Category Archives: Bicycle

Vulture Mine Shortcut

Donna started her day yesterday with a bike ride here in the park. She rode around the park and through the streets, trying to get some mileage in. She kept passing a guy on a golf cart. He would raise his hand as she went by and she thought he was waving at her. Finally, as Donna made another pass by the guy, she could see he was motioning for her to slow down. She called out, “I’m only doing 16 miles per hour!” The speed limit on the roads is 20 mph. Maybe 16mph looks faster on a road bike.

After Donna’s bike ride, we took the scooter to town. I turned off US93 at Vulture Mine Road. This was a shortcut with little traffic. We stopped at El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant. Our soon to be full-timing RV friend, Brett Miller, recommended the place and it had good reviews.

When I try a new Mexican place, I usually order the chili verde. This is one of my favorite dishes and I can compare the food to other favorite Mexican restaurants. I didn’t do that this time. I allowed the waiter to talk me into the daily special, which was chicken enchilada casserole. This was basically chicken enchilada filling between layers of corn tortilla and cheese. It was constructed somewhat like a lasagna.

Donna ordered the tricolor enchiladas which consisted of three enchiladas – a chicken enchilada with green sauce, a cheese enchilada and a beef enchilada with red sauce.

Tricolor enchilada plate

The chips were good and they served them with two great salsas and an excellent bean dip. However, I don’t think they were on their “A” game on this day. The chicken enchilada casserole was bland and made with too much cheese. Donna’s tricolor enchilada plate was good, but they had the sauces mixed up. The chicken enchilada had red sauce and the beef enchilada had the green tomatillo sauce. I would go there again, but next time I’ll try the chili verde.

We rode the scooter downtown and parked next to the City Hall. We wandered around and looked at clothing and boots in the western wear shops. Wickenburg is a quirky old west town, but it’s not too touristy. The western wear and saddle shops cater to the real cowboys working on the ranches in the area.

Double H hat shop – Wickenburg

Wickenburg is the oldest Arizona town north of Tucson. Henry Wickenburg discovered gold here in 1863. The Vulture Mine became the richest Arizona gold producer ever. Many of the historic buildings in the town date back to that era. We were told at the Chamber of Commerce information center that tours of the mine can be taken on Saturdays.

On the way back from Wickenburg, I stopped at the NAPA Auto Parts store to buy a solenoid to replace the sticking accessory solenoid I wrote about a couple of days ago. I didn’t see any part number on the old solenoid when I looked at it. I showed a picture of the solenoid and described its function to the guy at the parts counter. He said he knew what we needed.

He came back with a ST89 solenoid rated for 36 volts. I thought that seemed odd, but he was very sure of himself. I figured since this was a continuous-duty application, the higher voltage rating may be correct.

When we returned to the park, we saw Mark and Emily Fagan’s rig in the dry camp area (Roadslesstraveled.us). Their fifth wheel trailer was set up but their Dodge Ram 3500 truck was not there.

We came back to our rig. I turned the chassis battery switch off and disconnected the accessory solenoid. Once I had the old solenoid out, I saw it was stamped 88-24V on the bottom. I looked up specifications and found the correct replacement would be an ST88 24-volt solenoid. The ST89 36-volt solenoid wouldn’t work. Usually you need to apply nearly half of the rated working voltage to trigger the solenoid. I didn’t have enough voltage available to trigger the 36-volt solenoid. I put the old one back in temporarily and decided to wait until morning to take the ST89 back and exchange it for an ST88.

We had the air conditioner running. It was the hottest day since we’ve been here with a high temperature of 92 degrees. We’re on a 30-amp service so we can only run one air conditioner. I closed the bedroom doors and we had the front air on. We relaxed and read books for awhile.

Donna saw our neighbor, Lynda, outside and went out to talk to her about campgrounds at Lake Mead Boulder Beach. While she was out, Emily came over. The three of them chatted outside until after dark. Emily came inside with Donna and we caught up on their travels. Mark was napping back in the trailer. He had a tough day dealing with a punctured tire on the trailer. He was concerned about the trailer being overweight, so they came here to get the axle weights. There are three Escapees parks where you can always get your rig weighed. They weigh each wheel individually. That way you can determine if you should re-balance your load and also know what the correct tire pressures should be.

This morning, Donna went out hiking in the desert. While she was doing that, I made the 13.5 mile ride back to the NAPA store. On the way out, I saw Mark and Emily with their trailer at the weigh station. Their trailer weight is fine. Mark will move a few things around for better balance, but he doesn’t have to worry about overloading the tires or axles. They’re heading out this morning to Camp Verde and on to Sedona.

On the way back, I stopped and took a photo of one of the memorial signs for the 19 firefighters killed last year in the Yarnell wildfire.

