schnauzers.ws

un·pre·dict·a·ble [uhn-pri-dik-tuh-buhl]
adjective
1. not predictable; not to be foreseen or foretold

A trip is planned and so it goes.  What could possibly go wrong?  It’s the desert, right?  Well, of course it is.  However, you would think that with all the weather Websites and every news broadcast predicting untold deluges and high winds, riding would be pretty much kaput.

I did experience both of the above on the drive over.  Nasty and gray until I reached Moab.  So, I picked up my NJ friend Jeff at the hotel.  No sooner does he get in the truck, it starts raining.

Bikes on the rack, we were determined to make something of the day and so I took him on a tour of Arches National Park.

It was windy and cold until about twenty minutes in, when what light through yonder window breaks?

Quick Jeff, to the truck!  We’re going mountain biking!

That blue patch of sky seemed to position itself right over the Bar Ranch trails.  Always good for a Moab warm-up.

So much dirt!  So much singletrack.

Out in the distance, we watched the clouds and rain consume other parts of the desert, but not above us.

Uh, Jeff…  You are holding up traffic!

The trails were in remarkable shape, as this lovely lady from Granby demonstrates.

Jeff was using all of his 75′ above sea level lungs.

It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon.

The next morning, we met up with a couple more NJ transplants to Colorado (Chris and Jen) and their friend Charlie for a shuttle ride to the Porcupine Rim.

Once again, the weatherman could not have been more wrong.  The clouds provided some nice cool temps, though the previous nitght’s snow forced us to start at the Kokopelli.

A rare poseur shot :).

Riding with Chris and the others was challenging.  They were all very competitive and fast.  I did my best (I ended up completing the ride faster than I ever did before), but they were always holding up and waiting for the us to catch up.  Being a middle-of-the-pack rider, I would wait for Jeff, and then we’d catch up to the others.

Let me say it again!  Kent Eriksen is the best damn bicycle builder in the world.

We continued rocking down Porc and finished the day with a great dinner and industry conversation (Chris, Jen, and Charlie are all bike industry folk).

Day 3 and onto my favorite Moab ride, Amasa Back.  Though I forgot there was a running race there, we manage to sleep in late enough to get there as it was ending.

Just a few pics, including the Tokyo Joe girls trying to birth a baby from pothole arch (their words, not mine).

Those girls seemed to have caused a commotion all over Moab.  We saw them riding UP Porcupine Rim and so did some others I overheard in the Muffin place.  Another group of female riders were pissed that they ruined their downhill flow by riding up.  [insert catty growl here].

For my last ride, we did Salt Wash to Sovereign trail. Yet another perfect weather day!

 

Some people seem to give out a lot of false information about Salt Wash.  When returned to the parking lot, a few people were asking about directions.  I told them to loop (Salt Wash to Sovereign).  They said others told them to avoid Salt Wash because of sand.  Really?  Three patches af about 20′ each and some of the best lightly used singletrack in Moab. You’d be crazy not to ride a loop.

This is a desert.

This is a small patch of sand on singletrack in the desert.

This is what you will find.

C is for COOKIE!

Gee, I am so EXTREME!

I’ll be back in the fall!

And big thanks to Poison Spider cycles for the new tires and quick service!