Doesn't get much better than this ...

Out on the road a bit before 5am with the plan to do 135 miles and 12,500 ft of climbing. All went really well. The Surefire headlamp lit up the night. The roads were virtually empty. The rear Conti Hard Shell Gatorskin with two (count 'em, two) tire liners handled well.

Made the first turnaround where paved road ran out on Iron Springs (toward the town of Skull Valley) and returned to the HQ in Prescott for quick change into dry clothes ready for the heat of the day. 

Took off toward Congress, up and over the Bradshaw mountains and down to Wilhoit when the RD wouldn't shift. Stopped to diagnose problem. 

Took over half an hour to finally ID that the set screw for high gear had cracked (?!! SRAM X0?!!) and was half in/out. Killed the Garmin at that point and called the posse (my patient and forbearing wife) for a rescue.

Still 45 miles and 6,200 ft of climbing is better'n a sharp stick in the eye. Felt fresh and ready for another 90 miles and another 6,300 ft of climbing. Probably do it on Monday or Tuesday, instead.

Waited for my wife at the Burro Inn and Saloon in `Nowhere, AZ.' Too early for them to open but spoke with owner and his daughter about the dozens of people killed over the past few years while kareening over the Bradshaw mountains on the White Spars. Finally got some names that go with some of the road shrines along the road.

Plan to drive back to the Burro Saloon for a few cold ones and a home made pizza pretty soon.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/304095072

How to get decapitated on a bicycle

It was a weird training session yesterday.  Having pushed pretty hard the previous two days yesterday was an `easy' workout.  I joined a good friend who recently got an Ice trike and was getting some miles under his belt.  Together we did one out and back `lap' of about 26 miles.  Then I did another lap at a faster but not intense pace. 

On the first lap my friend and I saw an elk casually cross the road about 50 yards ahead.  It pranced off into the wide open grassland toward Mingus Mountain. 

Then, on my solo lap two uncommon events occurred.  At about mile 32 a big construction truck went flying by at the speed limit (65 mph).  All of a sudden a `projectile' from the open back of the truck took vertical flight for about 25 feet and then, rotating, plummeted down to the road.  Turns out it was a big empty 5 gallon bucket.  Hitting the road, catching the 15-20 mph wind in wildly gyrated, spinning along the road landing in the middle of the right hand of two eastbound lanes.  I recognized the danger of this bucket and immediately stopped to get it off the road and down a gulley. 

Then at about mile 36 another open bed truck went speeding by.  It was loaded with what looked like someone's home furniture.  As the truck became parallel to me a mattress not well tied down `took flight.'  It flew up, spun, gyrated in the air and was coming down ... ON ME. 

As I was calculating the mattress' trajectory and managing the speed and direction of the bike the mattress flew over my head, missing me by about 4 feet. 

Of all the calamities I imagine on my training sessions getting decapitated or smeared on the road like a bug by a bed mattress is not one of them.