Finished up @ Boggy Draw then drove to Cortez. Senior discount for $3.00 shower in new nice rec center. Did wash in 1 of 2 almost neighbor laundromats. Stopped @ Main st brew pub for local beer. Checked out Kokepelli’s bike shop, nothing happening that I could spool up. Check USPS for license tabs forward mail, not yet. After dark I drove to the overflow parking lot @ the Cortez airport that I found last year. Airport rotating beacon circled all night notifying pilots of the airport, for me it shone on the back side of my van…. no harm, no light.
I have been paying more attention to the weather forecast as the seasons are changing that affect riding. Friday forecast high winds w/ showers later. I jumped on Phil’s mid AM hoping to beat the winds that were forecast for gusts to 40mph. The skies were overcast and the winds were less than gentle. Phil’s is cool as the trails are open just to mtn bikes and go in 1 direction: at every intersection turn left and sometime later you will arrive back @ the TH. The trail tread is so ridden that the tread appears to be hard back adobe w/ slight berms. Can really fly on it. There are tech challenges several that bettered me that I walked. I rode others that last year I walked. Greater confidence.
At every intersection there was a map and a blow up of present location, text provided route info. I kept turning left causing my route to grow. I rode thru 2 swoopy sections that dropped into a wash, climbed the other side, then dropped back in. I managed to use the kickers to launch a few inches off the ground. My Edge 305 gps computer displayed’ Low Battery” warning at around 2 hrs 15 mins into my ride. Funny, my body was saying the same message. Finally I read a sign directing me to the TH. Funny: the TH was still a ways to ride to. Made it back to van before battery and body died and the high winds. 20 miles in 2hrs 35 min climbed 2069′ on almost flat ground. Trail system is really a maze as it kept turning around on itself that I lost my sense of direction. My computer displays compass direction. Boy, was I confused. Catch the ride data below:
Didn’t see another rider the entire time.
Yesterday I started programing my new XM tuner until almost the last step when the needed software couldn’t be found. I googled computer in Cortez and picked a likely looking shop and called explaining my problem. I was asking for a knowledgeable person to look over my shoulder while I attempted to load the data. Crazy. Older guy has a brick and mortar on Main st. Wore strong prescription glasses and still used a large diameter magnifying glass to read the screens. He was like a shade tree auto mechanic repairing computer hardware. Between us I did not succeed. I called the tech line @ Crutchfield and a tech walked me thru programing the receiver successfully. Now I need to find a weather protected place to crawl under the dash to replace the 2 hardware pieces and connect to XM.
Winds did pick up. Drove back out to airport parking lot. Gusts buffeted my land vessel.
Today is Sat. Forecast is for rain and snow. Temp is just above freezing w/ scattered showers and wind gusts. Good day to watch college football and drink some local beer.
Back at Grand Junction where I met Charlie and Theresa Charlie and I talked about living on the road. Our strategy for picking a public parking camp spot: Cruise a location to find a spot then drive to a public place like a park and do your living then drive back to the chosen spot and sleep. Charlie emailed me telling me about his camp spots @ Phil’s. Thanks Charlie who shared another spot.
I called King Cty license registration tracking down my tabs after calling USPS in Fruita as they had not received the mail. I will be chasing the tabs from forwarded USPS towns. Need them by 11/21 to be legal.