Strong enough to blow the hung sheets on the line parallel to mother earth. Just an expression as I have not rigged an outside wash line to verify my claim. My van has been rocked. Last night the temp lowered such that  squashed doubled down blanket couldn’t ward off the chill, I reached out from under said covers to twist the furnace control knob to give me heat. Ah, drifted back to sleep knowing that the furnace would do its job.

The Show Low area is still being buffeted and forecasted for still windy, at present velocity is too high for me to expose my lungs to air borne particles.

I buy and read several mtn bike mags. Dropper posts have been derigguer for several years now. I read a recent comment about them: How did we ride without them? The post prolly explains why I am wearing off the side lugs of my tires: by lowering the seat it frees up lots of space between me and the frame allowing me to aggressively carve the turns which engages the side lugs. Just superb. Also a common comment is that making the seat move operation is performed more times than shifting. I concur. I have no desire to ride my bike without a working dropper. I have 2 backups.

Ranch hand offloaded a tank of water into the boiler tank out where I stay. Future cows return to dry desert.

I am seeing vegetation greening up, small “grasses” rising up. Cat claw is still leafless. Local knowledge is it won’t leaf until no more frost which happen weeks ago. Presently the bare branches identify the plant for avoidance. Leaves distort the shape of the bush increasing the likelihood of being clawed.

Above is wash climb out on Chuck Wagon.

Earlier this week the forecast was calling for high wind warning starting last night. Last night was gentle breeze up at the worm. However as daylight grew stronger the winds stepped up its game. Airport reported gusts of 46 mph when i looked earlier. temp dropped to 79 degrees which with wind chill feels comfortable. Today is a rest day. Clean clothes started my day. Hanging in VOC sort of out of the dust.

Yesterday I lead Cathy on Old Post, Skywalker, Scorpion, Ramshead, Ridge, Sketch finishing on the last piece of Ridge. Cathy rode some new to her dirt. Scorpion has patches of basalt babyheads making it a challenge. Sketch is narrow with exposure.

Bike tread firms up sand ground and where on rock the tires roll the loose rock away. All of which leaves a defined tread as per above and below on the side of Pyramid. Some places the optimal trail building tool is a push broom.

Terrain from Sketch towards Carrol Canyon, Trails play with the topography.

Earlier this winter I investigated riding near Show Low up in the White mtns. Snow fell before I got around to riding there. Cathy mentioned it 2 times. Check out MTBProject, re familiarize myself, then checked the forecast. Not yet: 60mph gusts plus red flag warning. Road trip from “home”.

Tillie and Rui are returning for next year Zags team. The Zags front court has been touted as one of the best in the country next year. Go Zags.

I lube my chain with Squirt which is a water based wax lubricate. In the dry here I don’t get as many miles per lube as I do where conditions don’t dry out the wax. I lube now after every 2 rides. The sound of a dry chain is not what I like to pedal to.

I am back to my solitary life.

Cathy is a fellow wanderer. Years ago she found my web site and started asking questions about living on the road, she had a good handle already. She cast off last year. We finally met at Steamboat for a few days of riding. She drove down from Flag on Mon.

On Mon we rode what I call my Llama route, her reintroduction to red rock riding.

Marty showed me how to ride the roll down that Cathy is riding above. Confidence, pic 2 dimension fails to capture the roll as it could be a face splat at bottom.

Shared some time with mountain bike patrollers and VVCC board members. Hot day. We commented on seeing the most number of riders after spring break.

Finished sufficiently abused. She joined me out off Beaverhead. I created shade with how I parked my van and she rolled out her awning. Pleasant evening with gentle breeze as temp cooled off to finally a sweater to block the wind. Star show, light pollution from the valley is apparent.

Today our plan was to start ride at bottom of COF like Steve figured out pedaling off at 9:00AM. We made the drive out arriving past planned start. temp again was in mid 80s, an earlier time would beat the heat, Our route traveled along Dry Creek to the climb out start on Snake. To Girdner for a short piece connecting with long trail Chuck Wagon. Very few other recreators. Traverse around Mescal, drop down Deadman to Aerie the dirt part to Cockscomb letting gravity reward us with big rollers. Left of Dawa with its burned in single track down what might have been an old road. Carve the turns and boost the little drops. Back to the vans.

This is my rear tire: Maxxis Minnion DHF 2.5WT. carving turns wears the side lugs. A new tire is in order, when? What am I missing with the wearing tire? New tire and maybe 3 weeks more of riding here starting out on the tire with Sedona riding wear?

This morning at sleep spot I observed cowboys standing around the boiler water tank. A truck was pulling a white propane shaped tank and were pumping h20 into the boiler. More days of desert destruction by cows.

One night I caught the high lighting sun rays

Off to desert with company but no internet.

Noticeably fewer cars parked along Dry Creek road. Able to almost cruise thru round about where 89A and 179 split. Traffic was backed up heading N at the apple cider place. Not bad. Almost like it was years ago even at spring break.