Out of internet access again yesterday.
Wed night camped @ Alien Run TH. comfortable night albeit affected by lights from oil service bldg. Forecast was for rain after noon. Plan was to get in ride and if rained to get off the desert and back on firm roads. At east the air doe not smell of raw oil like Vernal, UT area.
Trail is a hoot. There are 2 loops, the first is Alien run that is well ridden in and the second is Outer Limits, a much lesser ridden loop that is more technical. Both loops skirt the petroleum extraction sites but cross several service roads much like the Maa Daa Hah in ND. Ride one way. The trails are tight and narrow w/ head bangers that need to be considered. Well worth riding again. Trails that are built by mtn bikers for mtn bikers are usually great trails to ride.
15. 51 miles w/ 1798′ climbing. Most climbing on Outer Limits.
Thane, who is running the Turner bike demo effort, told me about this trail. I took him up. There are many trails like this scattered around the country that do not get publicity.
The skies threatened as i lingered @ the TH. Finally first sprinkles hit the windshield causing me to pull up stakes to seek a shower and a Verizon store. The TH is 2.5 miles back on an all weather gravel road heavily used by oil rigs then a short steep climb on a dirt road, across a cattle guard, then several hundred yards of desert dirt road. Add h2o and the rig goes chassis deep. I made it out OK. I drove into Aztec to the Tourist bureau to inquire about local people showers. Attendant gave me an idea; I drove to that XG to learn that they no longer offer no resident showers. I passed a community pool in Bloomfield. I checked it out. I asked the attendant about a shower. She said she didn’t know, she could ask her boss, finally she just said take one and if anyone asks tell them you paid already. Swimming pool locker room.
Stumbled onto a Verizon store. I bought Quickoffice Pro for my Droid and wanted to transfer the 68 page instruction manual from the Droid to my laptop to my thumb drive to get it printed. How to move it around was baffling me. W/ help of an attendant I filled in my lack of knowledge. Next was to drive back into Farmington to like a Staples store. On way in the skies dumped rain. I have a printed instruction manual. I bought a tube of sealant to apply to the skylight opening on my van as it leaks again. I ned to wait out the sunshine and borrow a ladder.
Drove back to Aztec. Plan was to find a camp spot off the main road. Tried my first likely looking road which climbed gently. I learned of the mud as the rear tires finally spun out. I backed down the hill then continued further back. There is so much petroleum extraction going on that they have their own roads out to a site. All were on dirt. I decided not to further push my chances of remaining unstuck. I used the info from the tourist bureau to find a public XG. Cottonwood XG on the San Juan river below Navajo Lake is what i picked. Chilly and raining. Cost $10. Good deal. Slept w/ heater on.
Today plan is to take care of some business in Aztec where I had great signal strength. On the steep hill exiting the XG the Sprinter faltered as if the turbo was ill. First was to follow up w/ neurologist for chart notes to be sent to my health care guy in VOC who needed info to understand my hyper thyroid. per the person answering the phone the neurologist did not need to see me again. Info faxed to Ty. I researched the web for a Sprinter service garage. Found one in Farmington which is 51 miles from Durango. Have a Monday AM appointment for diagnostic. Next was to call the ortho DR in Flag for DR recommendations in Durango to look @ my shoulder. Waiting for that info.
Forecast here is for low probability of more rain. Might provision my van for several days then drive back to Alien Run TH perhaps getting stuck until perhaps Sat. Next stop is Durango but their weather is colder and calling for more rain. Aztec is a better place to wait out the inclement weather.