Sedona mtn bike lifestyle. Picking up bits from past days.

Hey, did you watch New England eviscerate Denver? I cooked dinner @ Danny’s house, as Rebecca labeled it, ” Captain Craig” while watching the game then eating. A shower & a city camp spot for the night.

Earlier Sat Steve, the horse vet from Sun Valley, Danny, & I rode another Sedona shuttle. Danny saw 2 groups of havalinas as he rode first. Unusual as they are nocturnal. Sun Valley riding is not Sedona. We rode from Danny’s house to Airport, bandit, Carrol canyon, Bike Path, Ledge n’airy, last frontier, western civilization, cockscomb, and aeries. 14 miles, 2133′ climbing in ride of 2 1/2 hrs. Great enjoyment. Lots of short trail segments. There are so many miles of trails in Sedona. Planning a ride offers so many choices and how to put it together is mental gymnastics. I have familiarity and can contribute to a route then following it on the ground. I still show local Danny stuff he has never ridden and it is all but literally in his backyard. We argue over where we are and where we are going. Bickersons.

Whew, recall Friday. BnB shop ride @ 2:00. Zack is living here after leaving Illinois years ago. This week friends from  back home visited to ride. Poor flat landers. Today’s ride was w/o exposure. I vaguely remember my early experiences here. I can empathize w/ them discovering lines thru the unkown. We rode Shades to Templeton, then down the wash to Sleezy Breezy wash, then over to shades to back to the Bean. Then an after ride fest started. About 20 people mostly in sweated riding gear hung out drinking beer, telling stories, and eating pizza. That was Fri.

Thursday was a rest day hanging around resting my arm.

Beth and I established a ride time for Sunday. She and her mom, Pat, are road tripping in Beth’s Westy. I get to be ride local today to them. I invite Steve and Danny. Pat is 65 fit and trim. She is and was a road racer w/ several national level wins. To me it was great seeing a parent and child together. Pat, like me, is a better rider than we allow ourselves to be. She’s a smoker. Danny and Beth split off to ride Hogs while us 3 rode back to the Bean. On trail HT there is a chunky stairs to roll down. Steve on his 29er rolled it sight unseen. I was intimidated by the entrance so I walked. pat was at the top asking questions on how to ride it. I pushed my bike back up and worked out a line.  OK. I pulled on m y big boy pants and looked past the roll down and nailed my line. Wow! Excitement. I made it. Pat was still sorting her line out. I pushed back up and rode it again. Wow! Pat gave it her go and rolled it out. Wow! We fist bumped in exhilaration.  Further along there is a steep drop that Steve again rode down. I know of the drop. I looked it over, sized it up then rolled to the edge 3 times and stopped. I wouldn’t trust the bike and my ability to ride the drop.

Pat’s shock leaked all its air which prevented her from riding her bigger 2X10 chain ring. We got her to the highway for her downhill ride to BnB. I guide Steve over to Shades for our downhill reward. I counted 9 riders for a Sunday mid afternoon overcast chilly day ride.

And back @ the Bean for some beer drinking. Joe the geologist from Flag rolled in. I rode w/ him last spring in Flag.  It was great being among so many people that i know that the locals don’t know. Steve from Sun Valley, ID; Beth from Asheville, NC; Joe from Flag; then the BnB locals.

New issue of Bikemag is out. The issue is all about reporting on 2012 bikes etc tested in the Pisgah based out of Brevard. I devoured the mag identifying my visit to those places. How cool. Cover line: Transylvania County America’s best kept secret. I been there and spent time. I look forward to my visit this spring. I’ve been everywhere man.

Danny, Beth, Pat, and I ate dinner @ a Thai restaurant waited on by Hispanics. Boisterous evening.

Now I am out @ Deer pass rd for the night. Nobody else around. Tomorrow is another chiro visit then a DR visit for my INR test. Forecast calls for rain tomorrow a reason for a rest day.

Sat b-fast was @ Wildflower.

I spent Monday night out @ Beaverhead flats all alone.

Tues AM was the windshield replacement in VOC. Safelite guy showed when he said he would and spent just about an hour to replace the windshield. Wow! No cracks or pits. Looking thru it is like looking @ a digital picture w/o depth of field.

BnB shop ride @ 2:00. Jimmy is too sick to ride. Lars lead Danny, Joey, Cody, and me on a wild traverse of Cathedral peak from Highline to Templeton trails. A bit of sketchy hike a bike pieces. Lars “rode” the route years ago. Sketchy.

We traversed under the hiking trail then later crossed it much to the amazement of hikers. We rode ledges of slickrock around behind Cathedral:

We rode down benches until trail went almost vertical then mellowed out @ Templeton right above the switchbacks. Ride home was Templeton to Shades to the shop and beer. Crazy 9.45 miles and 1379′ climbed. Not a recommended route as we spent more time hiking or carrying than we did riding. However, i did see sights… .

Overuse is taking a toll on my body in tendinitis in my right elbow and shoulder. i fear a meniscus tear in my left knee. I rested today.

Today i drove down to Cottonwood to Camelot RV to learn if they could hook up a fuel gauge to my  propane tank. No deal.

I stopped @ a graphics shop. I ordered a new Bike mag picture for the side of the van. I washed the van, sort of, judging from the missed dirt spots.

Camp spot was @ deer pass rd.

Sat Danny and I did a Sedona shuttle ride; no gravity assisted ride. After customary Sat b-fast @ wildflower we hatched this ride. Park Danny’s hopped up VW Westy @ Broken Arrow TH then start the ride from his house. Airport, Bandit, Lemonade, Sketch, Ramshead, Old Post, Under the Radar, Cakewalk, pavement to cross creek, Baldwin, Templeton, HT, Little Horse, Broken Arrow, Hog Heaven, and Hogwash back to van. Big effort for a 2 hr 49 min ride covering 16.97 miles and climbing 2166′. Chunky riding here extracts big umphs.

Beautiful day and we enjoyed it. Danny bet me on a trail name but I won the 6 pack wager. Touron knowledge trumped his local. Big day.

Amazing the arm scraped I receive caused by my bars being .75″ wider each side. I got some goodins, one scrape required a bandaid to staunch the bleed. Makes quite a red streak on my arm. Hardly anybody on trails.

No new snow has fallen for snowsports people. Bikers from snow country have been seen here, temporary snowbirds having left to avoid the skied over junk snow. I was sent a text picture of Riverside SP in Spokane showing no snow and blue sky.

Danny fixed dinner.

Last week I started feeling pain in my right elbow I believe caused by all the upper body heaving around of my bike and body. Sat’s ride brought out the anguish of over use. I treated myself to a rest day on Sunday. Just b4 sunrise winds came up that rocked my van in town. Too windy was my safety. I hung around in town. I caught middle part of Denver game on TV @ Oak Creek Brew pub. Then drove out to Deer Pass camp.

Today was health care treatments, first was chiro who seems to be making head pain relief. Mid afternoon was DR appointment. She said tennis elbow and my big toe nail should be removed. She pulled maybe 10 cactus spines from my left ankle left over from the Little Creek fall.

Steve from Bellvue, ID is visiting for several weeks of riding.

Tomorrow my windshield is replaced then maybe a long BnB shop ride. Temps are back in upper 50s, today was hazy.

I finally came up w/ a tattoo to be on the top of my bald head: This side Up.