Windy last night @ Beaverhead flats. Putzed around delaying arrival @ B & B timed to hit UPS to pick up new helmet. Made B & B & carried on. Helmet arrived. Split for West Sedona & print place to print my GPS routes of Sedona.

Print shop helpful. The design guy printed a 12 x 18 on laser printer w/ laser paper. really crisp details. Printed 3,1 for each of shops & 1 for myself. Bought propane @ rental place where Mark, a local learning rider, saw it. I sold 1 to him for $5.00. Might be a local market for them but I started too late. Maybe.

Last night I was able to sleep on my stomach as the rib pain is lessening. Right knee has a slight grating feeling. Jaw is back to normal. Painful to sneeze or cough.

56 degrees leaving Sedona this mid afternoon and snow fell, just flurries. Out @ crowded @deer pass.  A camper has taken residency up in my favorite spot.

Started firming up plans for drive east. Looks like drive will be mostly I-40 straight thru to Fayettevile, AR. Gallup is freeze thaw mud as is Santa Fe. Blow across N Texas. Traildoc told me about sleeping @ airports. I found one @ Tucumcari, NM @ texas border. No control tower is key attribute to secluded facility.

Bought new chain rings to complete drive train rebuild after I leave Sedona.

My shock leaks 10 to 20 lbs after a ride. Emailed PUSH and received no answer. Today i called and got Darren, the owner. I introduced myself and asked if he remembered me. He said he would be nuts not to. Extolled the virtues of the Turner DW Spot. Leakage is caused by shock pressurizing the pump. If there was an air leak the shock would loose all its air. Mine is good. Darren said that their fork tuning will improve the fork performance. I plan on PUSHing the fork along the way.

My left cheek has a nice raspberry from the fall. The lower edge of the glasses edge cut the skin where the rock forced it into my face. The raspberry is from scraping along that same rock.

4 weeks ago I determined my Sedona departure date. It was so far off I didn’t think it would arrive. Monday i am gone after say 3 months here. I have enjoyed myself & challenged my ability. There will still be several tech challenges that I didn’t master. Something to look forward to next winter. I didn’t reride Hangover.

Another night in a stuffy motel room. Fell asleep watching Law & Order. Ate hotel provided bfast.

Loading stuff back in van, saw woman smoking a cigarette leaning on a car w/ WA plates, enough for me to strike up a conversation, or an opening line. We sort of compared here w/ there. She said she can’t stand the red rock as it seems to take energy out of her. Fitting as she smoked. She wanted her husband to visit w/ me and set off to find him. She returned w/ him and he asked his questions. He is not a rider, couldn’t understand my excitement of Sedona’s rocks.

Drove to Discount Tire to buy a set of new tires. The fronts are just about @ wear indicator. Installed them. They are not convinced of benefits of N2. The rear tires that were last on the front had more tread and were moved to the front.  New tires are same make & model except these are more snow tire than the A/S that are now on the front. Drove onto 3 lane freeway and the fun started: the van was going which ever way the last gripping tire had direction. And it was very windy. Maybe it was like steering a kayak on a following sea. At the first exit I pulled off to park to check tire pressure. Fronts were 70, not ordered 60. Decided to give new tires some more miles to wear them in, and the front tires to settle down. And it was windy.  The 89 miles to Sedona broke the tires in a bit.

Visited @ B & B then drove back to Beaverhead flats. Stopped on 179 and walked upstream for several pics of Dry Beaver creek that was a class 3 kayak creek. Fed by snow melt. Back late Dec the creek bed was parched dry.

Parked @ favorite spot sheltered by several junipers. The wind was gusting into the van side which rocked me.

Scattered rain showers per forecast. Put cover over bikes b4 rain fell.

Chest still painful, will like it if it rains tomorrow to justify another day of recovery.

Uneventful colonoscopy this AM. No polyps, no idea to what causing loose stool. DR suggested 600mg of ibu for muscle pain. I am finding out what is not causing my discomfort and so far the disastrous causes have been eliminated. Which medicine specialty will identify the cause and remedy the solution. My plumbing is safe from intrusion for another 10 years.

Last night starting @ 4 was the uncapping of the 4 liter of golightly fluid I needed to drink as fast as I can or at least 8 ozs every 10 to 15 mins. I crunched the numbers and drew up a time sheet to keep me on track to empty the jug. Both my plan and the drink worked as described.

Left side ribs are still painful to deep breathing. Going to take Wed off. I need to buy a set of tires for the van on my way to Sedona tomorrow. Tires are almost at wear strip and have 61,000 miles on them. I’m thinking replace the tires here w/ better choices than central OK. Might not be fair comparision but the point is valid.

Hanging @ motel.

Sleeping on queen sized bed, I slept on the first 36″ width. My van bed is just fine. Had to stay here again tonight because daily checkout was before I was released from dr and I needed a driver to get me out. restaurant food. Another shower tonight.

Phoenix megalopolis stole the h2o to make it so big. In the Sonoran desert w/ Saguaro cactus for shade. Smog. Distant mountains ring basin.

Yesterday @ Montezuma’s castle near Camp Verde just S of Sedona while walking back to my van to leave I hear “Craig Bierly” called out several times from a passing rig. It was Kevin Bergdahl from TCS where I used to work. He picked me out of a croud of people while he was inching forward in the traffic. Impressive for him and validation for me that i seem the same 21 months later. Hardly anybody knows my last name because it is not on my business card.