So many miles….. so little time

Late night now after socializing in Ketchum.

Yesterday AM was single down blanket and bike hat cold. Savored the warmth vs the known sudden cold to get moving.

Today’s ride is up Wolf Tone and down Curran creek to Deer to road i was parked on. Headed out & up. Non maintained road but ridable shape. Trail was cut thru tree debris that i immediately recognized as avalanche debris. The debris is insulating the snow underneath from melting. Left creek basin climbing out thru open slopes. I hiked up a knoll to a vista. Big sky. Sawtooths appear to be 1 peak wide or perhaps the said peaks are blocking the depth of the range? Carried cell phone hoping for reception to make my weekly Monday call to Grace. Made my call. She raced Leadville Sat and want to hear her story. Trail wqas above tree line for several miles surfing 1 side then thru a gap in the ridge to traverse that side. Alpine views of everything. Mtns are not jagged and appear to be hikeable from the sides I saw.  What is special is bike riding in alpine zone which doesn’t happen often.

Trail dropped off ridge down Curran creek drainage. Back into Doug fir forest w/ creek on my right. Mellow trail, horse riders made it smooth over time. Joined Deer creek where I rode last Sat. W/ Sean & Paul. Finished w/ 3 mile spin down creek to van.

Before ride start I filled the solar shower from the creek and hung it on sunny side of van. Back @ van after ride the sun angle changed lessening it’s heating power. I moved it. The upwind sky I saw on my ride said t-storms. I got off ridge in time and made the van. I set a time table to meet to be inside b4 storm hit. 4:00 was shower time. Ah, just right. Outside tasks completed, sky darkening, and I was on the road heading down stream to campsites closer to the hard road. Storm stalled up @ Ketchum I learned today.

This AM it was 37 degrees. I stayed under the covers until 8:00. Today I ride out of Ketchum w/ Kyle @ 2:00.

Time to visit Chip @ Sun sport(?) South in Hailey. Chip knows Dave Turner thru competitive mogul skiing. Dave said he was pack filler, Chip said he was top 5 good. He has a shop ride on Thurs. I will ride on.

Drove to Ketchum & Elephant’s Perch to see if my maxel part was in. Yes it was and it no longer requires the quick release lever to hold it in. Fewer parts and it appears to hold the whel just right.

And my frige reimbursement moves on. Frige cost &750 plus 1 hour labor. Norcold said they would have sent just the replacement cooling coils for $759 plus 2 hours of labor.  That’s 1 side.

Rode from Y parking lot w/ Kyle going up river missing the big hill I rode up.  Rained heavily in yesterday’s storm firming up the dirt. Trails were just splendid for traction and no dust. Trail went into 2007 burn, varying degrees of burn from nothing to slightly burned just on ground to small stands of dead trees. FS posts danger signs @ ea TH apprising users the risks of falling trees. Successful ride. Kyle raced the Cream Puff the last 2 years, is 42, & rode a single speed hardtail. Of course he was ahead of me. Kyle is net working for me.

Shower @ Y & into the Perch. Caught the closing of like an open air market. I bough a jar of local honey. Sherry @ her name sake cookie stand seduced me w/ toffee cookies. W/i smelling distance was a barbeque cooker where a trout fillet made it onto my plate. I was reminded of music in the park, Ketch ’em Alive was going on. I walked the 6 or blocks to the park. My right hip still pains me when i walk, ridding I might suppress any pain. Met Kyle & his wife there. Kyle introduced me to Mark who does these big rides and I am hoping is the big one Chopper told me about: 4th of July, Climb over int Ants Basin and then drop down to Salmon. Bug placed in his ear and he said Saturday. We will ride Chip’s shop ride on Thurs an Will know what.

I have ridden 14 of 17 days of August to date

Sleeping behind the Perch tonight. 92 degrees at ride’s end.

Tomorrow I am on my own for what I have not planned.