Election day. I am depressed. How can so many people be hood winked by Romney?
I drove into GJ and up Little Park rd to TH. I had cell phone coverage and it was after 8:00AM to call King Cty Licensing to learn where my license tab is. I finally talked to a human. She said tab was mailed out to CO. She said Fruita. Great but bad. I called the Fruita PO and learned that I had a general delivery piece of mail was all she said. Last year I requested the tab be sent to Fruita because i was there. This year on the renewal I used my Seattle address. If it would have been sent to my Seattle address I would have had them mailed to me here adding several days travel time. Their ignoring my request and sending it to fruita means I now have it on my license plate and i am legal.
Today’s ride is Butter Knife (BK) then pedaling up the pavement to ride The Ribbon down and out. I drug my feet. Riding BK is an accomplishment as a ride by itself. To add the 2.5 miles climb to top of Ribbon added more pain. OK, my age is affecting my effort. Great tech challenge on BK. I didn’t ride anything I previously walked. All alone. BK was built by dirt bikes but is seldom ridden by them as it is tight and twisty. Today i saw only many mtn bike tracks.
The bitch of this ride is the 3.9 mile climb out on a beat up jeep rd. I started and ended it on left over pancakes.
At the road I rested and making the upcoming road climb torturous. It would be so easy to just point down hill and zoom back to the van and a cold beer. I had no encouragement from other riders. i played the I can go home game w/ myself. I convinced myself to ride the Ribbon. Pavement climb, some places it was 12% grade. This is what I saw pedaling up the road. Camera couldn’t pick up a white line across the rock which is caused by mtn bike tires eroding away the plant cover.
I made the upper TH and climbed to the start of the downhill which is riding a linked series of slabs.
The route crossed rough fins linking slabs. The first one might be called Toilet Bowl. Hairy dangerous just to down climb it. My Specialize shoes have gripy soles allowing me to friction climb. Of great concern was stepping such that my pedal cleat would be primary contact. Should that happen it was an instantaneous slide. Could ahve used a helping hand getting down. The slabs end up in a canyon that the trails would skirt high then drop down into it then back out. The climb out was more demanding than I remembered, lots of hike a bike in such a short section. The the .26 mile climb back to the van w/ my left quad starting to precramp. made it back, 19.67 miles in 3 hrs 16 mins of pedaling time climbing 3580′. I got a work out.
I drove back down into GJ to Golds for a shower. The road is twisty. The previous tires caused the van to roll so badly it was challenging to drive. The tires match which eliminated the roll.
Back in Fruita I picked up the tab and put on the plate. I had dinner @ The Hot Tomato. Then drove out to camp above Rabbit Valley. Tomorrow I plan on riding Kokopeli.
I am no longer held here in Fruita, I can leave whenever. I am planning on riding here tomorrow then ride Thurs @ Lunch Loops proper then head for Moab.