Drove to Winter Park thru Eisenhower tunnel. Found Totally Wired cyclery. Met Doug. He turned to and lubed my front hub. Wheel spins like it should. How wonderful. Doug gave me a pound of his Doug E Fresh blend coffee.

Today was a rest day. I found a place to camp of fs 159. Did some walking. Viewed these wonderful flowers I have never seen.

Todd is to arrive @ Winter Park on Thurs. Drove into town & called Todd. I met him @ his hotel. We rode from there starting on a monster loop Tod mapped out. We stopped @ Totally wired. We decided to climb big rd climb to descend a social trail. I huffed & puffed up to top. Todd pedaled beside me chatting. At the top there was a gaggle of FS people. The road forward was blocked by a wilderness sign. We needed about 150 yds before ST dropped off. No wilderness boundary signs. FS person told us we couldn’t go forward. There was discussion about who showed us the trail. I said nothing but I did give the FS person my card. Duh. I chose to ride back down the road legally. No reward for effort for climb.

Long day 36 miles. Back @ Totally wired I picked up & installed my new Fizek saddle. I hoped that the new saddle would have better foam and be softer as my butt was getting hammered. Have to break in new saddle.

Met Todd back @ motel. Got a shower. Drove into Fraser for nice but for me expensive dinner.

Found a seamstress to hem my new bottom sheet for my bed.

Todd races super D on Sun AM. Friday we are going to race venue @ Sol Vista to watch downhill practice and a ride of our own.

Yesterday I had problems w/ shortness of breath. Ribs still hurt from fall on Big Schloss 5 weeks ago.

Woke early. Bakery shop in front of me opens later than i want to stay. Drive out to bfast spot on gravel parking area alongside I-70. My sink h2o goes straight overboard, gravel absorbs it, pavement pools or runs off.

My back and neck have been bothering me, I need a chiro. I picked one from insurance Internet search. Feel better but this eve my back seems the same. Next was a hair trim. I walked Main street looking but not finding a salon. I stopped @ Visitor info and learned a barber shop was doors away. Working my mind around a barber shop trim vs styling.  Barber shop i go. I enter, in street side of room is a band set up complete w/ drums, and a pool table. A woman follows me in and asks if she may help me. Yes, I said I needed a trim but could I trust you w/ my long locks wanting to remain that way. Tattooed artistically. We goofed as she snipped. Other customers entered, haircutting became a spectator sport.

I stopped @ marijuana dispensary to learn who to use the system to obtain legal pot. Walked into office, windows were one way looking out. The smells were like a big stinky skunk. I learned that I had to be a legal resident of CO to obtain a card. I chatted w/ the young man behind the desk about pot. He told me different strains have different medical effects. Sativa is a good day time functioning medicine while Indica is what you pay your money for. The store had 22 varieties. Thru the medical program you can legally possess pot. Drive across the state line and you are a criminal again.

Headed up to Keystone ski area to meet rebecca @ the Specialized bike deal. Specialized dealers from around the world were in attendance. Today was Rebecca’s group for afternoon mtn biking. I met her as a drive by. We drove to mtn bike expo at the base of a ski lift. I am in the van while Rebecca goes to claim her ride. I hear a familiar voice, it is Tommy from Trailhead in Huntsville. What a hoot. All around me are a sea of various configurations of Specialized bikes and my lone Turner. Chair lift rides were paid for and I had a ticket. We planned and completed pedal up the green trails to almost the top of mtn and then dropped in to bottom riding some new trail and some we climbed.  My bike’s suspension is right on making it very comfortable. Climbed 1 hr 20 m ins, dropped 20.  Elevation really kills me.

