Today is a rest day under overcast skies with temps just in the 50s. I drove in from the desert to VOC for bike service and better internet speed. I’m parked in a small shared parking lot with the county sheriff’s office. I reconnected with one of the deputies while my hands were still free.
Yesterday was sunny and warm for Jimmy’s Sunday drinking ride. 18 riders joined for a big group. He originally called the ride :old Mans’ ride”, didn’t make it superlative as I am the oldest. All the younger people pedal uphill laughing and talking, I listened to them on my wheel as they were saying that this ride is an easy day for them. My pulse rate is anaerobic and I am using all effort to breathe. It is what it is. I’m still pushing the pedals in circles. Our route took us up Old man’s wash, again don’t know about the old man. I discovered that I have yet to learn how to friction the tire side knobs on an off camber climb. This ride I attempted the move. I made a pedal stroke on the rock which broke free what traction I had which spun the rear wheel parallel to gravity and stalled me. I must have grabbed the rear brake which caused the bike to fulcrum around the rear axle and dumped me onto the slick rock. I landed on my right forearm, the destroyed shoulder side, and found some tree material. I took my time standing upright sussing out body damage. My shoulder hurts but still works. My skin has several cuts. All is mostly good. This ride is on local knowledge trails of old school type riding over lots of distance of basalt chunks, some a kids’ heads, others as just loose rolling balls. Takes balance.
The drinking part comes in at the end when we end up at a new brew pub south of the village. Small site which the 18+ riders filled. The courtyard was littered w/ our bikes. Lots of $ hanging around. At a hidden place on the ride is a bottle of tequilla for an offering to the church of rotating mass. At some point that gathering broke up but reformed back at the Bean uphill. I contributed a partially depleted jug of corn and sat back. Well, the social lubricant spun stories. A pizza place shares a common wall with the bike shop. I slipped in to watch a few minutes of the Superbowl. I prefer to hang at PJs which is a sports pub where customers were into the game. Standing room only. Name recognition put a beer in my hand and I found a piece of floor to watch one of the TVs. A local woman vacated her seat at the bar who grabbed me telling me she was leaving and that I should grab her seat which I did. Another benefit of being a seasonal local. I watched as the Falcons piled on the points and dinner time was sending me messages to m y conscious brain. I drove away stopping at the local IGA for dinner stuff landing at my preferred spot out at Beaverhead for the night. I checked the score on my phone: Patriots pulled a record come from behind win. I ate my home cooked meal and slept where I wanted to be. Today my only hurting body part is my shoulder, others who finished my jug perhaps have a different story.
Sat I drove up to west Sedona to be a trail work volunteer as we worked out of Adante TH. We built new sustainable trail to fix the worn legacy trail. I just use loppers cutting a whole lot of living vegetation.
Today was a nice day to be build trail. Afterwards I set out to reward myself on a ride.
Dry Creek is still wet feet deep which keeps me away from riding from like the cultural park. I again rode the loop facing south draining into Oak Creek. Skywalker is riding real well, Scorpion is melted out and almost completely dry. Sketch is still a grunt of a climb.
Cleaned up at snap then back down to VOC and PJs to watch the Zags game. Spent the night at the cattle tank on Beaverhead. Cows just destroy the environment.
And so it goes. Back out to Beaverhead.