September 24, 2012 Mountain Biking In Moab

 

"And she said “It doesn’t matter where you come from,
It matters where you go, And no one gets remembered
For the things they didn’t do.” - 'Peggy Sang The Blues' by Frank Turner

 

 

 We rented full suspension, light weight, 29 inch tire Trek Superfly 100 mountain bikes from Poison Spider Bicycles in Moab. Our first stop was the Intrepid Trail System at Dead Horse State Point. We rode 14 miles over all three loops (Intrepid Loop, Great Pyramid & Big Chief). It was a mix of slick rock, high desert terrain and some single track trails. It was a good choice to get familiar with a bike that is much better than the one I ride back home. The scenery was incredible as we rode high above the Colorado River on a beautiful fall morning. The mountain biking Gods must have been riding with us because when the chain broke on Mike's bike, he was able to fix it even though neither one of us had ever used the chain repair tool before today.

 The above and following shots were taken along our ride.

 After our ride, we hiked around Dead Horse Point. The views here are the closet thing I've ever seen to the Grand Canyon. Which shouldn't be surprising since the Colorado River has carved both canyons.

 Due to road construction, we parked below Dead Horse Point and hiked along the Rim Trail up to it. This gave us several amazing views into the canyon.

 

 I read in a photo guide that Utah's clouds will enhance your photos. This picture proves that point.

 The ravens were playing in the wind currents rising out of the canyon.

 I always support state parks whenever I travel.

After a quick sandwich at the visitor center, we headed back down to Moab Brand Trails for more mountain biking. A quick rain storm sent us back to the car but ten minutes later you couldn't even tell it had rained.

 We rode the Bar M Loop, but due to not using our maps we did it in two sections...

 ...with the EZ singletrack trail connecting us to the Bar M Loop.

 The scenery was a good excuse to get off the bikes for a few minutes.

 We got in some good slickrock practice for tommorrow's epic ride on the famous SlickRock Trail.

The storm clouds kept rolling through but it didn't rain again until we got back to the parking lot.

 Since the rain stopped and it was still light out, we decided to drive into Arches NP. The Park Avenue Trail looked interesting so down into the valley we hiked.

 The recent rain mixed with sun to the west and dark storm clouds everywhere else caused the colors to intensify.

 We hiked the length of the valley...

 ...and ended up at the Three Gossips...

 ...and the Courthouse Towers.

 Then the setting sun popped through the clouds.

 The shadow of the Three Gossips on the Courthouse Towers.

 Evidence of today's rain on a downhill section of slickrock.

 After a long day of biking and hiking, I might have said something along these lines..."If this was really Park Avenue, I would be able to catch a Number 6 train back to the car." But I enjoyed the hike back up the valley as darkness crept in slowly. Another unbelievable day that ended with a great dinner at the Peace Tree Cafe & Bistro, Cracked Pepper Encrusted Salmon with Pesto Ravioli with a Raspberry Banana smoothie.

 Once again...amazed by the forces of nature.

 A little message for those that believe extracting resources is a better use of our National Parks than simply enjoying them as they have been for millions of years.