Sat night I slept out in Warner Valley outside ST George. Sun AM the fueled crowd must have slept in as I enjoyed a quiet morning. Today I drive back to Hurricane for an easier ride, or at least not so technical.
I stopped @ OTE on my way out to my ride. Greeted Fixie Dave, Tae, and Dan. A bunch of them were off to ride Little Creek. I could have gone but I stuck to my ride plan.
I drove out to Sheeps’ Bridge just across the Virgin River where Dan and I parked for his ride several days prior. Today only my van was in the parking area. Sunday and riders were heading home. My ride was to ride up JEM to Dan’s little sketchy trail, cross the highway, rdie a 4X4 road to Goulds, Goulds to top of JEM down to way trail going down Chinatown wash to the Rim trail back to my van. I missed Dan’s trail. Plan B was to ride out to the hwy and back down the beatup road to find his trail out to the JEM then ride it back to the hwy. That’s what I did. The trail is shoeveled (trail made by scaping your shoe) in at best going around the bushy plants, very faint. The trails are in great shape w/ just a bit of loose dirt. Goulds is just Goulds.
Big open desert w/ washes cutting down thru mesas. Trails for most part skirt each wash as the sides are steep and the wash is way down there. Enlarge this pic to see the wash in the foreground that the trail skirts ground cover is the brush in the fore ground. You folks that ride in the dense trees and clamor for vistas to see out would be satiated riding here in the desert.
I dropped down the JEM. I made the switchback and shitty downhill and turn better this time. I found the rock cairn for the Chinatown wash. Blond rocks blended w/ the fall killed blond grasses. I rode the trail to the Rim trail and headed back to Sheeps’ Bridge. Along the way a solitary rider approached riding a Turner Sultan, raw finish like mine. He asks me if I was the rider posting on MTBR about Thunder Mtn trail. He said I look like my profile picture so he wasn’t far off. We chatted for many minutes. He had a longer ride than mine but both of us were concerned about waning daylight @ 3:30. Sundown is 5:04. I made my van in daylight. A washcloth rinse of sweat and desert dirt and I headed back into town and back up to upper JEM TH. Easy ride was 25 miles in 3 hours of pedaling.
Tom showed up just about dark 30. His rental car was parked at the TH w/ the front facing south, perpendicular to normal parking. He said he had a solar shower on the dash and the parking would maximize the solar gain. Temp was in mid 50s. He headed out into the desert for a shower. I shuddered. He told me how he stays warm: he washes and rinses from the top down drying off and putting on clothes as he goes down. I still prefer the warm inside showers.
Today I had my 9:30 yearly visit w/ my pulmonologist. She is OK w/ where I am. My BP was 106 /64. Whoa hasn’t been that low in ages.
Next was my 12:00 meeting w/ Dan out @ Santa Clara trails. We met up and rode to the TH where Tom form yesterday had just pulled in and he joined us. Today Dan and I rode all the trails out there. Tom showed me the rear wheel flex on his Sultan which was scary unacceptable. Later he showed me he had broken a journal bearing on the DW link and he was heading back.
We are on Rim Ramble across Cove Wash from Barrel Roll.
I finished my ride then headed to the rec center for a shower. Camping behind the shop in preparation of 8:00 AM oil change next town over in La Verkin. The on board computer analyzes the oil and sends a miles countdown to next oil change. I will scoot in 300 miles in the bank. I get about 12,000 miles to a $150 oil change.
Tomorrow’s forecast is for more of the same but I need to take a rest day after riding 7 days straight and 10 days out of 11. Thurs calls for slight chance of snow. I feel the tugs and jerks in the connective tissues.
Clean body on comfy flannel sheets, ah great sleep ahead.