sat afternoon when I rode thru the JEM TH the parking lot was packed. Sunday when I rode out just a few rigs made the nice riding day. I rode down JEM to the Hurricane Cliffs trail for the challenging tech stuff then returned on Cryptozoic finishing the climb on Dead Ringer. Trails are named for local features. Crypto refers to the soil that the cows break down which loosens the dirt which becomes wind blown dust. Ban the cows and I will no longer walk cross country. Dead Ringer’s name came from a dead cow with a bell around her neck discovered when the trail was built.

Climb up Dead Ringer is full bench cut on steep hillside, looks spectacular when seen from the nearby highway.

Vertigo when riding.

On Sat I figured enough propane was in my tank to make to Monday when the local bulk propane business was opened. On Sunday I looked at the tank gauge and learned the error of my plan: fumes. Went to plan B which was Tractor supply outside Hurricane. Pulled in then made my request known. Sorry, pump is broken. Hmm. Plan C. Drive a few more miles to a gas station that has propane and also sells locally grown Pistachios. Attendant told me they were empty. Hmmm, now I am down to plan I: research internet for a station. Found a station, near’s as I could tell was in Santa Clara about 30 mins away. I did what i needed to do and drove to the station. A surly attendant filled my tank, 5.2 gallons, max fill is 5.6. Drove back to Hurkin and the sleep spot at upper JEM where I enjoyed heat, refrigerated food and a hot meal.

Mon I treated myself to a rest day and hung around town.

Tues I drove back down to Santa Clara to ride Barrel Roll trail outside of town. Beautiful day, Solitary ride. Lots of blue square tech challenges. I made most of them, the ones I haven’t mastered are on an uphill when my engine lacks the performance to make the climbing move. Nice ride and satisfaction of more skillful riding. Back to Hurkin.

Weather forecast had been calling for rain starting last night with snow into the weekend. I wanted to ride Gander which is on the N side of Gooseberry mesa. The ride would prolly be fine if it rained but the road could be a mud bog. That meant to ride it meant riding yesterday. From the JEM TH I was only 16 mins away per Google maps. Day turned out to be sunny and dry. However, when I turned on to the Smithsonian road out to Gooseberry the smooth all weather road was wash board stutter bumps which just shake my teeth loose and the stuff inside. I needed maybe that 16 mins just to drive about 3 miles on the road. Turned onto Gooseberry road which has been reworked which was not beat up. parked just after the cattle guard at the base of the steep climb up onto the mesa.

Gander is a social trail sort of ridden in. In places it hugs the edge of the rim with great exposure. This is not a mesa trail per say like namesake mesa but a tech pedaling trail. I still walk a few places.

My body gets worked by the tech stuff. Today my body said just lets ride the trail out then return down the road back to the van. My brain allowed this decision.

Back at the van a car had parked nearby. Guy came over and struck up a conversation about riding here. He had a  mtn bike hung on a trunk rack. I gave him some info. The bike looked like the old Y bike. I asked him about his bike. He proudly said it was an electric bike. Conversation stopper. I told him the land manager, BLM considers them motorized and are not allowed on trails. He said he was from LA and did not know the reg. I continued my preparation to leave and did not see him ride away to learn his route. These people that buy E bikes and either don’t learn the access reg or break the rule and ride where they are not allowed is somewhat beyond me. i ride a pedal bike on mostly legal trails. I wonder if the fine of riding off system trail is more than that rider riding a motorized bike on a non motorized trail perhaps we are all scofflaws, it just depends upon where you stand on an issue. If you are not willing to do the time, don’t do the crime.

I drove back to town under clear skies. I stopped at the library and bought a non resident library card and checked out a Ken Burns video, The War, about WWll. I watched the first disc until way late last night while waiting for the forecasted rain. Rain never fell.

Today I drove back down to town to do laundry, another rest day because rain was still forecasted to fall. I don’t need to ride in the rain when the trails are affected. Rain of sorts started falling late this after. Snow is on the menu later this weekend. Grocery shopping then back up to JEM and experience the rain. JEM elevation is like 42XX feet, Hurkin is around 35XX’.

