Moab Mountain Biking
July 2012
Traveling with Ben is always
interesting as he encourages me to undertake adventures I wouldn't conceive of
doing on my own. He joined us in
Vail on Tuesday for the tail end of our July 4th celebrations with the Coulson
clan. Prior to his arrival our
activities were relatively sedentary, i.e. dining, banjo practice on our
balcony overlooking Gore Creek, strolls in Vail Village, and participating in
family outings with Lucy, Fred, and the kids. Once Ben arrived, we embarked on a hike to Booth Falls, a
2500' ascent starting at 8500'. It
was good training for my upcoming August 14er and for the true purpose of his
trip, mountain biking in Moab.
We arrived in Moab mid-afternoon
on Thursday and headed for the Poison Spider bike rental shop. We made the arrangements for renting
mountain bikes the next day and received some advice about where one should
go. We arrived in a mild rainstorm
and were informed that this was their first since December. The gentle showers also broke a heat
storm that had beset this lovely place reducing the temperatures from the
previous week's highs of 115 to a current 79.
With the coolish temps and the
pleasing sensations of a desert rainstorm, Judy, Ben, and I headed to the
nearby Arches National Park. We
took in the spectacular sites and took two memorable hikes. The first, a
two-mile jaunt through Park Place canyon and the second, a more strenuous
three-mile hike up to the Delicate Arch.
The reward for our exertions was breathtaking views of the unique
geologic formations. The park is a
must-see for foreign tourists, so we listened to conversations of fellow hikers
in many languages. We even saw a
Frenchman wearing a John Deere hat.
That evening we enjoyed a noteworthy dining experience at the Desert
Bistro, rated 4 1/2 stars on Yelp, and then retired.
I was more than a bit
apprehensive about our mountain biking plans. I'd never ridden such a conveyance, and the upside of
spending a few hours riding a bike up and down steep, rocky terrain while
sitting on a titanium hard seat hardly compensated for a downside potential of
falling off a cliff. But with
Ben's encouragement, we picked up our bikes at the Poison Spider and selected
the Bar M Trailhead as our destination, 8 miles north of Moab and adjacent to
the Arches National Park. The Bar
M features numerous trails ranging from beginner to advanced similar to a ski
resort. We wisely avoided Killer B, Black Hole, and An Agonizing Death Would Seem Sweeter in
Contrast.
Our bikes were pretty
impressive. Mine featured 30
gears, with 10 sprockets on the rear wheel and 3 at the pedal. The lowest gears would make it darn
near possible to climb up a wall.
Each bike had a spongy shock absorber on the front wheel and a stiffer
shock on the back. The brakes were
hydraulic operated discs similar to what you might find on a high-end
motorcycle. The tires were wide
and knobby. The derailleurs worked
effortlessly and the shifting levers were well situated on the straight
handlebars by the brake levers. I noted several mountain bikes for sale in the
store with prices ranging from $1,850 to $3,500, quickly deducing our liability
should we booger them up. The bike
rental guys encouraged us by saying, "It rained yesterday and last night,
and the serious bikers love to ride after the rain as it makes the sandy
portions of the trail more firm.
Your conditions will be the equivalent of fresh powder for
skiers." They also informed
us that the normal season for mountain biking in Moab is April-May and September-October. We were fortunate to hit a
moderately cool window in July.
Judy delivered us to the Bar M
trailhead, elevation about 5,000', and we took a few spins around the dirt
parking lot to get semi-acquainted with our new gear. It was 79 degrees when we embarked. We started on an intermediate trail, The Lazy EZ, and quickly realized I was
not ready for this level of difficulty.
We backtracked to the easiest trail, The
Bar M. After a few miles of
relatively easy riding we encountered the first of a series of deep, steep
gullies featuring loose gravel, mini-boulders, and stair-step like combinations
of slick rock. I went down slowly
to avoid taking an unwanted dismount.
This approach got me to the bottom safely, but conceded all momentum for
the uphill climb. By the third
gully I was getting bolder and was eager to reduce the exertion required to
come out of the chasm, so I picked up speed. Ben waited for me continually, bless his more capable heart.
After the gullies, we entered a
normally dry riverbed, now consisting of deep, wet sand surrounded by steep
rock walls. There were no
alternatives, so we just slogged through collecting pounds of muck on our bikes
and selves. We then encountered a
long, uphill trail over mostly slick rock. We reached a high point of the trail
that ran along the ridge of a small canyon, probably 200 ft to the bottom and
100 ft wide. We encountered a
young couple from San Francisco and took turns taking pictures of one
another. Up to that point we
hadn't seen another rider.
The scenery was spectacular in
every direction. The famed Balanced Rock and several arches were
visible on the horizon to the east.
To the north we espied a giant, bluish tinted mountain we later learned
was named Copper Ridge. The snow-dappled
La Sal Mountains lay to the south, and portions of the Canyon Lands National
Park lined our western view.
