Ah, what a Mountain Bike Heaven ride yesterday w/ a gaggle of the usual riders and a bit of bushbashing hike a bike on some infrequently ridden trails. And Rama is in Hawaii. Our numbers tallied 14 as we started out on paved streets. What group of adult delinquents as we rode the sidewalk. I reconnected w/ riders I hadn’t ridden w/ since last spring. Doug from Alaska is back & healthy. A large group of varying abilities jams up @ the tech moves or uphills. i ride in the back as i am slower and less skilled to avoid either causing the back up or stalling because of one in front of me. We mixed up system trails w/ social trails such as Bike Path, Under the radar, Witch Doctor, & the bushbash trails I forgot the name of as they are not trails that I will seek out on my own. Freezing conditions still exist on N side of Airport. On the whole trails are getting better each day w/ some places the mud has reverted back to sand. Our group fractured as the ride progressed decided by each persons agenda. Wes and I finished out the longer ride. There is no after ride revelry @ MBH.

I drove back down canyon to BnB to engage in the ongoing live entertainment to which I contribute. Flat screen TV w/ Eagles Packers game on and some beer. Hung till closing time. I asked Jimmy for a shower @ his house that he granted. He is a good friend and we enjoy each other’s company. Add Jan, his significant other, and we have an interesting time. They gave me a Kenny Goodman’s Torch of Freedom  pendant as its creation matches what i am doing: A symbol of personal excellence, free to be the best person you can be.  An external validation for what i have been doing.

After dark return to Beaverhead flats. Temp drops just below freezing.

Today is a ride w/ Jimmy & others from BnB to trails that MBH rides. This ride we will drive out Verde Valley road to a bridge crossing Oak Creek that will give us access to West Sedona trails. Riders from BnB ride trails down here as there are numerous to choose from. Ultimately is a ride over Highline down baldwin, cross @ Red Rock crossing and go wild as long as energy lasts. The ride back would be a killer. Yesterday’s ride was 13 miles that took ride time of 2 hrs 22 mins for a perspective of how tough the trails are.

Weather forecast predicts above freezing night temps on Sat night. Daytime temps are in the 50s during the week.

Saw Quentin from OTE in Hurricane @ BnB. He’s a nice guy. The 3 OTE stores are in Sedona for  their annual meeting and ride fest. Earlier I visited w/ several guys from the Fruita store. Max fessed up to stickying my van.

Beautiful day. Leaving to get ready for ride.

And what a ride day. Met @ BnB w/ Jimmy & Scott. Jimmy drove us to the parking lot for Red Rock crossing where when Oak creek flows low enough it exposes stepping stones across. Today we rode by road to cross the creek on a bridge in a new housing development that has remained raw land. Somebody is holding the paper. I lead them on trails that I have learned from MBH rides, we rode some of what I rode yesterday. Climbed up to Ridge to leave on Sketch noddling along a rock band then dropping down to Bike Path ove to high school to pick up Special Ed that Jimmy is riding for the first time, the dropped off Pyramid down to Chavez rd that we climbed aways till we picked up a system trail up to Secret Slick rock,

exiting down a system trail to Red Rock crossing. If we are able to cross here we are just maybe a 1/4 mile  from truck. If not it is over 3 miles of road riding back.

Fly fisherman buddy Tom told me to wear wool socks when stream crossing as the socks almost cling to algae covered rocks. We removed our shoes and stashed them in our pack and wet footed across. I went first eager to prove the wool sock method. I pushed my bike on the up creek side of the rocks. The creek flow was strong enough to make that move bogus as I wrestled w/ a shifting bike. All made across w/ just wet feet. Great ride 13.66 miles in 2 hrs 1 mins climbing 1777 feet.

Tomorrow I get to ride w/ Quentin & friends.

Stopped @ PJs for a beer, dinner and to watch part of the college football bowl down here in Phoenix. Great chicken salad that had protein, vegetables, & fruit. Add a small fry and 2 nut browns. I left @ half.

Back out @ Beaverhead flats alone again.

The SE is being hammered by a snow & ice storm. Not a place to spend a winter again.

Once the snow and rain started falling and the temp drops below freezing every night the trails became h2o logged and freeze thawed causing us riders to practice good trail stewardship & not ride. We hung wistfully looking out the shop window listening and looking @ any returning riders. Ride early AM in 20 deg temp on frozen dirt, by 13:00 trail in the sun became soupy on the return. I chose to hang out. I did bushbash desert hike out here @ Beaverhead flats area.

Friday AM around 5 I stared getting chilly. The heater should have put some heat into the air even if the temp dropped. I crawled from under the warm covers to lay on the floor to start the stove. I thought I might have turned it off when I turned it down b4 bed. Wouldn’t start. I plan on buying propane today and I figure I had another day b4 running out. I knew I had gas. Crawled back under the covers and mulled the everything is a shit sandwich bummer that I planned how to fix or buy a new heater. I finally got out of bed once the sun started warming the van around 7:45. Bearable to fix bfast. Stove wouldn’t light. AH ha, heater problem solved.

