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yellow
04-16-2006, 01:03 PM
SadieKate, Veronica, and I (and our spouses & friends) made it out of the Maze in the Canyonlands yesterday. I thought I'd post a couple teasers. V is still on the plane and SadieKate is driving across Nevada.

We had a great time. No major injuries and pretty darn nice weather (it rained once, and that was at night).

Here's a big ol' rock that was at one of our campsites:


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/GunsightButte.jpg


And here's my DH negotiating a li'l hill in an area called "Teapot":


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/BrianTeapot.jpg



:D

More later after I get unpacked a bit and the other gals can chime in!

yellow
04-16-2006, 01:15 PM
Oh, I had to add one more I just downloaded off of DH's camera.

This is V and Thom on the rim of the actual "maze".


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Maze136.jpg

bikerz
04-16-2006, 01:56 PM
Wow! Is that SUNLIGHT I see???

Looks like you guys had a great time - I'm looking forward to hearing more!

DirtDiva
04-16-2006, 01:56 PM
It looks fabulous. I hate you all. :p

snapdragen
04-16-2006, 02:53 PM
What's wrong with the sky? It doesn't have any of those gray puffy things in it!

Lise
04-16-2006, 03:16 PM
SO COOL! I've missed you guys around here! Looking forward to many stories and pix. :D L.

Nanci
04-16-2006, 03:31 PM
My favorite state I wouldn't want to live in!!! Gorgeous. Need pics!

Nanci

tprevost
04-16-2006, 05:58 PM
WAY Cool! I can't wait to see more pics and here more about your adventures! You guys were really missed on the boards though!

Tracy

Pedal Wench
04-16-2006, 07:11 PM
Before I got hooked on cycling, my BF and I went hiking in Needles - thanks for the memories -- the White Rim trail is on my short list of must-dos!

Running Mommy
04-16-2006, 08:40 PM
VERY COOL! And my husband wants a full report. He had that "hmmmm... I didn't know you could ride in canyonlands, but now my wheels are turning" tone when I showed him the pics. He's a HUGE moab fan, so any mention of the area and he get's excited. He's such a dirt dog! And I'm such a dirt weenie... :D

DeniseGoldberg
04-17-2006, 03:17 AM
Thanks for the pics - sounds like you had a fabulous time. And since V (& I assume Thom?) were there too, I'm hoping we'll see more pictures too. That's such a beautiful place!

For any roadies who are interested, while that area is well known for off-road riding, there are decent places to wander on road bikes too... I did a couple of long-weekend trips (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/denise2001moab) there with my road bike a few years back (and yes, you're right - I do live on the other side of the country!). So Running Mommy - maybe you could wander on your road bike while your husband is wandering off-road.

--- Denise

Veronica
04-17-2006, 05:07 AM
Here we are - Day 1, lunch stop.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/the-maze/3-girls.jpg

Sarah, Veronica, Sue

V.

yellow
04-17-2006, 05:28 AM
Good picture, V!


And since V (& I assume Thom?) were there too, I'm hoping we'll see more pictures too.

OF COURSE Thom was our official trip photographer. The rest of us took pictures as well but we expect his to be the cream of the crop.


VERY COOL! And my husband wants a full report. He had that "hmmmm... I didn't know you could ride in canyonlands, but now my wheels are turning" tone when I showed him the pics.

Our trip was fully supported. There isn't any water in there, and no bathrooms...and everything has to be taken out. It would be tough to do day rides deep in there where we were, but you could do some of the lower elevation and/or easily accessible roads...but I doubt they'd be much fun for your hubby. You have to stick to the roads in the park, so I'm sure you'd do just fine out there!

SadieKate had quite an adventure getting home. But I'll let her explain that!

Pedal Wench
04-17-2006, 06:02 AM
How did you arrange the support? Any recommendations on guides, or was it self-supported?

We were thinking of doing the White Rim Trail self-supported. Find a non-cycling friend who wants to drive the support van. Still just dreaming about it, at this point.

