Our Little Ride from Telluride to Moab

yellow · 06-24-2007, 07:16 PM

We're baaaack! I'm just going to try to keep it short so y'all don't snooze off on us. Hopefully SadieKate has some better photos than I do...mine didn't turn out all that great. And someone has a photo of usn's and RunningMommy...hopefully it will surface.

In short, SK, her DH, yellow, her DH, and friends Emerald and "Laverne" (turns out two of us had the same first name, so we became known as "Laverne" and "Shirley") rode their bikes from Telluride, CO to Moab, UT in 6 fun filled days last week!

Because Math Is Hard, I'm going to let SK post the mileages after she uploads all the data from her gizmos. The total mileage was about 200 miles, maybe more. Most of it was on dirt road, though we did have a little pavement (upon which I broke my land speed record for my mountain bike [46.1 mph!], which is not that far off of my road bike record; Laverne went over 50 mph).

Anyhoo, SK and her DH arrived in Mobe on Thursday eve and were able to ride Klondike Bluffs on Friday am (that's the ride where the dino tracks are). We arrived Friday early afternoon when it was already hot so we just went to the Slickrock Cafe and had...beer. We rode a great newish singletrack trail called Sovereign on Saturday. Here's SK.

We began our journey from Telluride to Moab on Sunday 6/17 (after a 3 hour shuttle from Western Spirit's Moab HQ). Here's a couple of shots from the first day's ride, which included a big climb over a pass that's about 10,600' (maybe higher...SK's gizmos will know).

The scenery...ho hum (the San Juan Mountains in CO):

SK and I somewhere in the middle of the climb (still smiling):

SK whizzing by as she summits the pass:

Day 2 we rode down off the pass, through big fields and meadows and lots of aspen. Here's Emerald giving us a parade wave in the aspen:

The next day was our longest day (I rode about 55 miles...I had a little extra from riding out to a scenic viewpoint). Lots of riding through aspens, and meadows, and more crummy scenery. Here are the La Sal Mountains in UT, which is the mountain range we'd ride over on our last day:

Day 4 was our "easy" day (17-ish miles) since day 5 included a big climb. We had a hot climb up to camp, and once there tried to stay cool in the shade. This was "flat tire" day. My DH and SK's DH both got the only flats of the trip.

Day 5 started with a big brake burning descent to the town of Gateway, CO, which is turning into a resort town thanks to an influx of money from the folks that own the Discovery Channel. Here's the only picture of me and my DH that I have (taken half way down the mountain)!

After a short latte break in Gateway, we tackled the BIG climb up John Brown Canyon. Thankfully we had some clouds and some folks even got a little virga to cool them down. Here are three of our new friends at the top of the climb: Tony a radiologist from Tennessee, Dan a retired MD from Michigan, and Mr. Gnome, our good luck mascot (in Dan's pack). We called Tony "Mr. EPO" this day as he smoked the climb. Mind you this man was on platform pedals and really hadn't done that much mtn biking.

Tony had his daughter Ann with him, 17 years old and a very, very strong climber. She was always one of the first people to top out on the climbs (she was also riding platforms)!

We were all pretty beat when we got to the campsite overlooking the Fisher Valley. It was gorgeous--lots of flowers and hummingbirds and pretty decent weather. Here are some shots from there:

Our last day included a stop at some dino tracks (here's Emerald showing you just how big they are):

And ...a fun and fast descent off of the Beaver Mesa (where I hit my record speed), a long climb up over the La Sal Mountains, and then a fast and fun ride down Sand Flat Road into Moab, where we put the hose over our heads and attempted to cool off. You can see the La Sals in the background (overhead) in this photo of several riders living on the edge:

It was a great trip: great company, beautiful scenery, and some fun riding. I ate so much more than I normally do (thanks to the great cooking of the guides) that I gained 5 pounds!

Where's the next one???

mimitabby · 06-24-2007, 07:20 PM

excuse me, these aren't good pictures?? Most of them look like they should be framed and hanging on the wall! But what's the one right below the gal stretching.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful ride photos with us.
Looks like you had a wonderful time!

BikeDutchess · 06-24-2007, 07:23 PM

Fabulous photos! Sounds like a wonderful trip!

yellow · 06-24-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimitabby

But what's the one right below the gal stretching.

A dinosaur track in the rock. Emerald is showing you how far apart they are in the picture above. If you didn't see RunningMommy's pictures from Moab, then you probably wouldn't know about the tracks. These are some different ones that we came across (different from the ones that RunningMommy's picture shows).

RolliePollie · 06-24-2007, 07:46 PM

WOW! OK, now I'm gonna have to get a mountain bike too

Amazing pictures...amazing scenery! Sounds like a really fantastic trip!

margo49 · 06-24-2007, 08:47 PM

Wow!
Beautiful scenery!

aka_kim · 06-24-2007, 08:59 PM

Your little ride looks like great fun! Hopefully more pictures will be coming (a Still Life 2007 series maybe?).

