Chilly here in Fruita. Yesterday was sunny and bright but a strong breeze chilled me off. This AM it was below freezing w/ a good frost. My furnace ran all night raising the inside temp tpo 56 degrees when I crawled out from under the covers. Strong battery reserve. Sitting here at a TH off Kingsview road in bright sunshine waiting for warmth later in the day.

Yesterday, Saturday, I left the same spot and drove oiut to Kokopelli TH, Marys, right off I-70 behind the truck weigh station. Packed parking lot. Today OI pedaled up Wrangler which is a greener trail to avoid a crowd(?) on Marys. Trail climbing is an old jeep road, good grunt, made for several catch my breath stops. Joined Marys w/ nary a crowd. I rode Marys which is part of the Kokopelli trail till a brutal climb drag your bike up to Mack Ridge. Trails are on the N side of the Colorado River warmed by the sun. River is running muddy from sediment from recent rains.

Riding Macks is challenging w/ many tech features including several slither my bike down. I ride this route usually. I make more of the features each year which is a measure of my tech accomplishments. I am walking more however to protect myself from a fall. I am pedaling more in my 22T granny which is a better tech gear for me. Ride was 17.01 miles climbing 1989′ in 2 hours. On my way down Macks I encountered a woman pedaling uphill who showed her expertise climbing uphill over the chunks. Impressive.

Thursday was my van appointment at MacDaddy. Oil on engine is from slight leak in turbo hoses. Not an issue. However, my risk avoidance to a roadside break down is paramount I chose to have the hoses replaced. Hoses were ordered and to be in the shop on Friday. The rumble noise was suggested to be a rear end source. I made an appointment for Friday for evaluation at a transmission shop.

I deem the trails too wet yet to ride as there is lots of clay. Thursday was another rest day.

Friday I drove back to GJ for van work. The transmission guy listened and checked the rear end and evaluated the noise from the drive shaft that was replaced last year. He said no indication of rear end issue. He did not need to take my money. I drove over to Macdaddy for the hose replacement. They showed me the small cracks and said that they really didn’t need to be replaced just yet. I told him about the transmission guy’s opinion and was told that it is the rear end. I would like to get both guys together as a consulting team. Van still rumbles, I’m leaning to a rear end issue. I drove behind the transmission shop on my way out.

Mac got me out early enough for me to drive out to the Butterknife trail off Little Park rd. I parked down low at a TH which required 1.2 miles of climbing on pavement to the first trail. I parked here as it is just a short pedal up from the bottom of the Ribbon that I optimistically thought I would ride. My eyes are bigger than my legs. The trail starts off a jeep road where tracks from a 4X4 were cast in the hardened mud. No mud stuck to my tires telling me good to go. I dropped in on the trail which starts as a quad track till it joins Butterknife protected by a turkey shoot which allows only bikes, motor or pedaled. Today the trail was in great shape w/ few loose rocks like last fall. Firm dirt, no dirt bikes on it after the rain. Lots of tech features some I made others prudence dictated walking. Great hump.

Butterknife winds its way along edges of gulleys in and out until it joins a jeep road for a crushing climb out. I pedaled in baby chain ring working the climb. cast in jeep track. No mud until an innocuous spot that just grabbed my tires w/ so much clay that my wheels would not turn. The mud caked the front wheel so thick that the wheel would not clear the fork brace. Shit, what a bitch. Short section fortunately but long enough to get old of carrying my bike weighing several more pounds from clinging mud. I reached the dry end of the shit allowing me to pedal again. I made the paved road and a speedy coasting 1 mile downhill. The mud flew off my tires, the front one spitting dried mud out in front of me only to ridden into on the fly. Great tech trail. Oh, I left the Ribbon alone which was prolly good as the lower park goes thru a bentonite band that might have been even worse mud. Butterknife is usally enough of a ride, next time I will park at the start of the dirt to spare me the road climb. Ride was 14.37 miles climbing 2061′ taking 2 hrs 12 mins of moving time. I exceeded aerobic thresh hold  by over an hour.

My Silver Sneakers program applies to Fruita Community Center for a shower. Even in colder weather w/ little sweat produced it’s still nice to be squeaky clean.

In the evenings I went to Hot Tomato for a social beer, sometimes dinner, then over to Copper Club around the block for their craft beer. Friday night was entertainment by a one man band who played either a metal guitar or banjo, his right foot was connected to a drum stick to wallop a small base drum, and his left foot had a tamborine device attached. His music was something I thought would be great Appalachian music. Got the feet moving. Lively. I left before his encore if any. Copper Club is a socializing center for some. Great local feeling crammed in a small venue.

So, its Sunday at 10:00 AM local, 42 degrees sunshine, no clouds, w a slight breeze. The frost is melted.

Several days ago I made a comment to a gut at the Copper about where to camp. He told me about this spot where I am off Kingsview rd. I checked it out during daylight, I didn’t see any signs saying no camping or overnight parking. Cool. I slept there that night. CXT outhouse, gravel surface. The next night I stayed here again. I drove in after dark, no one here. I watched a set of lights coming from the other direction while I was choosing my spot. It pulled in to the lot and drove up behind me. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a man w/ a sidearm holster: Law enforcement. He walked up to my window and shined his flashlight on me. He said that there has been vandalism to the outhouses and he was checking me out. He ran my plate but did not ask for my ID. I had used the outhouse earlier in the day and saw no vandalism, I did not report that. He did not tell me to leave so I took that as being vetted for OK sleeping here. I now believe that cops use some crime excuse to check people out.

Warm enough to drive back to GJ and ride some of the Lunch Loop trails.

I leave tomorrow for Moab.

 

So I made Fruita yesterday ahead of the rain and winds. Tuesday night up above Rabbit Valley I sweated rainfall that would have made the side road and official road greasy because the rain would have softened up the hard packed dirt turning it into wheel sucking deep mud. The night was dry.

Forecast for yesterday was high wind. I drove down to the Kokopelli TH which is right off I-70. 1 car in the parking lot. I geared up and pedaled away. Once up on Mary’s trail and exposed to the wind which was blowing dust. I baled as I did not want to inhale the dust. One of my shortest rides. The rig owners are from NY who came over to talk w/ me about my rig. Great to share info.

I drove into Fruita and visited Hot Tomato and Over The Edge bike shop. I had a short visit w/ Anne and Jen who own the Tomato. I suggested they have a contest to see where the furthest Tomato sticky has been stuck on. Jen said one is at the North Pole. I ate the killer Sedona salad while visiting w/ other bar sitters. Suggestion was made to move over to the Copper Club, a local micro brewer. Just around the corner. I followed their advice. Visiting w/ strangers is a dance of finding acceptable subjects to engage in and the willingness to talk w/ someone I had never met. It’s a skill I have been honing on my odyssey.

Rain was forecast for last night. Choosing a sleep spot is dependent upon the road I drive. Friend Max at the bike shop at his former living location had a big side yard to park in off pavement. However, he moved out to join his girl so that place was lost. Next was a spot I found previously. I hung in town until bed time then drove to it. The place is in the dirt off pavement. My headlights shone on cast in mud ruts. I was about 10′ off the pavement parallel to the road such that if rain made the dirt greasy I would be able to slither onto pavement. Rain fell sporadically and lightly I heard hitting the roof. I fell asleep believing I would be able to get out. I got out of bed when the sunlight would reveal how deep the mud puddles were. There was standing water. I fixed b-fast and cleaned up while monitoring the shrinking puddles. Time came to leave. I warmed the engine then backed up on dry dirt to set my turn radius to hit the pavement w/ the least resistance. Strategy paid off as the wheels sunk into the mud but I had enough inertia to slither over the mud.

Today the forecast was for more rain. I baled on riding today. I hung in the bike shop in the morning talking trail advocacy.

Tomorrow is Grand Junction and a physical for my van. The results will determine when I leave here for Moab. Forecast still calls for rain and several nights of below freezing here and Moab.

Another night in Fruita.

I am seriously considering converting to a 1X10 drive train. Sheldonbrown created an online gear calculator that allows inputting gears and the program crunches to numbers. Presently on my 2X10, 22X36, my lowest gear moves the rear wheel 15.9″. The lowest 1X10 I can create is a 30X40 which is geared higher at 19.5″. I have been using the baby chain ring more, however every down shift is fraught w/ a possible dropped chain. I need to ride the gearing to learn the higher gearing effect. Next problem is the One up parts are available on line and my shipping addresses are bike shops. Buying parts on line and shipping them to a bike shop is a moral dilemma for me.

A need for social interaction pulled me back into town for a beer and a pizza next door to Cowfish. Place was hopping w/ comfortable outdoor people, like the NOLS people that are apparently recognizable as a subculture in town. NOLS is National Outdoor Leadership School started by Paul Petzolt back in the 60s(?). I admire what they stand for. I spoke w/ a young man who completed a semester of NOLS: Wow. I just entertained myself and whomever allowed me to engage them in conversation. Woman bartender moved from Deleware. I told her about White Clay and the point where 3 states share a corner. Yes! she said. She likes the west much more than back east. Lander can do it to you.

I drove back up Sinks Canyon to same camp spot in closed FS campground. Closed taking no fees because pump is chained closed and no garbage pickup. Rock face to the west of the campground is a popular rock climbing area. Sun warmed it up.

Sat AM I lollygagged to listen to Wait Wait Don’t tell Me radio show, a must for me to listen to.

After the show I pointed the van down canyon into town then heading south and climbing all into high wind warnings of 35mph gusts. Imagine an empty Kleenex box on a roller skate being buffeted by cross winds. Two hand driving, all reflexes on alert.

Next stop is Green River. I goggled bike shops and 1 displayed in Rock Springs on the way. I stopped in and visited then went next door for a local brew and watch some college football. Today is a rest day.

I followed the driving instructions to a ride outside Green River. Hey, I rode here 2 days years ago w/ a local. I drove to the first trail head for the night. I fell asleep about 11:00. I was awakened by a bright light shining into my eyes and a voice saying Police, open up. I slid out of bed and opened the side door. I accepted the voice as trustworthy. Cop told me city has a no camping on city property or something and that I was not out of the city limits. I said I thought I was in FS land. No, he said, and then he said that I could spend the night he wasn’t going to ask me to move.

Forecast for Sunday was warm sunshine w/ winds picking up around noon. My plan was to get up and at it before the winds. Turns out the trails have been legalized, signed, and mapped. I navigated as I was able to from the map because of unmarked trails or missing signs from vandalism. About 9:30 during my ride the wind picked up from where it left off yesterday.

Interesting geology

At the end of my ride I measured the wind velocity which reported strongest gust of 27mph. I rode 12.3 miles climbing 1556′. I spent time figuring out navigation.

Green River has an Anytime for a shower.

Plan is to drive down the west side of Flaming Gorge on the way to Vernal, UT. Another day of brutal winds. This side is less traveled on a state highway vs US 191 going down on the east side. This was a new road for me.

I drove onto a FS road before Vernal to a camp spot which looked like a hunters camp. Ponderosa Pine trees. Sunday night and the weekend hunters were gone.

Forecast has been calling for precip, some as snow. Douglas Pass at 8258′ is between me and Fruita. I definitely do not want to drive on snow over the pass. Therefore my plan was to get moving early and drive to Red Fleet and get my ride in, drive to Vernal to another Anytime shower, then drive over the pass b4 dark.

The Red Fleet is another BLM / IMBA partnership trail system. I used MTB project to guide me. I carried my phone in a side pocket of my hydration pack. It seemed that putting it in the tight pocket and then retrieving it the phone went to other places. I need cheater reading glasses to read the screen data. I am learning how the app works to follow a trail. I rode just 7 miles following the gpsed route. There are more trails and miles to ride that a local would understand.

I am impressed by this system. Red dirt that gets rolled hard. Nice layout, pieces of tech challenge that I walked, I did ride a bunch. I evaluate the risk of not making the feature, bailing on the caution side.

 

Red rock

All by myself out there. Back at the van I loaded up then drove to Vernal Anytime.

Managing my time I headed east towards CO and Douglas Pass. Not as windy.

During my first visit to Fruita I was told about the ride named Flight of the Icarus that climbed away east from the pass before dropping down the south face on a narrow rib fin then beat up jeep roads then dumped out on the highway way down on the south side. I pedaled back up to the pass gaining 2,000′ on the pavement… at the end of the ride. What I did when I was younger.

I am camped above Rabbit Valley in CO just this side of the Utah border.

Forecast calls for some precip during the week. Tomorrow I will ride Kokopelli then move into Fruita. Rain will turn the hard dirt into gumbo.