I drove up to Horsethief BLM XG, $7.50 for legal flat gravel pit toilet, and populated by 1 other camper. Clear skies, cold temp. A water puddle was in front of my camp site, in the morning after sunrise the ice held a baseball size rock.Great furnace, great convenience. At lights out I turn the control lower, ends up it still runs all night when temp is close to freezing and below. Van loses too much heat for the 6,000BTU furnace to keep up with. I put a thermometer at the outlet that read 117 degrees. The furnace is either on or off, temperature is obtained by continuous running.

So, now freeze thaw mud. I drove past the new trails up on the mesa for fear of damaging them by riding on wet trail. I continued to Bar M to ride thinking that trails would be OK to ride. I geared up and pedaled away. I chose to tackle Deadman ridge which has a lot of chunk. Before I made the trail junction I stopped to ask about a rider who was working on his bike. He greeted me by name, my memory recall failed. Scott of Trail Mix. Cool. Learned work is still on, fact tomorrow, Friday, is a work day. We visited quite a while then pedaled off in the same direction. My turn went right, his went left back to town. Deadman is challenging over rock roll overs and step ups mixed behind blind corners, and that was the good stuff. My rear brake was loosing its performance that I counted on. I needed the brake for moves. Shit. Done day. The woman who was ahead of me finally stopped at a trail junction allowing us to visit. I bailed on taking an easy way back to town. Brake needs help.

At Chili Pepper Monte took over. I asked for it to be bled but he said no because of how good the lever pull was. Problem wasn’t air in the line. He pulled the rotor off and what to his wondering eyes did he see? Grooves in the rotor. Several rides ago I discovered that I had worn the pads down to the metal clip rubbing on the rotor. Trashed Formula rotor. Shop sold me a Shimano. He surfaced the pads. Next ride is test.

Did my laundry at a place right across form CityMarket grocery store, the main player in food and in same strip office building Gearheads is on corner. Gearheads gives free filtered water. I put 3 gallons in the tank, 1 gallon at a time and filled the carry jug.

Friday is trail work day. Meeting place is N end of town. I chose to camp at Goose Island, a BLM XG along the Colorado river. Another 1/2 price spot.

Friday I drove into town and parked on the roadside near where I believed the meeting spot was. Sure enough right on time a pickup stopped. Sandy and Jeff whom I worked w/ last year. Mark joined. He is an accomplished bike packing racer having done the triple crown twice. Phenomenal. Work today was on lower Killer Bee, a black diamond trail from the Bar M trail down to the paved bike path. Beautiful sunny warm day to work, our effort was to create ways for the water to run off the trail by deflections and drains.

Making the original trail was a real effort, all bench cut in those rocks. Future rains will test our work.

Drove back to town and took a shower at the center, a Silver Sneakers participant. Silver Sneakers is for people over 62. For me membership  is included in my medigap policy.

Gonzaga plays at 5:00 on ESPN. I drove to Moab Brewery to watch the game and for dinner. The bar tender tuned me in. Game started and right off players started slipping, some falling on the sweat that fell off the players wetting the floor. Just a big fan in each corner of the building. Close up pics of Wiltjer showed sweat pouring off his head. Several nasty falls. Zags down by 2 at half. Refs came out second half and after conferring w/ the coaches called the game. 72 degrees and 89% humidity. I drove out to Goose Island XG to my prepaid spot from last night.

Sat I drove away listening to Wait wait Don’t Tell Me the NPR news quiz show. I take listening to the show seriously making schedule plans for listening time. Humorous.

Today ride plan is Klondike Bluffs, aka Baby Steps, north of town and from the north end. I hope for a camp spot. The road going in had several mud bogs w/ cast in ruts that I slithered thru. I saw the preferred spot way in the back up against the rocks but a rig was occupying it. And, another big ( assessed) mud bog between me and it. I chose a spot out in the open before the bog. My route was the trails on the south side which are green pedalers. I just smiled as I pedaled and used body English in the turns. Great warm up.

I left the fun stuff for a different fun ride on the N side of the road. Just rideable for the most part chunk. Tread is mostly rock.

I rode 18.43 miles climbing 1707′, took 2 hours 29 mins of pedaling. The brake worked better.

My ride finished going by the now vacant preferred spot and crossing the mud bog which was just a muddy blob over firm rock. Cool. I drove the van to the spot. one other camper off aways. Cold clear night. I worked on my bike in the sunshine. Sun dropped behind a butte turning off the warmth and light.

