Hot / Cold? Sweet / Sour? Ebike / no motor, ying / yang, you get the pictures. Newness versus what is known? Maybe this side of the hill is still desirable. When something has been done several times it works its way to becoming a habit. Habits are comfortable, warm and fuzzy. Comfort and familiarity. A conversation I had with a guy who had been on the road for 33 years and I was just a vaca time VW Westy tripper. He said that a 50 mile driven day was a big day for him, he had to find reasons to move. Settling.

Sedona is comfort, a habit, known. I hang here because it is like a temporary home for me. Funny, I may be more locale than the local riders in that they leave to ride somewhere else where as I stay here and ride the same trails.

When I started this lifestyle almost 13 years ago I was an oddity and doing what people I met wanted to do. Well, maybe many of those dreamers made it happen as the population of van conversions has skyrocketed. I am now part of a large population and judged by that worst apple. Just reflecting that I have not been to a new to me bike shop or ,location in years. I have yet to be a newbie to a shop so I do not know the vibe.

I have a lot of “I been there done it and that was good enough”. Habit: I have winnowed down from all the places I have ridden in the country to select favorites. I’ve been here 7 weeks. No pulling urge to go somewhere else to ride. Maybe Tucson. Elsewhere it is winter. Here in Sedona we were to the west of the cold that hit Texas, Prescott under snow. Too wintery to the north.

When I started back in 2008 only flip phones existed. Finding a ride meant a hard copy guide book and or local knowledge. I visited many LBS in the early days for that ride info. Smart phones and various apps are ride source data lessening the connection to the local community. The dance the touron and the local knowledge person perform is classic: what do you like to ride? What can I ride? Oh, that trail is nt on a map? The touron brings their knowledge to a new place where a recalibration of past and present occurs. These rocks are not slippery. The local knows locale but prolly lacks experiences where the touron has ridden. It was fun to watch when those 2 found that they had ridden same trails forming a foundation for understanding local. I blame it on covid, I know how I have adjusted to it in not socializing. A grocery checker might be the extent of the day’s conversation.

I see a noticeable number of van conversions with bikes on back thus noticeable. There are van owners who carry their bikes inside so there is no indication of a fellow rider, a kindred spirit maybe. Just many vans, no longer an oddity except that I am nuts.

2 weeks ago I was hit by a cold per my evaluation of symptoms. I lost my sense of smell as my sinuses were gunked up. Starting 2 days ago I started that I was smelling faintly. Dunno if I am fully recovered or if I am only able to smell strong smells as at present the smell of I believe burned butter that prolly has been smelling for while my sniffer was screening my calls so to speak. I do not like what I smell inside. Copious amounts of fresh air will at least dilute the smell. Dilution is the solution to pollution.

I have now lowered my seat height the width of electrical tape: 5/8″. I have a knee bend with the pedal axel under my arch, however, when I place my heel on the pedal my leg is straight. I am still figuring if I am rocking my hips at this lower height. I know my legs are being used differently: mostly strong pushing down on the pedals. I notice new muscle soreness. My center of gravity is lower and it is easier to use my legs as part of suspension. The trick is propulsion: power on the pedal creates balance. Trick is matching gearing with what’s on the ground. Scorpion trail has many babyhead basalt gardens that  challenge me that I anticipate improvement negotiating those features. My seat dropper goes down from this new height as a dropper is supposed to do, why it is called a “dropper.” Ride data indicates slightly faster average mph. My legs seem happier, fatigued but not cramped.

Yesterday was laundry day. That done drove up to cultural park for a ride. Still chilly enough for knee warmers and a second top. There were social trails that I had not mapped that I planned to correct today. Where that social trail crossed a system trail I stopped to check my phone data. 3 riders pedaled by then stopped a bit past. I heard them talking then they came up to me and asked if they could follow. Yes. They got a taste of old Sedona.

Climbed out Axis again. So few others sharing the trails.

Last night sat bar front at PJs and watched the Zags smoat St Mary’s.

2 nights ago I checked out spots along another FS road on the N side of the road. Dried up cattle tanks, dead desert compliments of grazing cows. No crowds out off Beaverhead.

