So I spent a week in Moab and other parts of Utah and had a total friggin blast. It is an amazing and unique place to ride bikes, hike, paddle, and basically do anything outside. I'd been hearing about it for years, and since what I heard most was that is it unlike anything else I had a mix of expectations. I rode Slickrock, Amassa, Bartlett Wash, Porcupine Rim (twice), and Klondike Bluffs. We also did a couple hikes (Delicate Arch, Canyonlands, and out near Dead Horse Point), a tame Colorado river paddle, and some car exploring of the area, as well as a visit to an animal sanctuary in Kanab.
The weather was unusually cool for the first few days, which was a definite plus. By the time it really heated up I had a better feel for planning out there and scheduled around the hotter parts of the day.
I rode my heckler with DH tires and flat pedals all week, worked out great, no flats or mechanicals and there were only a few times when I wished for more squish.
We drove out from SF via Rt. 50, which deserves its moniker as the loneliest road in the US. Long, interesting in it's nothingness and (few) characters, and, well, long. Got in Sunday afternoon and did a little screwing around on Slickrock then hit the sack.
On Monday I rode Porcupine with two guys staying near me. Riding with strangers can be hit or miss and this turned out to be quite the gong show affair. We were supposed to start early but didn't get to the trail until about 10, and then it took forever - I did a lot of waiting, helping them fix mechanicals, etc. Still, it is an amazing ride and I had a blast, especially since I had plenty of time to ride fun sections more than once.
After a big grub down my girl and I drove into Arches and hiked out to Delicate Arch. Gorgeous, alien, surreal.
On Tuesday I ended up riding Porcupine again, this time with a different group that shuttled up to the newly-legit singletrack that starts at the top of Sand Flats Road and follows the rim of Castle Valley down to the top of Porcupine. This time I decided to just leave the group I was with and flow at my own speed...ahhh, much better. The whole thing took about 3 hours, including the ride back into town.
Tuesday night we rented a little rubber boat and did a 7 mile river float.
Wednesday I rode Bartlett and Amassa with a guide I met up on Porcupine. We got on really well and were close in riding abilities so it was good for us both. I had so much fun riding Bartlett, it is truly a place with endless ride possibilities - natural bowls, wall rides, booters and drops all over the place. Once I got used to riding the slickrock it was on. We ended up spending about 6 hours out there. Then we took a short break and hit up Amassa, which was also lots of fun. Here are a few pics of me riding Bartlett:
This is the view from the top of Amassa:
Minutes after we came down from Amassa we watched a dude do a full gainer base jump off a cliff we estimated to be about 600 feet totally clean, crazy to watch.
On Thursday we rented a bike for my girl and did Klondike Bluffs. She'd never really done a mountain bike ride and it was really cool to take her on some tame slickrock out to a cool viewpoint. Thursday night was hiking out in Canyonlands and near Dead Horse Point.
On Friday I got up early and rode Slickrock, which was loads of fun if a little tame.
Friday afternoon we headed towards Kanab and found a great campsite at Navajo Lake. The freezing cold water and fresh lime margaritas were awesome after frying in the desert all week:
On Saturday we visited the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, a bit of a concession to my girl for her putting up with me riding all week. I actually really enjoyed it.
Sunday we drove home via Vegas. We went through Zion and stopped for a killer breakfast before starting the long boring drive home, which basically sucked but at least I had good memories to savor.
Moab definitely delivered on the promise of being unlike anything I had ridden before. I missed out on some good trails (wanted to hit Sovereign and Portal but ran out of time) but felt like I got a good taste, and this trip definitely makes me want to go back.
The weather was unusually cool for the first few days, which was a definite plus. By the time it really heated up I had a better feel for planning out there and scheduled around the hotter parts of the day.
I rode my heckler with DH tires and flat pedals all week, worked out great, no flats or mechanicals and there were only a few times when I wished for more squish.
We drove out from SF via Rt. 50, which deserves its moniker as the loneliest road in the US. Long, interesting in it's nothingness and (few) characters, and, well, long. Got in Sunday afternoon and did a little screwing around on Slickrock then hit the sack.
On Monday I rode Porcupine with two guys staying near me. Riding with strangers can be hit or miss and this turned out to be quite the gong show affair. We were supposed to start early but didn't get to the trail until about 10, and then it took forever - I did a lot of waiting, helping them fix mechanicals, etc. Still, it is an amazing ride and I had a blast, especially since I had plenty of time to ride fun sections more than once.
After a big grub down my girl and I drove into Arches and hiked out to Delicate Arch. Gorgeous, alien, surreal.
On Tuesday I ended up riding Porcupine again, this time with a different group that shuttled up to the newly-legit singletrack that starts at the top of Sand Flats Road and follows the rim of Castle Valley down to the top of Porcupine. This time I decided to just leave the group I was with and flow at my own speed...ahhh, much better. The whole thing took about 3 hours, including the ride back into town.
Tuesday night we rented a little rubber boat and did a 7 mile river float.
Wednesday I rode Bartlett and Amassa with a guide I met up on Porcupine. We got on really well and were close in riding abilities so it was good for us both. I had so much fun riding Bartlett, it is truly a place with endless ride possibilities - natural bowls, wall rides, booters and drops all over the place. Once I got used to riding the slickrock it was on. We ended up spending about 6 hours out there. Then we took a short break and hit up Amassa, which was also lots of fun. Here are a few pics of me riding Bartlett:
This is the view from the top of Amassa:
Minutes after we came down from Amassa we watched a dude do a full gainer base jump off a cliff we estimated to be about 600 feet totally clean, crazy to watch.
On Thursday we rented a bike for my girl and did Klondike Bluffs. She'd never really done a mountain bike ride and it was really cool to take her on some tame slickrock out to a cool viewpoint. Thursday night was hiking out in Canyonlands and near Dead Horse Point.
On Friday I got up early and rode Slickrock, which was loads of fun if a little tame.
Friday afternoon we headed towards Kanab and found a great campsite at Navajo Lake. The freezing cold water and fresh lime margaritas were awesome after frying in the desert all week:
On Saturday we visited the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, a bit of a concession to my girl for her putting up with me riding all week. I actually really enjoyed it.
Sunday we drove home via Vegas. We went through Zion and stopped for a killer breakfast before starting the long boring drive home, which basically sucked but at least I had good memories to savor.
Moab definitely delivered on the promise of being unlike anything I had ridden before. I missed out on some good trails (wanted to hit Sovereign and Portal but ran out of time) but felt like I got a good taste, and this trip definitely makes me want to go back.