I installed the new ST88 solenoid when I got back a little while ago. I’m still scratching my head though. The new solenoid is acting like the old one. It sticks and I have to tap on the case to make it engage. I’ve checked voltages and grounds and can’t find a problem. That will keep me going for awhile today.

EDIT: I worked the solenoid by turning the key to the accessory position and tapping on the solenoid. I repeated this several times. Now it’s functioning fine. When I turn the key to accessory, the solenoid engages without me touching anything other than the key. My theory is that internal friction was causing it to hang up. Working the solenoid burnished whatever was causing the friction and now it operates without any issue.

Bees and Bikes

Yesterday was a fairly quiet and lazy day for me. In the morning, I unloaded Donna’s bicycle from the trailer. This isn’t a good location for riding a road bicycle. The park is just off AZ89 on a straight, narrow stretch of two-lane highway with a 65mph speed limit. Too dangerous to be out there on a bicycle.

Donna rode laps of the park, zig-zagging her way through the streets. The North Ranch RV Park has three distinct sections. One area has gravel sites for dry camping. The problem with dry camping here is that generator use is banned. If you have a sufficient solar system, it’s not an issue. It wouldn’t work for us though. The next area is full hook-ups for RVs. It’s also on gravel and that’s where we are. The largest section of the park consists of privately owned lots on paved roads. You have to be an Escapees member to buy a lot.

People do different things with their lots. Some are just covered with gravel and have RV hook-ups. Some are landscaped with concrete pads and hook-ups. Most of them have a structure of some type on them. It may be a small storage shed or garage. In some cases they have built small houses on the lot.

A private lot in North Ranch with a small dwelling and million-dollar Newell motorcoach

After lunch, we rode the scooter up AZ89 to the small town of Congress. There isn’t much there – an antique store, gas station, Dollar Plus store. As we were bombing along on the scooter, a bee bounced off of my right bicep. He left his stinger behind. I pulled the stinger out as we rode into town. We cruised through the back streets to see what else we could find. We saw a public library – would that be the Library of Congress? We stopped at the antique shop and poked around. They also sold ice cream. Donna had a cup of chocolate ice cream and I had a cone with rocky road ice cream.

Another five or six miles up the highway is the town of Yarnell. This is the site of a tragic wildfire. The fire started from a lightning strike on June 28, 2013. On June 30th, a team of 20 firefighters called the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew from nearby Prescott, Arizona, went in to fight the fire. The wind kicked up and the fire shifted, trapping 19 of the firefighters in a box canyon where they perished. There is a very good article describing the fire at this link. It’s written by Stacie Solie, the same author that wrote this comprehensive account of the devastating mudslide near Darrington, Washington.

I didn’t want to ride up the hill to Yarnell. The traffic moves too fast on AZ89. I wanted to come home and put Benadryl cream on the bee sting. We rode back home and went to the book exchange library. I dropped off a book I finished reading and picked out another one. Donna also found a book. We relaxed and read for the remainder of the afternoon.

Last night, I grilled garlic shrimp on skewers. Donna served it with zucchini sauteed with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic, topped with parmesan cheese.

Grilled shrimp

Donna also baked an almond torte. Her sister, Linda, sent her the recipe. It was the first time she baked in the convection oven. The torte was delicious.

Almond torte

Donna is going to make chili in the slow cooker today – not exactly a traditional Easter dinner, but it sounds good to both of us. I want to watch the Formula One race and the Red Wings playoff game in Boston. This is problematic for me. Both telecasts are scheduled for 3PM EDT. The race is on NBCSP which I get on the Dish Network and the game is NBC local broadcast, which I get over the air. My current set-up doesn’t allow me to record. I need to buy another hard drive that I can format to allow Dish Network recording.

Meanwhile, it’s a beautiful morning here. It’s 68 degrees this morning. The weather guessers are forecasting a mostly sunny day with a high of 82 degrees.

Heating Up

Monday was just another day. I didn’t have much to write about yesterday, so I took a day off the blog. Most days Donna has work to do. She’s either writing, working on book promotions, doing magazine interviews or just taking care of business. I generally don’t have anything real pressing on my agenda. The only appointment on my calendar for Monday was a visit to the chiropractor for an adjustment and therapy.

Sometimes, balancing my carefree days with Donna’s work schedule can be challenging for one or both of us. If she has phone interviews, or is really working hard to hit a deadline, I find things to do outside the coach to give her space. That doesn’t sound too tough, right? It really isn’t, but it’s something to consider if you’re going to live in a confined space. The nice part is, we can be in places where being outside is nearly always an option. It’s great to be able to choose our climate!

The weather has gone from warm to very warm (it’s not hot in Arizona until the thermometer hits 110F). Monday was 89 degrees and yesterday was over 90. We ran the air conditioners both days. The forecast calls for highs near 100 by the end of the week. If we would have left Mesa on schedule, we would have gotten out before things heated up.

