Moab, March 2011
After a long winter we headed south in an attempt to escape the cold and the snow.
The drive down went through lots of winter and two blizzards with ice and snow on the road.
Apparently the blizzards followed us to Moab. One day we found this…
Now, admittedly, we were getting close to La Sal pass in the La Sal mountain range. It was actually quite bizarre. Minutes previously we were traversing Red rock, then we were slithering around in snow. ZED actually sunk up to the top of his MX boot taking the picture!
The La Sal Mountains.
ZED playing on the slick rock. It Rocks!
Enjoyable, meandering roads.
We had only a couple of minor mishaps. Here KLRChickie is checking to see if ZED's WR is OK and feeling like getting up yet. No injuries to riders or bikes.
Here we are back at the Inca Inn, sipping our beverages and planning the next day's ride.
We explored the 'Behind the Rocks' trail which starts at about 20km South of Moab.
Here's the back of the rocks with the La Sal mountains (again) as a backdrop.
One neat spot to see there is the "Highly Desirable View Point" which overlooks the Kane Creek / Hurrah Pass Trail intersection.
Can you spot the trail junction and the Fifth wheel trailer parked nearby from 1000ft. up?
It's tough but it's there.
There were a lot of tough climbs and descents on the jeep trail. Some of these were two bikes in length and extremely steep to the point that the tires wouldn't grip. It was a bit scary bringing bikes down a slope which you know you can't go back up! Fortunately there were other options back. Some time with the Map and the GPS was spent to make sure we weren't getting into a pickle.
There are easier routes but here are the WRs above one drop.
Here it is from the bottom. This one we bypassed. We did do some drops that were steeper than this but only about two bikes long, when there was no immediate bypass.
Finding a shady spot for a rest and a bite of packed lunch is important. Hydration packs were, of course, used throughout the trip.
ZED played around some more on the slick rock. The Slick Rock trail is neat. Here's the Baby Lion's Back. The camera is tilted so it doesn't truly show how steep it is. The actual Lion's Back is now off limits as someone has somehow purchased the land and closed the Moab landmark to the public.
It seems impossible that one could ever get used to seeing things like this as you come around a corner!
We think the best breakfast in Moab is at the Moab Diner. The Green Chilli Omelet is awesome. Honestly at first glance it looks like someone upchucked on the plate, but after you get over the look it is amazing. The spicing is perfect. It's not too hot, but nicely spiced, full of flavour, and very hearty.
The trip back was 17 hours of basic boredom accented by brief snow storms.
When we got home and unloaded the bikes, the Sprinter got stuck! When we'd left the alley had been melting and the snow had been almost gone. Since then several inches of the white $h!t had accumulated overtop. This resulted in waking the Unimog from it's winter slumber and bringing it to the rescue. A stuck Sprinter is nothing to a Unimog, but what is with all this White $h!t????!!!!!!!!?????
We can't wait to go back to Moab. We've already started planning next year's trip! White rim trail needs to be ridden, but not when it is cold and snowing in Canyonlands...
Addendum:
After over 3,500km round trip, the worst, stupidest drivers encountered, were within 30km of home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Learnings from this trip:
- Riding on sand isn't so bad once you get used to it, although it is a bit squirrelly at 45mph!
- Corners with banked berms are your friend.
- Whoops can be fun at the right speed.
- The Slick Rock trail wasn't half as technical as expected (although it is still very strenuous).
- The WR is just about the perfect bike for Moab. It is reasonably light, has ample power, has good suspension, and is road legal.