So here's what we see in the morning:
Talk about your easy cross-border beer shopping ... err exchange!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Cross-Border Beer Exchange
We made friends with our cabin neighbors from Montana (really nice to meet you two, Mark & Heather - in case you read this post) who were also in Moab to mountain bike. Last night we were talking about our enjoyment of good beers and I told Mark that we had a few extra Fort Garry Dark Ales they were welcome too. As it was, we were busy with a Skype conversation with our Jordan and they went to bed early to get a prompt start on their trip home. So I decided to put two darks on their picnic table in case we slept in (which we did!).
So here's what we see in the morning:
Talk about your easy cross-border beer shopping ... err exchange!
So here's what we see in the morning:
Talk about your easy cross-border beer shopping ... err exchange!
Conquering Hurrah Pass
Day 2 in Moab and time for Hurrah Pass. This is one of my (Lori's!) fitness goals for 2011 specifically because I DNFed my last attempt in 2009 - vindication time!!
We took Cane Creek road to a place called Behind the Rocks due to the fact that a huge avalanche catapulted a number of enormous boulders onto the hillside nearby. The drive takes you along the Colorado River and then down into a huge canyon - absolutely spectacular!
In the valley the road quite sandy - water traverses the road in two places so a 4x4 is warranted. We started our climb from the parking lot nearby.
Total elevation climb for the ride is about 1400 feet. It is a jeep road that is rocky is places, sandy in others but for the most part quite good. There is some exposure especially around the switchback turns - lapses in attention not recommended!
In the end, I made it!! (All those mornings riding the trainer paid off - and I hate the bike trainer!!) It felt great to reach the top of the pass!
The view from the top is magnificent! We enjoyed a picnic lunch and a little vino to celebrate!
We watched a couple of jeeps snake their way up the pass from the opposite side. After lunch it was time for the ride down the mountain - the coup de gras! I was somewhat conservative due to some of the exposure around the switchbacks but I can see how a person would gain confidence after a couple of descents. It was still thrilling and I definitely want to do this ride again on my next visit to Moab.
The scenery on the way out was illuminated by the late afternoon sun - it looked quite different than early afternoon. The teal green of some of the rock and the bushes colored the valley in a calm, serene teal set off by the intense orange of the rock. We ended the day with a good old fashioned weiner roast with our son Jordan joining us via Skype! Another wonderful day!
We took Cane Creek road to a place called Behind the Rocks due to the fact that a huge avalanche catapulted a number of enormous boulders onto the hillside nearby. The drive takes you along the Colorado River and then down into a huge canyon - absolutely spectacular!
In the valley the road quite sandy - water traverses the road in two places so a 4x4 is warranted. We started our climb from the parking lot nearby.
Total elevation climb for the ride is about 1400 feet. It is a jeep road that is rocky is places, sandy in others but for the most part quite good. There is some exposure especially around the switchback turns - lapses in attention not recommended!
In the end, I made it!! (All those mornings riding the trainer paid off - and I hate the bike trainer!!) It felt great to reach the top of the pass!
The view from the top is magnificent! We enjoyed a picnic lunch and a little vino to celebrate!
We watched a couple of jeeps snake their way up the pass from the opposite side. After lunch it was time for the ride down the mountain - the coup de gras! I was somewhat conservative due to some of the exposure around the switchbacks but I can see how a person would gain confidence after a couple of descents. It was still thrilling and I definitely want to do this ride again on my next visit to Moab.
The scenery on the way out was illuminated by the late afternoon sun - it looked quite different than early afternoon. The teal green of some of the rock and the bushes colored the valley in a calm, serene teal set off by the intense orange of the rock. We ended the day with a good old fashioned weiner roast with our son Jordan joining us via Skype! Another wonderful day!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Exposed in Moab?
Here's a video from some of our riding yesterday which we call "Slickrock MTB Exposure - Barlett Wash, Moab".
Finding the right line on slickrock can be challenging, full of surprises and occasionally very exposed!
This video from Tom's GoPro helmet cam made Lori's hands sweat when she watched it for the first time!
In retrospect, Tom can see now that his second line around the top of one butte 'might' have been a bit cavalier!
But he'd do it again :-)
Finding the right line on slickrock can be challenging, full of surprises and occasionally very exposed!
