Yesterday I rode a big ride for me as I continue to experience beat up body toll that a few years ago would have been just fatigue that a night’s sleep would fix me up for another go. Perhaps it is just Sedona chunk riding that is the culprit, I am choosing that as the cause. Tomorrow is the casual count of 6 months since rotator repair, the magic date that means that the body has healed as it is going to. Yesterday i advanced my riding challenges by riding Hiline as much as I ride it, meaning that there are features that I have never found the courage in my technical skills to ride. What was risky was the exposure and the small margin of success. The new Pearl Izumi project shoes safely gripped the steep slick rock i down climbed. Gorgeous cloudless upper 70s day w/ little shade. The ride was 16.88 miles climbing 2123′ in pedal time of 2 hrs 29 mins, burned only 953 calories. I ride pretty much non stop except to catch my breath during a climb. Once I get my oxygen debt going I prefer to keep pedaling instead of taking breaks and starting again. My breathing is my Achilles heel. My route was Shades to Hiline connecting to Baldwin over to Pink Feet crossing of Oak creek then climbing up Old Post connecting w/ Carroll canyon to Ridge up and down and over to Secret Slick rock to Oak creek crossing, push up Templeton then down Easy Breezy bailing @ Templeton to Coconino joining Shades back to Bike and Bean.
Recovery, loafing, and a shower @ Bike and Bean then a drive out to Beaverhead desert camp. I drank more h2O and ate 4 electrolytes which prevented all but 1 cramp post ride.
Saturday I traveled down to Cottonwood to ride the shop ride from Zoomers, the shop that Dean manages. The owner used to live in Tri Cities, WA. Dean is a “colorful” character. I originally met him back outside Zion NP in 1998. We rode what is called Dead Horse SP which is a misnomer as most of the ride is on USFS land, it’s that we enter thru the park. We rode a new trail named Bones, 6 miles long single track. Last year the IMBA trail care students built a piece and then was finished by a FS crew and a small group of volunteers. Nicely sited.
Different desert on limestone rock.
Friday AM I ate a small piece of an electric brownie that stayed w/ me the rest of my waking hours. I didn’t trust my reflexes and ability to make smart choices so I left my bike on my van for the shop ride. Moonshine further enhanced my disconnect.
DR. Smith examined my jaw and facial and determined that my jaw sits too far back in the “socket” which is causing my jaw pain. He made a like mouth guard that orients the upper and lower teeth to pull the lower jaw forward. I wear it at night. I am only able to breathe thru my deviated septum nose. What I know is it cost $1,100.
Today is a recovery day. The joy i have in my life and being here in Sedona is there is always another great day and ride tomorrow. Let my body heal and go at it again tomorrow.
Gonzaga is an 8 seed in the NCAA tourney.
The missing 777 is not from a manufacturing problem.