Moab 2008...report and pics/movies

[Spinalguy]

Heading to Moab and remembering to stop in Idaho for REAL beer, we also took in the local fare...
We stopped to eat breakie at DUDE cafe. Too bad Dude is waiting on a baby


Ahhh, the beautiful redrock, we are close to Moab now...



DAY 1
We rode in 30 deg weather (86F) and did Poison spider-Golden Spike-Rusty Nail-Gold Bar Rim-Golden Spike-Poison Spider.
Enjoy
Staging


CRACK





Big R doing it the harder direction






Day 2 was in the Dessert.
The 3 locals took us out for a rip.
We headed to the dessert for a 100km loop.
Weather was great.
Helmetcam footage was lonely i was once again schooled in the 'washes' and sandy singletracks. My goal this year was to become faster
in the dessert and maybe catch footage of the guys i was riding with...did not happen this day.
Good news though as we had 3 more dessert trips planned in Utah and Colorado.
So no 'movie' made yet as i have to edit the footage to brief moments in time where i actually see other riders
It was super fun and the cold beer back at the trailer always brings the funnay out.









One of our host is a HUGE fan of our country. He would love to be a Canadian

[Spinalguy]

Day 3 in the Mountains
We headed up the mountain to begin a singletrack that starts at 10,000 ft
On the way up Big R flatted the Trials tire. A few moments patching and we were back on our way.
Today we had 2 locals and a celebrity join us.
Pro Downhill Mountainbiker Chris Van Dyne was in town visiting after his recent Redbull Rampage competition.
Hard to believe he had not ridden a dirtbike in 11 months. He did well.
i too rode the Trials tire as all the 'kewl' kids are now discovering its merit.

We ran into a section of snow that was tougher on the back of the pack, especially on log crossings.
In the video, my bike slides down the log and fortunately comes to a halt before certain grief.
Another great ride with lots of post ride laughs followed up with an authentic Mexican fiesta.













Helmet cam production of Day 3












One of numerous rock climbing spots in Maob

[Spinalguy]

[Spinalguy]

Day 4 was back into the dessert in Colorado

Staging area


This was my favorite ride of the 2008 trip. Of course it was also Oct 13th
We did over 100kms. A very nice downhill and a couple good uphills.
Arron, Big R, Chris and Brian were the riders.
i definitely picked up the pace in the dessert sections...finally

helmet cam (use high quality setting in bottom right of screen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPL93qT80qg





top of the downhill looking at the basin full of trail goodness



The downhill started at the top of the ridge. The funny thing is i followed the line down that VanDyne choose...bad move as pro downhillers always choose the sickest lines




Here is helmetcam from Day 4, unedited (no music, just riding).



Scenery outstanding as always



The Posse



i have several pics over the years that involve trains. i seem to be at the right spot at the right time. Middle of nowhere Colorado
didn't disappoint. We heard the train coming along the Colorado River...



i guess 'between the rocks' exists in a few places








A pic of me riding across an arch...(Thanks Big R)



Chris and Brian


Freddy


Jackie Blue


Sunsets are daily and breath taking...


TJ and Chris post dinner celebration

[Bark]

Thanks for these, they're truly uber! Awesome pics!

I was lucky enough to go to Moab for the first time last year. What a place to ride! I hope to go again next spring.

Thanks,
Bark

[Spinalguy]

Bark,
very mystical place. We rode 4 desserts, 2 mountains and 1 typical 4x4 trail. All were very different.

[Spinalguy]

Day 5 in another dessert

Today was the day we needed to bring extra gas. We rode 140kms. Great variety. Big R went down hard in a wide open tapped out wash. The cowboy shook off the sand and cobwebs and continued.
The locals seemed to create a theme of their own...late starts
We always seemed to be coming back at sundown with the darn sun shining in your face for a couple hours making it very tuff to see with so much dust.
The 'TUBES' were a blast. There are a couple trails that have them as part of the 'feature'. We also did a 'memorial' trail that has an embedded ladder that drops you down into more tubes. Riding the ladder down was pretty kewl

Brian and Chris arrive



BigR looking back at his crash site





Grouping off the dessert to the rocky washes


Aron flatting out and making use of Mommy nature's bike stand



Chris and Brian playing




The TUBES



Dan Marino huge tube play

a tough up



i did not make it...



What was really crazy is my bike got 'perfectly' stuck. The pipe got wedged in the most awesome pipe holder rock formation




Arriving back



Swapping stories and having a cold one

[Spinalguy]

Day 6...yet another dessert

Not where we started, but i like the pic...