This AM I slept in till almost 8 in sunshine. 32 degrees was the sun warmed temp. Frost was down. I started my ride after 10:00.

Today’s ride was a tough one as it was all on the rocky stuff. Start off climbing Homer to Alaska. The characteristics of these trails are they go up and down the hill contour leading riders by painted lines on the rocks for the route and in places border it to keep us on track. There are rock ribs running perpendicular to the N /S axis of the trails that cause / allow the trail to contour climb them. Well laid out and challenging. There are still moves I can’t make, some because they are on an uphill and I fear I don’t have the gas to climb it. Today in the warm sunshine I shared my 15.51 miles climbing 2027′ in 2 hours 27 mins. Amazing trails using a 600′ elevation gain top to bottom to guide us up, then down, and maybe some around.

I like these trails. Today I encountered maybe 30 riders equally enjoying themselves.

Frost covered my bike. I moved it into the sun which melted then dried the bike. Today at the start the brake was like shit again. perhaps the pads are still not bedded in well or they are wet from the frost but the front brake worked well.  Checking that theory I applied the brake on downhills. Finally the full power returned: 1 finger wheel lock up.

This mountain biking is a toy sport. We ride on developed trails because we need a tread. We play outside till ride’s end, load up, and drive back home. We never stay for long. I’m just saying.

The weather forecast has been calling for rain tonight and all tomorrow. I chose to leave the probable mud bogs in the AM and drove down to Willow Springs and its sandy hard pack road. My preferred spot on the bed rock, the second spot from the hard road was taken. I wanted to be on rock and just off the road for traction tomorrow. I took a spot across the road from where I stayed several nights ago which is more dirt.

I ran my water tank dry starting dinner. I poured in the spare 1 gallon to get thru dinner and clean up. I know I can figure a gallon a meal for safety. My propane burn is 1 gal a day to which I pay more attention to than my water. Need water tomorrow from Gearheads standing outside in the rain pouring a gallon at a time into the tank.

Forecast says no riding tomorrow.

Tyson who built Captain Ahab here is back here this week to continue work on the trail. Tyson worked for the USFS and Verde Valley Cycling to propose new trails outside Sedona and spent several months working at Bike and Bean.

 

 

Yesterday the weather forecast called for changing weather bringing in high winds, precip and dropping temps. The winds picked up in the AM blowing sand which I don’t care to breathe. I drove into town calling today to be a non riding day.

Diane Rehm interviewed John Grisham yesterday talking about his new book, Rogue Lawyer. I picked the book up in Fruita and read the cover piece. Store offered 25% off. I put it back. After hearing the interview I bought the book full price at a local bookstore here in Moab. Good, another fast reading book.

I visited Chili Pepper bike shop which is my go to shop here in Moab. I asked and was given permission to use their address to ship my purchase of Oneup parts.

I visited Rim Tours where Beth works. She wasn’t there. But Neil was. He was part of a wild party in the Bike and Bean parking lot this spring. One where the story is Virginia was so incapacitated she was eating chips that were spilled onto the pavement and she ate a cigarette butt which she claims she didn’t. Smiling previously met people whom I recall.

I asked about the community thanksgiving dinner. I learned it is called Wabasabi which is a community based organization. Volunteers are needed for the dinner and I signed up to serve at the second sitting. I’m here till after Tday. Feel good moments.

I sat in a parking lot waiting for the below. Winds picked up bringing in driving rain. I read a good chunk of the book.

I saw in the local paper an announcement of a program on Mexican red wolves reintroduction last night at the library. I believe strongly in the reintroduction of wolves as a top predator. The small meeting room was packed. Mostly  people my age and many men sporting ponytails. Prolly not a Smoke a Pack person in the room. Grassroots citizen organization. Courtney showed up. She got was accosted by a male library patron coming out of the library proper who asked her what was going on. She said wolves. He asked her for her opinion about reintroduction. I heard him start on a rant about when you are chased by a pack of wolves. I walked away. Throughout recorded history just a few people have been killed by wolves. Perpetuating fear. Wolves are the top predator who eat big ungulates which thins the population which lessens the strain on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem which benefits by growing browsed trees back which brings back life that had been killed off from overgrazing. Seems like humans need a top predator to thin our ranks. Maybe that will come from the microscopic diseases such as Ebola. Not wars.