This video from Tom's GoPro helmet cam made Lori's hands sweat when she watched it for the first time!
In retrospect, Tom can see now that his second line around the top of one butte 'might' have been a bit cavalier!
But he'd do it again :-)
SlickRock and RockArt
Wow - was today a beauty to remember! Onto the Moab trails we went today, with the focus being on a slickrock warm-up and test rides for Lori on her "new" Giant Anthem 26er dualie and Tom on his rented Santa Cruz Tallboy 29er dualie ... with the venue being Bartlett Wash and it's "SlickRock Playground".
Just a short highway drive north of Moab and then west on dirt and jeep roads to Bartlett Wash (it's a wash because when there is heavy rain the roads just wash out and forget-about-it!).
Most of the road is an easy drive, but parts of it made us glad we were in a solid 4X4 with skid plates underneath!
At the sandy trailhead, we saddled up our rides and Tom immediately adopted a perma-smile that lasted the entire ride ... it was love at first sight/pedal for Tom and his borrowed Tallboy :-)
After a short ride up the wet-sandy access road, we arrived at a steep ramp that guarded the beginning of the slickrock butte. So get this ... two guys yell hello from above and we reply back ... then they immediately say "hey where are you from?" ... Canada we say ... "Where in Canada?" they ask ... Manitoba we say ... "thought so" they say - "we're both from Manitoba" (Virden and Oak Bluff it turns out) "but now live in Denver"! ... small world - EH!
Once up on the slickrock butte and one sandy push section, it was a mixture of rolling and off-camber super-grippy "slickrock" (so named because it's slippery when wet!). After a few slow and careful traverses, Lori got her slickrock confidence back and the real fun began ...
It didn't take long and Lori was trying steeper and more fun diagonal lines on several of the bowls ... now it was all smiles for her!
We parked our bikes above one bowl and stopped to compare our dualies ... Tom likes his big ride, but Lori's 26er works perfectly for her.
When it was time for lunch, Tom started unloading all the stuff Lori had offered to prepare, when Tom had asked for some extra "training weight" for his hydrapack!? Check out the cornucopia of grub and wine ta-boot ... more riding required!
The scenery was breathtaking in places and some of the riding lines were exposed and challenging (as much or little as you made it) ... Tom chose to tackle most of the challenging lines and scary bowls he could find (video proof to come) and ended his ride with more perma-smiles :-)
On the drive out, we decided to let the folks at Moab Cyclery know that Tom would keep the Tallboy another day and switch to the Ellesworth Evolution 29er on Thurs (after his La Sal Mtn Loop road ride on Wed). This gave some extra time for a drive up the "Potash" highway and some side roads in search of Native RockArt ...
The ride was beautiful, with the sun almost set and the sandstone formations either glowing orange or silouetted against a clear sky.
Before our first rockart find, we discovered this marker for "Dinosaur Tracks" and went to investigate. It turns out that there was a large slab of rock that had dinosaur tracks on it, but it was precariously perched high up on a cliff face ... there it is we see and pull out our binos ... then we try to snap a zoom pic - too grainy - solution - the binos of course!
Our first rockart find was easy ... right beside the highway and a short climb up, which was great ... well, at least until you get there and see all the graffiti around it :-(
Our later finds were more heartening though ... here's one of them that was too high up the cliff face for vandals ... very cool :-)
So ended an awesome first day adventuring in Moab!
Next up ... a return to Hurrah Pass and vindication for Lori, followed by some more slickrock fun at Dalton Wells ... if the weather holds.
Just a short highway drive north of Moab and then west on dirt and jeep roads to Bartlett Wash (it's a wash because when there is heavy rain the roads just wash out and forget-about-it!).
Most of the road is an easy drive, but parts of it made us glad we were in a solid 4X4 with skid plates underneath!
At the sandy trailhead, we saddled up our rides and Tom immediately adopted a perma-smile that lasted the entire ride ... it was love at first sight/pedal for Tom and his borrowed Tallboy :-)
After a short ride up the wet-sandy access road, we arrived at a steep ramp that guarded the beginning of the slickrock butte. So get this ... two guys yell hello from above and we reply back ... then they immediately say "hey where are you from?" ... Canada we say ... "Where in Canada?" they ask ... Manitoba we say ... "thought so" they say - "we're both from Manitoba" (Virden and Oak Bluff it turns out) "but now live in Denver"! ... small world - EH!