Tonight I baked another corn bread disc. I warmed up a left over dinner in addition. Created many items that needed washed, rinsed, dried, and put away. In my small space.

Doing dishes in a small single basin sink, water heated on the stove, low output electric pump pulls water from the tank mounted between the van floor and a cabinet shelf. 7 gallon tank filled 1 gallon at a time.

Made today a rest day. Last week I rode 5 out of 7 days as displayed by the dried 5 liners hung on the drying line.

Bedtime usually lights out at 10 and feet on the floor at 6 the next morning.

 

 

Sort of relative. Weather forecasts and then there is what is going on outside. I check the Sedona weather forecast several times a day, for me now concern is precip for a firm desert track. Blinders are not on, I am only affected by local conditions. Presently there is a cold and snowy weather event for the SW from here. Texas with almost zero temps and freezing rain. Even Arkansas is affected. Rolling black outs.  How to recharge electric cars? The joy of living my lifestyle is I can be where I want to be. I am not there and won’t be until the weather improves, if I even got here. Like last summer when I was in Oregon until forest fire smoke blotted out the sun and irritated my lungs: I fled  to where air quality was breathable.

Weather event here in possible snow showers then warming up. parked at cultural park in anticipation of return of favorable weather. Presently snow showers.

Been riding down at VOC over the weekend to stay out of long weekend tourist crowds. Except Sat I rode on the S side of 89A: SSS: Old Post, Skywalker, Scorpion, Ramshead, Ridge, Sketch, Ridge etc back to recycling center. Right at the start a group of riders pedaled ahead of me. Thought I might have recognized some of them which shortly I did: bike club riders. Peer ages, and they were faster than me. Reality is a fact: I am slow. And am less skilled. I followed them out to start of Scorpion where they regrouped and visited. I chose to keep on riding. They never passed me on Scorpion but they might not have gone that way. They would have been faster. I just ride what I can and the speed my body will give me. Dunno what their heart rates are but I do: I force my body into anaerobic state for many minutes during a ride. I don’t do sprints, I just chug along.

3 rides ago I checked my saddle height by propping myself upright then rotating crank arm down to vertical down and put my heel on the pedal. I noticed that I needed to rock my pelvis to make my heel rest on the pedal. Way too high. Somewhere along the way I kept raising the saddle to eliminate knee pain at the front of me my knee. Solution was to raise seat. Over time knee pain went away but I had no pedal power. I dropped the saddle maybe 1/2 ” which prevents rocking pelvis, seems my knees do not straighten and I do have power. Seems also my calves are not so beat which was caused by full extension of my legs.

Yesterday I rode out Llama to Little Horse junction. I carry my camera in the left side pocket of my pack. During my ride I frequently touch that pocket for the camera. Yesterday at that intersection I felt an empty pocket. Shit, too much distance between checks. Nobody followed me. I turned around and rerode the trail. And kept pedaling, no camera. Possible it was hidden by vegetation. Well, you find what you are looking for at the last place you look. As such, there was the camera lying smack on the trail right below a drop that shook the camera free. I put the camera back in the pocket where I learned finally that if I position it this way it is trapped and should not fall out. I carry the camera where I do as I can get to it with less effort to take pics. Lack of attention to details. The LED screen is shattered but I can still see around the damage. Carried camera lodged into the pocket today, never a budge, good stash.

Snow flurry clouds moved on.

I lingered inside the warm van letting solar gain. It was somewhere around 11 that I finally pedaled away from cultural park. Stirrup starts off downhill over patches of embeded bedrock chunks. Hand built. Today i turned onto saddle up which is longer and rated blue than Stirrup. Made junction with Girdner where the 2 and only riders I would encounter stopped briefly for me to tell some joke. I pedaled for 2 hr 16 mins for 16.5 miles. I was essentially all alone. Took Girdner to junction with Anaconda that climbs over a knoll that Snake goes around.  Descend Anaconda turn onto OK for a ways until the secret handshake social trail takes off that I rode till it joined Aerie right at the shallow descending grade with small turning berms on firm dirt. A hoot before the grinding climb up traversing some big knob. Descend Aerie playing with all the small trails tech features. Bike is  sure dependable and capable. Question: skill or courage? Skill means accumulation of knowledge of how you and your bike are able to negotiate this feature. Courage can be what is needed to make a feature that I have the skill to make but won’t attempt. Courage with less skill can be just going for it, maybe you make it and maybe you learned how to make it. I pick and chose pushing my limits as I gain confidence. The lowered saddle puts more power on the pedals and lowers COG. Noticeable. Legs and body are much happier post ride.

