Moab Mountain Biking


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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