Yesterday, I started re-organizing the trailer. I needed to come up with a better way to hang our bicycles and figure out where my new mountain bike will go. I’ve been hanging our bikes with a nylon cord strung through the roof bows. This worked fine except the edge of the roof bow cut into the cord.

Cord strung through trailer roof bow

I went to the hardware store with a vague notion of what I wanted to do. Sometimes I’ll browse through the hardware section until I see something that fits my needs, without knowing precisely what I’m looking for. That was the case on this visit. I found shallow “U” shaped hangers that I attached to the roof bow with self-drilling screws. The cord shouldn’t chafe on the smooth surface and it should be more than strong enough. I installed two of the hangers where my road bike and Donna’s bike usually hang.

Hanger attached to trailer roof bow

Next, I needed to figure out where my mountain bike will fit. This presented more of a challenge than I thought it would. The mountain bike has a longer wheelbase. The long wheelbase coupled with big 29″ wheels and tires requires a lot of space.

Donna came out to the trailer and looked around. She gave me a few ideas on repositioning some of the bins. She’s the organizing expert after all. After I cleared a few things out and repositioned the bins, a few minutes with the measuring tape and I was set. With the front wheel removed, I can hang the mountain bike upright from two hanger points. If I turn the wide handlebar so it’s parallel with frame, it fits. I’ll take a picture when I get everything packed up this weekend.

After I had the trailer straightened out, I took a short snooze on the sofa. Then I showered and rode over to the Red, White and Brew to have a cold one with the guys. While I was there, I found some sad news on Facebook. My former colleague and friend, Sergio Bianchi, passed away suddenly on Sunday. I’m stunned by the news. RIP, Sergio, you’ll be greatly missed.

When I returned, I helped Donna prepare a Cornish hen. I used poultry shears to cut out the back bone. I removed the ribs with a small knife. This allowed me to butterfly the hen for grilling. Donna prepared it simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, while I started the grill. We grilled the hen using the brick method I wrote about in this post. As always, the brick grilling method worked like a charm. The hen was juicy and very good.

Cornish hen under a foil wrapped brick

Looking good

Donna served the hen with pan fried artichoke hearts, whole wheat couscous and Sriracha green beans. Another tasty and nutritious meal!

Tasty!

Today, I have another appointment at the chiropractor. Other than that, it’s another carefree day.

Delayed Departure

I went to the chiropractor on Friday for another adjustment and therapy. Dr. Pavtis reviewed my neck x-rays with me. The alignment issues are obvious. She also pointed out an earlier injury – an old fracture on C7. It looked worse than I thought it was. When it happened, I remember the doctor telling me it was a small fracture in the transverse process, no big deal. I had other injuries at the time that were bigger concerns. Looking at the X-ray now, the fracture clearly went through the entire vertebra, not just the transverse process. But this has nothing to do with my current situation.

Years of living with an imbalance due to neck dissection surgery has left me with poor alignment and improper curvature in my cervical vertebrae and upper back. Dr. Pavtis wanted to put me on a six-week treatment program. I don’t think we’ll do that. We settled on a few more treatments and stretches and exercises that I can continue on my own. This pushes our departure from Mesa back another week. We’re flexible with our travel plans, but the Phoenix area will soon become too hot to stay here in a motorhome.

On Friday night, Donna and I went to the Roma Cafe Ristorante. We used to eat there occasionally when we lived here before. We were a little confused though. The restaurant was in a plaza on Main Street, east of Power Road. I was sure we never went to dinner there. When we walked in, it was all very familiar. It’s family run and we saw familiar faces and decor. Donna asked if they moved the restaurant. Sure enough, our memories were correct. It used to be on the corner of McKellips and Recker. The food is reasonably priced and quite good with some authentic Italian specialities on the menu.

Yesterday, we were up early. Donna competed in the El Tour de Mesa bicycle race. We loaded her bike in the Toyota Highlander that we borrowed from Lana and arrived at the starting area at Red Mountain Ranch about an hour before the 8:15 am start. The 28-mile race was Donna’s first mass start bicycle race. She’s raced in duathlon and triathlon events before, but those aren’t mass start races. At the starting gun, she was off in a pack of a few hundred racers.

Donna in the center of the photo waiting for the start.

After they were off, I drove back home. I had a leisurely breakfast, then drove over to the finish area downtown at the Mesa Convention Center. Along the race route, police officers were controlling traffic at the intersections. The bike racers were given priority and didn’t stop at the intersections. I arrived at the finish line about 45 minutes before Donna thought she would be there. I didn’t want to miss her finish.

The finish line at the convention center.