Veronica
04-17-2006, 06:11 AM
We went with a guided tour. There are three companies that do tours in the area - Rim Tours, Western Spirit and Escape Adventures. We have done tours with all three in the last year and they seem pretty comparable - good guides, good food, amazing scenery.

At this point I would choose the company that could give me a trip on the dates I wanted.

V.

Pedal Wench
04-17-2006, 06:37 AM
Thanks V -- those were all the companies we were looking at, and knowing that they're all comparable really will help.

We need more pics!

Veronica
04-17-2006, 06:42 AM
More pics tonight and a google earth link. Thom is suppose to be going to work. Me - I'm hanging around the house getting over a sore throat I picked up on the last day. Cough, hack, hack...

V.

maillotpois
04-17-2006, 07:35 AM
Welcome back you guys - we missed you!! Sounds like your weather was way better than ours, which is good. I can't wait to see more pics.

DH has been trying to convince me to do one of those trips for some time now. I'm really a reluctant MTB'er these days.

Veronica - get over that sore throat. I hear zinc is good. I've been taking it religiously since I seem to be getting one, too. Grr!

Veronica
04-17-2006, 07:47 AM
I think this would be a good trip to do if you're a reluctant mt. biker or not ready for lots of technical stuff.

I'm not saying it was easy, or not technical. But the super hard bits weren't really long and could be walked. I walked more than I think I would have if I did not have DMD coming up.

Did I mention that it was just amazingly beautiful?

V.

PS Currently drinking tea. I'm sure it's all in my head, but it does seem to soothe my throat.

SadieKate
04-17-2006, 08:00 AM
I'm back, maybe.

Got home at 4 am after the Easter snowfall from H$LL. Stupid us didn't know we needed chains to pull a trailer with 4 wheel drive and M&S tires. Chains on at Hirschdale (moved back to the Nevada line as they were being installed) and chains off 1 mile before Baxter. 60 friggin' miles in nasty conditions. Thanks, yellow for the help. I don't know actual snow fall, but it was probably closer to 8 inches, maybe more. Snow on the ground until the Gold Run exit. I'm exhausted. I'm going back to bed.

MP, go check out the Telluride to Moab trip from Western Spirit. Fabulous ride recommended for roadies getting into dirt riding, and the distances are right up your alley. The Uncompaghre Plateau is stunning scenery. Definite do again ride for me.

cindysue
04-17-2006, 08:04 AM
I think this would be a good trip to do if you're a reluctant mt. biker or not ready for lots of technical stuff.

Ha! That would be me. I don't think I'll get in a MTB trip before/after LRRH, but Andrew and I will be looking at property in Utah. Need to take all the important things into consideration: cycling, MTBing, skiing, hiking. And property values still seem reasonable there compared to CA.

the Pictures look great. I especially like the one of V, SK, and Y.

Any funny stories?
Was it just the 6 of you on your tour?
SK - how about that trip home report? edit - oh you posted while I was typing.......

SadieKate
04-17-2006, 08:15 AM
Yellow, be sure to tell Mr. Yellow that we saw Bighorn on the drive home. ;)

Veronica
04-17-2006, 08:26 AM
Any funny stories?
Was it just the 6 of you on your tour?


There was a lot of talk about poo, booze and good calves.

We were joined by Charlie, a friend of SK's and Bubba's. Nice guy. Maze tours have a limit of 7 people at a time, so it was nice to know everyone.

We had a group meltdown on the 3rd day. We had already climbed one freakishly steep hill - 20% of loose stuff for about 2 tenths of a mile. Our campsite got changed and we had to climb several additional freakishly steep, but shorter hills to get to it. And it was hot - 81 degrees according to my Polar, with no wind. That doesn't sound so bad, but none of us were heat acclimated.

By the time we were done, I announced to the guide that my legs were more tired from this than from my double. And Thom added, "Yeah and she's much b*tchier too!"

