I fell pretty hard on Sunday and I am hurting too much to ride. I have just been hanging in Hurricane. I did get my new computer and have been wrestling w/ startup issues.

Scott sent me a link to watch TV on line. Curiosity sent me searching for “Justified” that Steve turned me on to. I found links to the remaining unwatched episodes last night which became how I spent my evening behind the dance studio.

My Pisgah jersey has lost its cigar smoke essence. I have just about worn it to tatters.

In town again tonight as rd will be too wet.

I will try an easy exertion effort tomorrow. I can’t release a genuine sneeze as my chest hurts expanding to full. My sneeze is gentle. My left side parts hurt. Noting that prevents motion, just constant feedback on the hurt. I have been taking a muscle relaxer at bed time to make me drowsy and sleep thru the pain. So far I have been rising well past 7AM.

Drove down to ST George computer fix it shop to pick up an external CD drive and learn of progress on my hard drive. No success on data retrieval. They recommend a CO in CA that I am following up as I want the data.

Tonight is a party @ OTE for something close to their birthday some 6 years ago. I made the first party when it was just Quentin, Fixie Dave, and myself drinking my Scotch and eating chocolate. May the showers have moved on.

Disabling the touch pad keeps the cursor where I imagine it should be. My left thumb will not elevate above the touchpad then or now.

Yesterday became a rest day once the forecast was known and it matched what happened. I hung in town and worked w/ the computer. I stayed in town because of the wet muddy piece of dirt road to the JEM TH, prolly less that 200 yards but the surface is just dirt that turns to boggy mud when water is added. Skies cleared b4 bed, stars out and a big nip in the air. This AM it was 31 degrees w/ frost. Furnace worked most of night, it didn’t light once when the thermo commanded it. I learn about the cold by looking at the control panel just above my head, no working equals flashing red light. I turn the knob one way then back to start the relight. I stay alert till I see a green LED to indicate burning. I might pull up the blanket and hunker down and fall back asleep. The furnace heats up which makes the double blanket too warm which wakes me up to shuck off a layer. Tonight parked back @ JEM it is 34 degrees out and a comfortable shirt sleeve 71 inside @ 9:00PM.

Friday evening I visited Big Al’s wood shop. he smoked a cigar and I was downwind. I managed to sleep Fri night but all day Sat I was gassed by the smoke in my hair and clothes. So bad that I rigged for travel after dinner and drove to Anytime for a shower. I hung my Pisgah jersey over an outside mirror for the night. It frosted overnight, seems to have aired out.

Sat I listened to the Zags beat UCLA on XM.

Kevin and I made a ride date for today at noon. He had a good route planned up here but the rain disqualified the trails. Plan B was Prospector and Church Rocks which sheds the water. We started @ N end of Prospector where I had never been before. The start was sticky mud but drying. Later the trail was sand and slick rock. The sand was firm from the rain.

Out to Church Rocks,

There is a trail over the slick rock.

ran into 3 guys, 1 a local and 2 visitors. One, Jeff, said that we met in Sedona 3 years ago and is a regular reader of my blog. On the return leg I miscalculated loose sand in a wash just before a rocky uphill. I had a tank slapper we called it on dirt bikes when the handlebar gets whipped from side to side smacking the gas tank. I was going too slow for the bar to go back and forth, it just augered in and spit me face first hitting the rocks just beyond the soft sand. Wham. Dazed, Jeff helped pick me up. Bruises and pain at contact but all things worked. Sore rib muscles. made it back to the van OK. Now sitting here hours later I feel where I hit the rocks. Won’t be able to sleep on my left side and my right won’t do because of the rotator cuff repair. Sleep might be difficult. I broke the computer mount.

Drove back to town dropping Kevin off. Shower then drove out to JEM in the fading light. Colorful sunset.

Temp is forecast to drop below freezing @ night which will freeze the wet dirt. Sun will thaw it out which will make it slippery as just the surface mud is thawing overlaying the firm dirt underneath. Damages the trail and it is slippery.

Thurs. night I was vetted by a county deputy Sheriff who happened to drive into the TH parking lot. I was outside and I took the opportunity to visit w/ him for his appraisal. I am better known now.

Thurs. I quit taking the COPD medicine. I have not noticed a decrease in breathing power. My saturated O2 is still upper 90%. I don’t believe I have COPD. My lack of breathing was caused by improper breathing and sprinting. The medicine is about $280/ month. I bought Medicare Part D for prescription med coverage because of this med. The Coumadin is less than the premium.

Listening to a collection of Johnny Cash on the Ipod.

Yesterday was 3rd chiro treatment and I am pleasantly aligned. My headache is an echo and maybe will always be. DR said I adjusted easily because of how I take care of myself, I don’t think he meant how I hurt myself.

My new Dell computer is ready for pick up. I combined a ride out @ Barrel Roll and stopped @ computer store and picked this more powerful and lighter whatever this laptop is named. Found out that I could turn off the touchpad which must have been the source of the cursor locating itself caused by my left thumb touching the pad. Past frustration could have been avoided if only I knew. Now I am configuring this machine from what I remember which is a good way to cull unused info. I bought MS Office 365 which gives me the MS office software. This might be backed up on the cloud. I plan on figuring out how to make the external hard drive work to back up locally. Keyboard has a number pad. The store told me my data on the old hard drive is still there and can be retrieved. They have been working thru their tool box of tricks to no success so far. there is a company they work with than can extract the data if they can’t. It’s only money.

OTE replaced the wobbly 2.2 Conti w/ a 2.4 to my surprise when I unloaded my bike. I noticed the rear tire just grew. The I9 rims are wide no doubt which made the tire contact patch even wider. Very little tire clearance, just a little mud will stop the wheel. Idea w/ narrower rear tire was it would be faster, let the 2.4 on the front lead the way and the 2.2 slip in behind and require just a little less energy to drive it. I rode the uphill w/ the rock shelf lifting both front  and rear tire over the sharp lip. I looked at it to learn what it was that punctured the tire and I only found like a point the diameter of a pencil. I did hit it pretty hard. Short ride of 8.15 miles climbing 1132′ Nice purpose built trail system. Rocky.

Back in Hurricane after a shower I parked in a dirt lot and started making this computer work. Had a tough go w/ MS as the validation process sent an email to my email which is hosted thru start logic which required me to connect to them to read my mail. Duh. Computers for senior citizens. Success.

So, what age identifies a person as Senior?

Last night I visited w/ Big Al @ his wood shop. Very artistic work and what a shop loaded w/ tools and machines. He could have built the cabinets for me that would have had soul. He smoked a good cigar leaving essences still in my clothes today.

I stayed in town last night as the forecast called for rain which makes the desert dirt globby and imprisons a rig until it dries out. Staying sort of kitty corner to OTE 1/2 of block off highway and bottom of hill. Can be vehicle noisy. Sometimes the furnace works, mostly all the time now. Thermostat is a rheostat knob w/ just markings on the face, no ability to set @ a temp as a result I sleep too hot or cold sometimes. Accepting the whir of the blower. Batteries are strong enough to run all night, lowest voltage was 11.56.

Rain has abated per forecast.

Bought a sixer of Moose Drool @ liquor store @ $1.89 a bottle. High beer.

Next is to figure out pictures.

Zags play UCLA tonight.