2 days of driving from dry to wet, desert to well rained on. Drove all day yesterday continuing to fight the tail wind & different wheel base width on I-40. Drove across NM and Texas and crashed in a motel parking lot at Clinton, OK. 33 mph winds helped to establish an all time high mpg of 35.2. Saw smashed armadillo in east OK. Tuesday was all I-40. Today east of Oklahoma city I drove rt 62 all way to Fayetteville, AR. Slightly rolling hills appeared in E OK.

Made High Roller  bike shop in Fayetteville to pick up my edge 305 sent by Garmin for warranty replacement.  Back to being a touron when i go to a bike shop. Got a few ride ideas from shop that concurred to what i had found.

Camped in Fayetteville commercial airport parking lot. researched web for listing of airports for future camping. Found  listing by city but no map showing locations. Airports have an advantage of being further from population.

Tomorrow driving up near WalMart headquarters and ride Hobbs state park then move a bit to Madison cty game management for Friday.

Ribs are less painful to sleep on. For 2 days now  i have been drinking almost a gallon of h2o. I started a vit C regime plus 2 electrolyte replacements. Gut problems any better?

I am definately a product of the west where beer is plentiful and varied and  grocery stores have filtered h2o machines. Not ready to drink PBR. Must embrace the differences.

Started listening to the Mariners tonight on XM.

Sun AM I left Deer Pass for last time and drove into Mountain Bike Heaven for shop ride. I showed Rama my map. After he and Wes poured over it they planned a ride to add more new trail for me: Sloppy Biscuits & Teacup. Just a few riders showed and they were all the locals. Again, I am sore and a bit tentative. And then I attended a safety meeting and my tentativeness increased. Short ride and relaxed except for the tech stuff.

Jimmie & Jan are hosting a going away party for me @ their house. Jimmie owns Bike & Bean. Amy treated me @ Urgent care and her friend Bill whom I rode w/ on my first ride back in Sedona, Gonzo & his wife & daughter, Jason and his significant, Tony & new girl friend, Danny the window guy whom I met in Fruita, Simon & his wife. Pot luck dinner and I made my waldorf salad. Later we sat outside in the breezy chill around a fire in a chimera and chatted until 11:00. I made some good friends here and will miss them. Ah, such is the life of living on the road. My plan is to return next winter. I have adventures to be had until then and will live my life to the fullest. I am not ready to start a count down until my return.

Slept behind bike shop.

Mon I have a chiro appointment @ 10:00 and then head out. What a chiro visit! Successful & way more extensive than just a few adjustments. Dr Holloway worked on me for almost 2 hours. This last crash move body parts where they didn’t belong. I would like repeat visits but will wait till December. Need to drink close to a gallon of h2o a day  partially to make up for a cup of coffee and 2 beers a day.

Visited @ B & B before chiro. I heard Jimmy say there was a hazardous weather warning for high winds. It was windy in Sedona. Off I drove up oak Creek Canyon to Flag and I-40 for my soulless trudge on interstate to Fayetteville, AR. I entered I-40 and read on reader board that roadway was closed 37 miles ahead. It was windy and getting windier. My Kleenex box on roller skates was beyond a hand full to keep between the lane markers. Off to the east i saw a dust cloud and the possible closure reason. Interstate is shut down going east and from some distant point in the east from heading west. I have never experienced this wind velocity. I pulled off onto the off ramp & parked broadside to the wind. I was being rocked and feared being blown over (no idea what wind speed reuired) or my awning ripping off like I saw happen on a big diesel pusher ahead of me. I exited and drove to a service station and parked in lee of 6 foot brick fence. Service station building is a geodesic dome, wonder why?. Forecast is for winds into this evening. Interstate is shut down, perhaps this is an early stop. I have grit inside.

Friday was another recovery day.  Drove down to Bike & Bean to hang for awhile. But first a last shower @ the Hilton and to say good bye & thanks to —— for his courtesy.

B & B has been busy lately keeping their rental fleet out on the trails. Hard to complete a story anymore because of customers.

I drove down to Beaverhead. A truck was parked @ my spot. Found another spot but closer & more exposed to road. decided I need to work my rib cage by deep breathing ie panting, climbing up a pinnacle. Hiked up thru prickly pear forest and over volcanic rocks. Made summit, just a small flat spot on top buttressed by 20′ cliff. Found a class 3 move and gained the mesa. Just a long stone throw from VOC.

As I climbed i looked back to camping spot. Saw what i believe is same reddish suv circling thru camp area. Saw another rig park on pavement and watched red suv advance thinking atlas the guy scores. I watched thru my binocs. No rendezvous occurred. I saw the truck in my spot leave. I moved back to my spot.

Today, Sat is test day for body and psyche. I plan on riding the loop I planned on last Sat and learn what caused my fall. I stopped by busy B & B. Richard & I had a discussion about women not in our lives.

Headed out slowly. I learned how painful and limited my range of motion was on the first 10″ lift over a tree followed w/i bike length a swerve to the left to avoid a rock face. Lofting the front wheel & getting the rear wheel up and then the sharp twist to handlebar told me how my body would respond. I figured I was not warmed up and proceeded to continue to challenge myself under controlled speed. Made all the tech features on Made in the Shade and slim shady. Turned on Templeton to ride to jnct of Cathedral and location of my fall. Getting more comfortable w/ judgement & handling skills. I rolled places to reacquaint myself w/ what the bike would handle. At the aforementioned junct I headed down. I rolled the first step, it is the second step I believe was the wheel stuffer. I set my bike on the rock and looked the step over. I saw between the acceptable lines a wheel suck. I rolled my bike down the step and sure enough the front wheel stuffed. Looking downslope from suck trap i saw stain on a rock. It was my blood.  Broken rock like a rasp was my landing strip. Figured out where & what happened. How long i was out to when i remembered walking down trail is lost to recall. Finished up ride. I made some moves but I was tentative and retiring.

What, 3 weeks ago when i determined my departure day of this Monday, i just knew the date was out there in time and would arrive in time. It has hit home that I am leaving my home of  3 months, the friends & buddies I made & met, my routines, support network, and great riding. I plan on wintering here next winter and rekindle friendships. I learned bike skills to become a better rider. I still walk. I was not able to ride my 2 nemesis during my stay. I am riding a great bike in my Turner DW Spot.

Clean clothes, only 1 set of riding gear.

Today putting on my gloves prior to start, first time since fall. Both gloves had big patches of dried blood. Wore my Rudi glasses w/ amber lenses. I was able to read the computer display before the photo tint Oakleys cancelled out the leds.

Back out @ Deer pass. TH parking lot is filled w/ RVs, maybe 20. My camping spot has additional campers, even my choice B was occupied, Permanent campers have taken over my favorite spot. I joined a boondocker group where people posted requests for camp spots or shared spots they knew of. I hesitate to share because I like the privacy.  Getting crowded. Maybe these are snowbirds that are working their way north? Guy in motorhome behind me has been here for maybe 2 weeks has WA plates.