The desert has been so dry. What? It’s named a desert for a reason. Yes, but rain does fall albeit negligible for months. Also desert dirt becomes sticky and slippery when water is added to it, my van does not play well when that happens hence I pay attention to precip forecast as was the case yesterday. For several days the forecast was teasing with precip probability, not overly likely but pay attention. Yesterday’s sunrise looked like this:
Foreshadowing events. Forecast did not call for precip yesterday but for today and for the next several days. Better get a ride in today and pay attention to where I would park last night.
I drove up to cultural park for ride start. parking area held noticeable number of vans. Chilly with slight breeze. Back on went knickers and heavier wool jersey. I had visions of a bigger ride that shortened as I was not riding sharply, attention to balance was not there. I started down Outer Limits. I encountered 2 young women pedaling up packing bike packing gear. I chatted with the second one for some time, they had been out 3 days. Admirable. I planed on a Focus loop which meant following a social trail from the creek crossing out to the highway. Before the building of these new trails here social trails met riders needs. The new trails gained some distance but cut off other riders’ needs which can result in newly ridden in social trails for that need. This was the case on this piece. It’s like whack a mole: close one trail and another will appear.
I rode Focus sort of as I was not sharp. Where I planed to ride would have required more focus, I chose riding up Red Rock back to van. This trail parallels 89A back to town.
Short ride.
I checked the forecast before heading out to Beaverhead which moved rain to after 11 this morning. I did park on the desert. However, around 7 AM I heard spitting on the van roof. Perhaps it portended rain. I attended to breakfast while the sprinkles quit. The dirt color darkened but remained firm. I scooted before more wet. Drove into VOC and parked at usual spot. A short time after arrival actual rain fell, enough to create puddles on the pavement which are still there. Hanging inside warm dry van between scattered showers. Forecast calls for scattered showers thru the rest of week and high winds. Hero dirt is in the making. 41 degrees at noon.
Free tax payer stimulus money created my want for stimulating Asheville, NC economy with purchase of new Industry Nine front wheel with We Are One carbon rim. $ also bought a Mighty vaporizer. This time I spent the $ instead of saving it.
Tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for for over 4 years now. May America slide back to our past character to help and protect each other. Tomorrow I will delete the second line of my email closing:
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities
WAIT: Is that true or did the president say it?”
Robins, the bird. I grew up in Ohio where robins visited in the spring then left in the fall. Springtime was heralded by their songs. Here in AZ desert I hear their song, it’s January, not April. They are where they belong, my head is stuck on Ohio springtime.