Sleep, eat, ride, shower, eat, sleep. Repeat.

How warm my tribe of people here make me feel. I have spent the longest time during my travels here and have gotten to know people longer and they me. My social groups are formed usually from a bike shop nucleus. In Sedona it is Bike and Bean. Oh,there are many other wonderful warm friends throughout the country. Maybe all things are equal except for the amount of time I have spent @ various locations.

Grand Ol Oprey on XM.

Yesterday the ride was a collaborative leader ride from Bike and Bean which is now in a new location in Bell Rock Plaza S of previous location. The ride left the parking lot eschewing the empty lot because of known goat head infestation. It enters FS land thru the Red Agave that Jimmy is part owner of. New trails have been FS built for Slim Shady. Then from the playground another new piece connected a new TH. Wandered around. Where the tread soaked up sun some was freeze thaw slippery mud. In the shade the dirt was still frozen. The tires tracked sand up onto the slick rock making it slippery. I didn’t make some of the moves I finally made this spring. I did do better all around but I need to go back and ride the missed moves. Danny made it for the ride. Of the 6 guys on the ride, Danny was the only 1 w/o facial hair. Lee from Salida is here for several days joined us for a woman’s perspective. Back @ BnB recuperation, story telling, and beer drinking. New shop is more spacious that lends itself to socialization. The shop is open doing business and us returning riders were drinking beer.

Break on PigTail

We were riding Broken Arrow when we passed a hiker couple. The guy shouts out that he knows who i am as he read the MBA article. I stopped and chatted, He was so excited. He asked permission to tell his wife my story which he did almost verbatim. He saluted me for living the dream. I gave him my card. Later @ BnB a rider customer identified me allowing us to chat about riding.

Danny invited lee and me to his house. We went to Piccaso for dinner. Rob, the controller of the TV tuned into the Zag game against Baylor which the Zags skillfully beat. Spent the night in Danny’s driveway.

Today was Sat Bfast @ Wild Flower uptown. We agreed on a 12:00 ride start. Danny went his way and I mine. I bought Scotch @ Basha’s. I bought ionized h2o @ the water store while chatting w/ the owner. He said business was good. Snap Fitness in W Sedona has an exercise schedule that I checked out as I am looking for like and aerobics class for flexibility and making muscles do unfamiliar things. New years promise.

Today Danny, Lee,  Danny’s dog Pepper, and I pedaled away from Danny’s house on Inspiration Drive . Single track was 2 blocks away up a steep road climb. Social trail climbed over basalt boulders to Airport down to Ridge, up Bike Path to high school for Special Ed over to Pyramid, down to Ram’s Head over the the far end of Ridge which we took back to Airport completing the lollipop loop ride. Different kind of technical. I am getting my Sedona mind set.

 

Special Ed makes a descending traverses  from the high school down to almost Oak Creek. More basalt. And cactus, one, a prickly pear, I impaled my left calf on. I pulled spines out as much as I could. We finished up climbing back up basalty Airport. How about this: 11 miles in 2 hours.

A shower @ Danny’s. Mexican dinner at new restaurant up the street. I am sleeping in town again. Halo around the sun today. Snow forecast for Sunday.

Oh, well, sleep, wake up, eat, ride, shower, eat, sleep again tomorrow. here in Sedona.

Buddy Mike from Spokane found this video of Fat Tire Dave riding down Hangover which gives a taste of the harder riding. I have ridden it 2X albeit more cautiously than Dave.

http://vimeo.com/19977616

 

2 nights ago I did not sleep deeply. Last night I took an Ambien that kept my head on the pillow until just b4 the 7AM alarm went off. Well rested for the drive south. Bought propane on way out of town.

Snow plows were keeping up w/ the falling snow on west side of Jacob Lake. I experienced the great control antilock brakes command. Almost at once east of the summit @ 7980′ the snow amount lessened. On the west side it was winter fresh snow about 10″ maybe, but winter snow, not spring corn. Drove straight thru.

First stop in Sedona was uptown for the 16% milk fat ice cream and visit w/ Dave @ Fat Tire. Then down to Village of Oak Creek (VOC) to Bike and Bean in their new shop. great greetings all around. I’m back.

Tomorrow is my first ride on a BnB shop ride.

Last night I huddled over the weather forecast, a calendar, and offered the forces blessed vapor. No stars shone. This AM clouds were solid and down below Pine Mtn. This morning’s  forecast called for 70% snow, 1 to 2″ possible. Maybe I wasn’t 1 toke over the line. My perfect world would have had no snow. I would have ridden @ Santa Clara today and Hurricane Rim tomorrow then leave Sat for Sedona. Snow fell but melted on the ground here in Hurkin. No Hurricane Rim ride as the clay will no be activated for stickiness. Clay is used in foundry green sand molding, bentonite (clay) is added to sand  along w/ h2o. The h2o wets the clay that now sticks to the sand grains which when squeezed becomes firm holding the shape of the pattern. Out here there are no controlled conditions: add a lot of h2o to a lot of clay dirt to create a wheel stopper mess: the bike won’t go in either direction and its weight has exceeded your ability to lift it.

I’m moving on tomorrow. Red sand will be what it will soon be.

Did my wash a day early.

My Javacid shipment did not arrive. I asked Quentin to take it to Sedona on their visit.

My new Pisgah Works jersey is so soft. I am tempted to wear it right next to my skin. My understanding is Bruce created the thread alloy of merino wool and silk from which it is woven into fabric. Divine. Even has my JP Nuts name tag sewn on the left upper arm.