But a solar shower perked us all up and it turned out to be a much better campsite, with less 4 X 4 traffic.

V.

yellow
04-17-2006, 12:43 PM
OK, I'll start...

Day 1: we drove from Green River, Utah, home of the fabulous Green River Coffee Company, to the trip starting point at Hans Flat. From here we followed the road for about 17 miles to our camping spot for the night, the Golden Stairs. Along the way we saw Bagpipe Butte:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1BagpipeButte.jpg

And it was just purty (SadieKate & Bubba here):

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1SandB.jpg

We rode down the Flint Trail, described by Edward Abbey in his book Desert Solitaire. This is the road where he (Abbey) got out of the jeep and directed the driver down. It's been fixed up a bit since then, but it still got the best of some of us (DH did his first ENDO here; look for the snaking road):

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1FlintTr.jpg


After we got to the campsite and DH and Thom failed to get the little kite SadieKate brought into the air, DH and I hiked down the Golden Stairs a bit (not all the way to the bottom). Here are some more of those purty rocks we saw there:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1MandC.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1Wave.jpg

(this second one is obviously a piece of a former ocean floor...the ripples were made by wave action on mud/sand and then they just stayed as the rock formed).

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Day1GSBrian.jpg

I'm trying to recall what we had for dinner, but can't. I do know that we kept the alcohol to a minimum this first night. It was a little windy and chilly, but the firepan from dinner kept us warm for a while.

Next Episode: Day 2-- we rode from the Golden Stairs to the Maze Overlook, where we camped, and also did a hike down into the very depths of the actual Maze.

Veronica
04-17-2006, 02:33 PM
Salmon and steak for dinner, with baked potatoes.

V.

maillotpois
04-17-2006, 03:25 PM
Salmon and steak for dinner, with baked potatoes.

V.


Oh MAN. Now I am hungry. That sounds fantastic!!

SadieKate
04-17-2006, 03:36 PM
Both baked and sweet potatoes.

Loosing weight is not one of the options offered by the tour companies.

maillotpois
04-17-2006, 03:42 PM
Both baked and sweet potatoes.

Loosing weight is not one of the options offered by the tour companies.

LOL!!

We did a Backroads epic tour in France - climbed Alpe d'Huez, Ventoux, Galibier, Izoard and came back even fatter than when we got there. :rolleyes: You think you're being so active you can eat anything. D'oh!

SadieKate
04-17-2006, 08:19 PM
About the elephants. Here is the view from the groover at the Maze Overlook. Those are the Chocolate Drops off in the distance.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/SadieKate/Maze%202006/M21_ViewfromGroover.jpg

SadieKate
04-17-2006, 09:08 PM
The link to my photos including the two days of riding in Moab to shake out the drive kinks. After last night's adventure, washing 5 bikes, drying out 1 tent, dealing with taxes and doing 2 measly loads of laundry, the floor is still covered with stuff and I'm exhausted. Yellow and V will have to come up with more commentary for now.

http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/SadieKate/Maze%202006/

DirtDiva
04-18-2006, 03:05 AM
Nice photos, SK. That first still life really cracked me up.

DeniseGoldberg
04-18-2006, 03:25 AM
Thanks for sharing your photos - it looks like you all had a great time.
--- Denise

Veronica
04-18-2006, 04:13 AM
If you have Google Earth installed you can see where we went.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/the-maze/the-maze.gpx


You have to go to the link and save it to your hard drive, then open it with Google Earth.

V.

PS Thom had to work late yesterday so no pics are up yet.

Surlygirl
04-18-2006, 05:19 AM
SadieKate, I love still life No. 3. Had a great laugh this morning. :D

yellow
04-18-2006, 05:32 AM
I didn't post it earlier as I didn't think she's want me to spoil the fun.

Here you have Still Life No. 4. A little run-in with a rock face.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/Maze055.jpg

All of my photos are here (http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tasdan/Rides/Maze/).

