Moab day 5

Today was fairly laid back. I needed a day of recovery after the ride yesterday. There are many paved bike trails around Moab. Our morning was occupied by a easy ride on some of those trails. We ate lunch at a food truck. This truck is the # 3 place to eat in Moab according to 'trip advisor'. It was good but it was still a truck. Our afternoon was devoted to a drive down a road that follows the Colorado River downstream for 17 miles. There was rock art and dinosaur tracks to examine. Tomorrow we have planned a day long hike in Canyonlands NP.

Moab day 4, The Whole Enchilada

Today I rode this classic bike trail with a guide. I don't feel I can describe the ride accurately because it would be hard to believe. I will say this: I had no idea you could safely do what we did on a bike. I wouldn't have known had I not been following the guide who rather nonchalantly did things that I thought you could only see at a circus. If he could do it, well by God, so could I. It took us 7 hours of brutal bike riding to descend 7500 feet. I'm really, really tired. Jenny thinks she can get the blood stains out of my shirt.

Moab day 3

Today's event was a hike up a canyon located a few miles up the Colorado River that can be accessed from the river road. This canyon has a perennial stream, something that is kind of unusual. At the head of the canyon is a large arch. That was our goal. This is a popular hike because it's close to town. One thing that was unusual was the amount of poison ivy growing along the trail. It was very healthy and begging to be touched. This pic shows the arch above us.

Moab day 2

Since this is the mountain biking capital of the world I went for a spectacular Moab bike ride this morning. Jenny drove me to a trailhead above the town and I rode 22 miles on some really fantastic trails. A good portion of the ride was on slick rock. The route is marked with a line painted on the rock. I found a guide to ride with me on "the whole enchilada" I'll do that Saturday morning. Tonight we are doing a cruise on the Colorado River. We have known about this trip for years but have never done it. There is apparently a light show projected on the canyon walls above the river. Sounds touristy. We'll see.

Moab UT day 1

Short day today. We reserved the same campsite we had last year. Both vehicles have been filthy for weeks. You can't wash anything in the campground using their water so we bit the bullet and paid someone to wash it for us. They brought their own water in a big tank. The MP is gleaming. I washed the car in a car wash. One of the things I want to do while I'm here is ride a trail on my bike that was named the best mountain bike trail on earth. It's called "The Whole Enchilada". I am working on hiring a guide to ride with. The thing is 35 miles long and loses 8000 feet. This is somewhat out of my comfort zone because it's supposed to be very technical. I guess I'll carry a first aid kit. Here's Jenny relaxing after sunset.

Green River SP Utah

We have camped here 3 times. There is something about descending from the higher elevations into this desert that gets me pumped. I really love this part of the country. It feels like home. We drove through several pretty severe rain storms today. A severe rain storm in the desert frequently causes a flash flood. We drove over half a dozen Creek beds that were flashing. I took this first pic at a rest stop north of Green River. In the second pic I'm celebrating the fact that today I'm eligible to begin redeeming my investment in the social security trust fund. Happy birthday to me.

Where in the world are Dave & Jenny