A park maintenance guy came to check out the cable. He hooked a TV up and it was great. The conclusion points to the front TV, or its connection will need to be repaired/replaced. Or the entire RV as Kevin was thinking. Replacing the TV would involve replacing the majority of the stereo electronics and cabling. Not something he wants to tackle! A new RV would correct a lot of the little things that needed updating or replacing that seemed to pile up over the life of this 2006 vehicle. It is a financial decision, replace the 2006 RV with a more current yet used RV, or upgrade the current RV with new floors, carpets, lights, electronics, awnings, repair/replace driver side slide out,...... replace driver for an upgraded model that has far more energy and is much better looking. Please vote with a thumbs up on newer RV or thumbs down to vote for replace repair current RV, and replace old worn out driver.
This issue will require your guidance!
The days selected activity is a mountain bike ride. It had been many, many years since Kevin or Theresa had done any mountain biking of any kind so today's ride should prove to be interesting. Kevin changed his tires to ones more suitable for the loose dirt and gravel conditions and checked his breaks. The back breaks were not doing a very good job of stopping. They were old and crusty just as the rider. Kevin used a sand-board to rough them up a bit and hoped that would be good enough for the days ride. The most popular mountain biking in the area is at the Mammoth Mountain Ski and Biking park. The ski lifts would take a rider and their bike to the top of the mountain and then they select a Red, Blue or Green route for the decent. The lift prices did not justify the single run that Kevin nor Theresa would be able or willing to do so other area rides were reviewed. The Shulls loop route was one briefly documented on a single green sheet of area rides outside the park. It was described as a 10 mile loop with a hefty climb at the start and a nice gradual decent if the rider did the loop clockwise.
The trailhead was just a block or two from the RV park so Kevin and Theresa left Zin in the comfort of the RV and headed out.
The map and trail signs were sketchy at best with several dirt roads and paths that intersected and made finding the correct clockwise path not that obvious.
The yellow bike trail signs as well as blue trail markers seemed to be marking the trail as it headed up in the clockwise direction. The trail was a wide fire road that wound relentlessly up and up. Some portions were un-bikeable by Theresa so she admitted defeat and pushed her bike up the steep incline. Kevin refused to let the hill beat him, after all 25-30 years ago these non-technical trails would be a nothing! He made it part way up until his front tire started coming off the ground, then he fell to the side launching bike and rider off trail and into the brush. Back up to try again with the same result. Finally realizing his efforts were futile he too walked the bike in shame and frustration up the last few yards of the climb. The hills were winning so it was decided to just enjoy being out there and do what can be done and declare any small victories.
The yellow bike trail signs as well as blue trail markers seemed to be marking the trail as it headed up in the clockwise direction. The trail was a wide fire road that wound relentlessly up and up. Some portions were un-bikeable by Theresa so she admitted defeat and pushed her bike up the steep incline. Kevin refused to let the hill beat him, after all 25-30 years ago these non-technical trails would be a nothing! He made it part way up until his front tire started coming off the ground, then he fell to the side launching bike and rider off trail and into the brush. Back up to try again with the same result. Finally realizing his efforts were futile he too walked the bike in shame and frustration up the last few yards of the climb. The hills were winning so it was decided to just enjoy being out there and do what can be done and declare any small victories.
At the summit of the days climbs there were several trails that crisscrossed everywhere. Theresa studied the NOT TO SCALE MAP to find one path that made sense and was selected for the team to push onward. As the team continued to follow the elected trail for a bit it did not appear to be heading in the desired direction to continue in a Clockwise direction.
Kevin suggested to see if the phone's map would help. Theresa was delighted that she at least had 2 bars of coverage in this seemingly remote isolated area! Consulting google earth maps it was more clear 1) the current location and 2) the correct direction to go to get back to town. Back tracking to make the correct choice would require climbing back up the high ground that was just given up. Theresa could see that if the team continued forward they would intersect a road that would lead straight back to Mammoth Mountain. The downhill to town was awesome! It led to a paved road that had a nice wide bike lane and within minutes Mammoth Mountain Village was reached. Kevin pulled into the local bike repair shop to get new breaks after a thrilling downhill into town with limited breaking capability. Let it FLY was all he could do as his eyes would tear up do to the fast down hill.
After the three hour bike ride it was time for some recouping while watching the working TV outside before dinner was prepared.
The next days activity will be an easier mountain bike trail and / or a Devils Post pile and Rainbow falls hike ... all sound wonderful!
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