Moab Trip Notes 2002

May 10 to May 17, 2002

Diary by John F. Walker 

Saturday May 11

Left Sara & John’s at 1.45 p.m. Friday and had a good run to Moab arriving at 7 a.m. Saturday - Moab time (minus one hour Minneapolis time.)  Checked in at the campground, our site was available so we were able to drop off the trailer and drive into town to Mondo’s coffee shop for breakfast. Going back to camp we set up the tents, and some of the equipment.  Dave, John & Paul arrived around 9 a.m.  (note - Dave, John and Paul had driven from Phoenix and had stopped for a day of riding at Flagstaff).  We organized the campsite erecting the large array of equipment Dave brought in his trailer.  At 4 p.m. we rode through town and onto the gravel roads leading us to the start of the Moab Rim trail at Hidden Valley.  The trail starts by having to backpack your bike (resting the crossbar across the top of your Camel back and holding the seat post and headset) up through the rocks.  The climb is about 700 feet. You finally arrive at an entrance to a valley surrounded by mountains. It is about two miles long by half a mile wide.  The valley floor is flat and was covered in wild grasses with a single track wending its way through the middle. At the end of the valley you ride on a trail that wends it way up towards the edge of the Moab Rim where the chair lift comes up from Spanish road.  A further half-mile brings you to the top of the Moab Rim trail with a view across the river valley towards the start of the Portal and Poison Spider trails.  The trail down is wide (about fifteen feet) on slabs of smooth rock strata that is tilted around 20 – 30 degrees.  The trail is marked by white paint dashes almost obliterated by the gradual blackening of the rocks by rubber left from the climbing jeeps and vehicles. The art of descending is to control your speed mainly with the rear brake and jumping up or dropping down the ledges and ridges between the smooth areas of inclined rock planes. It is a fairly fast ride and you descend at around 15 – 12 mph.  They hold a competition and the leaders take about 4 minutes!  We then rode back to the campsite about 8.30 p.m., had appetizers of Brie and crackers, cooked an Italian dinner of pasta, vegetables with chicken strips accompanied with red wine.   During the evening we had gusts of strong wind.  After going to bed the gusts increased in strength, (maybe 50 mph).  1 a.m. rain began.  Tim, Paul and John F put all the helmets and camelbacks under cover, we also collected any items left outside the tent.   Around 4 am the rain became heavy with strong winds.  In the morning several people had wet clothing and bedding from water which had run under the tents. Also one of the canopy poles was bent.  

Sunday May 12

Arose 7 a.m. for breakfast of scrambled eggs, vegs. and bagels.  9 am everybody rode to the start of the Porcupine Rim except Dave and John F.   We left later in the BMW X5 and waited for the group’s arrival.  The road had been improved from last year with a rolled surface of class five.  Most agreed that riding was the better way to go.  The morning was cool with a slight wind, which once we had begun was just right.  It was a great ride; except for Tim who did not feel well, still suffering from a cold and then adding to his problems one of his pedals broke apart leaving him with only the spindle.  Tim made it to the top and Dave and he then rode back down to the BMW and returned to the campsite. Paul and Rob left early to have a fast ride back, with the rest of us following.  Views were as great as ever although the single-track trail is becoming worn from usage.   We had just reached the road to start back when Dave arrived in the BMW to give us a ride – a perfect ending to a great ride.  At camp 3 pm, lunch of salmon and risotto with Sara’s dessert.   After a relaxing afternoon, we prepared the bikes and loaded the trailer for the morning.

Monday May 13

Arose 6.30 a.m. Had breakfast and packed food, cooler and tables.  8.30 a.m. we drove with two vehicles to Fruita.   Reaching the start of the Grand Loop about 10.30 am, we began with Mary’s Loop which was a great ride, mainly single track with different scenery  (greenery versus rocks).

Taking a left to portage down a steep rocky path, similar to the Hidden Valley portage but much shorter, we went down about 100 feet to a plains area – still way above the Colorado River.    This was a clockwise loop called Horse Thief Bench, which took us through brush to look down over the Colorado River.   Continuing we rode into what must have been a flood washed creek bed.     It was undulating as it swooped around and eventually returned to the bluffs at the point we had descended.    We climbed out and continued on Mary’s Loop before turning left to Steven’s Loop.  This was a short cut to Handcuff Loop.  John F continued on Steven’s Loop and waited for the group’s return.  They said the loop had again gone out towards the Colorado River weaving around some bluffs before returning.  We continued on Steven’s Loop.  At this point there was a 100 yards cut down to the gravel road, John F took this while the rest followed the trail onto the Moore Fun trail.   John F had just started the ride back to the parking lot when Paul who had a slow leak in his rear tire joined him.  Paul fixed the puncture about 1.40 pm.  We sat talking overlooking views of the town of Mica, all except Carey and Tim arrived at

3 p.m., they came 30 minutes later.  Tim had slid off the trail and become entangled with a pine tree so that he was unable to release his foot and had to wait for Carey to help him.  We loaded the vehicles, stopped at a Subway restaurant for lunch and started to try to find our afternoon ride on road 18. We eventually drove back into town to check at the local bike store for directions and finally arrived at 4 p.m.  It was very hot.  We began with Zippety Doo Da and after an hour Rob and John F took a cut back to the parking lot while the others continued to do Prime Cut and Chutes and Ladders.