Running Mommy · 06-24-2007, 09:39 PM

Spencer and I have been thinking about you guys all week! He kept saying " I wonder where they are riding today mom??".... And I would reply "Oh I'm sure it's somewhere beautiful!"...
Sounds like a ton of fun. I think Tony is considering doing something like that..
Ohh, and in case you missed my other thread.. I have a NEW BIKE!!!
Thanks to you guys I'm now the proud owner of a Juliana!!!

crazycanuck · 06-24-2007, 09:51 PM

Ohh..cool

My first thought was " gee that looks a bit hot to ride in "

Next thought "

those are moutains behind them

"

c

Lise · 06-25-2007, 02:53 AM

Wow you guys! What a fabulous trip! Incredible pictures. And that you could do so much, so fast, so high up in elevation! When I was in your fair town last year, I could barely walk down the side walk. It sounds like a blast, and I'm so happy for you all.

Lise-the-flatlander

sulis · 06-25-2007, 06:08 AM

Beautiful pictures. I'm glad you had a wonderful trip and arrived home safely!

mekira · 06-25-2007, 06:34 AM

Beautiful pictures and such a fabulous trip.... I wish I had scenery like that where I live

The dino tracks are so cool... first time I hear about that...

maillotpois · 06-25-2007, 07:19 AM

Oh wow - great pictures and great report!! Almost makes me want to dig out my rusty mountain bike. Almost.

46 plus mph on a mountain bike!!!???!!!???

OMG I cannot even imagine that!! I routinely hit that on my road bike (like Saturday

) but I can NOT fathom doing it on fat nubby tires! You da woMAN!

Those mountains are just gorgeous.

Lise · 06-25-2007, 07:39 AM

PS: The fastest I've ever gone on a bike was 31 mph, downhill, on a Bianchi Veloche, in the aerobars, during a triathlon.

You guys are amazing!

mimitabby · 06-25-2007, 07:48 AM

Hey, Lise, I beat you. I went 31.5 mph this weekend! (And it felt REALLY REALLY FAST!) I agree, she was smoking!

06-24-2007, 07:16 PM	#1
yellow chionophile Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Utah, Gateway to Nevada, not to be confused with Idaho Posts: 1,567	Our Little Ride from Telluride to Moab We're baaaack! I'm just going to try to keep it short so y'all don't snooze off on us. Hopefully SadieKate has some better photos than I do...mine didn't turn out all that great. And someone has a photo of usn's and RunningMommy...hopefully it will surface. In short, SK, her DH, yellow, her DH, and friends Emerald and "Laverne" (turns out two of us had the same first name, so we became known as "Laverne" and "Shirley") rode their bikes from Telluride, CO to Moab, UT in 6 fun filled days last week! Because Math Is Hard, I'm going to let SK post the mileages after she uploads all the data from her gizmos. The total mileage was about 200 miles, maybe more. Most of it was on dirt road, though we did have a little pavement (upon which I broke my land speed record for my mountain bike [46.1 mph!], which is not that far off of my road bike record; Laverne went over 50 mph). Anyhoo, SK and her DH arrived in Mobe on Thursday eve and were able to ride Klondike Bluffs on Friday am (that's the ride where the dino tracks are). We arrived Friday early afternoon when it was already hot so we just went to the Slickrock Cafe and had...beer. We rode a great newish singletrack trail called Sovereign on Saturday. Here's SK. We began our journey from Telluride to Moab on Sunday 6/17 (after a 3 hour shuttle from Western Spirit's Moab HQ). Here's a couple of shots from the first day's ride, which included a big climb over a pass that's about 10,600' (maybe higher...SK's gizmos will know). The scenery...ho hum (the San Juan Mountains in CO): SK and I somewhere in the middle of the climb (still smiling): SK whizzing by as she summits the pass: Day 2 we rode down off the pass, through big fields and meadows and lots of aspen. Here's Emerald giving us a parade wave in the aspen: The next day was our longest day (I rode about 55 miles...I had a little extra from riding out to a scenic viewpoint). Lots of riding through aspens, and meadows, and more crummy scenery. Here are the La Sal Mountains in UT, which is the mountain range we'd ride over on our last day: Day 4 was our "easy" day (17-ish miles) since day 5 included a big climb. We had a hot climb up to camp, and once there tried to stay cool in the shade. This was "flat tire" day. My DH and SK's DH both got the only flats of the trip. Day 5 started with a big brake burning descent to the town of Gateway, CO, which is turning into a resort town thanks to an influx of money from the folks that own the Discovery Channel. Here's the only picture of me and my DH that I have (taken half way down the mountain)! After a short latte break in Gateway, we tackled the BIG climb up John Brown Canyon. Thankfully we had some clouds and some folks even got a little virga to cool them down. Here are three of our new friends at the top of the climb: Tony a radiologist from Tennessee, Dan a retired MD from Michigan, and Mr. Gnome, our good luck mascot (in Dan's pack). We called Tony "Mr. EPO" this day as he smoked the climb. Mind you this man was on platform pedals and really hadn't done that much mtn biking. Tony had his daughter Ann with him, 17 years old and a very, very strong climber. She was always one of the first people to top out on the climbs (she was also riding platforms)! We were all pretty beat when we got to the campsite overlooking the Fisher Valley. It was gorgeous--lots of flowers and hummingbirds and pretty decent weather. Here are some shots from there: Our last day included a stop at some dino tracks (here's Emerald showing you just how big they are): And ...a fun and fast descent off of the Beaver Mesa (where I hit my record speed), a long climb up over the La Sal Mountains, and then a fast and fun ride down Sand Flat Road into Moab, where we put the hose over our heads and attempted to cool off. You can see the La Sals in the background (overhead) in this photo of several riders living on the edge: It was a great trip: great company, beautiful scenery, and some fun riding. I ate so much more than I normally do (thanks to the great cooking of the guides) that I gained 5 pounds! Where's the next one??? __________________ You can't fix stupid.