About nine minutes later. I looked up the road and saw a couple of bikes come around the corner. By the time I recognized Donna, she was flying past me. I called out her name and walked past the finish line to find her. She finished 21 minutes ahead of her anticipated time. She was exhilarated. She had a great race.

We put her bike and gear into the Toyota and walked back to collect her medal. We checked the official finish times and saw that Donna was 2nd in the women’s 50 – 54 age group. I was proud to see she averaged 17 MPH over the course. She’s really motivated for the race in Great Falls now!

After we checked the results, we stopped at a lunch wagon for street tacos. The carne asada tacos were spicy and very tasty.

We came home and relaxed for awhile – we each took short naps. Then it was time to return Lana’s Toyota. A few weeks ago we left a 2 terabyte external hard drive with Lana’s boyfriend, Joel. He loaded the hard drive with more than 900 movies, several TV series and a large music library! Joel showed me how to set up the drive and access the library, then he drove us home.

Donna prepared a special chicken dish for dinner. She marinated boneless chicken breasts in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. Then she cut each breast in a way that effectively made the breast into one long strip of meat. She then wrapped the chicken around an asparagus spear and a scallion.

Chicken XXX ready to grill and breast cut into strip.

One roll-up ready to grill and one breast cut into a long strip

I put the chicken on the grill. The trick was to lower the heat after getting the grill marks so the asparagus and scallion would cook without overcooking the chicken.

Chicken roll-ups on the grill

Donna served the chicken with steamed asparagus and garlic mashed red potatoes. A meal fit for royalty!

Served with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes

After dinner, I set up the hard drive with my laptop connected to the TV. We watched the end of Breaking Bad. We have so much entertainment to choose from thanks to Joel, Donna will cancel her NetFlix subscription.

This morning Donna went kayaking at Saguaro Lake with her friend, Audrey, and a few of Audrey’s friends. I’m watching the Formula One race from Bahrain. We’ll see what the rest of the day will bring.

Out of Alignment

Yesterday, I got ambitious in the morning. I put up the ladder and finally cleaned and polished the fiberglass crown around the roof. At one point, wind gusts kicked up and I had to move away from the edge of the roof and wait it out. It only lasted for a few minutes, then I was back at it. I did small sections at a time. It took me a little over an hour.

I’ve had a knot in a muscle between my spine and left shoulder blade, along with pain in my left shoulder for the last two weeks. After I put the ladder away, the knot in my back was worse. I made an appointment with a chiropractor who was recommended by Donna’s friend, Audrey. After lunch, I showered and rode the scooter to her office.

It turned out that I have some alignment issues in my neck and upper spine. This was no surprise. With the damage and surgeries I’ve had on my neck and shoulders, everything is out of balance. She made some adjustments. After two weeks of living with the knot in my back, I finally had some relief.

She didn’t think my shoulder pain was related to the alignment issues. It seems that I have two separate problems. Although the shoulder is painful, I have full range of motion, so I don’t think it’s anything too serious. They treated my shoulder with an ultrasonic device and electrical stimulation. Before I left, they taped my shoulder and advised me not to lift anything heavier than 12 ounces with my left arm. I’ll go back tomorrow for another treatment.

By the time I was finished with the treatment, it was 4pm. I went out to the scooter and found the temperature had dropped into the 60s. It was windy and dark clouds were coming from the west. I rode back home, chilled all the way. About 20 minutes after I returned, we had a little rain shower.

Last night, Donna cooked indoors. She made tilapia filets stuffed with crab meat – something her mother prepared for her on her recent visit. She served it with sauteed pearl onions, mushrooms and red peppers. I enjoyed a big bottle of Decadent Imperial IPA from Ska Brewing with the meal. Delicious.

Tilapia stuffed with crabmeat stuffing

Today, I have a few errands to take care of. I need to remove the aero bars from Donna’s bike. They aren’t allowed in the race she’s riding on Saturday. We still haven’t decided where we’ll go when we pull out of here on Monday.

Totally Tubular

Finding a suitable set of wheels for Donna’s bike was my top priority yesterday. The Bontrager Race Lite wheels on her bike had cracks in the rear rim. She paid the entry fee and has been training for the El Tour de Mesa bike race that takes place April 5th. I had a spare set of wheels in our old cargo trailer, but those Dirty, Rotten Thieves took them. Her friend, Dara, generously offered a set of wheels for Donna.

I drove Mike Hall’s Jeep over to Dara’s house in the morning. Dara left the wheels in her garage and gave me a code to enter. At first look I said, “Wow!” They were Mavic carbon fiber race wheels. Then I realized they were tubulars. Tubulars are a type of racing tire (we used to call them sew-ups). Tubular tires have the tube inserted, then the tire casing is sewn together at the inner circumference. This allows very high tire pressure for racing. The tire is glued to the rim, which has a shallow depression to fit the tire.

