[2005]        [2006]

10/19-22/06

I must be getting old and set in my ways, cause every October I CAN'T WAIT to get out to Moab! This trip did not let us down in any fashion either. Bob got out there Thursday to find the usual camping spot completely washed out, but found us a nice alternative off of 128, Hal's Canyon Campground. A sweet spot next to the river with plenty of Cottonwood trees for shade. Jean, Denali, Stinger, and I pulled in around midnight and were surprised at the evidence of some serious flooding....wet desert sand, recently plowed roads, severe washout everywhere! I wondered if the 100 mile White Rim Trail through the Canyonlands (my main objective of the w/end) was in good shape?! While setting up camp and drinking some beers around the campfire Keith, Beth, and Wayne showed up and we all had some laughs before hitting the sack. My alarm was set for 5am so Jean could drive me up to the start of The White Rim Trail, but sometime during the night I figured a few more hours of sleep and asking about conditions at a bike shop would be a good idea.
Friday: A fantastic car-camping breakfast, then off to town to rent Jean and Bob some full suspension bikes. At the bike shop they said they heard the White Rim was washed out and closed in spots. D'oh, that sucks. The guy even said last w/end was the most rain he's seen since 1980! The 24hrs of Moab bike race was cut short due to the storms as well. So, off to Hurrah Pass for some fun and fast miles along dirt roads climbing up to outstanding views! The rental bikes were having some serious shifting problems unfortunately. There was more signs of flooding everywhere, even quite a bit of water in spots. On the way back Wayne and I did some laps on the start of Amasa Back trying to "clean" the ledges and keep our teeth intact. Almost 4hrs later we were back at the cars drinking beers and basking in the warm sun, perfect temps in the mid-60's! A quick stop in town for wood, water, and swapping bikes then back to camp to find a very drunken Stinger attempting to empty the cooler! Car camping is all about excess....giant campfires, ridiculous amounts of food and beer, all the amenities you could think of! We enjoyed an awesome dinner of chicken fajitas with rice and sat around the campfire all night laughing. Keith and Beth's friend Tim showed up to partake in the fun for the weekend. Jean retired to the tent early while Stinger and I made fools of ourselves.
Saturday: I talked to a Park Ranger at the Canyonlands who confirmed that the White Rim was indeed closed until it dried out and some large boulders got blasted out of the road. Since this w/ends theme was "Bacon Fest", we started off the morning with fantastic bacon/cheddar biscuits and bacon/egg burritos. Life is good! We all headed out to Dalton Wells for today's ride. We made a wrong turn and ended up riding a few miles on the wrong road. Whoops! Backtracking to the correct road...Jean and Denali headed to the car, Stinger headed to the slickrock playground, and the rest of us headed up the technical and new Sovereign Trail. It starts with a monster climb that was impossible for me to clean without a few foot dabs. From there it was several miles of technical trails. AKA: FREAKIN AWESOME RIDING! It was like a scaled down version of the Porcupine Rim Trail. Instead of turning around and heading back like we thought we would, since it was getting late we rode out to 191 and back to the TH. Jean was there waiting, but no Stinger. Oh shit, not a good time to lose someone! Jean and I headed back up the road to the start of the trail while the others headed to the end of the trail incase he popped out there. Near the slickrock playground, Jean and I found Stinger peeking around. He was out of water, didn't have any food, and was missing underwear and one sock (that's a whole different story). Relieved that no one would be spending the night in the desert, we headed back to town then camp. The Rocky Mountain Element 30 that Jean was riding was last years rental, the perfect fit, and just so happened to be for sale! Christmas came early, and we couldn't turn down a sweet deal. Tonight's dinner consisted of filling the grills with burgers, brats, hot dogs, beans, and corn. YUM!!! Keith and Beth's other buddies showed up and we had lots more laughs around the campfire telling stories and watching Nick make his "hobo dinner" then talking about the joys of a good chocolate chip cookie.
Sunday: Leaving Moab always sucks. It'd be easy to stay for a week or so and continue to play, but unfortunately we had to pack up and leave. More bacon was in order first, and Jean made an awesome dish of potatoes and bacon that was perfectly complimented with bacon and cream cheese bagels! We stopped in town then at the Glenwood Brewery before getting back to Denver with a little time to spare before Stingers hockey game.

10/06-09/05

Another great long w/end in Moab! We all camped in the same spot off of 313 (looked like a recent flood zone) and did some more great rides....Gemini Bridges, Bull Canyon, Bartlett Wash, Monitor and Merrimac Buttes, and Klondike Bluffs. Bob and Sherry were new to mtn biking but picked it up like it was nuthin' and had a ball. Gemini Bridges was a fun leisurely ride revisiting the spot where Beth knocked herself silly in the Spring. Bartlett Wash has been on my "to ride" list for a few years and Keith and I had an absolute blast on the slick rock and drops there before meeting up with the others and riding around the Buttes with Dwight. We had a bit of an "adventure" on the way back trying to avoid the sand, but actually riding even more of it! Klondike Bluffs was the perfect ride before leaving town with awesome slickrock, great views and cool dinosaur tracks everywhere. We got hit with some rain Saturday night, (thank goodness for the pop-up tarp!) but other then that it was tons of beer and booze around the campfire with great meals all around. The ride home turned into a nightmare with rain all the way until Vail Pass then snow the rest of the way. Accidents everywhere and it looked like a war zone with all the cars in ditches. Gotta pay for all that Moab fun and ~60miles on the bike somehow though!