Desserts lack moisture. When rain comes, as it sometimes does, duh? Where is sunshine and dry trails? Forecast is calling for a series of storms rolling over the area dropping moisture and blotting out the sunshine. Chilly and wet.

Nice days have been intermixed. I have been riding with Doug recently out at Western Gateway trail. Friday was our last before weather change. We both have an understanding of trails out there that we use to determine our rides.

That ride was 11.4 miles climbing 1148′ pedaling for 1 hr 46 mins. Doug is 55, I’m spotting him 18 years, he just pedals away from me.

Thurs was eye exam with dilation which as you know blurs vision and requires dark glasses to protect the wide open eyes. I drove up to Sedona to do wash, I was able to successfully slide required 25 cent pieces into the slot on the washing machine. However, my vision never cleared satisfactorily to ride: I could see basketball size rocks, but the size I really needed to see were baseball size. Eyes are healthy and do not require a new prescription.

Clean clothes stowed in 1 drawer dresser I headed back down to VOC. As I drove away the van started making a noise like a blower when under load and through upshifting. Something is wrong. Made it to where I was going. It continues to run and this new issue needs to be addressed. Might it be the transmission? I called shop in Bend for info. Casey researched repair ships, one of which is the shop I have been using. Tues I return for the air control module to be replaced and for their evaluation of current issue.

I have been staying at Doug’s on Mondays staged for Tues repair date. The first was for the heater, the second for the engine control light, this one for noise. Yes, problems do occur, however, I have fix it shops here. It is good to have connections around the country.

Sat was FS volunteer trail work day. FS has 14 seasonal trail people, just 2 returnees, volunteers numbered more than them. We worked out of Yavapai TH. I used my own loppers, first time, and wore my new REI trail pants. Dirt was wet making for good packing.

Zags played at 8PM. Dinner salad at Colt then put off entering PJs till just before game time as the bar was celebrating their birthday. Raucous house band hammered my ears. I eventually scored a bar seat under a TV to watch the blow out. So much more enjoyable when they win. I sat beside a guy drinking his beer from a mid sized pitcher. I said hello, he said Hi, he remembered my green Sprinter.. Name is Sponge Bob. I remembered him and he living to his name sake that he would not recall. I could not compete with the band volume.

Since learning I have a gluten intolerance and also SIBO my food choices have become limited. I eat the same foods everyday everyday. Dinner is chicken thighs, broccoli, carrot, Quinoa and whatever spice and or herbs I select. One skillet prep. Taste is different each time because I make new combinations or omissions. Never bored and most times filled up.

Clean up is straight forward.

Reading John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, only 625 pages.

Chilly and intermittent showers with heater on parked at outlet mall for daylight. Then return to overlook for night. Too wet to ride or drive on dirt.

Jan 11 in high desert, no snow and maybe described as chilly. Yesterday Doug and I rode out Western Gateway trails, cloudy but only mid weight wool top. I can be where I want to be when i want to be there. Just my remarking how wonderful it is to be here instead being at places with nasty weather. Some clothing company says something to the effect that enjoyment is a function of proper gear. I don’t need insulated booties or heavy duty rain jackets as I just move from conditions requiring that gear. However, I have hunkered down short term at a place waiting for bad weather to return to normal. It’s just Jan 11 and my pale white flesh is exposed to sunshine.

Friday driving from town to sleep spot the check engine control light turned on. Panic WTF? Whatever system that fed to master computer was unhappy, just a warning, not failure which I learned is a flashing light. None the less I fear being left sit somewhere a require tow. I called one shop in Sedona after hours and could only leave a message. I spent the night at the paved overlook for easy access to tow if needed. I did not want to drive until the issue was understood so i planned on staying another night… until I checked propane level that revealed needing immediate refill. OK I will learn van’s health. As I drove back to VOC the light extinguished. Maybe life is better. Propane  had .3 gals remaining. No ride today, I hiked above VOC. I drove back to Beaverhead with light not on.

Sun I returned to VOC, parked at outlet mall for a ride. I am riding first time this winter trails so there are lots of choices. Today I rode a Rabbit Ears loop. Several years ago the FS made trails system trails that are more rideable than old social trails. An old social trail was a realization of efficacy of Diaz’s RUNT. I was almost run over by 4 female riders having a different idea of yielding to uphill pedalers.

Light remained unlit.

Mon morn the repair shop called per my voice mail. Scored an appointment for Tues. at 8. I met Doug for an afternoon ride from Sunset Park of Old Post, Skywalker, Scorpion, and Sketch plus connectors. Overcast skies. Doug is more skilled than me and is way faster. Over on Scorpion, formerly Special ED when it was a social trail, has several basalt rock gardens. I have a  tendency to pick my way between the rocks but after short glimpses of Doug’s lines, albeit a niner, over rocks letting the bike travel on top of the protruding rocks. Yes, the bike’s design favors this choice and the carbon rims withstand the impacts so I have been choosing the high versus the picking. I pointed out where I crashed last year. Sketch is a handful because of exposure and sketchy tread. I still walk spots.