Tubular tires are race specific. They are not an ideal deal choice for all-around use. If you have a puncture, you have to replace the tubular tire. In a racing situation, ideally you have a support person replace the entire wheel assembly so you can rejoin the race. It was very generous of Dara to offer her the wheel set, but I didn’t think it would work out for Donna.

I came back home and looked on the Internet and checked local bike shops for wheels. The local bike shops stocked both extremes of the market – they either stocked cheap wheels that weren’t suitable or they had high-end $2,000 racing wheel sets. We needed something in between. I bit the bullet and went to DNA Cycles to order a custom-made wheel set. Donna should have new wheels before the end of next week. Happy birthday Donna…your present is two months early!

I dropped off the Jeep at Mike’s place and picked up the scooter. Mike’s wife, Jodi, told me they would be at Baja Joe’s Mexican Cantina at 3pm and I was welcome to join them.

I rode back home and took prescription-strength ibuprofen for the pain in my left shoulder. Getting old really hurts sometimes. Between the mountain biking and the wash/polish job on the coach, I’ve aggravated a nerve in my left shoulder. I kicked back and read for a while, did a load of laundry and took a short nap.

At 3pm, I rode over to Baja Joe’s and found Mike and Jodi out on the patio. We were joined by Mike’s friend, Don, and his wife. Then Jodi’s twin sister, Julie, joined us. The tacos were great and the beer was cold. We sat outside and talked until about 6pm.

Last night, I watched some of the NCAA basketball tournament and nursed my sore shoulder. It’s still bothersome this morning, but not as bad as yesterday.

Donna is scheduled to fly into Phoenix around 7pm tonight. It will be great to have her back! I’ll tidy up the place today. I should check the electrolyte levels in the bank of 6-volt house batteries. I think a trip to the Jacuzzi to soothe my shoulder is also a good idea.

Never a Dull Moment

Yesterday, I continued my wash and wax project. I forgot to mention yesterday that when my neighbor told me his Jeep wouldn’t be in the driveway, he also said a park worker stopped him from washing his Jeep and told him it wasn’t allowed. He thought I might get in trouble for washing my rig in the RV park.

I thought that was strange. This park (Apache Wells RV Resort) is owned by Cal-Am Resorts. They also own the Sun Life RV Resort where we stayed in January. I saw people washing their RVs at Sun Life. I didn’t think Cal-Am would have different rules at another resort a few miles away in the same city. I looked up their policy. The policy states that “washing of automobiles is prohibited within the resort.” It goes on to say that there are many establishments in the area for car washing.

My take on the policy is this: if you have a passenger car or pick-up truck that you can drive to a car wash, you can’t wash it here. I don’t see that as prohibiting anyone from washing a motorhome or trailer.

I got an early start. I was washing the driver’s side of the coach by 8:30am. After I cleaned the windows and dried the surface, I polished the entire left side of the coach. This is a large area to apply polish to and then buff. I finished right at noon. The results look to be worth it.

Rear cap – you can see a neighbor’s trailer reflected in the shine

Another reflection on the shiny driver’s side

The polymer polish/protectant product I’m using is easy to apply and also buffs out easily. I’ll wait to see how well it holds up before I make a recommendation for this stuff.

In yesterday’s post, I laid out a general plan for our travels in the year ahead. My friend and former colleague, Allen Hutchinson commented that he would be competing in the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at the end of June. We’ll be in Great Falls, Montana the week before for Donna’s bicycle race. Coeur d’Alene is only a little more than three hundred miles away.

We’ll book a site in Coeur d’Alene and hook up with Allen and his family. Maybe this time I can see him finish the race! I wrote about missing him at the finish of the Lake Placid Ironman here. That’s the beauty of this nomadic lifestyle. We get to catch up with friends when our time and space coincides!

Yesterday, Donna called and said she received a message from the bike shop. They said they’d found cracks in the rim of her rear wheel. I scootered over to the shop and looked at the wheel. In three places, where the spoke nipple passes through the rim, there were cracks. The wheel will have to be replaced. Donna’s figuring out her best option for a new wheel.

I had already arranged to borrow Mike Hall’s Jeep to pick up Donna’s bike. I went ahead and got the Jeep from Mike. I wanted to go to the Handlebar Pub and Grill in Apache Junction to watch the String ‘Em Up Band perform bluegrass music. I met Andy King there.

Andy is my friend from our high school days. He was a member of the String ‘Em Up Band, but now he just sits in for a set or two from time to time. I ordered a mushroom burger and ate while the band set up.

The second set was really interesting and fun. It was like an open mic session. First, a harmonica player from the audience joined the band. He was good. He fit right in with fills and solos on the harmonica. Then a young man (I want to say a kid, but he was at least 21 years old) stepped in. He sang an original composition and played guitar. That’s the thing with bluegrass – as long as everyone knows what key to play in, it’s not too hard to jam together. Finally a young lady stepped up to the mic and sang a song. She had a modern, almost falsetto style. I really liked the song she sang. Lots of talent at the Handlebar!

