The King bottom bracket on my bike makes creaking sounds. Mark @ Powerhouse told me to see him @ shop opening of 12:00 yesterday and he would check my bike.
Tues night I hung in Hailey, first for bad Mexican dinner then over to the Powerhouse hoping to visit w/ Chopper after his Bike Oregon adventure @ Oakridge. I parked my van right @ their door step. Being a bike shop / restaurant it and me became sources of conversation. I am doing what I want while others are wanting to do it.
Chopper did arrive almost @ my departure time. He remembered me and gave me some more ride ideas, one of which I rode the next day.
Drove out Deer Creek road for night. 3.2 miles of sometimes wash board gravel road to campsite 2. FS controls camping to created sites which concentrates the degradation to small specific areas. Somewhere a full moon lit up the landscape.
Yesterday AM woke up again to almost freezing temp. Turned on heater, valve worked. Enjoyed the heat ubtil sun crested ridge warming me up. The van metal expands as it warms making small popping sounds.
Drove into Hailey. Visited w/ Chip. Learned details for Thurs shop ride.
Turned me & bike over to Mark @ Powerhouse. Bike shop is a former room in a house converted to a restaurant. A bike stand is hung from the ceiling. A couch is in 1 end. Bike parts hang from hooks along the walls. In the bar the bar has a bike parts display case built in under the glass top. Mark went thru the BB. I followed his defect detection & resolution process w/ what i would do. Ended up w/ a new King BB because first one was installed incorrectly w/ an extra spacer. As a result the crank arm needed to be reefed onto the axle. This side loaded the bearing which toasted it. New BB rides sweetly as in my bike is quiet again.
Kyle called to invite me on a Cameron’s b-day ride up Prairie lake for 5:00 meet time in Ketchum. I’m in. This is also a Chopper suggestion. Meeting place is Ketchum pump track. Drive way out of town towards Galena Summit lodge. Rec map shows the trails as black dashed lines which means they are not recommended for bikers. the up was a single black and the down from Miner is double black. I get freaky when trail difficulty becomes a black. We started out riding up2.6 miles of gravel road to actual ST TH. Good to warm up. Again, I am last. I can’t kep up w/ these youngsters, for that matter most anyone my age. Most number of riders I have encountered on a trail here, and they were almost all women.
Made the Prairie Lake just after 8:00. I was concerned out making it out w/ enough light. I was told downhill was right here except for a climb, no, maybe 2, we were @ the top. Dropped down, someplace weird babyheads, then steep fall line loose, some w/ that plus loose rock. I walked some of the steep loose stuff again because of brake drag dragging earth downhill. Challenging ride. I am better than I give myself credit for.
Made road as light failed. Road was almost all downhill. Mtn bike tires can stir up dust clouds.
Drove Kyle back to his house then drove downtown to Wise Guys Pizza where rest of group riders were debriefing after ride. Eating pizza and drinking tap beer at outside table right on sidewalk till we broke up towards 11:00. Cameron turned 30.
Nick is from Spokane & living here for just a year. He took up mtn biking here first. He asked me about Spokane riding, he might be in Spokane while I am there. We might hook up then I can be the local guide.
Drove out to Corral Creek rode outside Sun Valley for primitive spot. 1st 4 spots were occupied. i drove 1 spot further up the creek for an open spot.
Slept till after 8:00, partially waiting for sun’s warmth, mostly because of 12:00 sleep time.
Visited w/ Kyle @ The Perch in Ketchum then drove down to Hailey. Bought propane.
Tonight’s Chip’s shop ride is out Warrior creek.
How I spend my day is dependent upon who I get involved w/. When i ride by myself I am usually done by midafternoon even riding in the heat. Then I take a shower, buy groceries, fix dinner, work on internet, then bed around 10:00. After work rides rearranges my norm and revises my living tasks, usually no shower, eat prepared food, drink more beer.
Rant: Bike riders behavior on streets: Bikes are a street legal vehicle. They are accorded the same rules and responsibilities as vehicles. rant is riders disregard rules to their benefit then piss when vehicles don’t respect them. Riders who become pedestrian to walk their bikes at a cross walk, sometimes causing traffic to yield because they are in a cross walk. Legally, they are to cross intersection as a vehicle would. Or blow off stop signs and / or lights.
Parked in a piece of shade right off Main street in Hailey. Red flag warning for most of southern Idaho.
Planning on meeting a group of Spokane folks @ Bozeman for Labor Day.
Done for now.