Ok, My plan for the rest of the week was drive into town for propane and water then drive back up to Wildhorse for 2 days, drive into town on Thurs for wash and Waba Sabi, then Friday head to Hurricane.

Now the small stuff.

I burn about .8 gallons of propane per day, my tank will hold 5.6 gallons. Feed store where i prefer to fill up will be closed on Thurs and Fri. I would need propane while they were closed. That was Tuesday’s need. Left sleep spot off Willow Springs  rd

Full propane tank. Drove up to Wild Horse rd then turned down a pipe line road a short ways to a flat spot on slick rock for the night. This put me right at a TH eliminating the 2 miles of road riding. This rode was riding Chisholm over to Horse Thief trails and wander around then return back on Getaway and finally Chisholm back to the van. Chilly days needing long underwear top, and now thermal leg warmers, still summer gloves. Knickers and knee socks might have worked but the knickers seem sag and catch the nose of my saddle. I bought the leg warmers and wanted to learn how they work. They are leg warmers which means pulling them well up my legs then overlapped with the elastic leg openings of the liners, they stayed in place and my legs were just right.

Wed afternoon was a momentous basketball game pitting 3rd ranked Gonzaga against first ranked Duke. On espn. Needed to get back down to town to watch. Today i rode the part of Chisholm heading north to connect with Navajo Rocks system Out and back.There is about 300′ of elevation difference from top to bottom. Just the right amount of spice for accomplishments. 11.9 miles climbing 712′ taking 1 hr 34 mins straight. Met just 1 rider, no badger this time. Cleaned up at the van then drove the 24 mikes back to town and Moab Brewery for the game. Scored a bar seat at comfortable distance from TV. I stayed focused on the entire game. Zags put a hurt on Duke for 3/4 of the game then Duke made a run. Gonzaga with great defense held them off to beat Duke. Gonzaga is now rated number 1 in the country. Drove back up in the dark to last night’s spot which was still vacant.

Thursday I got after it early and rode Rodeo this time straight. No difference in ride time or enjoyment. One hour 19 min appetite stimulator ride

 

.

on RodeoCleaned up at van then drove back down to town. Today was laundry day. Clean clothes. Drove to Waba Sabi event in time for my 1:30 start. Lots of volunteers work to put this big Thanksgiving feed on. Lots of people sit down and eat. I worked my shift of 90 mins filling water containers. I turned in my bib then walked out to the end of the line for my dinner. The line was stretched outside the building and the food serving lines shrunk to one. I didn’t want to spend the time waiting for a possible less than full plate. Bummer. I fixed black bean burritos for my dinner

Plan became drive out to North Klondike TH which would put me on my route to Hurricane via I 70 and 15 for the shortest route. yeck on interstates but time became an issue. My reward for soulless driving I rode Klondike trails on the hard side. Trails are well signed and mapped at intersections and the assigned trail color is painted in stripes on the rock tread. I set out with an idea which was either concurred or modified at intersections. Big high up ride above Salt Valley. 11.8 miles climbing 1099′ taking 1 hr 48 mins.

Started just after 9 temp was 34 degrees. winter gloves.

Back at the van and warmth out of the wind. Cleaned up. 2 miles of all weather worm dirt road to pavement and posted 80 mph speed limit. Not me. I 70 crosses the San Rafael swell which is a spectacular engineering feat for views. Windy. No snow on the roads. I 15 headed south. Got off at Toquerville then headed up to Springdale to jacks in time to watch the first half of the Apple Cup. Snow storm dumped snow deep enough to obliterate field markings. Snow piled up on players helmets. Alas, weather grounded Leach’s Air Raid passing offense and defense could stop Huskies ground game. Cougs lost. I left at half time to drive out Sheep Bridge road for the night. Not as cold but the furnace still ran all night.