Plan for day was to drive to west sedona to buy propane and do wash then drive back to VOC for 3:00 ride w/ Jimmy @ BnB. Refill of propane was full meal deal. Did laundry @ only laundromat in canyon. George is the owner. He keeps a guest book for customers to share recorded thoughts. I have an open invitation to record. All kinds of people visit his laundry. He and I engaged an English couple while i waited. The both work in university back home and have been to America 12 times. They are traveling, I am traveling and George has a jones to travel. Great conversation. So much enchange while the machines do work.

BnB on the north outskirts of VOC is 7 miles away, 5 of it down canyon on newly completed boulevard. Jimmy is willing to take a risk to go for an afternoon ride and I am in. It was after 3 b4 we rolled away. Warm & sunny. Jimmy called the route to the no mud look. I rode a few more things while feeling more secure. Sedona riding has its peculiar trails and i am still adjusting. Each ride success is satisfying. What I ride here is very technical, OK not South MTN. Hung @ shop w/ a few regulars drinking beer. Fun crowd.

Drove back to Beaverhead knowing that I would sleep warmly.

Today dawned cloudy but still below freezing. Report from rides late afternoon were the trails are drying and if the ride was south facing and lots of rock there were few mud spots but some were bogs. I am heading out on my own from west sedona learning for myself waht conditions were. Rode Bikepath to HS then traverse over Special Ed. Ran into 3 other riders, all gray beards. Roger, the oldest @ 71, his friend that we have shared a ride is 68. Stu is 56. We rode Witch Doctor. Ducking around the thorny ocatilla canes. maybe 1/2″ thorns ring the cane. Prickly pear cover the ground and ocatilla spears the sky. Finished up on sketch etc back to pavement. Strong 2 hr ride. Stay out of the cat claw a deciduous bush plant having thorns that are shaped like an extended cat’s claw. They hook into flesh and clothing.

Bought a 6pack of deschutes porter brewed in  Bend, for for shop beer drinking dues. Hung @ BnB and watched the Seahawks, a 7-9 division winner play a stellar game against last year’s superbowl champs, the Saints.

Back out again @ Beaverhead.

Tomorrow is a MBH shop ride.

Sat night NPR shows What do you know, wait wait don’t tell me competes w/ my attention.

Yesterday the trails were still too wet to ride. Have a deal w/ a local resort to catch a shower in a unit b4 cleaned. Made it just in time yesterday AM. Hung & BnB for chunk of time for giggles & Grins. I’m like a shop cat that shows up for a little affection then leaves.

Back out @ Beaverhead for the night. I bushbashed hiked in the desert out here 3times now. I want to know what happens to the javalina skulls. I asked that of a FS person who said maybe they go to a dying place like elephants. Funny, I thought of that possibility also. Today the mud is not as goey as the desert looses its moisture even with below freezing temps @ night.

Ride plan hatched for today is to drive south to ride Black Canyon from Bubblebee going north on trail i hadn’t ridden. Meet @ BnB w/ Jimmy, Jason, & Scott. Jimmy zooms us down I-17 50 miles to exit. TH is like almost on the interstate albeit not as close as in Black Canyon City. Location just means its quick to get to. TH is just under 3000′, it is sunny and warm. I replaced my tights w/ knee warmers, made by Smart Wool, I like the wool against my skin better than the 100 percent synthetic. I took off my wool long underwear top leaving a long sleeve jersey and gloves. I wanted short sleeve and finger gear.

Excellent hand built trail in the Sonoran desert: tree cover is a Saguaro cactus. I rode the section I helped build last spring. Neat. We rode it to the end @ a water hole which was circled by cottonwoods. Man had manified it. Big squishy bikes were plush. Our ride was out & back

I rode last as is my custom. Just pass midway on return our trail was a beat up double track climb. I out climbed to the others, just huff & puff motored by them. I circled at the top waiting for others and expecting we would all take a blow. No, Jason pedaled by saying keep going. I jumped on his wheel pushing him back to TH. I might have medical breathing issues but this Advair mitigates it quite well. I can live w/ the malady w/ the medicine.

Remember copy the image and open it in another session then enlarge it.

You ain’t nothin but trouble and I don’t want no trouble with you… Too Slim and the taildraggers.

Great to be back in sun, warmth, and dryness on BCT. Zipped back 50 miles to Village of Oak Creek (VOC) to patches of leftover snow and cold. Warm day here which continues to evaporate the h2o.

Back out @ Beaverhead for the night. Tomorrow is MBH shop ride that I will drive up to wondering if a ride will happen. Trails up there will still be wet but no riding wet? Water source comes from snow melting on upslopes.