Mouse not working, not eager to use keys to navigate.

Slept in PUSH parking lot. Garbage truck woke me around 5:00. Long after I was up & about a train went by.

PUSH planned on starting on my shock & fork after lunch. I decided to drive down to Boulder to pick up my warranty shoes in the historic Pearl Street section. Driving down I had good views of snow covered front range peaks. Got hot also. Weekend snow was all gone. Boulder where I went is a hoping place, could be cool people place to live but very expensive. Found a Whole foods market & splurged on prepared food. treated myself to a beer as I drove back to PUSH. When I arrived after 2:00 my work was completed. I taked to Darren a bit about suspension issues. He gave me a set of rebuild bushings that they make that are made to like .002″ tolerance which will make for an even more fluid rear suspension. He told me of Devil’s Backbone ride area just W of town. I thought I could time manage a short ride and still drive back down to Denver to meet DOn @ 5:00. The ride @ 5000′ damped the sweet ride. The suspension rides even better than first tune. Darren said as they learn more out getting more performance out of suspension parts, they incorporate changes in new overhaul. Hey, you Turner riders: get PUSHed.

Cousin Susan and her husband Don live in Denver. I visited them last fall on my way east and arranged for an overnight on Tues. Unfortunately Susan flew back to help her parents. It was 2 guys talking guy thoughts. Don prepared salmon which i had not had since b4 leaving Spokane. Wonderful evening.

Don and I walked the neighborhood block and then he left for work and I turned the wheel West on I-70 to Fruita over the Rockies divide. Snow on N facing hillsides as I climbed up. Not much depth. Drove past Copper and Vail ski areas. Melted out down low. And brown from wind storms during the winter blowing dust onto snow. Sunny, windy, hot drive, temp hit 84 in Fruita.

Over the Edge bike shop has a King bottom bracket grease tool. I rolled in to have them grease it. And it is greased.

Learned about festival operations. Was told good luck finding a camping spot out on road 18. I drove out looking for whatever. The gravel road is stutter bumped and just shook my van contents. One round trip is all I will do. The bike trails mostly take off from the end of the road which also is a spread out free primitive XG. And it was crowded. I found the same spot I used last summer. Bikes everywhere. People everywhere. CXT outhouses. This area is known as Book Cliffs area where there are miles of hand built ST. Fruita’s other area is out along the Colorado River along I-70.

Picked up brake & pads from Single Tracks shop. Great cooperation.

Dateline: Loveland, CO, PUSH Industries parking lot.

Made Wilson State Park out in back roads Kansas. Empty XG, no water until next weekend. Washed bike w/ake h2o, all the clingy mud is gone. Only camper in subloop right on water. Walked a bit before dark. Found perhaps a heron skull & some beaver cutting chips. A brisk on shore wind but in early evening the wind died & then picked up w/ an incoming thunderstorm. Van was rocked by the wind and thunder. Not a bad light show but most intensity went somewhere else.

I checked out Wilson town to see what was downtown. Just a community that has lost it’s economic engine.

Drove out to park. Entrance is on a hill and the road drops down to cross the lake on a high bridge. Controlled burn made the trails stand out. What a fantastic trail system. One of the best i have ridden. Just a few technical rock problems but all about riding. The designer, Bob Nicholson, the park’s trail coordinator, used the topography very well. 14.6 miles & close to 2000′ vert all on short climbs, lots of climbing switchbacks. And it was not kansas flat. It’s worth making a stop on your way somewhere.

I joined the central kansas mtn biker club and linked up w/Jon Shank for a guide to meet at noon on Sunday. While waiting for him I rode 5 miles of trail. Wow.

AN adventure race was going on while I was there. 16 teams, they mtn biked, paddled a canoe or kayak, ran 5 miles & finished w/ more mtn biking. I recorded gusts of 35 mph. Several of the canoers capsized.

I learned that an Army Corps of engineering XG was nearby w/ year round water & showers so I split for it. Nice shower and then off to find the world’s largest ball of seizal twine. Have pictures.

I drove furhter north to the geographical center of the US and spent the night in the middle of America.

Today I worked old US highways to Loveland, CO to PUSH Industries who will overhaul my shock & fork tomorrow. Drove past maybe 5 VERY large cattle feedlots. Wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t a thousand cows wallowing in their own waste fattening up for your dinner table. And the stench!

GPSd the post office & picked up my mail. And then found PUSH back on their cul de sac. While my suspension didn’t jump up & down, I smiled. Talked w/ Jimmie & master mind Darren who all remembered me from my Labor Day visit. Spent time learning from Darren what he is getting & future able to get out of suspensions. Very talented & intense but fun guy. I am more impressed. To those of you who have had your suspension PUSHed, be sure to return them over time as they will include the updated parts for an even better performance.

Darren is stoked on his Turner Spot w/ the DW link. He is friends w/ David Turner & Dave Weigal, the DW link guy. Best Turner yet he said.

In mountain time zone, fall back but I am tired.

The snow covered mountains finally revealed themselves well into CO as they were hidden by scattered clouds that blended w/ snow. 72 degrees after snow last weekend.

Sitting in a Dillon’s grocery store parking lot late AM writing this. Next move will be out of internet access.

Sprinkle came down early evening. Jumped up, drew on wool poncho , hat, & shoes & dashed outside to put cover over bikes. The Turner could be rained on to wash mud off but more damage would result.

Traffic on I-70 yesterday was heavy, died down during night & remained low on drive to Salina. Sought prpane & Tru Value hardware. They didn’t have but a male customer said yes there is a source in town. Outside he gave me street by street turn directions, almost as god as the gps only in male voice. I thanked him & said that this is proof that men will ask for directions and that he should tell his wife so. He said she would not believe him. Propane use is down because of warm temps and no heat needed.

Going out to Lake Wilson and then drive rural roads up to Loveland for Monday night.

I called Peloton Cycles in Loveland to seek replacement Specialized shoes. Chris did a super job by calling their other store and then University in Boulder who set aside their only pair for my pickup on Tues.

Checked forecast and I will miss any snow between here & Loveland.

Cell phone & internet: the travelers friend.