In a sucker hole. I did pack  my rain jacket maybe because.

At spot off Willow Springs road I am parked mostly facing west into the past wind events, just under 40 mph gusts. Sunrise is seen thru the outside mirror. This AM I woke at 6:30 in the dim telling me cloud cove but no colors or past their appearance. Forecast still wanted showers, 60% and T storm around 1 PM. Rain fell during Bfast etc. Nice gentle shower that fell, let up, fell some more, lesser amount and time in following events. I kept watch on the sky hoping for clearing. I watched, time passed, watched some more. To the NW blue sky but that was not windward. I looked to the SW into the prevailing wind skies: pretty black. But over the van broken cover.

My thinking was to ride Klonzo from van and make ride as long as no rain fell. Dirt road was wetted firm for speedy travel, still 2.7 miles to TH. A pickup passed me and parked at TH. They were getting ready to ride, the Guy asked if my van has the sticker about crappy bikes making jesus sad. He met me several years ago and the sticker stuck with him. He’s from Jackson.

Back in Sedona I asked James how he decides a bike route. He said he just starts and makes the ride up as he goes. The Klonzo system offers many trail choices. Today In keeping a weather eye I made trail choices to be able to bail to shelter. I decided at each intersection. I did ride Gravitron and Vertigo before heading back,

I made first tracks. I did skid my rear tire a couple places on Gravitron. I wanted to ride on the other side of the road for more miles. However, as I climbed out facing to windward, what had blue in it was now black:

OhOh. I might have played too long. Up to a vista spot I could see blackness upwind. Forecast did predict thunderstorm. My trail selection went to warp get out of here. Shortest out was Borderline pedaling into the approaching  darkness. The pickup truck people were still out. I hit the dirt road and put my back into making that 2.7 miles pass really quickly. I started feeling scattered almost hail, 2 thunder claps had preceded the precip. I could see rain lines falling from dark clouds. I was going to get caught in a sucker hole. I stopped and frantically put on my rain jacket before rain fell. I pedaled into the storm. I don’t remember head wind. Rain fell. A road grader just arrived at the end of state land road. I rode the freshly graded firm right lane steering around soft wet spots. rain jacket leaks on right shoulder. Rain slowed down the closer I got to the van till at the van it was just light sprinkles. Clouds cleared later opening solar gain to dry out shoes, pack, and jacket.

I successfully weathered a sucker hole for a ride. Trail tread was either slick rock or sand, my tires only picked up mud was on the freshly graded road.

Change: So many campers. The spot where I stay off Willow Springs is the first turn off for camping / parking spots. Until this year just a few other campers would choose this spot. This visit it is crowded with more arriving. Parking lot.

Plan on leaving here on Monday for Fruita. I plan on arriving Bend on the 27th. I will ride along the way. will be leaving the desert.

Meteorological conditions have created several high wind warnings which became reality. 20 to 30 with gusts in 40s. Sand on desert floor is dry, ammunition for sand blast. I am parked at spot off Willow Springs where there are small patches of open sand, a nasty gust blows over that sand carrying it to me, on me, and inside the van. Most surfaces have a grit layer. I have watched video of the dust bowl which appears to be way worse than what I live in. Anyway, wind.

Yesterday I drove down to town in that rapidly moving body of air. Kleenex box on a roller skate I describe my van. Both hands on the wheel as I compensated for course deviation caused by hardy gust. I grocery shopped, poured 6 gallons of water into 7 gal water tank. I walked into Chili Pepper bike shop, my preferred shop, where I greeted the first sales associate who greeted me telling her that my bike sent me to buy parts. New chain and new bottle of Squirt chain lube. I let Excel tell me how many miles I had on current chain: 411 miles. Ooops, too many, should have changed when miles were in low 300s. I checked chain stretch with chain stretch tool: I was able to force the .5 stretch tang between a link. Not good, maybe stretch wore gear cogs. Way to find out was to put the new chain on and pedal under load to learn if chain skipped. I performed my bike work out at Willow Springs in the high wind and blowing sand. Install then pedal. No skip. I told her also my body asked for new Oury grips. Hands were disappointed. Recovery plan was to visit the other shops seeking those grips. No sale. I drove away from last stop onto the block of a bike shop I had forgotten about. I pulled into Visitor Center parking lot and parked, walked across the street, clerk greeted me, Oury grips I said, he pointed me to the shop display, hey, red Oury grips the color I wanted but were lock on. The left hand grip is full length as opposed to cut down right green grip to match the Gripshifter. Never used lock on grips. Bought the pair.

