Hmmm, human body normal temp. Air could not reduce the muscle heat generated during Steve’s & my ride. It’s 83 degrees at 4:55P.

Steve and Mia are renting a house for April just off Dry Creek. Great sleep spot in addition to friendship and a shower. Today we rode Dry Creek rd to where Lizardhead trail takes off. I botched a tech move and stuffed my front wheel against a rock stopping my forward direction changing forward to reverse. I gently landed on my backside. We climbed Anaconda then down the back side to AZ Cypress connecting to Girdner past Rupp to a new social trail climbing out of the Dry Creek bottom. Then Cockscomb to W Civ snaking on another social trail down to Dry Creek climbing up to Girdner again. Finishing off on Plumber’s Crack. We rode the pavement back.

Steve rides a 29er w/ I9 Torch hubs, carbon rims, and tires w/ same pressure. My set up is the same except I am riding a 27 1/2″ wheel. We coasted from a stop down the sidewalk near the medical building. He is taller and just a few pounds heavier than me. Breeze coming uphill against us. He got in a pedal after we started jetting him ahead. I tucked as i gained on him. I caught him and passed him going away.

Tonight we are fixing dinner at their house. I’m making my Waldorf salad and he’s grilling salmon.

The Hermosa tour ain’t going to happen as I have been deemed not a good fit because I asked nuts and bolts questions about how the kitchen setup will work w/ possibly 15 paid riders being hungry at the same time. He laughed at my question but never answered the question. Imagine: it’s dinner time after a great day of riding, ribs are touching the backbone, dinner is on everyone’s minds. They provide the kitchen stuff. I want to cook brown rice that takes 40 mins simmering. The others need to fix dinner w/ whatever is available. Do they expect someone from the group herd us cats? No answer just saying that I am not a fit for the tour. I will survive.

Update: here is the email string that Matt deduced I did or do not want to share w/ other riders:

Thanks for getting back.

On the dates I am interested in I saw that there were still 14 empty spots. I will be by myself in this sea of other riders fixing breakfast and dinner at the same time. Some riders might be in a group so they would share food preparing and eating. That still leaves other mouths to feed. Pots and pans and dishes and stoves needed to satisfy prepared food needs. I want to make brown rice that is simmered for 40 mins and stand for 10 more.  I’m seeking understanding how you support communal cooking stuff shared by a quantity of non guided riders, that’s it.

His answer:

Hahaha, that’s one of the best responses I’ve received in 9 years. I’m pretty sure this trip isn’t a good fit for you.  Thanks, Craig.

My reply:

I ask you a question that you do not answer then dis me for asking.

His reply:

Not dissing you at all. I’ve been at this a long time and I know when people aren’t a good fit for our trips.  I have a lot of respect for your trail work here in Sedona and I bet you’re a good guy.  Have a good one.

Here is the entire string:

from Hermosa:

Not dissing you at all. I’ve been at this a long time and I know when people aren’t a good fit for our trips.  I have a lot of respect for your trail work here in Sedona and I bet you’re a good guy.  Have a good one.

 

Matt

Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 5, 2016, at 9:10 PM, craig bierly <craig@runutsadventures.com> wrote:

I ask you a question that you do not answer then dis me for asking.

 

……………………………………….

 

Craig Bierly                                                         RU Nuts Adventures

 

Mountain Biking the States since 2008                                     Somewhere in country

 

509 680 3724                                                       runutsadventures.com

 

From: Matt McFee [mailto:matt@hermosatours.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2016 8:59 PM
To: craig bierly <craig@runutsadventures.com>
Subject: Re: Contact Form Submission From craig

 

Hahaha, that’s one of the best responses I’ve received in 9 years. I’m pretty sure this trip isn’t a good fit for you.  Thanks, Craig.

 

Matt

Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 5, 2016, at 8:46 PM, craig bierly <craig@runutsadventures.com> wrote:

Thanks for getting back.

On the dates I am interested in I saw that there were still 14 empty spots. I will be by myself in this sea of other riders fixing breakfast and dinner at the same time. Some riders might be in a group so they would share food preparing and eating. That still leaves other mouths to feed. Pots and pans and dishes and stoves needed to satisfy prepared food needs. I want to make brown rice that is simmered for 40 mins and stand for 10 more.  I’m seeking understanding how you support communal cooking stuff shared by a quantity of non guided riders, that’s it.

 

 

……………………………………….

 

Craig Bierly                                                         RU Nuts Adventures

 

Mountain Biking the States since 2008                                     Somewhere in country

 

509 680 3724                                                       runutsadventures.com

 

From: Matthew McFee [mailto:matt@hermosatours.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2016 11:49 AM
To: craig@runutsadventures.com
Subject: Re: Contact Form Submission From craig

 

Sorry, not sure I understand your question 100%.  Could you be a touch more specific?

