Gooseberry and Gander with Kevin.
Furnace ran all night keeping me toasty outside just above freezing. Body is adjusting to lower temps as I slept almost too hot under the light weight doubled over down blanket. Battery power kept the blower going. Looked outside to see 4 rigs parked behind me, never heard them pull in. They left before I finished dishes.
Headed out to Gooseberry stopping right across the cattle guard on Gooseberry rd to meet Kevin at 11:00. Road in is now all weather almost paved smooth which pleased my van. Road has been reworked since I was here last winter. Parked at cattle guard, we rode from here climbing up onto Gooseberry mesa 4 miles away. We rode a bit of Gooseberry following white paint stripes indicating the trail. At least I did as Kevin made numerous his line choices for fun I needed to stay a bit behind him so I could make my informed decision if I wanted his line or perhaps walking. Disclaimer: I affected my sensory and coordination capacities before starting out which stayed with me all day. I was way off my game. I found that talking distracts me, social rides don’t improve my riding skills.
Our ride plan had something for each of us: a road pedal to Gooseberry for Kevin and Gander back for me. We got a lot from each. Gooseberry is Kevin’s long time back yard. Gander is maybe 4 years old and he had ridden it only once before. Mesa riding lots of rock. Gander rides right along the mesa rim. I hit a tree with my right hand that shifted my line to the left which I corrected inches from a long way down. Long day with many stops. Finished late afternoon with low sun angle and crystal clear skies. Just beautiful.
Decided to just stay at JEM and not drive down into town then back out. Propane is iffy. I stopped at Apple Valley store after official sundown as they had propane. I asked for filling and she said after sundown can’t do.
No precip in forecast, just dry trails talc like dust.
Last night I ordered Endura 3/4 shorts which are like knickers. I like their shorts way better than club ride. Extra length keeps some warmth from escaping my knees. I also ordered a king sized Egyptian cotton flat sheet that I will have resized for 2 sheets. Look forward to both new fabric things.