Missing now are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and today. Brain storm ahead, batten down the hatches.
Friday as I remember was the big Bike and Bean shop ride, final tally was biggest ride in Sedona to date. We left after 1:00 w/ small group of locals and 1 touron, Patrick Cale, an Irish man, the new regional IMBA director. He just moved in from NH. We chatted about shared places back there. Common places reconnected me w/ them and it was something he, a touron, might like to help establish him locally. For me it was just something that he and I could talk about w/o being left out on the local history. Rode a hard tail and passed the Sedona entrance test w/ flying colors.
Our ride was adventurous and stretching. VOV crossing Oak Creek climbing over Schuerman over by the high school and back. We chose Eazy Breezy for the downhill eliminating the Hiline climb. Somewhere down on Eazy Breezy there are (2) 5″dia Arizona Cypress trees that create a gateway such that 28″ bars can not be sluiced thru straight on, I come almost to a stop and snaggle a bar end between then the other to get thru. Poor twitching results in gouged knuckles. Someone cut out one of the trees. I rode thru where I thought the choke point was and I breezed thru. I experienced a mental flashback of smashed knuckles. Curses to the bloke that cut the tree. learn to ride it accepting it as a challenge to ride as opposed to a challenge to remove it. Riding down the wash is more fun than climbing it. We climbed out of the wash to Tempelton. Simon and Jimmy rode the tough right hand switchback that I and several others walked. We dropped down to Red rock crossing i knicknamed pink feet because of teh cold h20 on bare feet. H2o was over the rocks. crossing now would mean wet feet for several hours. We elected to ride back thru the bankrupt failed development to cross a road bridge. This flowed onto Lower Red Rock rd that we took to Cakewalk at the bottom of Pyramid. We climbed the system trail to the Pyramid saddle. Today we are riding the new CatWalk trail that I walked several days b4 leaving my knees creaking and wondering my riding success in the future. The trail did have unridden by me sections. Claim is it is a cleaned up old social trail. Maybe the first part but the part out of the wash to Shuerman trail junction was recently created. I backed into a prickly pear loading my left calf w/ spines, some made my leg others hung up in the stretch band holding my leg armor on. I pedaled on. We joined into the Schuerman mtn trail that is mostly all about bassalt rocks buffeted by prickly pear. I stalled into the back wheel of the rider in front. My get off was left backwards onto a pear pad depositing spines that needed to be pulled. We all stopped up aways. I dug out my tweezers and asked Matt, a nurse, to pull the blond spines from among my thin blond leg hair. Some blood flowed. We dropped down the steep hiking trail to friendly Special ED back to the Pyramid saddle then onto to Witchdoctor, a nasty downhill, then skirts Pyramid back down to Cakewalk. We had a decision to make: the shorter route was wet feet or a longer dryer route was over the bridge then ride Verde Valley road back to the shop. Wet feet won out. We retraced our path up templeton switchbacks the up eazy breezy between the missing tree. Daylight was fading as was the strength of the riders. We made the highway back to BnB. The plan was to ride Shades back down. All bailed for the road but I chugged the sweet Shades downhill. Then beer and pizza at the Bean.
Friday night was city camping @ Danny’s. Got a shower b4 bedtime.
Sat Am was customary Wildflower breakfast. Back @ Danny’s we had a comfort chair sigh off. I just received my Strongback chair that Dave recommended. It is a folding camp chair with a shaped back frame that supports proper posture. Feels good. Danny’s was a slingback w/ head rest so that he sat leaning back. No winners, we each enjoyed our chair in the warming day. We debated a ride picking Soldier wash area. We rode from his house. Riding up 89A, the main 4 lane drag thru West Sedona, i caught sight of the back of the FS law enforcement truck. Sure enough he turned left @ the light and headed back to us. He pulled over, it was Mike. He wanted to socialize. He recognized my van and he knows my ride kit. Danny lead me on all kinds of rabbit warren trails. We noticed new FS wire rock cairns. We rode upon FS Jennifer who showed us a map of the area trails. great effort to inform recreaters where they were. We finished onto 89A just at dark. We ate dinner @ a Mexican diner. My appetite was suppressed. Gonzaga lost to lowly USF. City camp in Danny’s side yard, a shower, then bedtime.
I have bad headaches that interfere w/ sleeping. Sun about 3:00 I woke up w/ a pounder and my hands and feet were tingling and felt useless. i was freaking. Can’t move. Bad head ache. I made myself get out of bed and pack up the van for driving to the emergency treatment center west of town. I questioned my ability to drive, I entertained dialing 911 for a ride. Made the center. I walked into the waiting room. I wrote down my symptoms as I could describe them. I was seen by the doctor I have seen in my 3 years here. Nothing life threatening conditions with my vitals being strong. They tested blood and urine. All was good. He sent me home w/ vicadin and sleeping pills and scripts for more. I drove back to Danny’s where I took a pill of each and fell asleep. I slept till 10:00. I was wasted. I crushed his chair cushion for several hours.
I have now made the rounds of the medical caregivers.
Sunday I drove back to Deer Pass road sleep spot.
Monday I was examined and given a clean bill of eye health. My prescription remains unchanged. I see 20X20 w/o correction but my closeup is almost as strong as it can be. Cataract surgery is in the future.
Back @ Deer Pass for the night.
Tuesday is Bike and Bean shop ride Jason and I were the only riders and we enjoyed a non robust ride. i rode several other previously walked spots. Getting better w/ stepups.
New coumadin machine from Phillips arrived today. Their home monitoring is ppo and will cost me nothing. Saves $106 per month.
Back @ Beaverhead. A camper beat me to my spot.
Time to go.
I shut off my Facebook account because i don’t want to give free information about myself to be used w/o proper legal authority.
I wear a Wingnut hydration pack that carries its load on the hips. I have been wearing baggy over shorts. The hip belt pushes my pants down. Suspenders?