Woke up Monday to an empty TH, one time there was an organized trail run with runners in costume and somebody carried a cake. Other times it was riders enjoying new stuff.
I drove the 14 miles out to the base of Gooseberry parking right near where I camped the weekend before. Today visions of riding sent excitement to ride up then back down. I headed up. As I climbed my desire to ride the trail back faded as the knowledge of the well maintained BLM road back to the van. The trail is a toss for which way it rides better. The elevation gain is a wash. I beleive I rolled more features going out then returning, this is so perhaps because the going hurts gettin. I did encounter several riders but I didn’t stop to ask if they were sporting new stuff.
Drove back to town and showered at empty anytime. This time water temp was hot instead of tepid caused either by the smaller shower room feed or nobody had camped under the hot water. I did enjoy putting heat into my body.
I think I ate too much of my sister’s goodies because my stomach was not happy. I went to bed not happy. Today my plan was to ride with Kevin down to Vegas and ride Bears Best. Wake up was 6:30. I woke up to the alarm. I felt fine which is normally how I feel first thing in the morning, today I didn’t know if it was going to last for the long day. I didn’t want to harsh Kevin’s buzz by going then finding out I really wasn’t up to the fun. I bailed then spent the day resting.
At OTE a 20yo man was working on his mtn bike, he had a small pile of bike packing gear. Being me I struck up a conversation with a captive conversant. He is working on a 10 year plan to ride around the world. Articulate. He has really stripped his life down bike packing on a mountain bike, he carried next to nothing.
I don’t remember how the kick starter found me. I contributed for action figures of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders that arrived via USPS today. I am behind EW
Bernie is mounted on the dashboard.
Time here is running short as I am leaving for Sedona on Friday. I will have spent 33 days here. Just dry, not a drop of rain fell the entire time. One year was really wet making the Virgin a maelstrom.