Blueberry
04-18-2006, 06:47 AM
Thanks for sharing your photos! It's always so exciting to travel vicariously:D :D

Almost makes me want to take up mountain biking - almost:)

Glad you're all home safely!

Jo-n-NY
04-18-2006, 06:54 AM
what great pics and it looks like everyone was having such a wonderful time!!!! Makes me itch to go on a tour. We will one day.

~ JoAnn

SadieKate
04-18-2006, 06:58 AM
Thanks, everyone. We had fun making up the poses. I have a few more but Bubba used the video on my camera and I am without video editing software for the time being.

Thanks, Yellow, for helping out and going along with the joke.

I can't believe I posed my posterior side for the camera.:eek: :rolleyes:

maillotpois
04-18-2006, 07:48 AM
Great photos! The still lifes (lives?) were terrific.

slinkedog
04-18-2006, 08:32 AM
Wow! It looks like you all had a fabulous time! I'm really glad you all were able to et wawy together and make some cool memories! Thanks for all of the wonderful photos.

Pedal Wench
04-18-2006, 10:38 AM
Now I REALLY want to get back out there! Thank you so much for sharing - the more pics, the better. The Still Life (or Still Lie) series is priceless!

aka_kim
04-18-2006, 07:00 PM
What an amazing-looking place! That view from the elephant watch is just awesome.

AuntieK
04-19-2006, 07:22 AM
Love all the photos...the geology of the area is great!
Looks like you all had a lot of fun!

SadieKate
04-19-2006, 07:24 AM
When are we going to get more Thom photos? I'm lying awake at night . . . .

Veronica
04-19-2006, 08:12 AM
Working... plus I have no energy to push him to work on them at night. Stupid cold....:mad:

V.

Running Mommy
04-19-2006, 03:36 PM
Oh MAN!!!! Now I have a hankering to go to Moab!!! And I'm not exactly a dirt lovin' girl, but I do LOVE Moab!!!
Now I think I'll pull the nobbys off the rack and go for a ride in the dirt tomorrow.
Too bad the snakes are out.... I'd go hit my fave local single track. But I call it "rattle snake alley" up there...:eek: :eek: :eek:
Unlike Nanci I think there is nothing cool, neat, or sweet about those slithery things. Esp. the venomous ones... Not that I stop to check to see what kind it is... OY!:eek:
But anyway... Now I MUST PLAY IN THE DIRT!! :D

Lise
04-19-2006, 04:09 PM
Incredible pictures! Thank you so much for sharing them. I love the still lifes, especially #4. My personal favorite. Hmmm, a warped sense of humor seems to be requiste on the TE board! :p What a great adventure. L.

Nanci
04-19-2006, 04:27 PM
I was just thinking mmmm....snakes- then I got to the second paragraph. You know me too well!!

Nanci

PS, spotted a skink on my patio for the FIRST TIME!!

PPS, Maizey the PERFECT SNAKE says "hi!"

bikerz
04-19-2006, 05:05 PM
Snakes creep me out a little, but that is an AMAZING photograph!

Nanci
04-19-2006, 05:11 PM
That's (one of ) my baby!!

This snake, Maizey Maize, is a snake who _wants_ to be a pet. Even a non-snake lover would love her. Found her in my yard last summer when I was out there, doing yard work, delerious with pneumonia-induced fever, trying to make up for calling in sick to work. I picked up this brush pile, to take it to the fire pit, and there she was, glistening in the grass like a red and orange jewel. I tried to pin her down with a stick, but I wasn't really up to my best snake-handling capabilities, and she crawled up the stick to my arm and said "Take me in the house, please!"


Nanci

Nanci
04-19-2006, 05:13 PM
Look at her- she likes to use Loquat leaves as pillows! Isn't she smart and cute?

Nanci

Blueberry
04-19-2006, 07:11 PM
Look at her- she likes to use Loquat leaves as pillows! Isn't she smart and cute?

