point and my brain would start missing cogs. Nick stretched my mind as an age peer and counselling profession. The two of us shared early Sat morn soaking up more knowledge.

I bid adieu to wonderful warm people & shuffled down to Tempe to Meet Grace at a bike shop were they were renting bikes. She was running late but called me to keep me updated on progress. Their bikes were mid level full suspension but were lead heavy. They wanted to ride McDowell instead of technical Hawes. Paid $6.00 entry fee. Wow, Rocky Mountain bikes had a bike demo going on. Grace & John scored  way better bikes that put a big smile on their faces. John races under 40 expert and had a jones to be itched so he took off. Trails here are mostly decomposed granite, you stay out of the washes as they are filled w/ large grain sand. 2 hours of almost race pace 22.26 miles, 1489′ vert in 2 hrs 8 mins. I missed bfast and did not much better for lunch causing an energy shortfall. New bike is a blast to ride. Worked on suntan w/out leg armor. Getting tanned.

Took a shower park facility.

On way out of park a sheriff officer was waving drivers around his rig. I looked back and he was preparing to help a rattlesnake off the warm pavement.

Drove back to bike shop to return bikes and me to buy a jug of Hammer gel huckleberry flavor. During 1st visit I bought a packet and gulped it on the ride. Pretty tasty.

Grace turns 49 tomorrow.

Drove 90 miles back to Beaverhead flats campspot. Infrequent lightning flashes lighted the sky where I was going. Started sprinkling just b4 I pulled into camp. Its gentling raining now.