They returned about 6 pm having been unable to find Chutes and Ladders.  Three women in the parking lot said they had just done this so Dave W, Todd and Dave Stahl and Paul set out to find it.  In the parking lot we started talking with a local rider, he told us of a short cut to get to the middle of Chutes and Ladders so John I, John F and Carey followed his directions.   We went across a fairly flat plain that had frequent straight man-made ridges about 10’ high x 15’ wide that ran across the plain for runoff water control.    We reached the Chutes and Ladders trail and had a great ride of ups and downs on a mainly downhill terrain with some exciting rides across drainage ditches 20’ deep x 40’ wide.  A short climb brought us back to the parking lot where everyone had returned. We then discovered that we had left the stove at camp and also that it was becoming dark so left 7.30 pm to return to Moab.   Dave, John I and Paul left ahead in the BMW to cook the meal and we returned slowly with the trailer to Fruita on a rutted gravel road.  Arrived at camp around 10.30 pm. for a meal of rice, meat chunks and wine and bed 11.45 pm.

Tuesday May 14

Arose 7 a.m. breakfast of pancakes.  Bike maintenance, loaded the trailer and left for Flat Pass 10.20 a.m.  Paul rode to the start.   This year we did it in reverse from our usual direction beginning at the golf course end.   After unloading, around 10.30 a.m. Dave W, Todd and Dave S. drove the van to Ken’s Lake (the end of the trail) and biked back into town.   The rest of us rode the trail.  The four creek crossings were low in water this year so easily rideable.  The beds of small round rocks called baby heads were less obnoxious this year since vehicles had driven them further into the sand and were not so loose.  The recent rain also helped with the sandy sections at the start and finish so better riding.  Due to our late start the sun was well up as we rode into the trail, but a fresh breeze made it pleasant and also gave Dave W, Todd and Dave S. an easier ride back to camp.   Around the halfway point Paul and Rob rode on as they intended to ride all the way back to camp.  John I, John F and Tim returned to the van and reached camp around 3 p.m.  Had lunch of left over pasta and ham.  Lazy afternoon and prepared bikes, fitting lights for an evening ride.

Loaded the trailer and left camp 6.15 pm for the 29 miles drive on Highway 128 to Dewey Bridge, then went on the Entrada Bluff gravel road winding up into the hills – part of the Kokpelli trail.  At 5.2 miles the trail leaves the gravel road striking out into the bush.  John F. stayed with the van and the group of eight took off for the 4.1 miles ride – rising approximately 2,000’ to the Bluff line that is 2,600’ above the valley floor.  The idea was to reach this in time for the sunset before returning using lights.  The group returned 9.30 p.m. saying they had just missed the sunset, but the view was terrific.  Returned to camp 10.50 p.m.

Wednesday, May 15

Arose 6.15 a.m. Loaded the trailer and left at 8 am for The Arches.  We took Highway 131 past the entrance of The Arches and onto the turnoff at the Bar M Chuck wagon.  John F had left his shoes at camp so Dave W drove him back since was not going on the ride and the group left.  We agreed to meet at the pump house.   We returned in the BMW and took a later turnoff for the Pump House going on a jeep track.  Made intercom contact with John I. who could see us although we could not see him.   He guided us to the Pump House and then everybody arrived.

We rode on a jeep trail past some slick rock to the entrance to Arches Park and continued to Balance Rock for a picture session.   On leaving we took a long sweeping road down for a mile and a half reaching 43 mph.   Found we had gone in the wrong direction and had to turn around and make the long grind back again!    We took the road out of the park and made a fast ride down highway 31 to be back in camp by 1.30 p.m. After lunch of chicken strips and pasta we had an easy afternoon before Tim and John F. took the group with the trailer to Amasa Back, arriving 4.30 p.m.   Tim and John F. watched three vehicles descend the trail and maneuver and climb out at the steep ending.  It was a slow process and they helped each other over the rocky steps by talking the driver through.  We talked to one of them who told us they had been nearly eight hours going up and down Amasa Back.  They had a Toyota pick-up, a Dodge Ram pick-up and a Toyota Four-runner.  He told us the latter, which looked like a standard vehicle had $15,000 of modifications, it was turbo charged with custom aluminum bumpers, which alone cost $1,500.  He said they had to use the tow strap a couple of times on the ride. We returned to camp around 7.40 p.m. to prepare dinner of pork chops, rice and left over pasta and wine with rice pudding for dessert.  Group returned around 8 p.m. they said it was a good ride and they had gone on at the top of Amasa Back to the very end around the corner (we had not done this before).  The trail was very vague and not obvious where you would go down to the river as a loop return.

We all agreed it had been the best ever trip with good temperatures (in the 80’s) excellent rides and food and very little mechanical or personal injuries. We reviewed the equipment lists and then prepped the bikes, bed around 10.45 p.m.

Thursday May 16    

Up at 6.15 a.m. Dave S, Todd, Tim and Carey loaded their bikes and John I. drove them at 6.45 a.m. to Slickrock. The rest of us started to break down camp with the Slickrock group returning at around 9.30 a.m. Dave W, Paul and John I pulled out around 11.30 a.m. and the rest left at 11.45 a.m. Drove to the sandwich shop in Moab for lunch and finally pulled out at 12.26 p.m.

Friday May 17

Arrived at Sara and John’s 7.34 a.m.  Quickly unloaded the gear and cleaned the truck. Dave S. took the truck with Todd, Rob and Carey.  The end of another great Moab Mountain bike trip.