Today, I’m hoping Donna has her wheel dilemma solved and I can pick up her bike while I have the Jeep. Around 11am, I’ll start washing and waxing the rest of the coach. I’m waiting until late morning when the sun won’t be shining directly on the right side of the coach.

The RV park has a farewell dinner scheduled for 5pm tonight. Most of the snowbirds leave here by April 1st. The dinner and drinks are free! Never a dull moment!

Making a Plan

I won’t bore you with a weather report. Each day is pretty much the same. The only thing that varies is whether the wind picks up or not.

Yesterday, I started the wash/wax project on our coach. I washed the rear cap, then set up the Wen 10-inch waxer/polisher I bought from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. It’s an orbital machine that came with two wax application bonnets and two buffing bonnets. Putting the bonnet over the pad is hardest part of using this machine – and that’s not too hard. It’s like putting a fitted sheet on a mattress.

Wen 10-inch waxer/polisher with applicator bonnet

I didn’t use wax. I used a polymer car polish. This polymer formula can be applied in direct sun with no problems. It protects the paint finish and contains UV inhibitors. This was my main goal. Our coach isn’t all that dirty, the paint has a nice shine. I want to keep it that way. The desert sun can really take a toll on the finish.

I spent about an hour, climbing up and down the ladder applying the polish, then changing the bonnet and buffing it out. The orbital waxer/polisher was easy to use. I think I spent too much time changing the bonnet – I should have applied the polish to larger sections instead of doing a small area, then buffing it. It sure beats Mr. Miyagi’s (Karate Kid) “wax-on, wax-off” method.

I talked to our neighbor on the left side of our site. He and his wife are going 4-wheeling in the desert with their Jeep this morning. This gives me the perfect opportunity to wash and wax the driver’s side of the coach. Their Jeep is usually parked near the left side of our coach. I couldn’t wash the coach without getting spray (and leaving water spots) on their Jeep. I’m planning to wash and polish the entire left side this morning while they’re away.

After I put away the ladder and polisher, I went for a short mountain bike ride. Then I went to the pool. I wanted to soak in the Jacuzzi and then sit in the sun and read a book. I was enjoying the sun and book until a woman sat in the chair next to me. She started talking to me and kept asking me questions. I didn’t get it. If someone is sitting alone with their nose buried in a book, would you strike up conversation by asking them a bunch of questions?

I gave her a couple of short responses, then immediately went back to reading. She didn’t take the hint. I finally said, “Well, I’ve had all the sun I can take. Have a good day.” I came back to the coach and read for a while, then took a short nap.

I think we’ll move out of here in about three weeks. I’m getting the hitch itch and I’m looking forward to hitting the road again. Our plans are taking shape. We know we want to be in Great Falls, Montana by mid-June so Donna can race in the Senior Olympics qualifier. We want to be in western Washington by mid-July. We’ll be in Portland, Oregon the first 10 days of August. Then we’ll come back to San Diego around the middle of September.

In between those dates, we’ll see where the road takes us.

Glutton for Punishment

I didn’t post yesterday, so I’ll post the weekend update today.

On Saturday, I wrote my blog post first thing in the morning. Then I caught up on a few other blogs I follow. I also looked at the site that mapped the Hawes Trail System. I wanted to ride my mountain bike there.

Around 11am, I rode my mountain bike out of the RV park. I rode a mile up Recker Road to Thomas, then I turned east and rode another mile past the intersection with Power Road. This is the entrance to Las Sendas, where Thomas Road becomes Eagle Crest. I crossed the canal and saw a trail next it, just like I remembered on the map.

However, this trail was gated with a “No Trespassing” sign. I was confused by this. It looked like people had gone in, around the gate, but I didn’t think that was a good idea.

No Trespassing

I continued up the road another 30 yards and found another trail. There were no markings or signs and the trail entrance was subtle. Once I left the road and followed the trail, it quickly became obvious that this was a well-used trail.

The trail meandered along between the canal and the Las Sendas housing development. It was fairly easy and fast at first, but I ran into technical sections before too long. A couple of other bikers passed me. I wasn’t ready to ride at their pace. I didn’t want to hit a ditch or drop into a ravine at speed, so I rode at a reasonable pace.

Hawes Trail

I passed a few people running on the trail as I climbed up towards Usery Mountain. As I gained elevation, I stopped to take in the view.

Red Mountain to the north

I could see for miles across the Valley of the Sun to the southwest. Although Phoenix claims to be located in the Valley of the Sun, it’s really more of a wide basin than a valley. Most of the desert southwest is a series of basins. It’s never as flat as many people imagine.

