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Ride Report: 2006 Moab in May
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[QUOTE="Tony Eeds, post: 1075184, member: 32023"] L+05 - Monday, May 16, 2006 Monday started early as Steve slipped out around 3:30AM to ride home with Roger and Tim. Houston is a long way from Moab and Roger had to be at work on Tuesday morning. Grabbing another hour or so of sleep, Gene and I were soon getting suited up for the ride we had been talking about for a year. The White Rim Trail, all 120 miles of it, awaited and we needed to get an early start. Canyonlands National Park is huge, divided into three districts and we were getting ready to tackle the Island in the Sky District. Wally would be heading home in the afternoon, so he was checking out Slickrock. Heading north on US191, Gene and I stopped at the Shell station across from SH313, which heads to the park. A splash of gas, a dash of oil and we were off on the adventure we had dreamed about for a year. Soon we were climbing 313 on our way to the park. Gene wanted to run the loop counter clockwise which was fine by me. He felt we would be battling the sun less that way. Hey, whatever, I’m easy. For those unfamiliar with the White Rim Trail, it is a one-hundred plus mile (inside the park) loop road that follows the Colorado River as it defines the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. With our ticket to ride (obtained from the ranger in the little air conditioned booth), we were ready to go and soon on our way. The first real obstacle in our path was Shafer Canyon. Back and forth across the face we went, falling lower and lower into the canyon, we descended its face. Soon at the T with the road from Potash, we took the road less traveled toward the bottom of the park. First up was Musselman Arch. We stopped for a photo op last year, so we bid adieu the arch and continued on. Shortly after passing the arch, we came upon a sign that said it was 110 miles to Moab. Now that deserved a photo . . . As we picked up from the photo op, we encountered a jeep heading toward us out of the park. Clearly that fellow had gotten an early start as it did not appear that he had enough gear to have camped. Of course, I was presuming that he had driven the entire loop, but maybe not . . . Back on the road, we encountered the first of many mountain bikers we would see along the trail. My hat (helmet) is off to anyone that will ride the entire trail on a mountain bike. It was already hot and it was only barely past 10 A.M.. The sun was already relentless in its attack of the environment. Lizards were the only creatures skittering about the rocks. Over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail . . . Oops, that would be a different tangent, correct? Well, it was dusty. Mountain bikers continued to be part of the scenery and at one point we happened upon two riding beside each other . . . One fellow was nice enough to slow a bit to let us through the gap, but the other fellow . . . well, he was the southbound end of a northbound mule. Why, I don’t know? Both Gene and I remarked that perhaps a little roost would help. After a particularly long climb (forever ensconced on tape by two folks on foot heading down the road) we stopped for a rest on some rocks at the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking the Colorado River far below. A crow joined us as we munched on breakfast bars and soon we had him coming closer and closer for crumbs we offered. Always wary and alert, he never took his eye off of us as he munched on our offerings. Soon a second crow appeared and there ensued a discussion as to who had the right to be there . . . Crow A or Crow B. Truce called, we continued to feed them and us until the sun drove us to get back up and get moving. Unlike some spots we had stopped on other trails, this one was fully exposed to the raging sun and it was slowly cooking us. Back on our bikes, we zigged and zagged along the road, accumulating miles toward our return to civilization. Finally, campsites appeared and even a human or two. I began to breathe a bit easier with the appearance of civilization, as scant as it was. There had been a number of folks on the trail, but with the distances involved, they were quite scattered out. A final climb up a box canyon wall brought us to the plateau and the road back to UT 313. Reflecting on the trail then and now as I write, I would like to do it again and drink in more of the surrounding desolation. The White Rim Trail cannot be adequately described (I have said that a number of times about Moab in general), only experienced. In honor of Roger, we had dinner was at Pasta Jay’s again . . . Gene and I were really liking this place . . . yum! L+06 - Tuesday, May 17, 2006 Up at 3:30AM, we quietly slipped out of Moab. With one quick stop at the “only” 24 hour station/store for coffee, Gene settled in against his pillow and I settled in behind the wheel, heading south on US191 toward Shiprock. Musing on the memories of all the trips, thoughts tumbled about and I came to the conclusion that this was the best “Moab in May” to date. Reaching Shiprock near dawn, the GPS guided us southwest toward Gallup and home. Encountering I 40 in Gallup, we turned eastward toward Albuquerque and home, closing the last chapter of “Moab in May 2006.” L+21 Whoo Hooo . . . It is now two weeks after returning to Dallas and for the first time I did NOT have to take Ibuprofen when I got out of bed . . . I forgot who said it, but it is true . . . Youth is wasted on the young. L+43 The ride report is finally done! [/QUOTE]
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Ride Report: 2006 Moab in May
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