Weather forecast for Sedona was calling for mid 90s, Prescott was about 5 degrees cooler and higher. Only 1 1/2 hours away. Possible crux driving event would be the steep climb out of camp Verde on I 17. Upper 80s on pavement steep climb. The van’s cooling system underwent major refurbishing, this climb will be the test. Late afternoon Thurs after early morning ride on Llama loop, driving up to Sedona to laundromat, after all it was Thurs. George, the owner, said that he tracks time by my weekly visit. Clean clothes put away and just 2 days of riding gear drying on the inside clothes line. By nightfall everything was dry and put away.
My ride plan for Thurs was to ride up rt 179 which parallels Single track bypass which I could carry my bike across short piece of desert to get on the trail. The idea looked good on paper as I caught the trail where it rejoined Bell rock. My ride would no be legal.
Llama to Little Horse to HT then a piece of Breezy, then over to Slim Shady for descent. Stared just after 8. It was like the frog in hot water: the day warmed up gently, before I was cooked I was finished drinking a beer before lunch.
Just after 3 PM I headed to Prescott. Van climbed the hill with the temp gauge remaining where it should be, just a bit hotter than normal. Drive goes thru Prescott Valley with mass number of traffic lights. Destination was a camp spot on Thumb Butte road. Camping on the road is regulated to camping only in assigned spots. The rode is dirt with bumps. I seek to minimize bumpy road driving to protect the van and its stuffing which means picking the first open spot. Scored campsite #10 where Steve and I stayed last year. Van transmission was acting up in that upshifting was balky. May this not be an issue. Tonight is my 3rd night and will prolly stay tomorrow night putting off finding out if the van is sick.
Yesterday I ride right from camp. I used Trailforks to plan a ride which I followed. trails are identified by both numbers and sometimes a wooden sign. I followed Trailforks, most of it was same as ride here last spring. Tread here is decomposed granite which is like kitty litter mixed in with loose rocks. Ponderosa pine coverage if not logged out.
Quiet night needing single layer of down blanket, ah sleeping cool.
Today Jimmy and Christine drove to my camp site, they are locals relocated from Sedona. Smiling out of enjoyment of following a local. Alligator junipers are prevalent, must have no commercial value as they aren’t logged. This one is an aged tree with new growth wrapping around dead.
There were several genuine climbs. What goes up must come down which we did. Almost alone the entire ride.
On the climb up Honeybucket I stalled on a minor tech move. Trail was bench cut, the outslope went down a ways. I fell head first downhill. I fell about 6 feet before I was stopped by a P pine log, a broken stobb impressed itself on my right glute. I escaped serious injury. We finished back at my spot and rewarded ourselves with adult recovery drinks. They drove back home and I remained at my home. We are riding from here again tomorrow.