Once up on the slickrock butte and one sandy push section, it was a mixture of rolling and off-camber super-grippy "slickrock" (so named because it's slippery when wet!). After a few slow and careful traverses, Lori got her slickrock confidence back and the real fun began ...
It didn't take long and Lori was trying steeper and more fun diagonal lines on several of the bowls ... now it was all smiles for her!
We parked our bikes above one bowl and stopped to compare our dualies ... Tom likes his big ride, but Lori's 26er works perfectly for her.
When it was time for lunch, Tom started unloading all the stuff Lori had offered to prepare, when Tom had asked for some extra "training weight" for his hydrapack!? Check out the cornucopia of grub and wine ta-boot ... more riding required!
The scenery was breathtaking in places and some of the riding lines were exposed and challenging (as much or little as you made it) ... Tom chose to tackle most of the challenging lines and scary bowls he could find (video proof to come) and ended his ride with more perma-smiles :-)
On the drive out, we decided to let the folks at Moab Cyclery know that Tom would keep the Tallboy another day and switch to the Ellesworth Evolution 29er on Thurs (after his La Sal Mtn Loop road ride on Wed). This gave some extra time for a drive up the "Potash" highway and some side roads in search of Native RockArt ...
The ride was beautiful, with the sun almost set and the sandstone formations either glowing orange or silouetted against a clear sky.
Before our first rockart find, we discovered this marker for "Dinosaur Tracks" and went to investigate. It turns out that there was a large slab of rock that had dinosaur tracks on it, but it was precariously perched high up on a cliff face ... there it is we see and pull out our binos ... then we try to snap a zoom pic - too grainy - solution - the binos of course!
Our first rockart find was easy ... right beside the highway and a short climb up, which was great ... well, at least until you get there and see all the graffiti around it :-(
Our later finds were more heartening though ... here's one of them that was too high up the cliff face for vandals ... very cool :-)
So ended an awesome first day adventuring in Moab!
Next up ... a return to Hurrah Pass and vindication for Lori, followed by some more slickrock fun at Dalton Wells ... if the weather holds.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Through Mountains to Moab
We look forward to this last leg of the journey to Moab. The Colorado foothills and the Rocky Mountains are spectacular. Then, the final approach to Moab along a scenic route that follows the Colorado River is awe-inspiring.
As we approached the Rockies, we could see there was some cloud ahead. There was still alots of snow at the higher elevation. Lots of uphill diversions for runaway semis!
As we reached Frisco near the top of the pass, blizzard conditions set in. We diverted to the townsite - lovely, with lots of shops and restaurants - and checked out their Visitor Center.
After chatting with a lovely retired couple at the Visitor Center for about a half hour - we resumed our journey.
Conditions held out and we reached Grand Junction where we gassed up at the Loco (!), hit a Starbucks (directed by my IPhone) and with great anticipation, began the last leg to Moab.
Approaching Moab, the landcape is mostly scrub, with mountains in the distance. Soon though, you find yourself in the Colorado River valley with magnificent red rock all around.
To take this more scenic route, you divert off the I-70, and ride Highway 128 into town - worth the extra time and more!! We ended the day In Moab with a great dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Tomorrow, we hit the trails!
As we approached the Rockies, we could see there was some cloud ahead. There was still alots of snow at the higher elevation. Lots of uphill diversions for runaway semis!
As we reached Frisco near the top of the pass, blizzard conditions set in. We diverted to the townsite - lovely, with lots of shops and restaurants - and checked out their Visitor Center.
After chatting with a lovely retired couple at the Visitor Center for about a half hour - we resumed our journey.
Conditions held out and we reached Grand Junction where we gassed up at the Loco (!), hit a Starbucks (directed by my IPhone) and with great anticipation, began the last leg to Moab.
Approaching Moab, the landcape is mostly scrub, with mountains in the distance. Soon though, you find yourself in the Colorado River valley with magnificent red rock all around.
To take this more scenic route, you divert off the I-70, and ride Highway 128 into town - worth the extra time and more!! We ended the day In Moab with a great dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Tomorrow, we hit the trails!
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