Since the bus needed the fuel filter changed and Mme Awesome had a big meeting and the garage was close to Pronghorn Loop, a trail I’d ridden with delight last time staying in Crestone, I took a deep breath and plunged.

The ride was, in a word, great. The last time I rode as suggested: a loop. This time, to avoid the meh intermediary section, I planned on going up to the first peak and turning around to catch what all signs suggested would be a kick butt descent. The winds became fierce as I gained elevation however, and, once occasional driving rain came, I turned back just shy of where I’d hoped to reach. All together, the best biking since…. you guessed it, the last time in Colorado.

Naturally made.

Headed down, looking south.

Lord the maintenance on the bus is nuts. Nuts here means regular and costly. Turns out the last filter change wasn’t performed correctly. Which sucks because apparently the filters are key for performance and fuel economy. I understand now why the kit from the Memphis parts store had two separate pieces.

I did score 6 diesel additive bottles for $33. I’ve seen them as much as $10 and commonly $8. This was at a parts place which turned out to not have the filter in stock. Glad I left early.