But your bottom bracket holds the truth: Are you heart propelled or motor assisted? Scofflaws? Focus on what is allowed which are trails where heart propulsion is sole energy source. The USFS and BLM consider pedal assist bikes to be motorized because (duh) they come with a motor built in thus are allowed on motorized trails only. Scofflaws are riding their motorized bikes on closed to them trails. When i encounter another rider I am checking out their bottom bracket which houses a motor. I smile, then look into their eyes  and chat with motorless riders. Scofflaws get a curt comment that they are illegal.

But writing about eyes, Moab at this time of year, until cold set in, is great riding. This fall I have been visited by 3 gangs to share rides with. Last was Bill, Susan, and their 2 growing sons, Burke and Bing, from Gunnison.  I was parked out at N Klondike taking a rest day inside my heated van, it was chilly out. A rap on the side of my van caused me to look up from messing with my computer. It was Bill. They crammed in a ride before darkthirty. They travel in a Sprinter and car camp living outside. I joined them after dinner sitting around their warming campfire until Gonzaga basketball started that I listened to on XM, I could not find a no cost streaming broadcast. Zags tore up #2 ranked team, UCLA. We made a ride plan for the next day.

Nightime temps are below freezing. Forecast highs are in low 50s. There is a comfortable window to ride in say from 11 to 3. Our schedules were such that we started in the chill as solar gain warmed us. Kids are 13 and 15 years old so our ride distance is age considered. The boys are good riders. We rode a piece of Dino then cut over to the pedal trails on the other side of the wash. Dino is a vey popular trail that we had all to ourselves. Social ride.

I needed to resupply and do my wash ahead of Thanksgiving (today) and they had their plans. I drove down to town. I buy propane at the feed store, that will be closed Thurs and Fri, necessitating today’s refill. My heater runs all night and now hours during the day until solar gain heats the van above heater setting. At the laundromat no notice of it being closed on Thurs, darn, my clean clothes supply is affected. As it was I only wore 1 pair of pants and 1 shirt for the week but 4 rides of liners and socks. I wear wool jerseys for many rides before washing them weekly. I hang dry wool and man made articles on a clothes line inside stretched across the back of my van. As outside, hence inside, temps drop more hours are needed to dry them. Today I will choose other jerseys as these are still damp. Started wearing knee socks with knickers.

Battery in camera died so no pics. I replaced the battery with a spare.

Getting close to ride window of 11, outside temp is, ooo, 33. I could remain inside somewhat warmer than outside and read another Richard Russo novel, Chances Are. Maybe wait another hour.

Noticeable decline in number of campers out. Rider numbers dropping also but suspect those out are motel camping.

Elevation here near Horsethief is 5715′, N Klondike is lower at 4634′, It’s 10:21 AM, inside temp at the ceiling is 62 degrees, outside still 33, heater shut off. The heater thermostat is located on the bed head board which is now facing full on sun that has warmed that part of the van enough to say I am warm.

In a perfect world the electronic devices I use would remain the same with no updates that change from the way I learned or set up. Electronic info is important and useful so I can’t walk away from using and accessing it but when it moves or changes I am not always facile to the new way. Start with a whine a go from there: My 4 years of ride mapping data is lost because of moving to new phone and the software that was to transfer from old phone to new failed. Now learning that my excel file of books read is lost. I created a dropbox account for mapping data transfer with a reoccurring monthly bill, I can’t figure out how to cancel that account. In my perfect world I would pedal while climbing a feature. In a perfect world I understand that bike components wear out and or break, I figure what needs to be done then get it on. In a perfect world bike parts makers would be standardized and common.

I accept weather conditions as that’s nature’s world, not man made or digital. I will add more layers to match outside conditions or not ride as prudent, or move on.

Writing of outside conditions the temps here in Moab have been dropping which seems to act as a filter for riders camping. Yesterday I arrived at N Klondike area which was almost deserted. I rode EKG out all alone and returned on Dino sharing the trail with less than 10 riders and those were in small groups. This morning temp outside was 24 degrees and only 54 inside but I was warmer inside than the few tent campers fixing breakfast outside. It was a chilly pedal to the CXT outhouse and the cold toilet seat. Better the cold enclosed concrete outhouse versus the legacy open roofed wooden of old. It’s 11:52 AM and I can only see 1 other rig out here.

The light is changing with lower angle of sun which makes for the sun being in my eyes like looking into vehicle high beams. The camera digital data captures what it is programmed to do which doesn’t match the filters in my vision. The light is flat, still a month from the lowest.

Close up of that feature: shadows hiding important info.

EKG is brutal with its ascents over and over again: pedal a climb then maybe traverse a bit then descend then climb again. Trail is well laid out made to be challenging. Tread is way more slickrock that DIno which is less challenging. Tread following is more difficult as slickrock does not hold tire tracks and the paint markings can be difficult to see to follow. The paint marks guide travel for safe lines, blind roll downs might be a front wheel stuffer. Appreciate the squish of my suspension and larger wheel diameter of the 27 1/2″ . EKG is almost 1 1/4 mile longer than return on Dino. The 13 mile round trip took 2 hrs 3 mins of pedaling climbing 991′. Some of the trails here are like Poppa bear difficulty where Rodeo is Baby bear. Recovery advisor reported 20 hours before next go.

40 degrees at noon under overcast skies and gentle breeze. Day riders have been showing up. I am sort of cozy inside which is prolly where I will be rest of day.

Utah alcohol laws don’t encourage consumption.

I’m 270 miles short of 40,000 miles riding.

