The skies cleared last night revealing a waxing moon and stars. The moon cycle seems to pass very quickly, for several days the light is bright enough to walk on roads w/o a light. Then it gets dark but get light after I have gone to bed. 29 degrees when I awoke this morning. Heater on low kept me toasty.

Got up and stowed the sleeping gear. My bed is hinged from the sidewall of the van that I lift up then secure w/ holding straps and then block up the bed to take the load off the hinges. The bed frame is like 36″ wide and 72″ long and made from oak planks making it a heavy lift. Sleeping stuff stowed then I bring out the breakfast stuff, fix bfast, eat, then clean up and put everything away. Then gear up for a ride. Everything is put away, when something is needed it is retrieved, used, then put away. Lots of set up and tear down. Truly a pull production system.

I waited till the sun cleared the peaks to the east and warmed the van. Today I needed to clear off the dried mud from yesterday using a brush and stick breaking clumps away. I left the mud on the tires to let the dirt abrade it away. Just a drop dead gorgeous day: chilly, blue skies, tacky tread, and I pedaled off to enjoy it. Be surrounded more like it. I rode from Democrat Gulch up Lambs Gulch then up 2 Dog, split off on Bulldog up and then finally down to Bulldog Connector over to 2 Dog down to gravel road back to to the van. 14.75 miles, 1946′ climbed in 2 hours. I rode everything but a switchback that I ran out of steam to make. Trails are mostly all hand built, purpose built, sustainable, all with rideable grades. Nothing technical. Seat dropper is cool by lowering the saddle allowing unencumbered movement swooping on downhills then raising the seat for the pedal uphill.

I didn’t encounter another rider until just before the end of my ride and then i ran into maybe 10. Just such a good day to be out riding.

My front wheel squeaked like a dry bearing. I fretted any damage I might be doing yet i pedaled on for my full ride. After I put the riding gear away I headed into Powerhouse to catch Josh, the wrench, to let him try his hand on seating the dust seals in the hub. He used a pick and seated the seal all around, Well done. Still there was a grating sound. Examination revealed worn interfaces on axle, possibly a warranty issue. Repair was on the house.

I missed the sheep festivities. I walked Main street down to S end of town thinking that was were the festival was. Wrong. Pleasant sidewalk. State law requires vehicular traffic to yield to pedestrians in a cross walk. Main st is 2 lanes each direction state highway . I made eye contact w/ the drivers b4 stepping off curb. A bit of a sport.

Such a beautiful day. Drove back out to camp spot then hiked out 4 miles of trail i rode this AM. Too beautiful to be inside and too full of energy to sit and read in the sun.

I heard a couple talk about how crowded greenhorn Gulch parking lot was which is where I rode yesterday. They left because of the full parking lot. I plan on riding there tomorrow meaning I need to be there mid morning. Forecast is for another nice day. Shower probability increases again on Monday.

Area around Kimberly and Indian Springs BLM land has a freeze forecast. Don’t want to ride there w/ freeze thaw mud. I don’t have a departure plan or a next ride. Snow has fallen but might melt out b4 real winter snow lands.  Place is really pretty:

Rain fell most of yesterday, just hung out in my heated dry van. Snow fell further downslope. Checked out farmers’ market in the rain. The sellers all have tents overhead, customers stand in the rain and shop quickly. I bought cookies again from same seller who likes coconut. Another night out Democrat gulch. The road out is hard packed dirt gravel that doesn’t get mushy. I watched rain runoff down the steep hill right from camp spot carve away soil. Between the rain showers it would dry up.

Forecast for today was for 30% probability of showers b4 noon then clearing. Good news. My plan was to linger getting started then drive up to Greenhorn gulch for a ride. The skies cooperated. A short piece of the gravel road was sloppy but the van pulled it OK w/o the differential making computer driven changes. Higher up snow was visible. Temp was in the 40s.