Today I drove down to the Hurricane Cliffs TH right above the Virgin River crossing. Small lot was full. Lots of riders out enjoying blue skies on dry trails. I rode the 24.4 mile loop climbing 2329′ in 3 hrs 16 mins. Just kept after it. I am now slower on the climbs and struggle to oxygenate my blood. I find if I upshift a gear and slow my rpms but add power to the stroke I can keep breathing in line. Lots of riders on the trails.  Windy on my nose climbing out on exposed Goulds rim. Pedaled nonstop the jeep road to the top. Little using of the 46T gear. Lots more riders riding from the upper Jem TH.

Last week I rode 6 days. Count the liners hanging on the drying line.

Not tired, more drained after today’s ride. It’s just about 10 PM. Bed time. 38 degrees out, inside 69.

Tomorrow early ride on upper JEM trails before the weekenders.

Today riding the gravel road from the highway to the JEM TH, about .2 of a mile a pickup with bikes hung ove the tailgate started following me which was cool as he was behind me and not kicking up dust. I wasn’t lolly gagging speed wise but slow enough for his big truck with the windows rolled up. He passed me creating a dust cloud. I followed him to where he parked and banged on his window. He rolled it down and I said how could he be in such a rush that he could not consider me. He started saying something that I did not attempt to understand as I pedaled away. I am experiencing almost all drivers on gravel roads  not slowing down to minimize their dust cloud. Just lack of consideration. And I finally got to vent on a driver.

 

Temp dropped to 16 which was lower than forecast. My down blanket needs to be replaced. Finally i pulled down the down sleeping bag then snuggled underneath. Nose of my van is not in line with the sunrise which keeps me in slumber shadow. Still a popular sleep spot. Most at this spot have not upgraded to being able to sit up inside their night shelter. Today is a rest day, last week I rode 6 days and this last batch was 5 days in a row. Beautiful day outside, still need a sweater. Solar panel is sending juice to the batteries, no supplemental engine boost today.

So back to memory recall.

It’s now Friday morning. Big ride from sleep spot out the road, pick up Chisholm, cross the highway, intersect with Mustang loop, exit it at tangent with Get away which parallels the Gemini Bridges road and oil tanker truck traffic, turn on spur over to Bull Run TH, roll down the Run to Arts Pasture to climb up Get Away returning same way as start. I am like almost 2 miles from the single track.Rode thru the almost empty BLM XG where I picked up Chisholm. At the road crossing there were 2 riders milling about. Woman turns to me and almost immediately says I know you. I recognized her but her name was lost in my brain. Darlene and her husband from COTA Prineville chapter. They are completing their first past retirement road trip. They are racking up miles daily of shorter miles. They are figuring out how much they can ride such that when they wake up in the morning they want to ride that day. Congrats on them getting a lot for themselves.

Wonderfully laid out and built, sustainable and taken care of. Get Away descends and the joy of riding let my speed get the better of me causing me to miss the intersection over to Bull. I noticed this as I only ride up past this point and the trail was unfamiliar. Retreated short distance to said intersection. Frequently spaced streamers of blue flagging were hung on the brush. At the TH kiosk a flyer was posted for a trail run tomorrow: like 25, 50 nad 100 miles. Bull Run was included. Lots of flagging. I would catch a glimpse of one and sometimes think it was being worn by another trail user and etiquette would be required. I was wearing a blue long sleeve jersey. Never seen so much flagging for the only trail to be on. Negotiated all but one feature including breezing up a nasty spot that only last year did I ride it. Momentum and pedal power makes climbs get to the top. Along the way i encountered a group of maybe 8 men working on a bike. Shock failure: Schraeder valve failed and the shock would not hold pressure rendering his rear suspension an anchor. I had nothing to offer. Shortly I encountered another group of similar riders. They said that the group above were part of them. I rested at Arths. They showed up. The broken shock rider had a shock pump strapped to his frame, the pump valve acted as the shock valve thus keeping the shock pressurized. They continued on to the Portal and I headed uphill on Get Away.

