Heavy frost this AM @ JEM.

Today I need to be @ OTE @ 9:00 AM for my fork bushing remove & replace. Made the appointment. Bill pulled my fork apart and discovered the bushings that were sent were not the right ones. No removal happened. He put the fork back together and Rock Shox is sending the correct bushings. Fork will be torn apart again. Dan gave me a Christmas present by paying the labor

I put the new King axle parts in that made the grating sound and feeling I felt. Wheel spins like a lubed top.

Did my wash. My new top sheet was only shortened not narrowed per my instructions. Just more fabric to wash and dry. It is nicer having a top sheet that stays tucked in.

I had some other things to do until I received a text message from Tae: Meet OTE 1:00 for Guacamole ride. I am such a whore. I said yes and joined him and Bob. I backed away from lots of rollups after yesterday’s fall. Lost confidence.

My right SI joint is hurting again. I should rest. My left big toe has nail fungus that is causing the toe to hurt. But I said that b4.

I have been here four weeks.

Actually it is Mountain Meadows Massacre where the Mormon religion claimed the lives of 120 innocent souls. Massacree is from Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant song.

Today was a rest day. I slept out in Warner Valley outside ST George that positioned me closer to my 8:00AM eye DR visit. DR tested and examined my eyes, explained the findings and explained it all to me. Immediate problem is dry eyes that are solved by Systane drops and fish oil. Drops worked right away. Long term is cataract formation. Aging.

I ran a few errands while in ST George then headed back to Hurricane. Next chore is to defrost the fridge @ OTE to use their electricity for rapid cooling. I kept the heat off in the van while the fridge was cooling on AC. Learned that the guy who fell on Sunday, Jeff, took 12 stitches in his 2 arm cuts and 9 above his eye. Stayed in town behind the shop. Met Mike who owns the property and thanked him for allowing me to camp on his property. He is a road biker but didn’t hold that against me. Quentin & DeaJ’s neighbor heats w/ a wood fired air tight stove that he keeps dampened that puts out noxious fumes. Coupled w/ stagnant air and inversion makes for annoying night.

Dan called last night and made ride plans for Green Valley outside of ST George for today. Tae rode w/ us. Green Valley is also where the Zen trail takes off. there are lots of desert single tracks, washes, and jeep roads to connect to make a ride. Dan and Tae are familiar w/ the area that worked and pulled ride location and routes. Dan played out so he rode back to his truck. Tae and I continued on his knowledge. Didn’t get us lost. Bunch on tech stuff. I pedal wheelied up a ramp up. My inertia carried me up a ways. I pushed down on my right pedal to continue the climb but I was in top dead center and I couldn’t push the pedal down. I stalled then toppled over sideways and backwards onto the sand below. Whew. I scraped my left forearm on the way down. I walked down several short, steep, and bumpy rollovers.

Drove to rec center for shower then back to Hurricane. Quentin received the hub parts from  King. Tomorrow he and Bill replace the bushings in my Revelation fork using the tools from Zion Cycles, Dean’s old shop.

I contributed heavily to the purchase as a Christmas present of a longer handlebar for Dan. It came in today and he grabbed it on the way home. I know his riding will improve impressively moving to a 28″ bar from 24.5.

Back @ JEM for the night. Amazing. The moon cycle determines night light. The moon is waxing now making light occur later each night. I have also enjoyed the waxing.

I bought a pint of Haagen Daaz ice cream to test the freezer cooling. If it fails to freeze the cream I might eat the jug tonight. After dishes and some applesauce.

DR says it is nail fungus that is causing my left big toenail to press upward causing pain when touched. My riding shoes hit just right to feel that pain. He said medication that I refrained from w/o knowing what it is because Some meds are more harmful than the cure that doesn’t happen in enough cases to justify the ill effects, or to remove the nail. I need to follow up to learn more about my options.

The connective tissue in my right SI joint is painful from a) not stretching, and b) overuse. Today was to be a session w/ Dan teaching him what i remember from Better Ride then rest. Last night Steve and Morgan contacted me asking to join them on the Rim ride. I scheduled Dan @ 11: and during Steve’s call I learned they would be ready to ride @ 1:00. Dan and I were out near the interstate all the way out of Hurricane Valley. A slight rain fell that we practiced thru. The Rim ride might be wet.

Dan and I rode around a for sale mfg business bldg. The Better Ride clinic taught me skills that are more efficient and under control. Like all riders in their clinics we need to let go of how we used to ride and then internalize the new methods. I done it this way since I started, you want me to forget it and do it how? Riders can get down on themselves for slow progress of learning new stuff. Take (2) 60+ yo men and listen to the negative talk. Patience and practice will instill the skills. Dan struggled then pulled thru w/ some ah ha moments. To me it is all about vision: look where you want to go, sometimes beyond and you and the bike will follow your focus. Dan is getting it. His handlebar is 24.5″, way narrow.

I leave Dan and scoot thru town to meet Steve and Morgan. I drove thru numerous rain showers w/ h2o standing on the road. Shit, it’s wet and portending more rain. I meet S & M where they are hunkered inside their Subaru IMBA trail care crew vehicle out of the rain. I invite them over to my warm house to discuss the ride. Quentin cautioned us about the JEM if it got too wet. I outlined several options if we needed to bail. They said we came here to ride, rain be wet, we’re in. Raincoats on we pedaled up the H hill then onto ST on Goulds in slight rain. Once on the ST the trail we relished the rain as it wetted the clay just enough to wet the dust but not wet enough to stick to our tires. Steve flat out flew down the JEM on his 29er. I made the switchbacks where Steve did his only hike a bike as he aced everything else first time thru. We enjoyed some cloud thinning and no rain as we tackled the last 7 miles back to the TH. The 7 miles are the most technical and body punching of the whole ride.  We finished just after 5 in the fading of the sun in the rain clouds. We stood around in the wet chill drinking a cold beer and savoring the ride. We talked about life and living on the road and riding many places throughout the US. They are nice people & I enjoy their company.  Both parties have been guilty of stalking the other.

Late evening. Stopped @ OTE. Drove down to Washington rec center for needed shower. I bought some Harmon’s store prepared food for cold dinner then drove to a parking lot right front bumper away from the river bike trail for city camping night. I stayed here back in ’09. 8:00 AM eye dr appointment that will be a short distance from where I am parked. Raining desert serious.