iRide.2019.09.26

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Magic waterfall

• For the first time in many weeks my legs felt like they were working for me and not for my enemies. Following the longer-than-usual ride yesterday, I had expected my legs to be tired today and accordingly my plan was a shorter ride. Immediately after I set off on my ride, I could feel my legs were functioning better than I had anticipated. To check that this new development was not just a flash in the pan, I decided to replicate the ride from yesterday as a way of establishing a direct performance comparison. I am delaying celebration through the declaration of an International Magnificent Legs Day, just in case this is an example of the one step forward and two steps back syndrome. Been there. Experienced that. Too old to be caught out again.

As I was descending from the moor after my first turnaround, I saw a strange aircraft in the sky. It was too far away for good viewing and certainly well outside the iPhone's comfort zone. A small section of the photo, actually at full-pixel resolution here, is included only because this is intended to be a photo-diary of my rides. I am hoping that I will be able to address the lens focal length issue soon. The iPhone is good for getting in someone's face, but three steps back and it's fish-eyed.

As I approached my second turnaround, I saw and heard gushing water. This is not unknown hereabouts in the desert, but only after heavy rain when nascent waterfalls appear pouring over the escarpment of the Colorado Plateaus to the east. This magic waterfall was not some grand poetic force of nature, but a more prosaic man-made effusion from a fire hydrant. Since my visit yesterday, a construction crew has finished extending the water main alongside Moccasin Flats. My uneducated guess is that they were now discharging water to flush the line before it is fully commissioned… or maybe the Chinatown connection from yesterday was not a figment of my febrile imagination!

Coincidentally, I had for the first time—and the last, I hope—forgotten to bring my bidon. In the heat of a high desert summer this would have merited an emergency response, including possibly abandoning the ride and returning to base to collect water. Today was comfortably cool and overcast, however, so there was no problem. I did consider drinking from the magic waterfall and then rejected that idea on the grounds that it might be irrigation water rather than potable water.

My tires were making an almost-forgotten hissing sound on the worn-smooth patches of asphalt along the long, flat straightway of W3000S. At the top of the first rise to the North Sand Hollow cattle guard a couple with a tandem had stopped for refreshment. I stopped to admire their transport of delight and point out the immediately adjacent location where an SUV rolled over recently! They seemed like intrepid travelers who would take such information on advisement without being fazed.

As I watched them hydrate from their drinking tubes, without experiencing any pangs myself, I became confident that my own hydration needs were not yet in the red zone. Thirst is not a reliable guide to hydration needs, but I know what is and that soon confirmed my confidence. A few dried tart cherries and cranberries addressed any potential for a dry mouth.

I stopped to offer assistance to another couple on individual bicycles who had pulled over to the side. The man had experienced his third flat of the day, despite having installed new tires and tubes at the start of the ride and carrying a new tube as a spare. I directed them to Over the Edge Sports in Hurricane, UT, the closest bicycle shop (interesting local-photos gallery on their website if MTB is your thing). I hope for this couple that bad things do only come in threes and not in fours.



Later in the afternoon, I visited Ali's Organics to collect the produce shares for this week. The cornucopia of goodness can be seen in a separate post following this one.

WEATHER report:
*START* 09:39, Clear, 69°F, Feels like 69°F, Cloud: 11%, Humidity 35%, Dewpoint 40°F, Wind 1mph from ↙ (4mph gusts), UV index 2.
*END* 12:51, Clear, 81°F, Feels like 81°F, Cloud: 0%, Humidity 32%, Dewpoint 48°F, Wind 6mph from ↗ (10mph gusts), UV index 8.
*RIDE* feel 75°F, avg. temp. 75°F, avg. feel temp. 75°F.

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