What a great ride day it was today. I spent the night out off 89B at my favorite spot. After bfast process I drove into Sedona to the laundromat. Clean dry and folded clothes and 5 days of wet riding gear hung on the drying line inside my van.

I drove out Dry Creek road to where Chuck Wagon crosses the road. Off the road parking doesn’t require a red rock pass. As I was getting ready friend Tomas stopped for a visit. Today’s conditions were just ripe, warm but not hot. I wore shorts, low socks and a short sleeve Turner jersey. Just right. Today is the first time riding here since my last visit in Jan when i was rained out. I waited for the trails to dry out from rain, snow, and freeze thaw mud. Hardly a muddy spot. Trails are eroding allowing rocks to rise up. What was once sort of smooth is now more chunky. On Chuck Wagon I encountered 2 bigger than football size rocks that had been placed on the trail just below a roller. Vandalism and meant to harm. Hmmm. could it be hiker activity?

Chuck Wagon lead me to Mescal. which connected to Deadman’s dropping down to Aerie that I climbed then descended to Cockscomb TH. Aerie is becoming more rocky. Cockscomb to Rupp dropping down to running Dry Creek that I crossed 4 times on Girdner till I found Anaconda to climb out of drainage, Anaconda climbs higher than the junction of Girdner which means I overclimbed for the desired intersection. It is what it is. I rode Anaconda non stop. Drop down the east side to intersect Girdner then a short section to pick up the start of Chuck wagon and my van. 16.83 miles left me battered. Long live long rides. I found stepping stones for 3 of the creek crossings. But Dry Creek was running way up on Chuck Wagon.

Cat claw scratches on bare skin.

Late afternoon headed back into Sedona to Snap for a shower. The Whole Foods store in west Sedona is a work in progress as they just moved into the adjoining spaces to the east and are looking like all Whole Foods stores. Last 2 nights I grazed at the extensive salad bar, $8.99 a pound. Didn’t see chocolate pudding. I spooned tasty items into my large plastic container. Puppy’s breakfast. No idea if any of the foods would not play well w/ each other. 1.64 pounds cost just under $15.00. Tonight I saved left overs for tomorrow.

Temps are warming into 70s and 40s. Sunny cloudless days. I ride like 5 days a week.

Yesterday was a rest day. I parked out at the Cultural Park and bush bashed a loop. Cat claw.

Tuesday Cashion and Eva joined me for a ride out Last Frontier to however far we could go and still make it back before dark. We finished just before it became too dark to see. Late start. Hammer. They are skilled riders and way younger than me. We crossed Dry creek and it was dry, we were down stream from where I would be today.

I’m out at 89B again at the same spot as the pic from Bike mag on the side of my van shows. The tent mahalla still stands. Tomorrow AM is PT followed by a massage. I ran into the masseuse at Whole Foods. I told her I wanted a picture of her first born and every time she caused me pain I was going to stick a pin in the pic. Eric the PT has given her permission to pull out the stops and work my shoulder over. The difference between a terrorist and a Physical therapist is you can negotiate w/ a terrorist.

Zags play soon. Listen on XM.

Last night this software program threw an action item that perplexed me. At first blush it looked like my site was dead and that what ever I wrote would not be remembered. Mark who is the web expert fixed it. What I wrote did display.

This AM from the tank side of the road where I was camped I watched activity at the other side of the road as there were 2 rigs there. A guy walked up to my van and introduced himself and presented me w/ an issue of Mountain Flyer mag and extended me an offer to visit Arkansas and the mag had an article about the Syllamo. We chatted as he learned of my experience in his state. I watched a Sprinter drive away.

I drove to the Bean. I saw the Sprinter there, upon inspection I spied the lettering, Bike Farm. Cool Cashion and Eva are here again. Eva returned to the van and I flagged her down. Warm welcome. She said I have something for you. It was the issue of Freehub w/ the article about me that I loaned them back at their place in Brevard, NC in 2014. Last year when they were here she forgot the mag. Just so cool about people. Cashion and I never caught up. She said they will be here for several more days. They have a new 4X4 rig.

