P Phil is reported to having seen his shadow. 39% accuracy says 6 more weeks of winter. For you in it and want out: 61% says you will shortly prolly attributable to climate warming. Me here in high desert of Sedona: want winter to actually happen. Sorry to all of us folks.

Yesterday I drove down to ride  Black Canyon Trail starting and ending where trail crosses Bumblebee road, just off the interstate. Ride north to Treasure Mine(?) then turn around for beer back at the barn. A wildfire burned over the trail near where I started. Saguaro cactus burned down. Green succulents burned up. Trail is sharp edged rock some with the faults rising above ground. Sturdy tires resisted puncture. Still riding tubeless Minion DHF 2.5WT at 18 and 19 psi. Low pressure wide tires mellow out the sharp edges. I rode over a piece of the trail I helped build back in maybe 2010 near Bumblebee.

Out and back lasting almost 3 hours on a Saturday. I encountered 1 rider passing me and 5 headed the other way and 2 backpackers. OK, Van thermometer read 80 degrees with no shade. Sucked on hydration hose but left quite a bit in the tank. I drank a quart on the way back and 3 beers during the evening that generated little pee. Cooked. Need winter.

Watched 1st half of Zags game which started just after 8. I wanted to lay down but PJs would have nothing of it. Listened to teh second half on XM, Zags beat BYU in the Kennel.

Friday morning dawned cloudless. Not even a marmot down here to compete w/ PA version. I drove up to Cultural park to ride the Last Frontier stuff. Mostly all by myself. Hot day. Didn’t ride Aerie.

Today Duff hosted a group ride bringing out a bunch of the VOC regulars. Still greeting local riders for the first time. I showed up. I hoped that a rider close to my ability would be along. Wrong. All better skilled and faster/stronger. I left them to ride alone. We did reconnect at Chicken Pint then at the scary tech section on Hogs. I watched several riders make it. Big pucker factor.

Gear 3 on the cluster is my favorite gear as I can push it giving me something to stand on while climbing. I have been learning how to make 2, the next easier gear, work to finesse the move. There is a fine line of difference in gear choice that effects success.

Bike now has 6,000 plus sofa change miles on it. 1 1/2 months shy of 2 year original ride day. Have only replaced the handlebar, pedals, cranks, grips, tires, chain, chain ring, front and rear brakes,cluster, bonded suspension inserts and bearings, and Stans. Sure is a sweet ride. Might be something better out there but I am unwilling to go looking. Ibis 741 carbon rims are scuffed and scratched and run true. Added Diaz’s Runt to the fork. And a tune to the shock.

SuperBowl Sunday. I have no dog in the fight. I will watch at PJs and observe patrons’ behavior. I mean yelling at the screen as if your yell can change the call. What if you yelled at the TV and the only people who heard you were those who also had no voice? Years ago with Howard Cossel that many people hated, I read about a bar somewhere that raffled off a rock that the winner could smash a TV when he/she had had enough of Howard. Didn’t read how it turned out.

Large number of beef cows grazing out off Beavehead rd. They must be eating dead grasses. Cow pies are fewer and firmer almost like horse pucks. Still no manure at camp spot.

Skin is starting to exhibit sun burn.

Friend Steve from Sun Valley headed back home. Steve and I share friendship. Our riding was cool as we spent time savoring the ride and occasionally sessioning features. Friendship is a wonderful thing. However, I chose to ignore writing because I was unwilling to part with computer time plus internet out off Beaverhead is way too slow for my patience. I just accumulated experiences some will remain in long term storage, others were like a joke: humor and shortly forgotten. So, following will be a loose connection of recall and thoughts.

Steve asked me if I had met everybody I know here in Sedona as on almost every ride I ran into someone knew or they remembered me. I did not have a listing that was checked off so I was unable to answer correctly. Seems like who else could it be. Today at the laundromat for my weekly clean clothes session a tall guy rose above the washing machines bank, looked at me and smiled. I don’t remember if he asked me if I remembered him but I remembered him and his name. Howdy Ted. Ted used to work at a bagel shop that I would visit and give the newspaper to Ted. He is a reader of this blog. Again, another opportunity to visit and not computer time.

Yesterday I rode what i name Llama loop: Bell Rock, Big Park loop, Bell Rock, Llama, Little Horse, Templeton, Breezy, Templeton, Yavapai, finishing down hill on Slim Shady. I worked the features Steve and I sessioned. The big rock paver climb on Llama still intimidates me. But I did solve another climb. Seems there is a skill of power and finesse relationship. We were attempting climbs in eve increasing gears believing speed was the answer, that’s power. However, I made the climbs in number 2 gear which is finesse. Great bike.

Our MP #4 camp spot has been taken over. 2 nights ago we parked close to the cow watering trough. We had a great view of the lunar eclipse just before Steve drove away. After daylight cows made their way to fill up.

I made today a rest day as my damaged shoulder started barking late on yesterday’s ride. Folding my sheets was a struggle.

Sat Steve and I made it a rest day after riding 5 days in a row.

Sunday we made a shuttle ride starting from the cultural park finishing where Aerie crosses Boyton Pass rd. Aerie is shedding rocks that were buried at trail construction from wear. Bikes roll on round soft tires, boots have sharp edges which loosen sand between the rocks. Climbs on Last Frontier are still hike a bike as both power and finesse flee my body leaving me a panting former pedaler.

Monday we drove out to where Canyon of Fools ends on the road. We rode down Dry Creek to Snake for the climb out of the creek bottom. Steve figured this route as it got the climbing out of the way to finish on a downhill.

On Tuesday we rode in reverse my usual Skywalker, Scorpion, Sketch route. What a pleasant discovery. The climbs on Ridge were a nit, Sketch trended downhill allowing roll down of walk up problems. What was amazing was the climb up Scorpion was better than climbing either Herkenham or Old Post although there are difficult sections of basalt big baby heads.

Ride number 419 will make 6,000 miles on the Turner RFX, since march 19. 2015.

Physical therapy is exercising muscles I didn’t know about. Benefit is exercising my hip muscles which transfers to more powerful pedaling.

Zags games are televised on micro audience channels that PJs didn’t buy the coverage package: ESPN3 and espnu. Several past games did not even make XM.

Van life is growing in popularity. Visited with a young couple today at the parking lot in front of the Bean. They sold off their stuff and moved into their Dodge home conversion van traveling full time. Stories we have about our adventures. What caused you to split the full time employment and for younger people who still have years to go before medicare what are their run a ground plans. How are we solving living problems caused by this life style.

Enough for now.