Moab Trip email dump

Hello Everyone,

Rather than fill up your inbox with separate emails for each day of the trip, I've gathered them all up in one huge list. Included here are the first couple I sent out from my regular email address and the last couple I wrote but didn't yet send out. So, if you keep scrolling, there's new material in here.

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Day One and a half

“Well, we’re actually here. Cheers guys.” It’s 10 pm and that was the sentiment felt by all around the table and expressed by Jason as we sat down for dinner.

It’d been in Utah for a day and a half, and we had finally made it to our rental place. Everyone was feeling pretty good, tired but excited and a bit apprehensive about the riding we had signed up for. We were also feeling good because the place we had rented exceeded the pictures from the website. That’s a rare thing, and the pictures were pretty good, but this place is amazing. It’s spacious, well laid out, and well appointed.

It’s the kind of house that was well thought out before it was built, and is well designed for the location. It wouldn’t work at home, it’s a lot of poured concrete and open space and no basement, so Jonny and Dave have been nerding out on the construction of the place.

Before we got here, we spent a few hours in Salt Lake before Jason got in. Seemed crazy to be there and not check out the temple and the tabernacle and such, so Jonny, Dave, Chris and I went to the temple square, which is the section of the city that houses the main church buildings. We wandered around a bit, totally not looking out of place, and eventually made our way into the convention centre.

We had originally just wanted to make our way to the roof as it afforded a good view, but upon entering the building, we were met by a tour guide. He was an older gentleman and it didn’t look like we could get out of having a tour, so we went along. It turned out to be a good decision, as he was happy to give us a shortened version that featured the world’s largest auditorium as well as the roof. Like any good date, it ended before things got awkward.

The SUV we rented is pretty fancy. It’s big and roomy, which was good because it had to fit the five of us, and our bags for the 4 hour drive south from Salt Lake City to Moab. It was a fun drive, consisting mostly of extended discussions about bike gear, raising kids and a running commentary on our fellow travelers on the road.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Day Two

We got our first ride in today. Eventually. There were a couple of factors that were working against us hitting the trails bright and early. The first is that we’re all a bit older and had just done a full day of travelling, so we weren’t leaping out of bed and straight out into the wilds. We chose a civilized pace in the morning, with coffee and a big breakfast.

We headed out to the bike shop, which was a hive of activity on this Friday morning. It’s the biggest rental shop in the city, but we had made our reservations months in advance, and called a day before to make sure there were no issues, but of course, when we got there, there were issues. We ended up spending a long time while they sorted out getting a bike for Jason. Someone had let the one he had reserved out to someone else, and since they were all booked out of other bikes, they had to get a ladder and take a floor model down. It had been hanging on the wall.

Anyway, we got that sorted, and we were off. In the wrong direction. So we turned around. And then we were off for real. We found the trailhead and finally saddled up and immediately nerded out on how awesome our bikes are. That’s a running theme for this trip. The bikes are marvels of engineering: light but rugged, with amazing geometry and all the bells and whistles. We did about 9 miles on this section, a good introduction to the area.

The topography is very interesting. With absolutely no trees, you can see for miles and miles, and take in some amazing vistas, but you are also very exposed. The wind whips up often. Also, this morning we were greeted by snow. We leave our homes in the North, for a vacation in the desert and we wake up this morning to flakes coming down. No accumulation, but snow nonetheless. Every last one of us thought the heat was going to be an issue, but we’ve mostly been cold. We all threw in a long sleeve shirts or similar items of clothing at the last minute when packing, only to have them be the most import pieces we brought. I almost didn’t bring a sweatshirt.

We came back to the house for a late lunch and dip in the hot tub. I took a nap, because I’m on vacation dammit and I have standards. We went back out for a quick run in the evening to cap off the day.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We are taking a shuttle up into the mountains. They drop you off and you ride back into town. It’s a long run and it’s the area’s most popular set of trails. But it’s also an intense, high-mountain trails. I’m very excited.

Lastly, as we drove through town, we noticed that people were lined up on the sidewalks and corners, often taking pictures. We naturally figured that they were just impressed by a group of ruggedly handsome guys with killer bikes and a fancy car. But it turns out that there was a classic car rally this weekend. People had come from all over to drive their beautifully restored cars and custom affairs up and down the main drag. We saw some beauties. It was a cool, serendipitous element to the trip.

Day Three

Today was a big day. As mentioned, we planned to do a big system of trails, known as The Whole Enchilada. The name stems from the fact that the trails run from high up in the mountains all the way back into town. From top to bottom, it’s about 20 miles of mostly upper-intermediate and advanced level trails. Alongside a cliff. Partially in the snow.

I once got rained out in the desert, but this time it was snow that I unexpectedly encountered. At this time of year, there’s still decent amounts of it in the upper parts of the mountains, so you can’t go to very top, but you can get about three quarters of the way. Even here, the ground had about an inch of snow. I thought I was heading to the desert for a warm biking vacation. Apparently deserts can be cold. I feel like I was misled. The trail itself was pretty clear, so your tires were on the dirt, so that part was reassuring.

We booked the early shuttle, and with a bit of planning (that is, planning to leave a half hour earlier than we actually did), we were out the door on time. At the gathering point, we loaded up our bikes on top of a big van and joined 6 other people and had a bearded hippy drive us up a narrow mountain path. It took a while longer than we expected to get up there, making us nervous about how long it would take to get down. It didn’t help that the guy next to Chris was almost hyperventilating. You start to question your own level of anxiety when the guy next to you is fearing for his life. Should I be more afraid?