I took off to ride my Llama loop and gather info on conditions. Where I expected slippery thawed freeze thaw mud were correct. I cut my ride short to avoid muddy trails. I started w/ shorts and a long sleeve wool long underwear top that was shed at the first rest stop. I rode in short sleeve top and shorts exposing winter white flesh. At a trail junction I asked a rider to snap this pic of me;

Digital image did not capture the snow white flesh.

Just very pleasant to be outside as the ground is loosing its cold. Night time temps are just above freezing and day times are in the 60s. Feb 8 sunshine. I’ll take it.

Out at the non tank side of Beavehead flat road expecting Cashion and Eva.

Tomorrow is another PT session. Last session Eric worked my shoulder to break up scar tissue that he said causes the clicking. I need to learn more about that. There is less pain in the shoulder perhaps because of that work. I have 2 exercises to do to strengthening up other muscles. I lay on my side gripping a 2 lb dumbbell in my right hand, I use my left arm to raise my right arm externally as far as it will go then slowly let the weight lower to my body. I manually raise my right arm because there is no muscle support to do it. I can’t lift 2 pounds using rotator cuff muscles. Friday is another massage to deep deeply into the shoulder.

Headache update: I have been sniffing a sinus spray every morning to open up my sinuses. My headache appears to be sinus caused as I can now see straight.

Sat I helped at another volunteer trail work day. Effort today was to open Scorpion all the way to Lower Red Rock road and to fix formerly known as Witch DR now named Pyramid and tie back into same ending. Nice day but fewer volunteers. We parked down at Lower Red Rock rd and walked new Pyramid backwards to where Catwalk used to leave from then walked forward brushing. We finished around noon and were treated to pizza: no beer because it was a government program.

I was able to engage a FS person about trails here and what FS is planning. Info exchange.

I walked over to  my van and geared up for a ride that would descend the new trail. First I needed to climb out which short story went like Ramshead, ridge, sketch, ridge, old post, skywalker, then Scorpion.

Scorpion was in the closure area off limits to biking meaning I hadn’t ridden it in 3 years. There are several reroutes that solved sustainability issues  while keeping the bulk of the trail defined by basalt chunks maybe like Airport. Rides well. Need to keep force going over the basalt chunks. I’m getting much better at front wheel step ups. I stopped this time in the basalt. Somehow I lost my balance while standing falling to my right landing on a pile of crucifixion thorns, fortunately they were laid out in such a way that I landed on the spines all pointing away from me. Earlier during trail work I jammed a spine into my left ring finger… painful puncture wound.

Drove back down to the Bean. I hung a bit. I ate dinner at Mileys then drove out to desert. I have been staying at the tank as a trailer is still up at my preferred spot.

Yesterday Jimmy started to pull together a Sunday group ride that I was invited on. Today 5 regular locals plus me drove over to the start of Scorpion which is at the high school. Today our ride would be almost the same as mine yesterday except we started at the top. Life is complicated by jumping right onto a demanding trail w/o zeroing out and tuning in. I’m gaining confidence.

Scorpion goes downhill w/ no exposure. Sketch climbs up the drainage to the canyon overlook is narrow, exposed and nasty. Not cliffy exposed but steep enough to bounce several times before becoming lodged against a rock.

It’s a good loop ride just under 10 miles.

Back down to VOC. Took a shower then drove down to PJs to watch the Super Bowl. Standing room only as I stood at the bar for the first half then left. I had no dog in the fight which left me blah about the game. I bought dinner groceries then drove out to Beaverhead. Tank spot again. The tank is a small man made water impoundment for cattle. The cows have been in here already this winter. The devastation they wreak on the land. Glad conditions don’t suit flies.

Denver beat Carolina to win the Super Bowl. Gonzaga is in first place in their conference.

Temps are riding into the 60s this week. And above freezing at night. Drying out.