 

———————————–
Matt McFee
Director
———————————–
Hermosa Tours
www.hermosatours.net
Mountain Bike Tours
877-765-5682
———————————–
Our other divisions:
www.aztexpeditions.com

www.sedonahiking.net
www.openroad-adventures.com

 

On Apr 4, 2016, at 9:50 PM, Hermosa Tours – Mountain Bike Tours <info@hermosatours.net> wrote:

 

Name: craig
Email: craig@runutsadventures.com
Your Phone Number: 5096803724
Tour Interested In: colorado self guided
Message:
I will be in a group of one. Please tell me how the kitchen stuff works out for me and the others not in my group. \n\n ————User Info———— User IP : 70.209.100.55 Browser Info : Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:45.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/45.0 User Come From : http://hermosatours.net/contact-us.html

 

 

 

Now, read his comment at the end to determine for yourself if I expressed myself as his comment read.

I simply asked how the kitchen stuff was configured.

 

 

Cody et. al. at the Bean successfully installed and bled my Formula T1 brake. He said it took 5 attempts to bleed it. Back to slight pressure from index finger to powerful rear wheel lock up stop. Fine window for modulation. I have never experienced fade or forearm pump up. I emailed Formula asking for an RA to fix the leaking one.

Tuesday Steve and I pedaled and hike a biked as ability permitted around Hogs, one of the Hs. We rode etc to Llama, up Little Horse to Chicken Point, leaving on Broken Arrow switching to one of the Hogs. Sand on the  rock we slid down. We rode Hogs to Twin Butte connecting to Broken Arrow short piece leaving it on Hogwash. Today we rode it all the way to Pigtail the jump trail I helped build years before but never ridden. Steve lead me down it. Temp was hot. Heat took a toll. I spent the night here after a shower and dinner at Picassos.

Tomorrow is my Sedona departure day. I do my wash and grocery shop on the way out up canyon stopping to fill my water at teh spring, then turn onto I40 heading east to Fort Wingate exit.

Forecast here and in the Zunis is calling for rain of some kind. Jimmy tempted me by telling me I would miss the newly tacky dirt. I am staying w/ my plan.

 

 

Today Jan, the artist w/ the shower connected to her studio, and I took off for a social ride. Pedaling away I pull the brakes, run the shifter, and bounce a bit to check system functions. Again the rear brake was not stopping the rear wheel. I worked it thru several full lever pulls which seemed to bring it to the party. However, after a short while it wouldn’t perform. I abandoned the ride. back at my house i have a reconditioned T1 brake to put on. Upon examination after removal I discovered the caliper seals were leaking: no fluid no hydraulic power and contaminated pads. I started installing the replacement brake which was the rear brake on the Spot and discovered that the brake hose was too short. Fortunately I had a piece of hose end end parts. I gave all to the shop for repair. They trash the Formula brakes because they do not like to work on them. OK, I pay professional bike mechanics to service what I am unable or unwilling to do. For me the brakes stop me when i want to which meets my needs.

So it was a shorter ride. Casual chatty ride.

Chopper said that if you aren’t willing to take a wet steamer to the chops you are not a mountain biker. He did not say what the steamer is. Today this is what happened on a popular multi use trail. Previous riders  avoided the droppings. I stayed to the left but still in the tread.

Jan planned the day. Short ride, visit w/ her friends Dave and Xandy for a gathering at the Hilton Spa for which Jan provided me w/ a guess pass. We went to the pool and scored 4 lounge chairs on the pool deck to lay / sit in full sunshine. The pool spoke to me. I grabbed a kick board ans slipped into the water. I flutter kicked my way down the lane at a very slow pace. At the far end I rolled over on my back and backstroke kicked which was faster. Must be because of bicycle specific muscles. I tried some crawl strokes which were sloppy as I wasn’t able to consistently recover my right arm. I tried some breast stroke which worked. 4 lengths and I was ready to be sun baked on the deck. I measured my sun exposure hopefully I am not too burned to sleep tonight.

Yesterday’s  Old Mans Ride didn’t happen as the catalyst heeded another calling. I made it a rest day back out at Beaverhead where I am now. I sat in the sun introducing my uncovered skin to exposure. Few minutes are necessary to turn my baldness bright red.

Saturday Steve and I rode Old Post piece that we helped build, Skywalker, Scorpion, then Pyramid that I hadn’t been on for years because of its tech difficulty. We climbed up Old Post. Steve was my rabbit on the climb leaving me to view his back wheel in the distance. He dropped me. I give what I can. He let me shower at his rental house.

Friday Steve and I rode from Dry Creek rd up and down Anaconda then hooking up w/ the creek trails till I found the entrance to a horse trail that wandered its way to Rupp. We continued to Cockscomb to Aerie rejoining Cockscomb to Dawa to OK and figured out a confusing intersection to find Snake for the climb out. I drove down to uncrowded Beaverhead.

Thursday was Steve’s first Sedona ride of this visit. I took him on the longest continuous downhill here. New trail for Steve and my second ride on it. Social trail. I have taken Steve on several were are you going trails that he started questioning my navigation.

Thursday night I slept at the crowded 89B spot. Too popular.

Another plant bloomed

I have a bite wound on my right forearm that I have strong suspicion  it is from an early juniper gnat. If so, more than time to move on.

Plan is to do my laundry in W Sedona on Thurs then head to the Zunis. No gnats there.