To my friend Randy back in Spokane who was raised here, pack your bike and head home. There is an active trail building organization here that is developing purpose built trails. 6,000′ desert riding w/ no trees. The place was once underwater longer than I am old that created layers of rock, mostly shale that the trails play on.

This Am I drove east from Montpelier vacant lot camp spot catching I-80 west of Green River. Somewhere outside of town a full sized billboard w/ a picture of a mtn biker on a full suspension bike w/ some words about how great life is in Green river. I exited then rolled into the Visitors’ Center brand new building. I asked the lady behind the desk about mtn biking here and she directed me to the trailhead and supplied me w/ several names and phone numbers that i could try. One was Wade from Greyhair cycles that I called yesterday. Another was Tom who is retired. I called Tom who was in Loveland, CO. I told him about PUSH located there, he is enjoying their work on his bike. While we were talking a call came thru that turned out to be Wade and he was  @ the TH and would ride w/ me. Great! A local to lead me.

I drove across the Green River and met Wade. Beautiful warm sunny fall day. The local club is working w/ 3 land managers: USFS, BLM, and Cattle Grazers for permissions to build their legal trails. So great to be shown around and listen to history and plans. Short ride  time w/ lots of stopping and telling about the trails.

After a trip to Smiths grocery store I drove further uphill for a camp spot. Way out in the open and windy. Not much green stuff around, although higher up junipers grow. I am meeting wade and some other riders for another ride and will get into those trees.

So a ride here tomorrow AM then a short jaunt to Rock Springs to check out White Mountain.

Outside Cheyenne, WY is a new IMBA epic, clear across the state that I will head to after Rock Springs. That puts me N of Denver. I haven’t decided my route west.

Yesterday I rode Indian Springs outside Kimberly, ID. Great hand built single track. I have ridden there several times and plan my route to ride here. Met Mike @ Spoke and Wheel in Twin who gave me a new trail map. All by myself. 30,000 acres of BLM land, just big country. Worth riding as I make this a stop on my travels. This time I met none of the trail builders.

Finished there and drove to Pocatello. The new issue of MBA printed a small picture of the City Creek trails taken during peak fall colors. Going to ride here today then move down to Green River, WY.

Web research for rides is sketchy. I remember riding in Poc years ago and liked what i experienced. If you are a local you know the trails but don’t necessarily share them non line for a touron to get sucked into.

Web research selected Scott’s in Poc & let the GPS find the shop. Eric at the shop gave 2 maps and some ride ideas, one out in USFS land up Mink Creek and the other on Poc city property, City Creek. I drove out to FS land for camp spot way up high @ 6400′ on a logging road. I researched the Mink creek ride that would go thru where I was camped and decided after walking off the gravel road that the ground was saturated and sticky. It seemed that much of the trail was old double track. OK, I blew it off. If I were a local I might have known better or more info. Instead I drove back down to the assured ride on City Creek right out of town. Lots of ST winding around the hills w/ patches of color. Trails are buff because that is what is underneath the grass. Death Valley and Lower Bench were the chunkiest i found. Lots of small patches of color:

Chilly and windy here in Poc. This is just a short note that will be added to if I am in internet range later today. I have to believe WY has internet not just horses. I found a shop in Green River, WY that must be out of a guys house. i called and left a message and he never called back in spite of his message.

Going to travel US 30 thru Lava Hot Springs for a commercial soak. Drove to the hot springs and sprung for a $5.50 soak in a commercial establishment: no slimy bottom. I cooked myself. Noticed an increased heart rate.

I looked @ the road map and found last USFS land down near Georgetown. Between the map and the GPS I could not find access. All the land up on the mountain sides above the ranch and farming land in the valley and no way to get into it. Frustrated I continued east on US 30 to Montpelier. I am camped in a back lot just off the main drag.

Tomorrow is into Wyoming down along Flaming Gorge Nat Rec area. The road I will travel is open range land. Years ago the first time I drove it I remarked about the cow road kill. Imagine driving after dark and a black cow is standing in the road that your headlights don’t pick up at your 65mph driving speed. Hamburger of beef and human meat splattered. Savage.

Vernal, UT is next stop.

Indecision is the key to flexibility. I have been studying the maps figuring out where I want to go. I am limited by $ for fuel.

Unchained Melody by Righteous Brothers has to be one of my most favorite songs is playing on XM. Phil Spector production.

Sunday I kept my foot to the metal to arrive @ Greenhorn Gulch by around 9 to assure a parking space as I heard from yesterday that the lot was plugged and the forecast today was to be the same. I made it  w/ plenty of parking opportunities. I noticed early users were hikers walking dogs. I waited a bit to let the sun warm things up and thaw any freeze thaw mud.