Well, today is November 21, winter is coming on, the temperature is supposed to drop here in Moab and prolly at your house. Put another log on the fire. When a breeze happens a wind shell is required, I am wearing knickers to protect my knees and an extra wool top. Some days the sky is completely blue and clear, some days clouds lessen solar gain. Activity generates body heat, resting invites chill, a balance between heart racing and stopping. But I am writing what you all know about. When I was outfitting my van I  lagged on putting in a heat source as I figured I would be down south where temps would still be short sleeves. I did buy a used cat/ infrared heater that I used many days before I arrived in the desert and once there I realized my naivety of desert temps. The Propex heater  was repaired last winter  and has been dependable since. However, heat loss is greater than the heat output so during the course of the evening the temp inside drops. Getting up in the morning into the chill requires fortitude. I have never had ice on any water container.

Speaking of cold, heat is also. How you view experience the outdoors is dependent upon your activity. I describe 3 conditions or states. As a mountain biker I seek snow and freeze thaw fee trails. When that condition exists I call that “being in”. On either side of that there is “anticipation” and “apprehension”. Anticipation is looking forward to your sweet spot to being in. Well, seasonal conditions change lessening the Being in time, this is apprehension because sweet spot is shrinking. Think skiing sport for example. My traveling keeps pretty much in the Being In state, I just have to drive to it. Moab is chilling  now with over night temps below freezing with highs in the 50s. So far no precip is forecast to cause freeze thaw mud. Looks like I will remain here in Moab till end of month.

Yesterday I rode Rodeo from my anchor spot plus extra credit trails. I will describe Rodeo as being baby bear tech trail as the features are almost all roll up or down, little unweighting the front wheel. Forecast called for overcast to break up for sunshine as the day progressed. I experienced low clouds. I encountered only 1 rider during my 2 hr pedal. Rodeo is one way so I caught up with him. I saw a very white trimmed beard. I stopped to talk to him, 81 years old. I asked about his riding, his answers were sim to mine: ride what I can, walk what i need to. He chooses to walk more taking less risk to avoid injury. Us older riders are clichés as he said he fancies himself as a example for younger riders. I say the same thing. He spoke to me as if I was a youngster just because I am 9 years younger. I do not like being a cliché.

There is a piece of Chisholm from Horsethief to connector trail Lasso that is a hoot going from XG as it has a shallow descent and bermed turns, so great to coast and carve the turns. Great way to finish Rodeo and hte road pedal back to my anchor spot.

Thurs was another PT session which continues to lessen the pain in my knee. I resupplied in town for maybe 3 nights out at Horsethief anchor spot. On the way up:

Clean clothes stowed. My chosen anchor spot is exposed and hard to see if it is occupied. There are several spots on the road, where if a white rig is parked there, the spot is taken. I saw a white rig on the way that could have been at the spot. The road curved away which put that rig further down the road not at where I wanted to be. My phone rang later, the caller was Charlie from Eagle, the white rig was him. I met Charlie and his partner Theresa years ago at Lunch Loops in Junction. Over the years every other year they would spend Thanksgiving in Moab. I wondered if they would be here, he beat me to the contact. We made a ride date for Friday.

Friday’s ride rode from our anchor spots on the road to Lasso connecting to Chisholm all the way to its end at Navajo Rocks loop, Chisholm is such a fun trail riding either direction. We turned right on Big Lonely which becomes Coney Island which treads gently downhill having patches of sand, riding it this way is against the recommended direction but is more enjoyable.

We passed Middle Earth cut over to a junction with 7UP, the first part was 4X4 track with big patches of sand. The trail was well marked with blue ribbons for the foot race on Sat. Up the ways the single track leaves the 4X4 road. We missed the turn and pedaled a ways up the track where no blue ribbons were present. I called Charlie to a stop for a peek at Trailforks map. Yep, extra credit climb, we coasted back to the turn then continued. We left 7UP for Horsethief trails to reconnect with the start of Chisholm all the way back to Lasso. Youngsters by almost 20 years, 20.2 miles climbing 1545′ pedaling for 2 hr mins. Conditions were conducive for several long socializing breaks. C & T are my kind of people, we enjoy our company. I bid them adieu for my home an a Gonzaga basketball game later on XM. Zags won.

I made today a rest day, I drove back to town for resupply. Seems I can make my sink and drinking water last for 3 nights and groceries.

So far loading old phone mapping data to the new phone has escaped me. I did copy the files from the old to this computer hopefully capturing the old, now Backcountry Navigator people need to help me finish. Tonight I am staying at Sand Flats XG in preparation for taking care of business in town instead of driving out to Willow Springs then driving back to town. Camp spot costs $15, the drive is about 20 miles.

Film has been viewed 18,xxx times. I received an email from the guy at Bedrock sandals who years ago contacted me wanting to put a pair of their sandals on my feet. I was never a open toed footwear wearer so I put off answering his offer. Months later I came across his aged email. I replied with my size and a ship to location. I opened the box and put them on my feet for evaluation. Today I wear them every day and will until I need socks. He watched the film seeing me wear their sandals.

I have 686 and 50 rides on present chain, it is just about to .5 stretch for replacement. Previously I would replace in the 300 mile range.

Diesel is almost $4.00 per gallon.

I root for Ohio State Buckeye football, they obliterated MSU ranked # 7 on Sat. This weekend is THE GAME against UM at Ann Arbor, MI.

No Waba Sabi community Thanksgiving feed again this year. COVID.

Sunrise is at 7:08 and sets at 4:54PM. Prime riding time is between 11 and 3.