I asked to sleep at Doug’s place which is just up the street from the garage. Leia and I combined to make dinner. I get to affectionate their dog Swift and leave behind shed white hair.

Tues AM I arrived at shop just before opening. I watched rigs entering and leaving service bays but not me. I waited and hour then voiced my dissatisfaction. Shortly a yech walked out to me and van. He hooked up the diag computer and downloaded stored info. Several codes were stored and several were cleared. History. The brain is capable of self correcting and leaves tracks. Data transmission takes time. No engine issues, just the auto temp control errored. He switched the control dial which just happened to fail. Fortunately the selector was on defrost and the fan works only on high. Garage scheduled next Tues to replace this module.

I met Doug out at former Cultural Park now owned by city to ride the collective Western Gateway trails. I am becoming more comfortable with my riding ability to body english turns, carving. Improving lifting front for step ups. Our ride was 15.1 miles climbing 1378′ pedaling for 2 hrs 14 mins. Rides are getting longer and harder, my engine weakens as the miles increase.

Forecast for last night was for precip meaning no dirt sleep spot, I needed to score an overlook spot that can be busy. I wanted to be there ahead of evening crowd to score my preferred spot. Previous pass by drives I saw a maybe Nissan white van parked where I wanted to be, Just before the drive in a van sim to what I saw turned in ahead of me. Curses, he would get the spot. I followed him in, he turned around and me right behind. Huh” he did not stop. I scored the spot in anticipation of precip. Nears as I could remember there was a fierce blast of wind and a few sprinkles and that as it. I could have been in the desert.

Oh, and the Tennis Elbow. I was measured by a new PT provider who told me my arm problem is known as tennis elbow. She gave me a stretch and asked for many future treatments. Eric works there also who has been my past fixer is booked out. I was able to visit during his lunch break.

Doug and Leia’s airnb is in Sedona. For the last 2 Monday nights it has been chosen because of a critical problem. Last week it was the heater: urgent. Last Mon was less urgent van health, this next Mon it is necessary but not urgent.

Sedona is a repair station for me as i have made local connections. I am able to attend to whatever.

I was told Bike and Bean has a new owner.

Today I am resting. I drove down to Camp Verde to visit Mike at his new digs. He’s  no longer a book store, just Uhaul. We enjoy each other’s company, however, the new location is not on my way to anywhere I want to go. Will miss out on my frequent visits when I was in Sedona.

Precip fell on Sedona and color went out of the sky. I waited and waited finally on Wed I pedaled Turkey Creek from VOC. Dirt on this ride would be sand, no clay. Starting from the outlet mall several miles of pavement went under my wheels till I turned on to dirt which turned out to be just soft sucking effort. Red sandstone even when wet offers traction, it’s a matter of trusting grip. I worked on configuring my reflexes to match the tread. This sandstone is soft so it does not skate away under angled wheels, how far can I lean trusting the side knobs on my tires? As to be expected my engine continues its loss of compression as I walked what I had in the past.

Clean bike.

Dirt side roads were too soft to venture out on so i had been staying on pavement at overlook.

Tues I undertook heater treatment. I just needed a mechanic to remove heater. I started with Johnny’s, a local legend, he gave me other shops to try. Next one did not want to be servicing propane. The next was the shop that has serviced the van in the past but getting in to him is a lengthy process. He sort of accepted to do the work but no date was set so i drove away. The next shop said they would do the work and I scored an appointment. The service tech at the place where I bought the heater called which resulted in maybe 20 mins of miscommunication to my succinct questions. He walked me thru a different reset process which started the heater. Warmth. Seems the heater blew itself out attempting to fire and the different method he shared caused it to light. Canceled the appointment. Heater no working as it should.

Thurs was my annual dentist visit. Teeth cleaned. Dentist exam and review of X-Rays determined that 2 teeth need to be recrowned as my gum line receded like my hair line exposing the roots. No new underwear this year as the bill is $3,xxx. Work starts in 2 weeks.

last night I drove out onto the desert at MP4 rd, preferred spot was and the furthest out was also occupied. The ***** rancher put a cattle trough at another preferred spot and the cows made a manure mess of it. I settled on a spot between the spots parking nose into upcoming sunrise. I like sleeping with no privacy curtains, last night the moon provided light while I listened to the Zags game on XM. Pulled a win out in the waning seconds of the game.

Today I invited Doug to join me on a ride down here. Sunshine but chilly 50 degrees at start. We hit dirt at Bell Rock TH finding it firm and dry albeit infrequent puddles, good dirt. Another acclimation ride. I need homework on missed problems. The Llama problem is still there.

I am cautious riding as because my past experienced features last year but time and environmental forces move rocks and change lines. More home work on my own.

So, 2 rides here under my butt. Still upright. Tomorrow will ride additional trails.