Nanci

Didn't think I would ever say it about a snake - but yeah - she is cute:p :p

Awesome photo too:)

bikerz
04-19-2006, 07:13 PM
Nanci (OT!) but what kind of camera do you have? That shot is so sharp.

(and I guess, for a snake, she is kinda cute!)

Nanci
04-20-2006, 01:52 AM
http://tinyurl.com/fu6pm

Casio Exilim EX-S100. It's several years old. So tiny you can put it in jeans pocket and not be bothered. At the time, had the fastest startup and shutter release of all digitals. It's only 3.2 megapixels. It has all these incredible presets- flower (which is what I think I shot Maizey at) food, natural green, pets, party, etc. You can set it manually, but why? I have a more-megapixel fancier Olympus that never leaves the house- too big to carry on a bike or running, needs all these filters and stuff.

Here's another good one- you can even see Dill's third eyelid!

Lise
04-20-2006, 05:02 AM
Your baby beasties are all sweet. Isn't it something to be "chosen" by an animal? :)

slinkedog
04-20-2006, 07:16 AM
Look at her- she likes to use Loquat leaves as pillows! Isn't she smart and cute?

Nanci

Yes, she is rather cute! Just out of curiosity, do you feed her or does she fend for herself? If you feed her, what does she get?

Nanci
04-20-2006, 08:20 AM
She eats one thawed frozen adult mouse every Sunday evening. (Live mice can injure the snake if not eaten immediately.) I thaw the mouse in hot water, put it in this plastic covered shoe bin, wash my hands so Maizey doesn't smell mouse on me, then take Maizey out and play with her a while, (so she doesn't associate my hands/being taken out with feeding and bite, not that she would) and then I place her in the feeding bin on top of the washing machine (dark and quiet in there.) The reason I don't just drop the mouse into her tank is because she could accidentally ingest some of her aspen bedding and get very sick. I buy about ten mice at a time and keep them in the freezer. I buy them pre-frozen. She is right at the stage of going from two small adults to two regular adults- she won't eat two, but she's hungry too soon...When she's all done eating (only takes ten minutes or so) I gently place her back in her tank. She crawls into one of her hiding places and stays there for two or three days, until the meal is digested. She picks whether she wants a heated hideout or room temperature.

So back to Moab! I went there for a family vacation when my daughter was very young. We spent a lot of the time hunting lizards and hiking in Arches National Park. Before my MTBing days, unfortunately. I love Utah. Bryce Canyon is difficult to hike if you have to backpack your kid, though.

Nanci

slinkedog
04-20-2006, 08:23 AM
She eats one thawed frozen adult mouse every Sunday evening. (Live mice can injure the snake if not eaten immediately.) I thaw the mouse in hot water, put it in this plastic covered shoe bin, wash my hands so Maizey doesn't smell mouse on me, then take Maizey out and play with her a while, (so she doesn't associate my hands/being taken out with feeding and bite, not that she would) and then I place her in the feeding bin on top of the washing machine (dark and quiet in there.) The reason I don't just drop the mouse into her tank is because she could accidentally ingest some of her aspen bedding and get very sick. I buy about ten mice at a time and keep them in the freezer. I buy them pre-frozen. She is right at the stage of going from two small adults to two regular adults- she won't eat two, but she's hungry too soon...When she's all done eating (only takes ten minutes or so) I gently place her back in her tank. She crawls into one of her hiding places and stays there for two or three days, until the meal is digested. She picks whether she wants a heated hideout or room temperature.


Okay... I think I might be sorry I asked!! ;) No, really, I have had some pets that eat live food, so I get the picture. I've just never had to feed something as big as a mouse!! :o

SadieKate
04-20-2006, 09:02 AM
When I was growing up, Mom would buy live mice and kill them for the purpose. She was kind of out of practice after decades of separation from her drug development job during grad school and yanked the entire skin off the mouse the first time. :eek:

We kept all kinds of gopher and garter snakes. Desert tortoise and box turtles were kept in the yard.