Several days ago I made electric fudge and I am still learning dosage. Tonight it was maybe 3 tbsps back at 5:30, it is now 8:54. Appears that i am affected and afflicted.

Pedaled out of Dry Creek on Axis, I like this climb better than Outer Limits and above Girdner. 2 miles.

Checked that trailer out: no license plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The latter 2 items are out of my sphere of influence, they will be what is outside. However, after 7 days of not riding  taking care of my body in its defeat of a chest cold. Days earlier I had a wet hacking cough telling me that  when it is below the collar bone rest. I might have ridden yesterday but I gave healing an extra day. I tracked my O2, pulse, and temp for a week. I did have a 100 degree temp that has since fallen to 98s which is warm for me. I rode today, sort of gently, with no ill effects. Lungs worked as per usual.

Lungs, it’s not about fairness but it is what it is and it is painful. Today I rested at Slim Shady and Coconino. I watched several riders go by, several in each direction. I watched them just sit an spin going uphill. Maybe I was able to do the same when I was their age….. But, that is the past, If I learned their ages I might have racked my memory to that age and imagine my performance. Reality is what I am pedaling in, accept it.

I pedaled from art show crowded outlet mall lot a mile up to access to FS trails at Bell rock. Right from the TH a mini ex track was laid on the trail, then fresh worked dirt. FS was using  a machine to build heavy duty water diversions. Dirt is wet and workable. Visited with a trail worker as he remembered me from last year. He said maybe March volunteers will be allowed to contribute to trail building. Soft loose dirt. Single track bypass, Over to Llama to its end at Little Horse. Turn left skip down the rock stairway, bounce over more big chunks, ride under each lane of RT 179, ride Templeton on the slick rock bench to Breezy drop in wash. Breezy to Hermitt into Yavapai TH, Coconino on the other side to that mentioned junction with Slim. More hikers than bikers.

 

13.8 miles climbing 1164′ in 1 hr 56 mins. X speed was 7.14. Turtle don’t move unless it sticks its head out. My speed is figuratively the same. I am still propelled solely my my mitochondria, ATP is converted to ADP, glucose converted to energy. Is my heart effort relatively similar to a younger rider going faster, performance common to his age. Some future ride I will be called an old man.

A guy set up his trailer at MP4 at the first spot. He was setting it up when I drove by causing me to drive to choice B way out the way. I appraised him as a taker because he occupied the spot but has not stayed there yet. He is legal but he chaps my butt because he took a spot and is not occupying it.

For last 3 nights I have stayed at what was once my most likeable spot on the left side of the road tucked up in clearing in the junipers. Stronger internet signal that here. Driver of white Sprinter pulled up and dropped anchor about 3 feet away. Saw mountain bikes on the back. Still I am steaming as he has intruded, he violated my space when more distant choices were available. We said Hi as I drove away in the morning.

Quarter of a cookie is kicking in. My vision is less sharp.

Enjoying the now  always working Propex. 44 degrees at 9 PM, elevation 3845′. Sundown was 6:08.

Back in college I was turned onto blues music , that enjoyment continues to this day, Friday. Back in Spokane an EWU college radio station played a 2 hour blues show on Friday evening that I listened to. I listen to the XM blues station all day long. Friday is blues, Sat is Willie’s roadhouse. Other days Outlaw country and NPR. Thursday I do my laundry.

Recovering allowed me to listen and watch the impeachment . Democrats documented events for history recall. He should be impeached and prevented from any future elected public office. Dog Catcher? Mar a largo employee pooper patrol would allow him to live there as an employee. Tragic thing is the republicans are siding with him and not enough of them will vote with Dems to impeach. The defense’s legal council is almost bottom rung. Because decision has already been made by trump’s crowd that having a better performing more expensive representation is not necessary which another poke in the public eye by dump.

Hey hey, the blues are alright.

Bedtime.