Shorter days and colder nights are a seasonal fact. Sunrise is like 6 AM as is sundown. 23 degrees outside before sun rose, 57 inside. Furnace runs from about fixing dinner time to drive away time around 9 AM. Warm daylight hours are treasured.
Willow Springs is about 15 miles to town on US 191, a 4 lane highway. I visited Moab back in 1992 when the highway was 2 lanes. Over the visits I have experienced the making of the 4 lanes. Allows 65mph plus drivers to pass slow me at maybe 55.
Plan today was to do wash in town then drive back to Bar M to ride at maybe 1 PM for a 2 hr ride. Drove to town driving w/o road construction delays as has been every trip thru the widening road to 4 lanes construction making the short 2 lane piece between the edge of town and the bridge over the Colorado, maybe 3 miles. It’s 4 lane thru town, which located on the main street that became the Main street back when it was settled in 1878. Horses were the locomotion. Anyway, clothes are clean and stowed inside. Riding clothes hung up, drying time is longer because less solar gain which heats the van which dries the clothes..
Drove back up to Bar M trailhead. Wheel was gone hopefully reconnected to its bike. Maybe 25 rigs in the huge parking lot. Checked outside conditions: temp, chilly, slight breeze, 47 degrees in the sun. Knickers were still wet as was preferred wool jersey. Dress arounds of light weight wool long underwear top under a long sleeve synthetic jersey, figured this would block wind heat loss. Exposed knees because of shorts, do I need to wear knee warmers or would effort keep them limber. Went showing off the whites of my legs. Suntan sluffed off.
Ride was to ride 2 black trails, Deadman’s and Long Branch, which have many tech features and short ups and downs. Today’s ride was longer than yesterday. And more features to evaluate the new wheel. Performance was the same as first ride except a faint freewheel noise was heard, still quieter than Torch. Just amazing the control I have gained with the .52 degrees of engagement in the hub, not accurate to say zero but feeling .52 seems instantaneous. I am able to put power to the rear wheel where and when I need it. I can position my crank relative to the wheel and know that when I arrive at that 1″ of tread and I need a pedal stroke, it is right where I want it. Already enjoying the rim suppleness although the rim maker prolly doesn’t use that description. Those 2 trails are a hand full, OK 2 hands as one is on the left grip color red and the other is on green. Dropper post makes for agility and staying behind the bars. I use the dropper more times than I shift. I checked my log sheet to read my first dropper was back in 2014, amazing 6 years of dropper riding. I prolly rode these trails back before the dropper. Shit, I could not go back to rigid.
Finished up on short piece of back 40, a blue, with fewer features. There were sections that faced right into the low angle sun which blinded me in the shadows.
12.4 miles climbing 1102′ in 1 hr 51 mins. Average speed was 6.7 mph. There were pieces of pedal speed mixed in with the tractor crawling.
Back at the van the sun was about 1 finger width above the canyon wall. 1 finger equals 20 mins. I beat feet to make it back to Willow Springs in last daylight and solar gain warmth inside for a heated water wash off.
Still riding the worn drive train, still is trouble free. Keep putting off removing and replacing the chain ring having to break free the self extracting Praxxis bottom bracket. Cold makes for stiff digits.
Tomorrow it is up to Horse Thief for 2 days, no internet connection. Trails up there are more pedaling with fewer features.
Bed time.