At the Bull Run connector several rigs pulled up, not bikers, maybe runners. I pedaled over and greeted them learning that some were running. i asked about the copious flagging. A woman said that perhaps past feedback was that the course was not well marked and racers got lost. One guy said that about mile 40 for him his brain shuts down.

I turned down the 4X4 road to my van a mini cooper passed me going away. Woman, a wave. Later back at the van I heard voices. It was the driver and her friend. Learned that the driver was here to run 50 miles in the race the next day. They were camped further down the road.

My ride was 21.9 miles pedaling for 2hr 54 mins climbing 1663′ Nice effort on a nice day.

The knock returned on the climb out after being quiet on the greater force applied loads on the downhill. The afternoon was young and temps were doable so I went thru the headset again. This time I shot squeezes of Slick Honey were it should go then put it back together.

Solar gain brought battery voltage up to max level but after sun power was lost the voltage dropped fast. Seems solar doesn’t charge as well as alternator.

Sunday I dallied again waiting for warmth as I would again stay same place. Again, road ride out to XG where I picked up Chisholm going N to pick up Navajo Rocks loop. This trail is loaded with blue square trail challenges. Just before the Big Lonely junction a badger scurried into a rock overhand hiding from me, we were about 50 feet away when we spotted each other.

No runners on my ride. However, i shared with maybe 20 riders, some 2X as we rode loop in different direction, that was out on Navajo. Returning on Chisholm a rider approached. We each stopped and visited. I remembered meeting her and others one year on this trail, they were admiring a juniper tree decked with bright red globe ornaments. Further on another rider. First time in many times of riding this piece of trail that I shared with another rider. This is a fun trail with rock features that I made with much more skill than ever.

You either sit on or in your bike. i have learned that lesson. When my dropper post tops out at proper height for pedaling efficiency and knee protection I am sitting on my bike. Because my legs are almost fully extended there is little range to stand up when negotiating tech problems. I always lower my seat when going downhill when needed, no sitting in my bike, really standing over it. Now when riding over tech things I lower my seat maybe an inch which now bends my knees giving me some spring action to get up off the seat and pedal which creates balance. If I sit I am now sitting in my bike. Practice. I am a much better rider as a result which increases my fun factor and satisfaction that I can ride more difficult stuff.

Today’s ride was 24.7 miles climbing 1745′ in 3 hrs 24 mins almost non stop. Before dinner I walked out in the desert from sleep spot bush bashing hiking on rock to pick up Rodeo trail that I will ride tomorrow. At a distant point the trail would cross a decommissioned jeep road to take back to my spot. darkness coming on hard, sundown is at 4.58 PM. i hit the road turning onto it. I ran into the runner’s friends group at their camp spot. Her friend told me she was still running her 50 miles. She got lost. Never learned why.

I have been afraid of riding while under pot influence as I need all my wits about me. Here I have been starting the ride straight then at some halfway point I vape. What follows has been enjoyment and accomplishment as I ride well making what’s under my wheels. I remain focused and well under control. Fear never manifested itself.

Sunday I drove to TH near the intersection of Wild Horse and the highway which would eliminate the long road ride to the single track. Today it is the 9 mile Rodeo trail which is a loop that stays up on almost same elevation. today I was stoked from the beginning. I was aware while riding that I engaged my brain on mental activity that was front and center of focusing on my ride. I was able to corral my brain as needed to negotiate trail features.

I enjoyed myself. Option is open. A day wasted is not a wasted day.

Ride was 9.31 miles taking 1 hr 20 mins climbing only 646′ Another fun trail.

Loaded up then headed downhill to town for resupply then back out to Willow Springs. Which now catches up with previous post.

Went for a short walk up slick rock patches until sand took over. Spent writing time inside.

Thanksgiving is Thursday which must be the draw for all the visitors. Busing at 1:30 at WabaSabi feed, my dinner at 3.

Slight chance of snow on Thurs. Dunno about leave here date for either direct to Hurricane or maybe a side trip over to Cortez, CO and Phil’s world where also chance of snow.