About mid-morning I was beginning
to figure out why most bikers wear those tight snuggy shorts with gel padded
bottoms. I had a few, unwanted
ball-busting moments while being jostled on the rock-like bike seat. I quickly concluded that golfing shorts
are not ideal attire for mountain biking.
It was equally apparent that this sport requires that one pay very close
attention to the trail. Early on I
had a tendency to relax when coasting on a gradual downhill run, until it
became frightfully clear how many dangerous obstacles would appear out of
nowhere.
After the first two hours, I was
starting to feel more competent on the bike and was starting to enjoy the
outing. This helped compensate for
the fact that I was physically tired.
Even though it was only in the high 80's by midday, the sun bore down on
us, and we re-applied sunscreen on three different occasions.
The most fun part of the ride was
speeding (a relative term) downhill on the massive slabs of slick rock. From 5,000' above the earth, the slick
rock might look like a perfectly smooth surface, but from ground level it is
pretty rough featuring numerous layers, depressions, and cracks. At times it was mindful of riding down
stair steps at home. The bikes
were amazingly adept at making the steep descents relatively manageable. After scraping my bottom pedal going
over precipitous drop-offs, I quickly learned the basics of pedal-management
and avoided the 6/12-position when coasting.
After about three hours of
riding, I was totally spent. We
encountered an intersection with an intermediate trail. Ben took off while I rested and awaited
his return. As one might expect,
there is precious little shade to be found at noon in the desert save sharing a
space with an undesirable, slithering creature under a rock. The nearby plant life was suffering
from the severe drought besetting the region, and the only living vegetation
seemed to consist of scrub cedars, sage, and bristle cone pines. I enjoyed the breathtaking vistas of
the red and blue rock formations and the ground level moonscape, tried to take
a few self-photos with the rock formations serving as a backdrop, drank water,
and savored the rest-time. About
30 minutes later, Ben returned with the not-unexpected news that the loop he
just completed would have been too difficult for me.
We had a few miles downhill to
finish the "easy" trail that connected to an 8-mile paved bike path
that took us back to Moab. The
return trip was mostly downhill including a crossing of the Colorado River on a
foot/bike bridge. We stopped to take photos of the red rock canyon walls rising
from the river.
The final portion of the trip
required a three-mile uphill slog on a busy highway to the bike shop. There was a highway radar speed limit
sign flashing the speed of passing vehicles. There were no cars nearby when I neared the sign, yet it
showed zero for my speed. I truly
thought I was moving. Then it
flashed 7 mph, assuring me I wasn't hallucinating. By the time we returned to
the Poison Spider bike shop I was out of water and out of steam. I drank the entire contents of my
3-liter camel plus a 1-pint bottle.
Judy retrieved us, and we headed to the Moab Brew Pub for a late lunch,
and then returned to the motel for rest.
Later that afternoon we toured
the Canyon Land National Park by car.
We dined late at Jeffries' Steakhouse and had two interesting
encounters. In the course of chatting
with our attractive waitress, Bridget Otto, we learned that she appeared in the
role of Billie in the 1998 movie "Zombie Cult Massacre." She informed us that the movie is
enjoying a resurgence, and she recently received some royalty checks. She also shared that she plays
saxophone, drums, and sings, but her singing career has been hampered by a
broken blood vessel in her larynx.
It's amazing what people will tell you given half a chance.
An older man and his younger male
companion were dining next to us in the outdoor patio of the restaurant. He looked familiar, but I couldn't
place him. I thought it might be
Robert Altman, until Judy informed me of his death in 2006. Ben later placed
the guy as Tom Wilkinson, who co-starred "The Fully Monty." We were told
that he is one of many movie people in Moab for the shooting of a Johnny Depp
film, "The Lone
Ranger."
On Saturday Ben undertook a
62-mile road biking loop running from Moab south to the La Sal Mountains, over
to Castle Rock, and back to the Colorado River 15-miles upstream from
Moab. His ride featured an
ascent/descent of 5,000'. Temps
had returned to the mid 90's adding to his exertions. While we awaited Ben's
return, Judy went to a farmer's market, and I lounged around town eating bacon
and practicing my banjo. I'm
thinking I will soon set out my case, play, and see if I can pick up a few
quarters. Upon his safe return,
Ben reported that the trip was exhausting but exhilarating. It will be some
time before my bony butt returns to good health, but I'm now eager to return to
Moab for round two.
p.s. I've attached a photo of Ben
standing by the small canyon along which we rode. If you've an interest in
viewing more of our Utah photos check out Ben's album posted on my Facebook
site.
p.s.s. A young friend, Tripp
Miller, has headed to Leadville, CO this weekend to participate in a serious
mountain biking race. I offer my
apologies for presenting something so mild in contrast to his adventures.
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