Yeah, I loose track of time. I just kinda hang @ Bike and Bean mixing in some riding or hiking.

Sat. Danny and I rode a bit of upper Dry Creek drainage until his rear hub took another dump.We stopped to fix the wobble in the hub. The allen set screw was so buggered up he used the can opener blade on a Leatherman wearing my reading glasses. We couldn’t tighten it down so he bailed to limp back.

We drove separately to the Culture park TH. I still had more riding to do. In my telling riders that I am improving I hope I really am. My shoulder normally hurts after the ride, I have never shortened a ride because of sensation of pain. The fork really enables my riding in that the suspension is plush and stiff as in little flex. My technical skills are gaining confidence, key here is momentum: keep pedaling. I still have several places that I have not ridden even from past years. Presently I am being very careful to remain upright.

Sat I watched the Zags @ PJs, Memphis beat  them. Spent the night in BnB parking lot.

Sunday Danny showed up @ the Bean. We went for a ride. His plan was Hiline and mine was less technical and shorter. This being 2 days in a row. I made a short loop riding down Easy Breezy. I ran into Wally who is 71 yo that I have known for years. He said we chatted for an hour. Joe Murray joined us. Danny pedaled up after he left. Danny trashed his rear tire such that Stans couldn’t help. He put in a non slimed tube that was punctured by the thorns sticking thru from the outside of the tire. He stopped several times to pump in air. We flew down Shades. What a bike: super fork, big low pressure tubeless tires, highly powerful Formula brakes, all mounted on a Turner 5 Spot..

Monday I made a rest day.

Tues. I made a ride day from Bike and Bean. Another go down Easy returning on Llama. There were 5 other named trails in the loop. Just keep pedaling, loft the front wheel however much then lean forward. Just a regular spectacular Sedona day under cloudless blue skies heated to 72 degrees.

In between the red slick rock sections there is sand, some ridden in to almost adobe baked or loose, and broken rock fragments. The hardened sand is fast. Today on Llama I encountered 2 horse people. I followed the horse tracks a ways. A tread that didn’t hold a foot print or tire track was scared from the horse shoes. There should be no deniers that horses are destructive.

I am running again a worn Minion 2.3 on the front because it offers great traction and performance, better than the replaced 2.4 Conti Trail King.

I drove out to Deer Pass camp area, seems 5 other groups selected the same place. I pulled in and nosed into a juniper tree about 20 feet off the gravel road. Wow, packed.

Tomorrow is a trail work morning then PT then a bike club meeting. Busy day.

My shoulder continues to improve. I told the PT about my taking a break from shoveling food into my mouth because I was tired from the Saturday ride. She said that would not be a good thing to happen on a ride. In essence I am able to ride until fatigue sets in, preferably before. Yesterday’s ride was a push of the subject time, I rode it almost non stop. I did not experience fatigue of my shoulder during the ride. Afterwards some pain set in. Today I have no regrets of my ride, other than I am supposed to recover every other day and last night a little moisture wetted the trails for a tack alert today. I rode the Dry Creek area again as it is not as tech as here from Bike and Bean. I am pleased w/ how my body is performing which will be tested on tomorrow’s ride from the Bean. More challenging chunk.

Wed. I checked out a bar in West Sedona for the Zag game. Score. I watched the 9:00PM game against Portland who beat the Zags earlier this year on their own court. The Zags almost let this one slip away in front of the home town crowd. Two couples walked in. I was sitting @ the bar watching the game. They ordered 3 Johnny Walker Blues for themselves and 1 for me. I later learned of the price of a bottle of the blended Scotch. I thanked them and continued to watch the game. Well heeled crowd.

Yesterday I bought injector cleaner for my van. Brandon, the Wizard in training, poured it in. I drove round trip to Cottonwood and noticed an improvement in performance, so far the change appears to be real and not snake oil.

This season I caught the Seahawk buzz while I lived in WA sate for most of the football season. Jimmy and Jan hosted a small crowd @ their house. The brownies I made did not make the football smear on the TV screen. Impressive win, compliments to a skilled effort.

Friday mid afternoon rain actually fell, I learned that my windshield wipers still work. I washed my van on Wed, it now has just Sedona road mud on it. Just several local hard core riders braved the pending rain for the Friday shop ride. When they returned they drank several cold beers b4 seeking warmth from the moonshine.

Sat I met Danny for bfast then later we rode together. We started out but he discovered a problem w/ his cluster. We rode back to his house a short distance away. He swapped clusters and we took off for a shorter ride of Soldiers wash trails. I rode harder both up and down. At the end of the ride I was sore. I drove back down to BnB for a shower. I stopped @ PJs to learn if they received the Zag game. Great customer support, Joy found coverage for the 8:00 game. I ate dinner @ Thai restaurant in BnB shopping center. Part way finished I took a break because my right arm was sore and lacking strength to hoist the fork to my mouth. I used my left arm to hoist the 2 pints during the Zags win. I spent the night in the parking lot.

Friday’s storm dropped the temps at night below freezing and in the 50s during the day. Snow is forecast later in the week.

Sunday I hiked from BnB. I carried the big camera in my right hand for the 2 hour hike which allowed me to take many pictures. I hiked a bit of Hiline encountering way more bikers than hikers. No conflict w/ any user group.  I did encounter a woman dog walker wearing ear buds, she didn’t sense my presence. Loss of sense of hearing hiking on a heavily ridden bike trail is just wrong. Rule is pedestrian has right of way over biker but loss of hearing by the hiker or biker sets up a potential conflict when a party can’t hear another.

I bought plane tickets for Kauai for 3/1 to 3/1. I will stay in George’s time share. I researched mtn biking of which there is little posted info. Kauai has riding info: rent bikes w/ suspension fork. I will find dirt to ride a rental bike on to lay claim to the 49th state I have ridden a bike in. $611 fare.

Today is a PT session then I will ride something less chunky.