I walked back to van. I saw a woman standing near it. She greeted me. I looked at her and immediately recognized who she was and I told her to give me a moment to retrieve her name from the memory vault. It was Ingred, wife of Cal. I worked with both of them back in my Spokane days. We visited for catch up on Spokane people we both know. They left to visit Arches, i invited them to visit me as they were staying further out Willow Springs from me. Later they stopped by. We have much history from my Spokane days.

High wind warning was forecast to expire at 9 PM, and the wind complied stopping about 30 mins before. Warm night, no heater needed.

Change: I park at first track off Willow Springs which in the past attracted just several other campers and they parked off at the edges. What’s happening now is more campers are crowding in and even making new spots. What used to be the distance from first to second base  spacing has shrunk to being caught in a pickle. Not door banger closeness but close enough to listen to conversations. Me and too many other people competing for space.

Last night and this morning the forecast called for another wind event, gusts to 50 starting at noon. perhaps I can ride Klonzo and get back to shelter before wind start. I parked my van pointing strongly to the west for wind. I overslept this morning, like 6:30. I raised my head and looked into  the rear view mirror to see a wild sunrise, Sailors take warning, Before I could get outside to view the earth had moved away from that show. Gentle wind.

Fed myself and cleaned up then geared up. I pedaled away a little past 8 with the wind at my back. 2.73 miles of dirt road to single track. Guy was standing at kiosk, I made a wind comment and he responded. I pedaled away on my ramble. I wanted to ride TopSpin again and get there quickly to stay ahead of impending wind. I ran into him out there. We struck up a conversation, he is executive director of park City recreation. Long chat about bike advocacy. He is staying on Willow also. He said he might swing by for a visit later. I finished my ride beating the high wind. He visited later, we sat outside visiting until winds and dust drove me inside and he drove away. He has a long history of mountain biking and advocacy. Education will save our sport from itself but how to bring unknowledgeable riders up to speed? You can lead a rider to education but you can’t make them learn.

Change: back in the day there were trails that went somewhere. The tread was prolly not bike wheel friendly. That’s what was available. Then mountain bikers organized and became advocates for trails resulting in biker friendly trails, in some cases, were just for riding that didn’t go anywhere. Klonzo is an example in that it is a small chunk of BLM land with a trail network, you ride a loop and you end up back at the start. Riding as a result has become a sport and not a life style. It is what it has become.

Sheesh, it’s 5:30. I rose from my chair to start dinner, I looked out the windshield to see Charlie just drove up. More stimulation and exchange of info. Wind was blowing sand making it no fun to sit inside with shelter a step away and the door slid shut. he bid adieu to go fix his dinner and I turned to fixing calories. Then my sister Lynn called and we chatted for a while while I fed myself. Did the dishes and it is now 9:6 PM. Evening cup of sleepytime Celestial Seasonings tea is nightly custom.

Rain is forecast tomorrow.

Above is on the east side of the continuation of Willow Springs that enters Arches.

Below is on the other side

Managing the users. I paid attention to the below as a go around was being created. On the right, where the loose rock is, is the build tread, you will see in that tread a small rock outcrop, to the left is the ridden in go around. I believe the go around was not caused by the out of place rock. But if it was that rock could have been removed by anybody but if nobody did riders will go around it. I stop and remove those kicked in rocks for safety of rider and health of trail. I saw bike tracks out of tread to avoid a rock on the trail.

I’m communicated out.

I am planning on leaving here next Monday for Fruita. I set 5/27, Thurs b4 Memorial Day, to be in Bend. I am figuring out where to stop along the way and for how long a visit. From here to there there are few riding places.

 

 

Tuesday I rode another go at N Klondike on the slick rock pitched on slight slope, or maybe faulted, what is is a massive exposed slab of slick rock with several gulleys cut down into. I mix up my challenges. This ride I chose vertical hump by climbing up Little Salty then riding the trails up high till what went up gets assisted down. 14.2 miles climbing 1260′ pedaling for 2 hrs 17 mins. Average speed was 6.21. Dropper post actuation numbered into the sore thumb bracket numbers. Slick rock with rigosities and depressions some of which retained rain water from last week. Painted stripes on slick rock show the way. Beat the wind event. Cows hung around retrimming previously grazed sage bushes. Spent the night. Some nights the van population increases but the big camper rig population seems stable. Nobody has crowded me. Same with my time on the trails.

