Played shits for my plans. Spending today at same spot as forecast weather and dearth of sleep spots between here and SLC. Snow is forecast at higher riding elevations. Dunno effect of water on trails I planned to ride.

Oh, seek knowledge, I spoke with bike shop in Payson, a desired place to ride: Put some water on the tread and it becomes hero dirt. Lots of potential. Holiday weekend with wet forecast might lessen recreaters. I’ll drive over there tomorrow, 2 hr drive and few backward direction miles, staged still for Tues appointment.

Camped around short junipers on dry desert dirt.

Yesterday driving in on the hard road I noticed a string of almost blooming thistle plants which is an invasive species. Blooming and fertilization then shedding offspring that crowd out native vegetation and nothing eats it. Put a sock over it or just sever the potential from life system. I walked from sleep spot down the road to the patch then cut every blossom off each plant. Unfortunately it is a perennial, I just stopped the next generation. Because it is perennial the plant structure will survive for another go next year.

Cough is moving the cold gunk from my lungs, cough is productive. Exertion is not called for at present. Perhaps a road ride from here. Cough just now said: rest. Maybe easy walk.

Thurs morn as my skillet loaf of corn bread was cooling the repair sho[p called telling me he is in possession of the replacement drive shaft. I asked for an hour to get there for immediate install. He concurred. I stuffed the 8″ dia lsug of cornbread in the food drawer then beat easy feet to sho[p east of Junctipon. Present serviceable conditipon is worn carrier bearing which holld up the drive shaft. If teh bearing grenaded it might precipitate transmission damage. The van sometimes violently shudders in lower gears then mostly goes away at maybe 35 and keeping a load on the engine. Made the shop. Wrench drove it into shop. Office guy gave bill of $1800 and change, if I paid by checke I saved 3.5% service fee. I was told R & R would be quick. I sat in waiting room and waited, and waited beyond quessed time. Walked into shop, wrench greeted me: New drive shaft produced same noises. My drive shaft is fine. He R & R’d new for old. Said now suspects transmission  starts the shake. Back to transmission replacement. This shop could install the transmission but lacked the software to program it. Sprinter transmission shops either east to Denver or west to SLC. I googled SLC shops, first one is a Sprinter specialty shop. We talked, I will be Centerville, UT Tues at 11 for their diagnosis. SO, hope sprung eternal that new driveshaft would be the solution.  Difference now is incorporating van repair and living decisions of city living.

Repair shop is like 4 hours from Fruita on I70 and US 6. Lacking knowledge of transmission health creates stress because of the unknown. I sometimes so close to don’t bid the devil good day until you meet him anxious. Should the van fail I will deal with it. On US 6 a bit south of Price there is a long steep climb that would test the transmission shifting. Made it w/o slipping.

Up top is a rest area on the right on pavement. To the left is gravel which I had taken when here. Today I drove out to spot which had become a cow watering manure trampled in patch of dirt. Not staying here. Retraced drive stopping at a spot. Drove in then opened the side door being greeted by odor of a decaying mammal. I discovered source was an unburied dog. Scratch this spot. Drove to next spot which is very close to the highway. Litter. I checked  BCN map researching the other side of the highway. Promising. I rode my bike across the 4 lane undivided 65mph highway and picked up a paved road leading away from highway noise. I passed close in pull outs, I wondered what was up ahead. I continued to another pull out which lead to a maven of camp spots. I picked a spot. So much better. Over here with indications of high camping load there is no litter where as the other side of the highway was heavily littered: typical beer containers.

I have been planning life till 11 AM on Tues. Tomorrow I will drive to Price and maybe ride there. Next will be over Soldier Summit to Payson canyon.

Fruita held me because of van issue and the trails are taxing for me. Starting cold climbing Hawkeye put me down. I rode from the main Kokopeli TH up Mary’s Steve’s connector and Steve’s loop then climb Wranglers, traverse then descend with closed 2 track single track to Marys for a high speed descent on tilted slick rock with sometimes climbing riders to yield to which regulates brake lever pull.

On Wed I rode from Mack TH right off I70 interchange. I will finish with Hawkeye down. I pedaled the gravel frontage rd to start of Troys built which works its way south to end at Mack Ridge jeep rd climb.

