Last Monday was the last day to ride until trails dry out and night temps suck out the freeze thaw mud.
Which left me consuming time as only a practiced person can…. don’t try this at home. I have 24 hours a day 365 days a year to do what I want. No pressure to cram what you want to do in so little free time. Mine’s free. Time does slip away. Spending 4 days inside because of rain, some times heavy, sometimes nice sucker holes, and just a little snow down here in VOC. Well, there was Thursday laundry day up in west Sedona. How can a person go to work all day and come home and say nothing? I spent time inside at the Bean. I visited The Worm bookstore and bought a book, Sam, the Miracle worker, written by a local guy and Sam, the dog live down here. After 30 some pages I finally rebelled at his tale and returned the book for another. I have become an impulse reader. Mike at the bookstore displays books cover side forward which encourages enticement. I picked another one, Sharp Objects, and have actually been reading in bed. I am enriched as time passes by.
One of the days I drove down to the bridge over Dry Creek which is a wash that runs when more rain falls than the ground can absorb. This can be from rain here and or enhanced by snow melt up on the Mongollon Plateau.
Sat I helped at a USFS trail day building new trail behind the new Hilton hotel. Sustainable trails that replicate route of bike path, built dug in less technical than the old route that was fraught w/ sustainability issues which usually make for a more technical ride. Not ying and yang, hard to have both which puts a curse on sustainable trails. I worked the pounder, a straight handled footed by a 10″ square steel plate that I raised and smacked down on the fresh dirt to compact the tread. Dirt was freeze thaw, maybe it will be really firm once it dries out. The FS has adopted and making new trails to replace Bike Path, Sketch, Special Ed, and the likes. I worked w/ Phil learning from him how to build No More Shitty Trails per his desire. Trail Doc walked by and I enjoined him in conversation. The FS is doing the work w/ volunteers from community, today it was about 20 people with just a few bikers.
Pretty in the snow
Sat night I sat at PJs bar to watch wild card football games, eat dinner, drink 2 beers, and socialize. I mostly spaced on the TV. Zags played during the Pittsburg / Cinn game that I followed on my phone. Heavy rain during the football game and just website text Zag coverage. I left after the Zags won and the early part of 3rd quarter. I go in and out of the van side door which was locked as I selectively do. I put the key in the lock and turned the key: no lock turn. WTF? I reinserted and tried again: same result, seemed that the key wouldn’t bottom out. I tried the driver’s door lock same result. Okay, there is a hide a key under the van that I reach by laying on the dry pavement and feeling my way to the key box location. It was further forward than I remembered, parking lot distant lights hardly made shadows. I found the box. I inserted that key into the side door lock making sure it bottomed out which it did. I opened the door. Upon examination of the failed key it appears that I twisted it perhaps while turning it before it bottomed out. A Dodge Sprinter dealer that no longer exists is the source of a replacement key. I am antsy when I use the spare key and have no backup spare.
Spent the night at the overlook again: dry pavement.
Battery charge is lower from lack of charge, taking is greater than adding from cloudy short days and not enough driving. I still have power the next day before the sun bathes the solar panel but prolly less than is suggested for battery long life. I never draw below 11.6 volts.
Weather forecast here is for sunny skies temps high in the 40s and in the 20s at night. Freeze thaw reigns superior. I’m thinking now is a good time to road trip south. Dave and Rebecca from Green Bay are down there somewhere that I will go visit.
No word on RFX delivery date. I’m the product manager on my new bike as I am making all the component selections. There are many variables to consider as to how the pieces perform as a whole. I have sorted out the bottom bracket crank happiness. Last week it was the wide rim tire width clearance in the frame. No issue. In the ordering process for I9 spokes I heard from Heather whom I know from Pisgah days. Spokes and end caps some forth coming.
Seahawks are wild card game in Minnesota against the Vikings in somewhere near zero degrees. I’ll be comfortably numb sitting on a bar stool at PJs.
Gotta go.