Wed I drove into to town for resupply and to start rear wheel alteration for the boost Rail frame. Steve sent me from his attic my I9 wheel warranty repaired laced to crash replacement IBIS carbon rim wheel. I pay a shipping store $5 to receive packages. I parked on the side street beside the office then did the wheel swap out. Remove cassette and disc rotor then attach to new hub. I slipped the wheel in to the frame and immediately noticed a gap between the hub and frame. WTF? What happened to the hub size? Me or them? I took both wheels to bike shop on other side of shipping office. I asked for wtf. He slid a scale thru the axel hole, both measured the same , wasn’t them. He showed me the end cap was still on the old wheel. Oh, I popped it on and presto new wheel on the bike and the former wheel shipped back to its creator, Industry Nine in Asheville, NC to be made into boost spacing. Then shipped back to Steve for me to pick up, along with other parts shipped to him, on my way to Bend for bike build. IBIS off center locates its spokes. I9 lubed the hub with stealth grease that quiets the paws, there is no freehub clicking sound.

Next was to ride. I drove back up out of town to Willow Springs mid afternoon which should mean overnighters gone from spots and too early for evening campers to arrive. Scored favorite spot with others further out. I rode Klonzo system from camp 2.73 miles each way. Klonzo is squished between state trust land and Arches NP.

Wiggle and waggle to ride a loop. Gravatron and Topspin trails I included, the former is downhill and the latter is up and around.

Willow Springs road starts on state trust land then becomes BLM land right at first trailhead. It is just packed with various camping solutions. Just packed. This is the closest place N of town for primitive camping. Spots that were small have creeped larger driving down vegetation. At my spot I watched several rigs crowd in, one van parked right on the smoothest line down from the slick rock. Duh, lack of awareness of his location. Park at the edges.

Thurs I left early driving back towards town to ride Moab Trails before driving into town for laundry. I chose to ride before wash as I could wash my pack and gloves. Deadmans trail has lots of challenges that I met. Amazing what power to the pedals means for balance and forward motion. The I 9 Hydra hub with .52 degrees of engagement is a deal maker knowing and doing ratchet pedal.

There is still 1 feature that I can not direct my resources to climb up which is on Back 40. System has mix of easy and tech challenging trails, again choices for a ride.

Wet wash cloth wipe down inside my converted bathroom. I heat a small sauce pan of water on the stove till too hot. I spread a heavy cloth on the floor beside my sink. I cool down the water then wet a wash cloth that I rub on all body surfaces I can reach adding water between appendages. Pits and crotch treated with DR Bronners then rinsed, a rub of mineral salts for deodorant and I am good to be around people. Clean.

Clean clothes and sheets, drive out and up to Horsethief area. Big open spot taken, took the next spot one I previously used when that spot was taken.

Friday forecast called for a wind event, guts to 45 mph starting at noon. Get my ride in. Again, I ride from camp to first trail. Today’s route was down the road to where Lasso crosses it, its short piece is now loose sand. It joins Chisholm to its end at Big Lonely which becomes Coney Island taking the cut over of Middle Earth to Navajo main trail head. Check out license plates of rigs in the parking lot. Pick up Big Mesa that becomes Big Lonely then return on Chisholm etc back to van. I like Chisholm as it rides well both ways. The wind was at my back going out, coming back speeds had increased and it was in my face or against me on climbs. Once i hit the Navajo Rocks loop I am riding against the suggested direction of travel but I do not want to pedal up sandy Coney Island. As a result I encounter many riders coming my way. Lots of riders. For the most part riders including me were courteous and many knew trail love of yielding to uphill and tread in the tread. I did have 2 encounters with riders who had not grasped etiquette. One was on a sloping slab of slick rock with a for me a gentle climb. trail was bordered with rocks, maybe 4′ wide. I staked my climb line and expected the coasting rider to yield. Shit, no slowing down as he claimed his line. I yielded swerving out of his way.

Big ride of 23 miles climbing 1535′ pedaling for 3 hrs 11 mins. Average speed was 7.21 mph and bpm of 119. Today’s time was 11 mins longer and slightly lower effort than last ride back in November. Today I stopped at start of Chisholm before the climb up. 4 riders, 2 couples, pedaled by heading in my direction. I waited a bit before I started as I believed I would catch them then ask to pass somewhere. In a short while I did catch the last rider, they were riding at same speed which was slower than I would be. However, I rode behind them for a while. I noticed my heart rate was in healthy range by riding at their speed. They were my speed governor that I can’t do by myself.  I rode right on the wheel of the rider in front of me who pedaled in a low spinning gear which does not match my use of bigger gears. Her body blocked what I would be riding over. Something to follow a rider slower than me. They finally broke for a break before the more difficult part started.

Head wind blowing road dust onto and into me on the short orad pedal back.

Forecast for today is for another wind event which suits me as it helps make me take a rest day after 5 straight days of riding. The Blog title of “Four” is for the 4 different trail systems I rode in 4 days.