Valley of the Sun

As the trail climbed, it became more challenging. There were many sections where the trail was narrow and climbed steeply. Other sections dropped into sandy ravines, then climbed up onto decomposed granite or hardpack.

Hawes Trail

I missed the turn off for the trail that would take me to the road in Las Sendas. I found myself at the base of a long, steep climb that the locals call “Cardiac Hill.” I decided to turn back. I wasn’t up for that challenge. When I reached Thomas Road again, I’d been out for an hour and a half. I was whipped.

When I returned, I reheated leftovers for lunch, then put on my trunks and walked to the pool. I showered there, then soaked in the Jacuzzi. It felt good. I kicked back on a lounge chair and read a book until I was dry.

I shaved and showered back at the coach and took a nap. I was supposed to hook up with Mike and Jodie Hall, to go to a party in Chandler, but I was too tired to go anywhere. I visited with my neighbor, Peter, from Switzerland. He had been out on his road bike and put in 50 miles. He rode to Saguaro Lake, then did the Usery loop twice!

Yesterday I woke up feeling refreshed and well-rested. I wanted to try another part of the Hawes Trail System. This time I rode up to the north end of Recker Road. I couldn’t find the trail entrance once again. Then I saw a couple of guys on mountain bikes. They pointed out the trail head at the end of a cul-de-sac, next to a house.

This trail led me away from the housing tract. It was fairly fast, with sweeping turns that banked against small hillsides. After fifteen minutes of this, it became more technical with difficult drop-offs and climbs. The last half mile was mostly uphill. When I reached the end, at Power Road, I was huffing and puffing for breath.

Once I caught my breath, I crossed over to the trail on the east side of Power Road. I asked a mountain biker on the road how the trail was. He said it had some technical sections, but wasn’t bad. I wanted to ride this trail back to Thomas Road and loop back to the park.

Ten minutes later, I found out what he meant by “some technical sections.” I came to a stop at a steep drop-off. The trail dropped into a ravine. It was a nearly vertical drop of six or seven feet. Then it crossed the bottom for about 10 feet, then climbed the nearly vertical wall on the other side about eight feet high. It was shaped somewhat like the concrete half pipe where you see extreme riders or skateboarders do stunts on TV.

I looked it over, found a line I thought I could follow and went for it. I extended my butt off the seat, over the back wheel. This kept my weight well back and prevented me from going over the bars when I hit the bottom. Half way up the opposite side, when my bike slowed, I pedaled madly with my weight on the front of the seat and made it to the top. After I crested the hill, the trail dropped into another half pipe ravine. I did the same as I did on the last, pedaling like crazy in a granny gear. At the top, I stopped. I was looking down into another, deeper half pipe type section. My upper body was quickly wearing out. I made it through the third one and decided I’d had enough. I saw the trail flattened out and curved next to the road. I may be a glutton for punishment, but I knew when to quit. At the curve, I bailed out and got on the road.

I need to work on developing more upper body strength and endurance. Mountain biking uses different muscle groups than road biking. I was trying to do too much, too soon. I knew if I kept pushing through the technical sections, fatigue would inevitably lead to a crash.

I stopped at Subway on the way home and bought a Footlong Cold Cut Combo. I ate half of it for lunch, then followed Saturday’s routine of Jacuzzi and poolside reading. The other half of the sandwich was dinner. I miss Donna and I miss her cooking too!

Later, I decided to take on a project that I’d back-burnered for awhile. Our surround sound system has a hissing noise, especially from the rear speakers. It sounded like distortion from an amp that has too much gain. The amplifier is a Don Hamilton System that takes the 2-channel signal from the TV and converts it to 5.1 QSurround sound. I thought the amplifier might have an adjustable potentiometer on it somewhere to set the gain. The amplifier is mounted in a cabinet, next to the TV. I removed the amplifier, but couldn’t find any adjustment for gain.

Surround sound amplifier – the picture isn’t upside down, the amp is mounted this way

As I was reconnecting the wiring and preparing to mount the amp back in the cabinet, I noticed the wiring ran through a choke. I followed the wiring on the choke and found that the TV sound ran through it. This choke is designed to remove hum from the radio signal. Radios can pick up noise from the alternator through the 12-volt system.

Choke to cancel noise in the 12-volt system

The TV runs on the 120-volt AC system. The choke might be useful if the TV was operating off the invertor, otherwise I couldn’t see any sense in it. Most motorhomes built before 2007 have had TVs replaced with newer flat screen models. This is the case in our coach. Who knows who wired the sound through the choke.

I rewired the TV directly to the amplifier and ran the radio wiring through the choke. I tested the TV and radio – no hiss or hum! Job done!

