I dropped my bike and gear at Tim's today. We leave at 0600.

Definitely jealous Boys. Don't forget to post up some pics

I ended up car pooling from NM with my local riding buddy as work was slow; turned out to be a good thing as that allows me to do my ‘Ol 89er naps whilst he power drove to the center of the off-roading universe – turned out to be not so good as it ended up me doing six days of riding, sapping all I had left though having a hot shower at the (Green Rive State Park) campground every evening helped. I chose Green River for us to camp due to being central to all the three riding spots and less congestion compared to Moab as a bonus.

The two of us spent the mornings on short hikes while the afternoons were used to explore moto-trails. Sunday we did Goblin Valley State Park

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=gobl...-Goblin_Valley-

Good stuff for a non-hikers and especially kids.

Then we did Waterfall Trail to the north; my first outing on the new WR125 Husky. It would not start. Changed the plug to a non-resistor type and fired first kick. Trail was dry/dusty though scenic and good desert high-elevation single track with some vistas to the west. My buddy had enough at the other end so we took the jeep trail back.

On the way out I spotted petroglyphs on the canyon wall; we stopped to check them out. I’ll let the others post pix.

Next day we went to Canyonlands with a short hike to the arch and another longer loop to see the canyons

http://www.aguntherphotography.com/...nlands_1610.jpg

http://www.canyonlands-utah.com/images/title.jpg

And then Dead Horse State Park for a short hike

http://www.empoweringparks.com/Dead...-State-Park.jpg

In the afternoon we did moto-exploring on the Merrimac and Monitor Trails; my first outing on my new-to-me WR250F. The eastern loop turned out to be rather challenging – there was a crowd of jeepers spectating our attempt up a difficult rock climb they never came down; understandably why as it took finesse with clutch work and maneuvering to conquer the many step ups and quick, tight turns necessary to make it. A loud cheer once we crested and they left for easier trails. We circled around the east loop and managed to have our fill of the jarring embedded rock. Once on the west half things were way better with a wet canyon and spectacular high cliffs on both sides of the passages. We reconnected to the original rock climb only to find a slickrock two-wheel-only bypass. Fun trail though I’d recommend the western half only.

Tuesday afforded us a drive with hikes through Arches NP

http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Arches-Photos.htm

Even for a mid-week visit parking spaces were all taken at one select arch; we did others with little traffic though recommend all of them for those willing to explore.

Afterwards we went south to ride Kane Creek trail as I wanted to know if there was water; turns out there was a-plenty for some splash riding of which we greatly enjoyed two years ago. We went as far as on our last trip where my buddy hurt his back; this time he conquered the climb. Our way back out was uneventful until I went up the ATV ramp with wet tires; slipped and had to do with a second try. I wanted my buddy to try my new Husky; on his fine Gas Gas I clipped an unavoidable rock at speed and was pitched to the ground. No harm but it seemed prudent to trade bikes back.

Following dinner back at camp I decided to inform the ranger at the entrance of the men’s bathroom need to replenish paper towels. As I eyed the Fish of Utah poster he started to tell me everything I didn’t want to know about the local fish though politely listened as he seemed to know quite a bit; much more than the Feds who are enforcing the rules? I though this was a state matter. Just then a car pulled in and I heard the name of a campsite being held for “Santoro”. I poked my head out to tell the ranger to "turn them away." Lol. Eel was driving, with Scar shotgun and Thumbs as passenger. We exchanged greetings and reached our campsites; theirs adjacent to ours.

I had brought seven boxes of oak firewood so we had fine conversation around late into the night.

Next morning we did Sovereign (SE) Trail. I had done it once before years ago and it did not disappoint though took a lot out of us. Thumbs spun off at the midpoint due to a sticky throttle. We were going to do Merrimac in the afternoon but my buddy broke his foot so I took him to the hospital to check it out. He was on the pegs but had his foot pushed up and back by a rock. We have to hand it to him to for riding it out and only once he hiked while Eel rode his bike up a difficult climb for him. Results: fractured big toe, broke foot bones behind toes, and suffered a sprain. I insisted we return home though he would have nothing of it as the others needed me as a guide; moreover said he would sit around @ home anyways - it made sense to stick around.

Next day we did White Wash – Dead Cow, Beehive, White Wash, and Slick Rock trails. We had the benefit of a trail rider with local knowledge in attendance, which helped tremendously in finding our way to each of them. Two memorial occurrences were a quick-sand like rut which swallowed my Husky; we had to pull it out - thanks to the help of Scar and Walt. Scar tried an alternate which all went well until he was stick-poked and swerved off the ledge which left his bike falling then hanging amusingly right-side-up on the skid plate like a trophy or wall piece in a living room. Then on a steep section of slickrock I did not make the last upper ledge (need to build 125 clutching skills/savvy) and had to carefully wiggle my Husky back down for a second try. Afterwards we had real dead cow burgers/steaks and fries, salads and baked potatoes, washed down with beverages of the fermented type at Ray’s Tavern in Green River.

And for our final day of riding we went to San Rafael Swell to do the Devil’s Racetrack, Eva Conover, and Swasey’s Cabin trails. It was colder than usual. On Eva’s you will see higher speed vids posted by others; me chasing/hanging with Scar with Thumbs and Eel in close pursuit. I clipped a rock near Swasey’s and ended up on the ground; am walking around like that ‘Ol guy today with some minor thigh bruises, but I did bounce well didn’t I Scar? We then did Waterfall trail, with Scar, Eel and Thumbs later exploring Goblin State Park after a view of the petroglyphs.