Today I rode up Greenhorn to Mahoney then to Lodgepole and connected w/ upper Greenhorn for descent. A group of riders form Elephants Perch set out to ride it backwards to my route. Nice day w/ an edge. On my climb up Lodgepole which was burned over in the fire several years ago I heard what sounded like a dry chain. Several more grunting pedal strokes then BANG and my cranks spun freely. i caught myself before I coasted downhill backwards. I broke my chain, the first time I have ever done that. I believe the chain broke at the same spot where I previously took the chain apart because I could not open the magic link. I thought about hike a biking up and coast down Greenhorn but I really didn’t know what was ahead. I found a sitting spot on the hillside and pulled out my multi tool which has a chain breaker. Plan was to remove the damaged link and put the chain back together. I succeeded in my plan and also scored separating the magic link. I continued uphill and ran into the other rider group. John and Muffy were first whom they told me about meeting them @ the Cream Puff. All the riders were covered in splashed mud from the soaked soil that freeze thawed. On my climb I watched a small mud slide oozing down the trail. I pushed my bike up as it was too slippery to ride. I crested the immediate uphill then rolled down. I pushed the lever to lower my seat and the lever went to the end of its travel and the seat remained extended. What the heck? I stopped and checked it out. Darn, I had broken the fitting connecting the hydraulic hose to the seat holder. No more seat lowering. At least the seat remained fully extended for pedaling which was better than part way down which would have been a bitch to pedal w/ such a lowered seat. I missed the lowered seat but I overcame my higher center of gravity to make it back to the parking lot.

Next was to make arrangements to have the seat post repaired. I drove to Ketchum to Elephants perch which gets the press for the best bike shop in the valley. They did not have the part. I ran into Rodger who used to work there but is now working @ Backwoods. He said they had the part. i called and sure enough they had several rebuild kits, I just needed to bring the bike in Mon AM. OK the seatpost is under control.

Next event was to drive out Warm Springs road to a hot spring to soak off the mud and sweat then spend the night down by the river out there. Made the hot springs. Ran into Brian from Backwoods and told him what I was up to. The main pool was very toasty that cooked me. I waded across the fast flowing Warm Springs creek to a pool on the other side that was less hot. The springs contain sulfur like rotten eggs. Trick is to cook in the spring then rinse off in the clean cold creek water to wash off the smell and cool off. Being heated makes the cold water bearable.

Cooked and cooled I headed back down creek to an approved camp spot literally on the creek bank. Camp down by the river. Sounds of the creek for white noise. Fixed dinner etc & crawled into bed. Temps have been low enough to use the heater. It was on low for comfort. I woke up @ 11:30 to pee and checked the heater jsut to see if it was running OK. It was cold! I had run out of propane. And the control panel on the fridge verified the fact. Shit! 11:30 on a getting colder night and a pint of ice cream in the fridge and no place to buy propane. OK, I can deal w/ this. I doubled over my down blanket for 2 layers and put on a hat and buried under the covers. I crawled out of bed @ 6:30 in the cold dark. 31 outside and 39 inside. No breakfast. I drove into Ketchum to an all night gas station and learned that 2 blocks away I could buy propane @ 8:00, an hour later. I needed breakfast. I drove around town looking for a restaurant that seemed to not be there when I needed one. Found one: $9 for a simple egg breakfast, way to pricey. And the amount was inversely proportional to the price. Filled up propane just as the store opened. Fridge inside was sufficiently cold, no lost food and ice cream.

At 9:00 I was at the bike shop. Mark turned to and installed then warranty parts. My cost was $15 for the bleed. The new parts cause the seat to return at a slower speed which didn’t please me. Mark tore the instal apart and checked the hose ends. No idea what decreased the speed. The new part is made of metal that protects the small hose connector where it joins the seat housing.

The forecast called for rain tonight and showers on Tues so if I was going to ride it needed to be today so i drove back down to Hailey to ride Croy Canyon trails. I planned a short ride and I kept to my plan which turned out to be fortuitous as sprinkles fell as i neared my van that turned into another rain fall.

My XM continued to shit the bed so i called the listener support line. Again a non English speaking person answered. She asked to verify my address, i made one up just to see if she really read it. She caught me. The tech woman did the same steps as the woman on Sat. Bottom line she tells me is that the problem is on my end. There is a Best Buy Geek squad in Twin Falls which is my next stop.

My plan now is to leave Woods River valley tomorrow and drive down to Twin and Indian Springs @ Kimberly. I want to be @ the Hot Tomato in Fruita for their Halloween party like last year which gives me less than 3 weeks to get there. I just need to find rides between here and there. Perhaps Pocatello.

I have been reading about the Occupy Wall Street movement which I support whole heartedly. I just question the effect their efforts will have. How can so many voters continue to vote for the “system”? And how can the elected officials not represent the 99% of us? I am reading Timothy Egan’s, The Worst Hard Times about the dust bowl back in the 30s. Today causes of the Great Depression are being repeated in this depression. If you don’t remember history you are doomed to repeat it. Go Occupy Wall Street movement.

Hunter left this on the trail I rode today as modern firearm season for deer opened today: