Sunday was a beautiful day under cloudless skies, exertion comfortable temp but a chilling wind. I picked Kevin up and drove up to Sheeps bridge road just off rt 59 which is below the JEM TH. We rode up Dead Ringer to the JEM TH then down the JEM to the Hurricane Rim trail continuing to Crypto for a gentle climb to Dead Ringer and back to the van. I lead Kevin on the climbs never pushing it. Kevin lead on the downhills, he was nice and waited at the trail junctions for me to catch up. I coast and pump the dips allowing gravity to do the work. Kevin drops a bunch of gears and gets after it.
I drove him back home then stopped for a clean up and groceries. My plan was to sleep at the JEM TH again in spite of the forecast for snow. Deal w/ snow is it makes the dirt road perhaps slippery mud or too deep snow for my all weather tires to push me out. The sunset last night was very colorful to the SW, not the west. Before sleep time the winds picked up continuing after I laid my head on my pillow rocking me like a bird in a nest in a tree. The weak sun revealed about 2″ of snow on the ground. Enough snow covered the solar collector to block out the sun’s energy. Piece of news out of North Carolina that a city blocked a request to set up a solar farm because residents feared the collectors would suck out too much energy from the sun. That said, I successfully drove out to the hard road and down into the valley which was warmer and did not have snow. The above freezing temp melted the snow allowing the collector to go back to sucking energy from ol’ sol.
I drove to River Rock Roaster for coffee and a sticky bun. Only 1 car in the parking lot which is just a parking brake failure from a long ride down to the Virgin River. Goodie: I’ll get a sticky bun. Upon entering the place was dark and just a guy behind the counter. He said that a fire elsewhere burned a power pole killing electric. He could sell cold drinks for cash only. No light in the bathroom.
I drove to the library for a sit down and some reading in their warmth. I noticed that the magazines have been culled down to nothing outside the accepted religious conservative norms.
I will be buying IBIS 741 rims and I9 spokes and find a builder.
Turner does not want my Spot back meaning it is mine to sell. Money earned will be applied to my new RFX. So, for a piece of history you can own a Turner 5 Spot that has been ridden by JP Nuts for 3 years in too many states to count. I will sell the frame by itself but I would like to sell it as a “kit” which includes a King headset, a Shimano XT bottom bracket, a PUSHed Monarch shock, and a 150mm Pike fork. You pay the shipping and it will be yours for say $1,500. Wouldn’t part of the bike look good under your tree?
I spoke w/ the Interstate battery person to learn more about recharging. Previously I bought a 1 AMP charger that did almost nothing. He said I needed a bigger kicker. I returned to NAPA and explained what I needed. They gave me credit for the returned charger towards a 10amp charger. I drove to Main Street cafe and plugged it in. Battery power is increasing. Seems to be my solution. A different odor is inside the van now. Does charging cause a gas to be released from a battery?
Earlier I visited a Dirty Bees Bakery near lunch at Subway. Guy raises bees and uses their honey in many of his baked goods that he sells as do several cafes in the area. He has a small hive right in the store. There is a clear plastic pipe that allows the bees to come and go. Today there was food gathering from a flowering plant that I forgot. He said that if they find chicken feed they roll in it to attach protein that they feed to the bee larva. Life expectancy for a worker bee is 3 to 4 weeks.
Temps are forecasted to return to the 50s this weekend. I haven’t thought of tomorrow’s activity.