A rider struck up a conversation, we have met elsewhere in the past to my failed recall. He showed a pic of info kiosk on Willow Springs road in Moab, there is now a daily $15 fee.

Duh, bike fork is past due for service. OTE turned to, next bike. Seals and dust rings were dried out. OK. previous service was last Dec.

Forecast calls for possible wetness.

Developed a cough and chest congestion like a chest cold. Insurance paid for a COVID home test kit. Last evening’s test result was clean. Seems like past chest colds.

9:39 PM it is 75 degrees at 5505′. Last summer at Bend Steve bought the last fan at preferred RV store. Sometime later somewhere else I bought my own. I used it all last night and will prolly run all night tonight. Bed time.

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Weather forecast called for a big drop on temp starting yesterday morning. Last night at bed time I was warm enough to start with the side door open and just the top sheet covering. Before sunup I was chilled so I pulled over a single layer of down blanket but leaving door open, still chilled so I closed the door. Later about sunrise the inside was serious chilly, I switched on the heater that in time took the chill off. Out of bed and checked the temp: like 35. Forecast wanted low probability of precip that the skies said it could rain. Some rain did fall that brought down suspended dirt that made splatter marks on windshield etc. I started to make the day a rest day to stay out of rain. The past 3 days here were very warm to the determent of my enjoyment. I thought to myself that riding here in like Oct I would wear warmed clothes. Give me that temp and beat wheels out of here at this time.  I drove to town for supplies then turned back driving to Kokopelli TH for a ride. I wore a heavier wool top and knickers, I was comfortable. I reversed direction from previous ride, Peter is right in that Steve’s rides better CCW. I pedaled out on Marys then dropped in on Steve’s Connector out to an entrance to Steve’s going CCW, then mostly old 2 track climb on Wranglers up its traversing line.

Marys is both directions which causes trail widening.

Open terrain. Wranglers is more fun to ride this direction. It ends on Marys for a short downhill to road for a 6 min uphill pedal.

Back out N of Loma. I looked at the propane tank gauge, dang, down there. Will there be sufficient for running the furnace etc thru the night and enough for bfast. The furnace did run all night and I ate a cooked bowl of oatmeal. Checked level after bfast: serious empty per gauge. reordered day’s events by driving into town for propane: 4.9 gal, 5.6 empty. My rear tire is wore down such that the cross sipes on knobs were gone. I bought a new tire at other bike shop who broke the tire beads and shop air seated the tire.

I headed back out to Mack exit at the bottom of Hawkeye. Plan is to ride what I was going to ride on Wed. This ride would be brutal, Much hump for little easy downhill. Hawkeye goes uphill right away, brutal on cold body. I stopped for blows along the way. Trail has downhill sections interspersed. I needed 28 mins riding to cover same distance it took me 60 mins to hike. Returning it took 21 mins. As I climbed Hawkeye descending riders pulled off to let me uphill right of way pedal. Outstanding number of riders practicing proper trail etiquette. I thanked them all, reinforcing their behavior. Slithered down entrance to Mack Ridge then allowed bike to roll over just nasty sharp edged rock. I walked places previously ridden, I lack confidence. I don’t wear body armor, on this trail I could embrace leg armor because  a fall here would land on sharp rock. Bottom of Mack  connected with a short piece of Marys till turning onto Lion’s for start of pay back of Mack descent.

Then Lion’s became a jeep road for rest of climb to Mack Ridge. On top[ trail became single track over to intersection of Hawkeye for descent. Nobody to yield to.

Got this ride off my ride list. Brutal: 11.8 miles climbing1473′, that’s 125’/mile, pedaled for 2 hours, average speed was 5.93 mph. Did some walking over nasty tech on Lion’s.

An OTE person, new to me, today asked me if she had just seen a film about me. Where I asked? She said there was a mountain bike film festival in Junction 2 days prior where the Freehub film was shown. Proceeds went for trail work.

Drove back to town for attempted social evening. Gave it a whirl but could not pull it off. Back out above Loma. Tomorrow another ride out at Kokopelli. EDGE calculates my body needs 71 hours before next hard effort.

58 degrees at 4977′, at 8:56 PM. Ah Rocky Road.