Back from Moab

[han-grrl]

i'm baaaack!

OMG i had the most amazing time mtb in moab. what an amazing place! I will sift through pictures and post them soon. SLICK ROCK!!! WAAAAAAAAH!

We biked Sovereign trail the first day, the second was Amasa Back, the third Flat Pass, the 4th was Porcupine Rim, the fifth we ATTEMPTED something in the La Sals, but there was SNOW! so we turned around and biked the slick rock, then friday before we left we played on the slick rock some more (because i loved it so much, such a nice hubby!).

The views were incredible, i was just in this state of AWE the entire time. I pushed well past my fear limits and had a great time. Flat pass was interesting since we had a hard time finding the trail to begin with (we pedalled up the hill then back down to find out we had to go back UP!), Sovereign was a real nice mix of everything. and as you can tell i can go on and on!
back to unpacking!

Hannah

[Running Mommy]

:D
Or as they say over on trinewbies.com.... Pics or it didn't happen!! :D :p :D

I've been telling Tony that we really need to do another Moab trip. It's good for the soul. But work just messed us up this year! And now it's heating up so prolly a bit late. Maybe a fall trip is in order...hmm...

I hear there are tons of new trails up there for the mtb set. We haven't been in about 3 years.

So fill me in... What did you ride? Can you give some trail descriptions, good and bad of the trails, etc...

[han-grrl]

here's the link to some of the pictures...http://daybydayfitness.spaces.live.com/?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!890ED6B5B2294FAD!109&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=&_c=PhotoAlbum&_c02_owner=1

[han-grrl]

Sovereign Trail - this one is a great little mixed bag, some climbing, some technical, it is a shared trail so watch out for motorized bikers. Some sandy sections too (which makes for some interesting descending). its about 20 miles of out and back, and took about 3 hours for us (we stopped chatted and took pictures). we parked at Willow Springs and started from there, but you can start at either end (the other end is at Dalton Wells Road).

Amasa Back, climb up, look at the beautiful scenery then come down. Expect to talk to some jeepers. Really fun terrain and great views. We did the ride from town, along the road and got to see some aboriginal rock art along the way too.

Flat Pass - ride UP the hill from the parking lot to the top. We were almost there, figured there couldn't possibly be a cattle guard way up there and came down. Searched around the parking lot for an hour, found someone who knew the trail and guess what? Back up the hill we went (argh). Mostly keep terrain, and its essentially a giant moutain loop. It was neat to go through the creek a bunch of times. But the road ride back to car (about 6 miles) at the end was a bit much for me on day 3 and hubby and i nearly bonked.

We tried for Moonlight Meadow in the La Sals, climbed the dirt road up for 3 miles to about 9500 feet or so, but there was SNOW! So we turned around and headed for slick rock which we did two days.

Slick rock is a lot of fun but takes a LOT of energy. Think power power power all the time. and it gets HOT out there, no shade at all. It was almost 90F when we were out there and it was freakin hot. But the slick rock was way fun. we did the practice loop and a bit of the main trail (had to return the bikes and rental car on the last day), so it is something i plan on finishing on our next trip.

Anyway i posted some of the pictures, the rest are still on the camera and i will try and get those up soon.

smile
Han

[Running Mommy]

Hmmm. The soveriegn trail is new to me. Tony knows Amasa, porcupine rim, slick rock, and a few others. But I'll have to read him this thread.
Bike magazine had a whole write up on the "new" moab today. It's not as far for us now as it was when we lived in nor cal. So this is def. a doable trip without too much effort or planning.
SWEET! VERY cool pics as well!
Thanks
Denise

[esmerelda]

My sons and I went to Moab last summer. I wasn't into cycling then, we were there for the hiking and national parks. Also rafted on the Colorado River. We fell in love and can't wait to go back. Now that I've begun biking, I want my next trip to be in spring or fall.

Ladies, words and pictures cannot do justice to this magical place. Just go!

We stayed at Red Cliffs Lodge and it was amazing. Had a cabin on the banks of the Colorado River. At night we'd sit on the deck, drink an ice cold beer and gaze up at a night sky that was stunning. Also fun to watch the night-time rafters go down the river. They flash their lights up along the 3,000 ft cliffs on the opposite side of the river. What a cool light show.

http://www.moab-utah.com/redcliffslodge/cabinindex.html

Ohhhh I wish I were there right now. They must put some sort of drug in the air.

[Artisan]

Thanks for sharing, I soooo dream of vacationing there one day.

[han-grrl]

We stayed at the Purple Sage. it was quite nice, simple and clean
http://www.moabutahlodging.com/pages/purple.htm

It was very convenient to have the kitchenette, although it was pretty tempting just to go out to a restaurant when we were so tired from the day. We managed to control ourselves and cook most of our own meals. (all except three!)

[IntenseRide]

I so envy you! I've had the priviledge of riding Fruita and Moab twice, but haven't been back for a few years. Slick Rock was hot! I remember my temp gauge was at 99, which was the limit, and I bet it was hotter. We ran out of water with 1-1/2 miles left to the trailhead, which I thought was no big deal, oh yeah??? Geez, I've never drunk a SoBee faster then that day!

The pictures bring back great memories!

[Meg McKilty]

We have a LBS here in TN called Murfreesboro Outdoor and Bike (MOAB). I thought you were talking about it. Heh.