This day was going to be another treat. With names like Disneyland as part of the trail system, we were stoked.
TJ was able to join us for another epic adventure. Arron, Brian, Chris and Big R were all in the mix. The majority of
this ride was fast singletrack with small to large washes crossing the singletracks just to keep us honest...errr...slower.




Chris was the first to get swallowed up in a nasty hidden wash divot. He hit hard but after all the other hard crashes i saw from Chris this week, i am convinced that Downhill mountainbikers are really TUFF...or crazy.

The trail we were on is a one way to another town. One could argue that our starting point is not much of a town but rather a GHOST town. As we started a tad late, we made a pact to ride 2.5 hours out and than turn around and come back. The previous day of riding back with sun and dust in the eyesight was not fun, so we decided to turn around in time to miss the sun/sand fun.





Chris decided that his next Pro race in Cali was a bit more important than crashing in the dessert...again. This pic was just after Chris locked it up and bailed saving himself and not really caring about the bike...much.



Snack break


Haulin'



Back at headquarters






Rudy



Some scenery pics...




The boys in an informal 'pipe' rolling competition



Freaky pic

[Spinalguy]

Day 7...the 'other mountain'




The ride to the trailhead was long and lots of vertical gain. It also was ROCKY. For our last day of riding, every rock was an effort. Because it was very open, it also meant very fast. The body was feeling it.
You would think i would learn from previous encounters with trees in Moab that they do NOT BEND...ouch!

We reach the top and prepare for some more mountain singletrack. This day was brief but the trails were spectacular.











If you have never been to Moab, there is one constant there. Every time you stop and look around, there is always a photo op.
Moab never disappoints...Desserts, Rocks, Forests, Canyons always are picture perfect.




Back at 'headquarters' we toasted are last bevys of the holiday. Great Friends, Great Riding and Sweet Memories.
Til next year.
Big R

Brian

Arron

[DoC]

Awesome pics and report.

We want to go down there in March. Could I get some info of where you stay etc? I know we talked about it briefly when you came and got your Tugger.

[Spinalguy]

Awesome pics and report.

We want to go down there in March. Could I get some info of where you stay etc? I know we talked about it briefly when you came and got your Tugger.

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the TUGGER strap. BTW, Kelly is the Canadian distributor for Tugger.
We stayed at the no frills Canyonlands Campground in the Cabins. Bed. that's all. Community bath house 30 feet away.

If you want a guide, i can arrange that. He will show you some gems. About $100 per person per day.
Let me know.
Tom

[Bushwagon]

Man that really looks awesome.

What kind of KM's was it down and back if you don't mind me asking? Just wondering if the 'ol RV might be able to make a trip next year and what I might have to do to make sure she gets there.

Here's a pic so you know what I mean:


She's an old bus, but hot damn she runs good.

[Carter]

I'd be interested in the contact info for the trail guide Tom. I really would like to do the LaSal loop that you guys did. Better yet, did any of you GPS it?
Me and 5 other buddies are making the trip April 1. This will be my 10th time, I have riden everywhere but that ride.

Bushwagon, to answer your question on how far... Moab is 1800km one way, mostly interstate. I have pulled a travel trailer there twice and regretted it both times. My fuel cost of towing was more expensive than driving quick transportation (bikes in the back of a truck or small trailer) and staying in decent accomodation with showers and maybe a hottub. If you are doing a quick trip, gone 5-7 days, my advice is take something quick and cheap and rent a place. If you are staying longer and will be migrating to other areas (Fruita, Durango) then maybe an RV makes sense.

[Bushwagon]

Thanks Carter that makes a lot of sense. With that kind of a drive I think I would need to be down 3 or 4 weeks to make the RV worth it. Great info, this forum sure is awesome for guys like me trying to plan out my first couple of big road trips.

Thanks again

[markvfr]

I highly recommend staying in a rental house/townhouse. We shared a three bedroom condo with an oversized double garage 5 miles south of town. It cost us something like $250/each for 7 nights. You might pay $10 less for the Canyonlands but you're staying in a shack with a bed vs a fully stacked high end house. The garage was a beauty. Nothing like coming back from a ride to a nicely organized garage and doing some maintenance. And security to boot. And we did three rides right from the house, Steelbender area and Behind the Rocks. Just look it up on VRBO but if you want the contact to our place just drop me a PM and I'll look it up at home.