Sunday I watched the sun come up, Sunset is way more spectacular as it should be as in red sky @ night sailors’ delight, red sky in morning, sailors’ take warning. Plan is to ride Hurricane loop from camp @ upper JEM TH. The first leg drops down the JEM trail 7 some miles to a junction w/ Hurricane Rim, 7.3 miles to hwy crossing. The JEM is fun like a shallow angle ski slope playing on the berms.
The Hurricane rim noodles w/ elevation change net gaining 900′. This is the most tech of the loop trails. There are still 2 pieces I can not make mainly because I don’t have the lungs to finish the move. Ride downhill on the hwy to low point just above town to start of Goulds trail that climbs all the way back up to upper JEM. First part is old pioneer road route into Hurricane Valley that climbs up to first mesa and after a short section on gravel road the ST takes off. Soil starts to m ix in clay, the southern exposure helps dry it out. At the sheep corral the soil becomes clay that takes a long time to dry out. This section kept me from riding loop until last Thursday. I wanted to ride the loop by myself because I needed to have something to do on this beautiful day and I wanted to ride it hard. I pushed. I rode all but 2 sections in mid chain ring which kept my speed up and my heart rate down. Quentin said in the desert you need only your mid chain ring. I also wanted to soothe my ego from the lack of commitment @ Gooseberry. Encountered 3 groups of hikers, not one biker on such a beautiful day on such a popular trail.
Stayed all day @ upper JEM. Another light show @ sundown.
Dan stumbled onto a ride for today: Ice House outside and above ST George. We are to rendezvous @ his computer repair service. I gave Scott my computer to rid it of the failed frequent efforts to upgrade.
Ride was 8 miles uphill on gravel road, several miles on a mesa in junipers, lava, burned junipers, finally out into open. Like the seat dropper for flowing down over bassalt. Trail pitched side hill steeply to bottom followed by a 2 miles desert road ride 99% dead straight climbing steeply back to TH. Not much fun, only by riding it did I learn about it. At 2:15 @ 3300′ it was 65 degrees. Short sleeve and gloves.
Stopped @ rec center for shower. Then the liquor store for real beer. Short visit @ OTE then up to JEM TH. The hwy climbs out of valley offering scattered views of sunset until road reaches first mesa. More of same colors only differently arranged.
Tomorrow is a rest day w/ an afternoon session of trail building. Forecast is calling for rain starting Wed and continuing for many days. But that is a forecast?