06-24-2007, 07:20 PM	#2
mimitabby I like bikes Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 8,552	excuse me, these aren't good pictures?? Most of them look like they should be framed and hanging on the wall! But what's the one right below the gal stretching. Thanks for sharing your beautiful ride photos with us. Looks like you had a wonderful time! __________________ Mimi Team TE BIANCHISTA for six tanks of gas you could have bought a bike.

06-24-2007, 08:47 PM	#6
margo49 wingless wonder Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Israel (Middle East) Posts: 1,111	Wow! Beautiful scenery! __________________ In my next life I want to come back as a bra engineer.

06-24-2007, 09:39 PM	#8
Running Mommy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,287	Fun!! Spencer and I have been thinking about you guys all week! He kept saying " I wonder where they are riding today mom??".... And I would reply "Oh I'm sure it's somewhere beautiful!"... Sounds like a ton of fun. I think Tony is considering doing something like that.. Ohh, and in case you missed my other thread.. I have a NEW BIKE!!! Thanks to you guys I'm now the proud owner of a Juliana!!!

06-24-2007, 09:51 PM	#9
crazycanuck Wahoo!!!!! Summer!!! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 4,552	hot! Ohh..cool My first thought was " gee that looks a bit hot to ride in " Next thought " those are moutains behind them " c __________________ "Don't let go,don't lose your mystique.Wait a little longer,tomorrow brings another feast" Queen-Hang on in there

06-24-2007, 07:23 PM	#3
BikeDutchess 2007 HAT -- LV to PHX Join Date: May 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 195	Fabulous photos! Sounds like a wonderful trip!

06-24-2007, 07:46 PM	#5
RolliePollie I like my bike Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Sierra Foothills, CA Posts: 732	WOW! OK, now I'm gonna have to get a mountain bike too Amazing pictures...amazing scenery! Sounds like a really fantastic trip!

06-24-2007, 08:59 PM	#7
aka_kim Team Whiner Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Concord, CA USA Posts: 1,245	Your little ride looks like great fun! Hopefully more pictures will be coming (a Still Life 2007 series maybe?).

06-25-2007, 02:53 AM	#10
Lise Team Danger Dachsund! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chi-town Posts: 3,258	Wow you guys! What a fabulous trip! Incredible pictures. And that you could do so much, so fast, so high up in elevation! When I was in your fair town last year, I could barely walk down the side walk. It sounds like a blast, and I'm so happy for you all. Lise-the-flatlander __________________ Run like a dachshund! Ride like a superhero! Swim like a three-legged cat! TE Bianchi Girls Rock

06-25-2007, 06:08 AM	#11
sulis Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 225	Beautiful pictures. I'm glad you had a wonderful trip and arrived home safely!

06-25-2007, 06:34 AM	#12
mekira Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Valleyfield, quebec Posts: 42	Beautiful pictures and such a fabulous trip.... I wish I had scenery like that where I live The dino tracks are so cool... first time I hear about that...

06-25-2007, 07:19 AM	#13
maillotpois Team Embolism Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Marin County CA Posts: 4,751	Oh wow - great pictures and great report!! Almost makes me want to dig out my rusty mountain bike. Almost. 46 plus mph on a mountain bike!!!???!!!??? OMG I cannot even imagine that!! I routinely hit that on my road bike (like Saturday ) but I can NOT fathom doing it on fat nubby tires! You da woMAN! Those mountains are just gorgeous. __________________ Sarah "There was a rumour that I was going to come back to the sport and race a while ago but if I wanted to come back I'd have to cut my wine intake by around 98 per cent. I'm happy not coming back." Jonathan Vaughters

06-25-2007, 07:39 AM	#14
Lise Team Danger Dachsund! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chi-town Posts: 3,258	PS: The fastest I've ever gone on a bike was 31 mph, downhill, on a Bianchi Veloche, in the aerobars, during a triathlon. You guys are amazing! __________________ Run like a dachshund! Ride like a superhero! Swim like a three-legged cat! TE Bianchi Girls Rock

06-25-2007, 07:48 AM	#15
mimitabby I like bikes Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 8,552	Hey, Lise, I beat you. I went 31.5 mph this weekend! (And it felt REALLY REALLY FAST!) I agree, she was smoking! __________________ Mimi Team TE BIANCHISTA for six tanks of gas you could have bought a bike.

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