Afterwards I drove out to Willow Springs rd. The compacted sand showed signs of wheel ruts meaning the road bed was greasy. My first spot on the rocks was occupied. The big parking spot on the north side had a different group camping w/ a fire going and people standing around. I checked the next 2 preferred spots which were also occupied. Shit. I should have stayed down on the river. I turned around and headed back out. I saw a raised hand waving as I drove by the big spot. I thought the wave was from recognition so I got out and walked up to the fire. 4 young people who didn’t know me but they invited me in to share the spot. I hunkered in my heated van while they stood around a fire. Winds picked up rocking my van and rain pelted the sheet metal.

The furnace ran all night. I was toasty.

Today I gave thought about where to ride today. I decided that the trails need another day to dry out. I drove back to town where I am sitting in a parking lot looking at snow on the rocks above town. I’m going to grocery shop, take a shower at the aquatics center then drive up towards Dead Horse State park and camp. Tomorrow I plan on riding a piece of the trail I helped build last year. I’ll continue reading Grisham. The police and rest of judicial system are rigged against citizens who pay for them but have little recourse when we are screwed over.

I ordered my Oneup parts: a 42T+16 rear cogs, a 30T wide/ narrow chain ring and a chain guide. Thanks all for sharing info.

 

Sunday I returned to Grand Junction to ride some of the Lunch Loop trails. Bright sunny day. I attempted MTB project to navigate Gunnys loop. High density of trails on small screen and something causes instability. I set out for Gunnys, I did find several trail signs pointing to Gunnys. LET ME SAY THIS ABOUT THE LUNCH LOOP AREA TRAILS: THEY  PROLLY HAVE THE MOST TECHNICAL CHALLENGES PER TRAIL MILE. Its all just degrees. How much more is 12 inches over 6? The trails will eat you for their lunch.

I lifted my bike quite a lot and my shoulder is still killing me. Step ups and roll overs, twisty, short climbs, great scenery. The trail intersections are marked w/ a number and direction to trails. Next time I ride there I will find that map to better execute a ride. Technically it was very challenging. Not as big consequence as perhaps Sedona. I wanted to be back at my van off my bike and w/ just a small understanding of the trail layout made for whining. Not a big area but miles of challenging moves. 13.78 miles climbing 1702′ took 2 hrs 10 mins of pedaling

I drove back to Fruita for a shower and socializing. Today it was Suds, a brew pub,  across the street from the Tomato. I caught the Denver loss in a vocal partisan crowd. Out to TH for the night.

During the night I turned off the furnace for an unrecallable reason other than too hot. I saw 32 degrees on the van outside temp when I finally allowed the fired up furnace warm me up. I made French Toast w/ real whipping cream, some of which previously I used for mashed potatoes. The frying butter smell lingered into the day.

I bid Fruita adieu for the year and headed to Moab. I like the scenery of rt 138 as it travels down the Colorado gorge right beside the river which is running a healthy mocha color. Plan today is for an easy (easier) ride at Bar M trails. Forecast is calling for rain tomorrow and below freezing at night for rest of week. Just could get freeze thaw mud. LaSalles are snow covered.

Monday at noon there were perhaps 25 rigs in the lot. Nice day w/ a breeze. I rode the slick rock trails following the painted or dash line as it made its way on slick rock. Little step ups and potential wheel traps. I was seeking a less strenuous effort and not so many upper body moves. 9.95 miles climbed 950′

Ran into 3 couples entire ride. And one was from Harrisonburg, VA who lived in SBC Tim’s basement which is where I met him. His group is somewhere out here off Willow Springs rd. I drove here after finishing my ride. I scored my preferred spot, the second one off tr 190. Turns out the place is plugged w/ campers. I was lucky to get this spot. I walked around before dark. I found only 1 spot open where in desperation I would park.

After dark I was inside my van w/ the door closed. Something caught my eye causing me to look out the side door. A headlamp. I opened the door and said hello. I was answered by a foreign accept offering me a beer. I said I was good then retreated into the van. Nah, I said to myself. Got to learn about this woman who chose to crash w/in 30′ of me. Australian on an American SW tour. She has traveled extensively in third world countries. We sat outside in the chill talking. She went her way, I went mine.

If no rain tomorrow AM I will ride some of Klonzo from here.