Moab won out over another Fruita ride. Moab is close enough to Moab for a day trip from Fruita. I drove to the N end of Klondike trails arriving early enough to squeeze in a rdie before dark thirty. Klondike trails are the most technical of the Moab trails in my opinion as I exclude the much more demanding trails. OK the hardest trails I choose to ride.My route was pedaling the easier side going out then returning on harder Dynoflo. racing darkness. 11.7 miles pedaling nonstop for 1 hr 28 mins. Dynaflo is fun as it twists short ups and downs as it skirts the lower edge of the Klondike face. Bedrock.
Cold nights, furnace temp bottoms out about 45 degrees. Sleeping wearing long underwear top and socks. Oh, pulled on my wool ski hat. day time temps are in 40s with some wind. Knickers, knee socks, long underwear top and long sleeve jersey. Summer weight gloves. Sun puts a glow in the body. Spent night.
Next day, the 12th, I dallied waiting for solar gain before riding as I had all day and not driving away after the ride. This time I rode the challenging stuff on the Klondike face ( my term) Dynoflo out then up Little salty then wandered around way up high before dropping down to pick up EKG finishing out back on Dyno.
Then came the demanding and slightly frustrating EKG which is named after either your heart rate or the ups and downs then back up over again trail. frustrating in that the raven would have chosen the direct line back versus all this wonderful marked trail on slick rock with all of its tech problems. I wanted finish and after awhile the repetition became I’ve seen this before. No, just grousing. Wonderfully laid out and built trails. A favorite spot to ride. The terrain and tread here are different than other Moab trails, great variation.
BLM serviced the outhouses.
Drove in to town for supplies and connections on Tuesday then drove out to Willow Springs road which is usually camped out, meaning that distance between my rig and yours in now measured in feet not yards. My favorite spot which is on a rock slab isolated from other campers was occupied. Further out the road would have more campers. I turned around then turned up on a slick rock patch, the first camp spot off the highway. I picked my next best spot at the end of the rock and away from the road traffic and weak internet.
TheThe rest of the day was a rest day. i did hike about linking slick rock patches. Still chillly at night.
Wed again I dallied as I would ride from here and sleep here again. Solar gain but required the same amount of clothing. I pedaled out Willow Springs road out to Klonzo system which is sandwiched between State Sovereign land and Arches NP. Different flora not that it could be seen.
16.2 miles made 8248 miles and 585 rides on my Turner RFX.
On Thurs, which is weekly laundry day, I drove towards town stopping for a ride on the Moab Brand trails. deadman’s ridge has some challenging problems that stumped me in the past. Today I nailed all of them. Tech riding over sand stone.
I didn’t stop to take pics of the rough stuff.
Drove back down to town for laundry, propane, groceries, a water fill up at gearhead, all the water you want and we will help you if asked.
n irregular clunking sound developed on my bike seemed to be coming from the front end. I checked bolt tightness and knuckle rapped on the frame checking for a break. Nothing. perplexed. My next thought was to back off all the suspension bolts and retighten them to torque specs. Needed a torque wrench. Checked into favorite shop, Chile Pepper seeking use of wrench and or suggestions. Service Manager who eliminates skritches suggested I clean my headset as grit works its way in. Huh? OK. You said so. Forget about torquing. That night I squeezed my bike inside my van to my inside workshop. i disassembled and cleaned the headset and put it back together. The next day from the first pedal stroke and terrain obstruction the bike was quiet. The guy was right. No knock lasted for the downhill part of the ride but returned on the pedal out. Back at the van I tore into the headset again this time outside where I had more room to work. Cleaned then added squeezes of Slick Honey. The next ride was peace. headset does have scoring on a race however.
Drove back up out of town out to Wild Horse area. The BLM has closed the first group of campsites past the XG. Hmm, this could go bad with possibly more closed spots. Took the first turn on an opened backcountry road, I had been here before and knew of a spot which was open. I set up for 3 nights and 3 days of riding out there. No internet signal. All alone where the nearest camper was prolly 100 yards away.
More about those days in next blog. Getting late and other electronic communication awaits after 3 days out of range.
I busted 2 knuckles on my left hand open on the seat swivel device. I wrapped a band aid over each wound then wrapped it in paper tape. Still bleeding which is prolly because the knuckles need to flex and I am learning of clotting properties of new anti clotting med.
I have been tracking the battery storage vs use. I notice that when the engine runs it adds a longer charge to the batteries than just the solar panel even though the end of the day battery voltage is the same: no engine charge means less storage.
Rigs are still pulling in at 9:30PM. Parking lot close.