Towards the bottom we stop to talk to a rider rebecca knows. His name is Ben and he is up in the organization. He leads us rest of way down. He propositioned me with a Specialized ride and I had a lift ticket. The 3 of us boarded a detachable quad for long ride to top of Keystone mtn @ 11,xxx’ . I rode a carbon Enduro not set up for me and it could not have been w/o time to do a custom fit. Drop seat, Elixer brakes w/ 8″ rotors front & back. Real powerful w/ little modulation. A panic stop would have launched me over the bars. Ben lead followed by Rebecca who can really get down.

Back @ base I run into Wes from Sycamore bikes in Brevard. He recognized from the Pisgah stage race leader jersey that Todd gave me.

What a hoot: meeting people I have met in my travels.

This lift shuttle is like skiing, sort of. You can throw yourself down hill. There are black diamond runs w/ features & drops above my comfort level. Even the easy green trails going down were a blast. Some blues were too steep making the distance traveled go too fast. prefer 8-10% grade downhill. Trails get beat up from excessive braking aka skidding. Liked my Spot over the Specialized as set up.

Drove back to Rebecca’s hotel for a shower. Our dinner plans were the Mexican place in Frisco I enjoyed. outside the motel a man makes eye contact and asks if I am the guy… . Yes. He was Gaylon from NH. He read the article. We talked about NE riding. Saw him again when we returned after dinner.

Left Rebecca and I drove back to Frisco to same parking lot for sleep spot.

Plan is tomorrow to drive to Winter Park area. Todd will not be here until Thurs.

I have ridden everywhere man. I can talk riding trails in every state. I can share a ride memory w/ almost everybody I meet. If it is an American rider we have a shared ride.

My taint is chafed. Bag Balm from Lyndonville, VT right next to Kingdom trails as Gaylon knows.

Temp today was city hot in way upper 70’s.

Slept in same parking lot downtown. Drove out to gravel parking lot for bfast.

Rebecca called. Plans were formulated. I was to call her at 3:00 after my ride.

I drove up to Breck. I stopped to photograph the restored made into a restaurant gold dredge on the river in downtown Breck. The mining dredge dug a pond to float itself as it advanced upstream.

Met Dan @ Beaver creek TH for the ride he wanted to take me on. Today i am riding a greased front hub but the grease is too thick for bearings causing drag. Dan is 35 and has lived here for years. Get the picture? Today we start @ 9,600 and top out @ 12,500′. On the map the climb gradient is smooth & consistent. Arrived @ my turnaround point 3 mins faster. Then the hurt set in. Road got rockier, babyheads, and the air pressure lessened. Good grunt. I walked several short pieces just for a break. I pedaled slowly but the short bust over a rock left me gasping. Dan just motored ahead and talked to me. Faint Wheeler trail ST left road in alpine. Tree cover appears to be same willow that I experienced in the high Uintas in UT. Climbed small knoll and then it was hang on to the traction as steep narrow ST bench cut trail dropped quickly. Alpine. Treeless peaks.

Dan is a free heeler.

Trail dropped into forest w/ roots & rocks, all rideable, letting gravity be the engine. My suspension is super. One short climb out of Spruce creek to make Burro trail to final downhill. Super ride, high alpine was special.Height above sea level was a killer.

Back @ van @ 3:05. I invited Dan into my home and we cracked beers. @ 3:07 Rebecca called. We ride tomorrow @ Keystone. Specialized is hosting a week long product education program @  Keystone. I met her & husband Dave back in Sedona. I slept in their drive several nights. Dave says Sedona reservations for this winter have been made.

Found Totally Wired cyclery in Fraser, a shop that was recommended by Dave from Redstone, they have the King special grease. They allowed me to ship my new Fizek saddle to them. This weekend is the nationals in Granby next town down canyon. Todd will be here for the supre D.

Kind of like bone deep tired. Able to function but exhaustion is just under the surface.

Camped @ MT Royal TH just outside of downtown Frisco. An air cooled VW Westfallia that has been well used shares the parking lot. We are maybe 75 feet away separated by air yet remain distant.

Tomorrow a ride w/ Rebecca @ Keystone and then will probably start towards Fraser.