With season changes I fuss figuring out what riding clothes to wear. Just knee warmers or full tights? Long underwear top and long sleeved jersey? Route was climb up Greenhorn gulch then over and down Imperial Gulch. Heat up and chill down. I chose tights and long under wear top and short sleeve jersey but full fingered gloves. The trail was soft and certainly free of dust. As I climbed I encountered snow but not on the trail. My breathing was distressed hampering my climbing. High heart rate also. 3 days off pain? Turned onto Imperial Gulch. Up high the trail was wet and solid. Several short trail reroutes eliminated hellish steep hike a bikes and screamers on back side. Most of the trail is out in the sage brush open slopes. I reached a point where the dirt turned to glop. I set up for a hard right turn and the dirt went with me. I narrowly saved my bacon slithering between rocks set as choke points for the turn. The mud was the right stuff to cake my 2.4 tires and prevent them from turning. I was done as most of the remaining trail was of the same mud. I cleared the build  up w/ my fingers then coasted my bike until the mud caked up again. I carried my base weight 31# bike plus however many more pounds of mud. In places the trail was soo nasty that foot traction was like walking on slippery snow. The downhill was almost as much work as the uphill. 10 miles, 1946′ in 1 hr 45 mins.

The dirt has clay in it. The trail crossed a creek @ the bottom where I rolled my tires in. The mud didn’t loosen. Too  much stickum clay. Sprinkles started just before the creek. Swell I thought: rain and lugging my bike thru the mud.

My XM reception has been crapping out, sometimes it would receive for days then fail to receive signal. Previously I called their listener care line to try and communicate w/ a person who’s native tongue was not English. I hate that. I called today and listened to a non english speaking person. Frustration. She transferred me to a trouble shooter who speaks English as first language. She performed her tricks to successfully reconnect my receiver. Score. I told her about Todd’s Toddy for making cold brewed coffee.

Next up was dinner on the town @ Powerhouse one of the top 100 bike shops in America per an article written by Chris Lesser in Bicycling. Funky place: part bike shop, part restaurant, part tavern specializing in Belgian beers. Tonight I was introduced to the owner Billy. During dinner a guy greeted me saying he saw my van outside and noticed my muddy bike. He offered me facilities to clean it up tomorrow. The place was packed. I left just after sundown of 7:21 for Democrat Gulch.

Tomorrow is a sheep festival in Hailey and maybe Ketchum. During the grazing season sheep are high up in the hills. Tomorrow is a token amount driven thru town. Big festival. Leavenworth, WA might have apple blossom and Christmas tee lighting gigs, but this place celebrates the driving down of the sheep. Going to get in a ride then join the festivities.

Tuesday @ Chip’s shop I used a long step ladder to climb to roof top level to slather some more sealant on the front edge of the skylight / exhaust fan to seal a new leak. During last night the rain fell in earnest testing the new patch. Result: dry floor. Rain fell most of today although I caught a sucker hole late this afternoon out where I am camping. I walked a bit of Lamb’s Gulch practicing visual goal setting for bike skills. Trick is to identify a visual target to focus on that will help maintain balance when riding. Twisting thru the sage brush shortened the distance. None the less the skill works.

I usually am in bed a bit after 10:00PM and ride to the 7:00AM alarm to listen to the Bob Edwards radio program. I am getting my sleep.

Today was in the 40s and wet, the cold that cuts thru. First nasty cold weather this season and I wasn’t physically ready for it. I wore a light short sleeved shirt, my wool Pisgah wool jersey then  covered that w/ a mid weight pile jacket for warmth. The heater is on. This morning my inside temp was comfortable 60 degrees to the outside 38.

New snow fell on I believe Kelly peak uphill from my spot. I am camped around 6,000′, Kelly is 8,000 something.

Forecast is for rain lessening each day w/ Sunday to be sunny and in the 50s for great riding as the dry trails have been thoroughly soaked. I will be staying here till at least Monday to enjoy fall riding. The rain might knock off the colorful leaves.

Spent part of the afternoon in the Hailey library reading magazines enjoying someone else’s heat.

And that was that.