Getting very warm

Mountain biker mayhem.

I joined the shop ride on Friday night that became a hammer fest for those up front, for me breathing red dust. If you’re not the lead dog the view never changes. I like to ride by myself for the view. It was a gaggle of locals and others who have been here over the years. Tim from Shenandoah Bike in Harrisonburg and Shana from Asheville riding a single speed hard tail plus size joined. Tim is an exceptional tech rider. Shana riding her plus size tires allowed her to straight line problems that lead me into trouble as I followed her instead of picking my bike lines. Nobody is near my age and I can not keep up w/ the younger riders. They were all good and waited for me to catch up albeit my breaks were definitely shorter.

on Llama
on Llama

Hung around at the Bean after the ride. There was a fund raiser event at the Hilton to benefit the red rock trails. Several 0f the shop ride riders attended, some still in their riding clothes like me. Lots of fancily dressed people that looked like they never got their shoes dusty. Food quantities were sparse that was to be my dinner. However there was no shortage of adult beverages. I encountered a guy who moonshines and I asked him bunches of questions about the process and output. He said that his product is about 190 proof ethyl which will induce alcohol poisoning if drunk straight. I couldn’t score any. After the raffles were over and I did not win I  took a shower and ate dinner at Thai restaurant in the Plaza. Making sure that I was not staying inside my van exposing myself to towing. Spent the night at another preferred spot on beaverhead. The party that had been stating there drove in well after dark and saw me causing them to retreat. They stayed over at the tank where I had been.

Steve from Sun Valley arrived and is staying in his time share place. Sat were helped at a trail project that relocated a piece of Old Post. Afterwards we rode the new stuff and continued the loop to Skywalker, Scorpion, secert slick rock, Ridge to Sketch reconnecting to Ridge back to city park where we parked. We ate dinner at Mileys down in the Village then went to his room to watch St Marys beat Gonzaga at home. Zags team is not top drawer as in years past.

Steve on Scorpion
Steve on Scorpion

Sat he and I helped at a trail work project on Old Post. I have helped now for 4 days. I chatted w/ Forest who is the hands on the ground FS trail person. He said that pretty much everybody knows what I am doing.

I drove out to a crowded Beaverhead flats camping area.

Today was to be Jimmy’s old mans ride but the old guys didn’t make it leaving old me. The ride morrphed into a younger riders ride. We rode up Old Mans wash then up to rabbit ears down to Jacks Cnayon. The route was to repeat what we rode last week. Lots of chunder  that scares me. I bailed at Jacks and rode the road back. I’m parked behind the sheriff’s office writing this. Full on sun. Beautiful weather.

Old mans ride that got young, Rabbit ears
Old mans ride that got young, Rabbit ears

The old mans ride was to have sort of costumes. I bought a white shirt and hand sewn Bianci colored tie. I tied a full on Windsor and matched the lengths on the first try. I was stellar.

More future shenanigans upcoming before bed time. May the crowd at Beaverhead be thinned out.

Artist Jan’s friend told me about a more appropriate sleeping position of sleeping on my back w/ a pillow under my knees and a rolled up towel under the nape of my neck instead of my normal belly splay. This new position will help my breathing etc. I have started out my sleep in the new position until I wake up and sometimes I kick out the pillow and roll over on to my belly. Hard changing a preferred face plant.

Turner has not answered my email asking him for a delivery date for my bike frame.

 

Booted again

Today the parking lot authority person decreed because of the complaints that he had received about mtn bikers taking up parking spaces that you are only allowed to park in the parking lot if you are in a business, no trailhead parking which is what the posted signs say. I and another guy were singled out as we kind of live in our rigs during the day and also ride from the lot. I can park in the lot I suppose as long as my bike is on the rack and not be living inside my van and also be in a business. Street parking somewhere. This affects way more people than just me so it’s only kinda personal. I had 3 county sheriffs rigs and 6 cops attending to the parking lot authority parked behind me. They ran my driver’s license and plates. Nothing in AZ. I have been warned by the man and the next time I trailhead park I will be arrested.

Just beautiful shorts and short sleeve top riding. Sunburns coming on.

Tuesday afternoon
Tuesday afternoon, number on right of the “P” is outside

Tuesday I rode a Hogs loop 16.9 miles climbing 1708′. I still know how to walk what I perceive my lack of skill will not match the challenge of the move. Same things. I do ride what I can better w/ more confidence.

Yesterday was another PT session. Eric sees increasing strength.

Sandy and I pooled our desires for a ride on Upper Dry Creek. I slid her bike inside the van. We rode Chuck wagon, Mescal, Aeirie, Cockscomb, Dawa, AZ Cypress, Snake, Girdner, then Chuckwagon back to the van for a 12.3 mile ride climbing 1166′.

Sandy on Mescal
Sandy on Mescal

Her knees are shot. Biking offers her relief from the pain. She is a very strong climber and outclimbed me. However, my downhill tech skills are better than hers so we switch leads. We were going to ride today but she bailed because her knees took a beating from yesterday. She is paying for her prowess.

Today I pedaled up Shades then down the back side to Connect to Templeton. This was the first time to pedal up this piece as it is a more painful hump than riding Bell Rock etc. There are several features that I can ride down but can’t master on the uphill. It’s just a grunt but it was a good kind. Bare skin ride, I’m working on my biker tan. Some day i will ride Hiline.

Still no word on the arrival of my RFX. I’m in a bit of a tire replacement  pickle as I have worn the sidewalls of my rear tire down to exposed fabric. On Sunday  the  lost air during the ride. The Orange sealant isn’t plugging all the leaks. I need a tire. The RFX is a larger 27 1/2 wheel size. Won’t buy a new tire for just a short amount of riding till the new bike comes in. My riding has really worn the Conti Trail King down.

Tomorrow is laundry day and a ride on new trails.

Freeze thaw begone, apply sunscreen

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.

all the way to Cockscomb
all the way to Cockscomb

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

White line
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.