Finally night time temps have been above freezing and the day times are in the 70s. Mud has been replaced by red dust as the trails have really dried out. There might have been a small window of hero dirt but I missed riding on it.
Yesterday I added my old age to an old man’s ride led by 50 yo Jimmy. It was 4 of us. Holiday weekend. Jimmy lead us on a route that was shared by no other bikers and reasonably understandable as there was plenty of basalt chunder. I fell over several times while being overly cautious. If I let gravity pull me downward the wheels would have rolled over what stopped my wheels. I just missed a head plant into a prickly pear. The trails were prolly some of the early ride here trails which have never gained notoriety. Chunder.
Finished the ride then hung out in the sunshine. They drank beer and I sipped white whiskey.
Sat I rode a loop of Hogs by riding Llama, Little Horse to Chicken Point and full on view of famous white line
Google “white line” to view rider videos to get a sense of the exposure and commitment a rider makes.
I picked up Broken Arrow down to junction w/ Hogs which has several nasty hike a bike features. I exited onto Twin Buttes down to Hog Wash taking the lower route around the rock massive. I take Peccary off the wash as it eliminates several challenges. Peccary intersects Mystic that ends at Cathedral rd launching me into a residential neighborhood. Zip downhill on pavement carving asphalt turns. Go around the 3 strands of barbed wire at the road dead end to pick up FS trail again. Hit HT down to Easy Breezy wash which becomes Templeton that I rode to the wash drop down Easy all the way back upstream to where it joins Templeton working back to Shades to back home. 16 miles climbing 1708′. Good route to ride from VOC.
Friday was another PT session where Eric’s focus is identifying exercises that will strengthen the remaining muscles. I followed that with another massage. I bribed Sarah w/ a gourmet chocolate bar. See did her job and I didn’t snivel. I bailed on the first of the year shop ride and went to the desert.
Nighttime temps had been cold enough to run the furnace for heat. An electric motor runs the circulating fan which creates a noticeable white noise. Sometime Fri / Sat night I woke up to a strange silence: no blower noise as no heat was sent at the setting. Nights since have had periods of silence. Amazing to me how accustomed I had become to the fan noise.
Thurs was wash day and a big ride out upper Dry creek like Chuckwagon, Mescal, Aerie, Cockscomb, Rupp, AZ Cypress, Anaconda, Girdner. Another 16 mile ride climbing 1671′. Chuckwagon used to be a social trail until the FS adopted it and brought it into the system. Now hikers outnumber the bikers. There is a conflict between hikers and bikers or bikers and hikers that spawn retaliation. I spotted 1 place where 2 man moved rocks were placed on the trail right below a short roller. Nasty potential. Man moved the rocks, I moved them to where they more properly belonged. Good ride. Where Chuckwagon crosses Dry Creek just outside the wilderness boundary was running which I hardly ever see. Snow melt coming down from the rim above. I rock hopped the running creek at the other crossings.
I stayed out at Deer pass rd spot several nights.
Sat night the Zag game was televised that I watched at PJ’s. They lost by 9 points.
The trailer is still parked at my preferred camp spot.
Holiday weekend attracts the tourists, the economic engine of the canyon. The traffic plugs rt 179 to and from Sedona from the Village. Don’t drive.
My joy is great weather and having free time to endlessly enjoy it. I’m debating if I want to or need to ride today to share crowded trails when i can ride tomorrow up in west Sedona.
Internet connection at the cattle tank off Beaverhead is way too slow to do internet work. I’m in the Bell Rock Plaza parking lot typing this at 11:00 AM. Not hot enough to bail out of my van.
Last news on my RFX was end of the month.
Anthony Diaz tunes suspensions. I asked him what he tuning he is doing for the RS Pike that I am riding now and a new one will be on my RFX. He said he does good stuff. He and his partner Krista are the Turner enduro team. We are the 3 Turner riders as captured on Turner’s web site.
Traffic is backing up on 179 heading to Sedona.
Out of here to go outside and struggle w/ decision to ride or not.