Many miles of driving since leaving Bentonville. A big drive from Gallup to across the Colorado and a bit further past Cliff Dwellers I turned on the first BLM road heading south. A kiosk
I am riding around 4,000was just a few feet off the highway that I deemed too close. I noted the mileage then continued down the road. A pull out little campsite appeared just a few feet past. Good enough for me. I could see the headlights and hear the traffic noise if I listened.I just wanted to eat dinner and sleep. And that I did.
Monday morning I continued towards Hurricane. I stopped at the upper JEM TH to check out the road in and to ride a short ride. Road in doesn’t hike a wheel off the ground which makes it OK. I geared up and pedaled out down the JEM which I rode all the way down to the Hurricane Cliffs trail. The JEM gently looses elevation over some smooth bermy mixed in w/ rock chunky. I rode gently to protect my rims. I upped the pressure to 18 and 17 psi. I might go up 1 more pound to offer perhaps more protection to the rims, IBIS carbon. Quentin says he rides the snot out of his and has no issues. I’m a turtle anyway.
elevation is 4,000′, the highest I’ve been since late September. I pedal albeit slower each year.
Afterwards I drove down to Over the edge right at the bottom of the hill. Hello Quentin. A bit of catching up. My shifting was not working per drawing. Wrench Ryan made some adjustments which just transferred the shifting issue to the next biggest gear. He observed that the shifter cable ferrule was incorrectly sized per the cable housing. He said he had time to make the change. I let him lead my bike away. He had to replace the shifter cable and discovered that the cable end was only partially captured, this condition was causing the shifting issue. He replaced the cable and test rode it then gave it to me. Wonderful, a twist made the chain move. Good to go.
A shower at anytime and groceries at Lins. I drove back to the JEM TH my preferred sleep spot. Mostly full moon last night.
Today Kevin arrived at 9:30, a half hour earlier than we agreed on. I was not ready to take off. Wonderful day and we had time. Kevin will drive us in his dad’s pickup out to ride a new trail just completed on Wire Mesa out past Gooseberry. Wonderful handbuilt narrow rowdy trail. Trail could have been built with loppers and a push broom. It had a mix of smooth dirt tread and low tech level rock which was the first I have ridden. What an adjustment I am making from hard wood forests on low elevation to high and in the desert. The trail was exciting change. Wonderful narrow hand built trail. The road out is more than I want to drive on, a need to ride with someone else’s rig to return again.
The trail is a loop. back at the truck Kevin discovered that his phone is missing.Memory recall said he left it on the trunk bumper back were he picked me up. I called his number checking to see if someone had picked it up. No answer. We turned off the highway on the JEM TH road. There in the road about 100′ from where I parked there was his phone in the road. He picked it up noticing tire track in dirt on the phone. Someone suspect purposely drove over it.The screen was smashed. He fired it up and it turned on. It received my call but because the screen was smashed he could not sweep it to answer. He left for screen repair.
I drove back down to town to OTE. Clayton is sending me a new helmet to replace this one that I broke the head net strap. I showed Clayton my 5.10 shoes how the soles were cracking. He went above board by seeking out a 5.10 contact. He negotiated me sending the shoes back to 5.10 instead of having to work thru the shop where I bought them back in Bend. I am now back on clipless starting tomorrow. Both products failed within the manufacturers’ warranties.
Weather is forecast to change to rain on Friday. So far now snow or freeze thaw mud.
Just last week I was riding Arkansas in oak forests denuded from fall leaf fall, sight lines were lengthened but the primary objects were tree trunks and no elevation. Yesterday I am riding in the desert w just creosote bush and lots of big rocks. I have an idea what someone experiencing this place for the first time. hard to get a head around how big this is.
Tomorrow I will ride the epic cliffs trail.