Today, I plan on a little rest and relaxation. I need to recover from three straight days of biking. Our neighbors, Peter and Ruth Zaug will be leaving. They’re taking the ActionMobil coach I wrote about in my last post to Apache Junction and putting it into storage there. They’ll fly back to Switzerland this afternoon. They plan to return in September and continue their journey through the USA.

Happy St. Patricks Day! At some point, I’ll probably go to the Red, White and Brew for a pint or two of Guiness.

Expedition

Yesterday, Donna finished packing her bag while I posted to the blog. She managed to pack eight days of clothing (bear in mind, she’s traveling to cold climates) in one small suitcase. I don’t know how she does it.

Her driver picked her up at 11:15am for her flight to Chicago. I’ll be on my own for the next eight days. Other than the night she stayed at her sister’s house to watch her nephew, Connor, this is the first time we’ve been apart since we hit the road on July 23, 2013.

After Donna left, I went out for a ride on my new mountain bike. I looked at a map and thought I’d found a good route. It looked like I could get on a trail a couple of miles from here that would take me down to the Salt River and make a nice loop.

I rode out of the RV park, up Recker Road to Thomas. I found a trail into the desert and got off of the road. I haven’t ridden off road in a long, long time. When I lived in Arlington, Washington, I would ride my mountain bike up forest service roads into the mountains and find trails to loop back down. I really enjoyed mountain biking there. I also liked riding the single track trails at Sun River, Oregon.

When I moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 2005, I mostly rode my road bike. I took the mountain bike out occasionally, but it seemed like I always picked up a thorn and had flat tires. I got tired of fixing the tires and sold my mountain bike. The bike I have now has a fluid in the tires that prevents punctures. The tire can still go flat, if it’s cut by glass or some sharp object, or if the sidewall is torn. But, a small puncture from a thorn or cactus spine will not hurt it.

When I purchased the bike, I looked at the small 22 tooth chain wheel and the 36 tooth rear cog and thought I’d never use that short gearing. Ted, the guy that sold me the bike said he often uses that gear ratio for short, steep, rocky climbs. I found out that he was right.

On the steep, rocky stuff, you need to maintain forward progress, even if you are just crawling along. If you stop, it’s difficult if not impossible, to get going again. The rear wheel will not have any traction from a standing start. You can’t sit and start pedaling. When you stand on the pedal to get going, the rear wheel will just spin. I learned that the hard way yesterday.

Once I learned to get into the appropriate gear before I started a steep climb, I was amazed at the terrain I could ride. The photos I took don’t convey how steep the terrain actually was.

This was a steep, slippery climb

Coming down some of slopes was a challenge. The trail I followed had some technical sections. I took my time and rode slowly to get into the groove of mountain biking. After I climbed the hill in the photo above, the trail dropped down into a dry creek bed. The creek bed was deep sand. Once again, I was surprised at how well the tires coped with the terrain. In the deep sand, I needed to maintain forward momentum. I tried to avoid the softest areas, but couldn’t always do that.

The trail took me through this sandy arroyo

The next climb was very technical. The upper third of the hill was steep, with loose rock. I really enjoyed the challenge.

A rocky hill, it’s steeper than it looks

After I crossed that hill, I found that the trail wasn’t taking me down to the river. It crossed private property near a storage yard and ended at Higley Road. I rode along the road and came upon an orange grove. I followed a trail next to the grove that took me to another trail that followed a canal. I knew the canal trail would loop me back to a point near the RV park. I had been riding for one and a half hours and I was feeling it. I was ready to stop.

When I came back to our site, I saw a new neighbor had moved in behind us. As I was putting my bike away, he approached me and asked about bicycling routes in the area. His rig was very interesting, I told him I’d seen one like on TV before. It’s a four wheel drive expedition mobile coach.

His name was Peter Zaug, he and his wife, Ruth, are from Switzerland. They are touring the USA and have a website at www.traveljoy.ch. But, you have to be able to read German.

Expedition coach

Peter and Ruth dining al fresco

You can get more information about the expedition coach at Actionmobile.

Peter wanted to take a 20 to 30 mile ride on his road bike. I gave him directions for riding the Usery Loop. I told him it was about a 20 mile loop with a long, three mile climb. I found a map of the area in our coach and gave it to him, since he seemed a little unsure of my directions.

When I saw him later, he said he liked the route and it was 20 miles, just as I told him.

Last night I found information on mountain biking trails in the area. Some of the best mountain bike trails are nearby. It’s called the Hawes Trail. It has several loops, some of them climb all the way up Usery Mountain. I’ll have to ride three or four miles on the road to get there, but I might check it out today.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Bicycle

Vulture Mine Shortcut

Bees and Bikes

Heating Up

Delayed Departure

Out of Alignment

Totally Tubular

Never a Dull Moment

Making a Plan

Glutton for Punishment

Expedition

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