Bundy and a friend showed up at the campsite and there was no small talk around the campfire; much smack about Five Miles of Hell trail directed his way via Scar. Fun times for sure.

We woke up at five and made it back to NM at 4pm Saturday.

I’m unpacking and washing dirty riding gear as of this post. Phew! Six days of riding/hiking and I am sore. Let’s hear from others…

Link to some pics and two videos.

I suggest not using the "play as slideshow" function as the videos won't work correctly.

Ride report to follow.

http://imageshack.us/g/88/1000087z.jpg/

The drive home was nuts. Cars and trucks stuck everywhere. Pics and video to follow.

Thanks for a great time all.

I flew down to Las Vegas Tuesday morning to hitch a ride with Scar (PlaceLast had been kind enough to provide a loaner bike for me). It was a nice surprise that Thumbsy was with Scar as Thumbs had indicated he wouldn't arrive until late Wednesday evening. We had a 7 hour drive ahead of us. Destination: Green River, Utah.


Scar attacking some rock steps

The drive was pretty uneventful except when I drove. Scar's Ford Expedition is much bigger than my little toy truck and when it's loaded down with a few 100 pounds of gear and 500 pounds of bike, it's a bit unwieldy, to say the least. I over-corrected once or twice and I swear the guys looked like they thought it was about to flip over. Flip over?! Well, perhaps.

We arrived well before dark, and PlaceLast was waiting for us at the entrance booth, wearing an impish grin. It's always good to see old friends.


PlaceLast (foreground) and Little John

We met his friend John as we drove in. This year John ("Little John") brought his new Six Days Gas Gas 250, leaving his Husaberg 390 back at home. (Good taste in bikes man!)

We settled in and staked out our respective tent spots, setting up for the week. The campground was familiar as we had also stayed here in 2010. The nicest thing about it is that there are hot showers! It really makes a difference when you can sit down fresh to a fine fireside camp dinner after a long day's ride.

We dined on cold fried chicken, caught up, drank some beers, and talked about the next morning's ride. As always, PlaceLast already had the week's itinerary signed, sealed and delivered. Thanks again for spearheading this, "Big John."

Some of us have not ridden much lately (me), or even at all (Scar), and the relentless technical rock riding of the first day wore us out quickly. I rode PL's late '90s Husky WR250, Scar was on his Y-Zed 250, Tony on his full zoot Husky 310, Little John on his GG, and PL on his Yammy WR250F. The 2 strokes definitely had the advantage in this terrain as the many tight switchbacks and rock crawls demanded instant mobility and constant attention. Fun stuff but 20 miles of it pretty much wiped us out. Unfortunately, as mentioned, Little John also ruined his foot, and at one spot, I launched the Husky to the moon when it got away from me on a tricky set of rock steps.


PlaceLast - picture perfect !!

Scar made some great burgers that night (butter is the secret!)

Riding Day 2 was hosted by some locals PL had met previously. We met them at the staging area and had an absolute blast following them around. It was fantastic. We started down a little hill down onto some dunes, and then rode in deep sand for quite awhile, everyone blasting and dicing. We also had a lot of fun trying to navigate a water crossing over an haphazardly improvised log and branch bridge.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The latter half of the ride found us entirely on slickrock, navigating many off cambers, steep downhills, and spooky climbs. This is really the most unique part of this area, IMHO. You ride entirely on rock in many places, no dirt, no sand. The trails are marked with arrows painted in various colors on the rocks (as is the rightly infamous 5 Miles of Hell, which is mostly slickrock). Lose the arrows and things can get out of hand fast! On the way home I blew up PL's Husky way tapped out in a long sand section. Sorry Big John. Thanks for taking it in stride. I really do think it was due for a top end anyway.

We had dinner that night at Ray's Tavern. Good beer, good steaks, and great baked potatoes.

Day 3 was the longest at 60 miles. I thoroughly enjoyed riding the Yamaha WR250F. Love that bike! We rode a morning loop and an afternoon loop. Both were great fun.

Bundy had arrived earlier that day to camp, with his friend Brent in tow. We had a hearty dinner of steaks, baked beans, and slaw. Great company around the campfire, with many beers, many boasts, and many laughs.


Thumbs and Scar Tissue

Scar and I left pronto at 6 AM the next morning so I could make my 3 PM flight out of Vegas. Unfortunately I had forgotten to adjust for the time zone change, and along with the fact that I drove the whole way (thus making excellent time - 6 hours total - and with nary a flip-over!), we arrived at the airport about 4 hours early! This was probably a good thing though as we encountered quite a bit of heavy snowfall on the way. Pretty sketchy in spots, actually.

I arrived back in Seattle around 8:30 PM, to very nice weather. Always great to return home from some fine adventuring.

Guys - thanks so much.

Thanks for filling us in, guys.

With all the smack talk, I wonder if 89R will join you next time and show you guys how it is really done. Terry, I can bring some barbed wire if you want....

HEY NOW!!! How did I get drug into this. I wasn't even there. Awesome ride reports John and Eel. I really miss riding with you guys but your reports are almost like being there.

No worries Gomer, these guy don't need an old fart like me showing them anything. They are all very accomplished riders and I doubt I could even keep up with them.

Gotta' go take a nap now.

Excellent ride reports!

Great stuff! Excellent reports. Kicking myself...