Wow! I think that was the hottest bike ride I've ever done.
I started right at 6, rolling of the lot under partly cloudy skies with nice winds, it was a great evening to be out riding. Quick stop at the Fruita rest area to top off my water and I was at the TH in Loma by 7:45. Little cheatin' with that tailwind.
Mary's rolled fairly quickly and I was at Salt Creek with just a slight hint of light left. Train rolling through while scrambling up the other side was a treat. Things went pretty uneventful until the shock of seeing the ever faint glow of the coming day about 4:30am-ish. I was hoping to not be able to take any daylight pictures until somewhere in YJ but was able to by the time I was doing the McGraw singletrack. Luckily (or not) the Yellow Jacket climb offered a preview of how the shandies were going to be, although the air was still cool.
Quick 15 min nap in the shade of the bathroom structure at Dewey and I pondered continuing or rolling 128... knowing I would have to at least hit Onion Creek or backtrack. Within thirty minutes all I could think of was the cool shade Cottonwood Canyon would offer. It took two attempts to leave once I got there. Slow and steady, the rest of Entrada Bluffs proceeded to cook me nicely. From that point on, walking was the norm uphill as riding just generated too much heat and my hr would begin to climb even though I wasn't doing much more than just creeping along. I easily drank a gallon of water and my Pepsi just going from the first Cottonwood to Hideout.
Got to Hideout in just under 24hrs after starting in GJ and I was happy to just lay in the shade and do nothing. After gunning down some dried fruits I took a short nap, filtered water and then made a 'hot' meal. Yea, strange but that mac & cheese was sooo good after taking what seemed like a record time of cooling down enough to eat. As I regained lucidity, I began to ponder having potentially two more daytime rides in the oppressive heat or backtracking to 128 from where I was.
Other than the stinky water, the downhill stroll on Onion Creek Rd was quite refreshing. Seems like I learn tons more every time I try these events. Only encountered two motos and one jeep. Had an impromptu chameleon (or whatever the little lizards are) incident when one crawled up on my leg while I was napping at Dewey and I reflexively grabbed a hold of it. Those little gnats bite, legs look like I have chickenpox. Night time is the right time on the Kokopelli. I'm always amazed at how much flow there is from RV -> McGraw Bottom. Long sleeves rock in the sun/heat. Head bug nets preserve your napping sanity. Hmm... Think that's about it. Thanks for all the kind words! Cheers and Happy Trails!