The trail wound along a canyon, giving us amazing views. But it also meant that on many occasions, we were a couple of feet away from oblivion. If you had to fall, make sure it was to the left. Better yet, just don't fall. That's probably the most prudent approach. Also, don't gawk at the scenery while biking. Keep your nose on the trail. If you want to admire the view, stop and get off your bike.

I hope that the pictures we took does it justice. As this is a very popular trail, and it was a Saturday, there were a lot of people out doing the same thing. It was a credit to the community though, everyone was in a good mood and looking out for each other.

There was one feature that I had read about and really wanted to try. It's called The Notch and is billed as the toughest feature in Moab. But in the moment, when faced with the decision, I opted out. My tires weren’t clean, and I wasn’t 100% comfortable with my bike yet, so I doubted my ability to do it. I know it was the smart decision, but it eats at me a bit. If I were to run the trail again, I’m confident I could handle it. But I can’t really complain, I’m still in one piece, and tried other challenges later on.

In the end, we cleaned it all and took about 4 hours to get back to town. We were flying pretty high then. The trail had exceeded our expectations as had the bikes. Absolutely worth the trip down.

Day Four

When I was fencing competitively, I trained hard, but it was mostly in the same place and with the same people. On a handful of special occasions, I got the opportunity to train with some of the best fencers in the world, when the national teams from various countries were all gathered for a world cup and we all trained together for a week. In those special times, my skill level spiked up. Just the level of competition itself forces you to up your game. It was an amazing feeling and is something that can only happen when you train with the best. No matter how hard you push yourself in your home gym, you need those situations. There is no recreating them.

Today, I felt the same thing about my biking. No matter how much I ride the trails back home, and those are good trails, unless you change it up and challenge yourself, you will always be fundamentally limited. After yesterday’s successful run on what is known as the signature trail for this area, we decided to tackle one of the toughest trails here. It’s also a local favourite, but every review of it says the same thing: it is not to be underestimated.

After a leisurely morning, we geared up and headed out. Jonny stayed back, preferring to do a bit of work. Modern technology has made finding trails a lot easier, and we were there in no time. The road to the trail head wound through a canyon carved by the Colorado river. Huge sheer rock faces bordered us on the left, while steep drops were to our right.

We found our spot and headed out on the trail. In terms of time, a solid two thirds was spent climbing at the beginning. Beautiful vistas, like delicious beers, are better when you've earned them. This was the first clear day we’ve had and as we climbed, we had incredible views of the surrounding rock faces and mountains in the distance.

This was pure Utah riding. Smooth red rock and small scrub brushes. There were a few features here that gave the trail its reputation, such as steep drops and turns that bordered sheer rock faces. Neither allow room for error.

As I said though, with the confidence we had from our runs so far, we hit them all cleanly. It’s an amazing feeling to be challenged by a trail and to be up to that challenge. It’s one thing to do tough trails back home, when you know them forwards and backwards, but here to take on a challenging trail the first time and clean it, it’s one of a kind.

Day Five

The Mona Lisa is small. It's also usually surrounded by people, but that is less a function of the painting itself. You read about it, the most famous painting in the world, but you get there and for most people, it's a little underwhelming. It's not that it's a bad painting, but if I didn't know it was the most famous painting in the world, I wouldn't have picked it out as the best work in the Louvre. Sometimes fame propels something beyond its own merits.

As a mountain biking trail, Slickrock isn't as famous as the Mona Lisa, but it is well known and has a quality that Leonardo's work doesn't: it didn't disappoint. This trail, considered one of the first, is famous for being famous as well, but when we were there, my first reaction wasn't "wow, it's smaller than I thought." It was "wow, the rock really does grip like velcro." That is to say, the trail totally met my expectations. It was awesome.

(Small aside - technically my first thought was "Man that sun is bright" but that's not germane.)

The name Slickrock is actually misnomer. The rock is famous for how grippy it is. It got the moniker because the rock is slippy for horses wearing metal horse shoes, as the first settlers discovered. But with rubber bike tires, it might as well be velcro.

We did the loop in about 3 hours, which is on the lower side of average. By this point, we were a bit more accustomed to awesome vistas, but you never really tire of them. The trail is known for its steep climbs and flowing descents, so by the end of it, our legs were screaming, but we were all smiling.

Comparing bike trails is a bit like comparing the relative merits of hockey players. Is the best goal scorer better than the best goalie? Trails that careen down mountains aren't the same experience as smooth rock trails, forest trails, or winding cross-country trails. Which is better? That's a judgment call. In that sense, I can't say that Slickrock is the best trail out there, but in it's own category, it's pretty hard to beat.

Day 6 and Wrap Up

On our last morning in Moab, we headed to an open riding area. It was similar to Slickrock, but without a defined trail. You just tool around on the rocks, taking whatever line you want. It was fun, but was further from the house than planned, so we only had about an hour there. After that, we rushed back , showered, packed the Armada and headed out. Not of town, of course. That would be silly. Our flights were still hours away. We went to another bike shop. Then we left town.

It says something that no matter what happened on this last ride, barring injury, the trip was a rousing success. Every big question broke in our favour. The trails were amazing, the house, the SUV, the bikes were all top notch. Nobody got injured. The group dynamic was great. The biggest complaint I have is that the pedals on my super expensive bike were sub standard. I can already feel your sympathy. I often hear the maxim that one should buy experiences not objects. I think that's simplistic. Not all experiences are great. And some objects, like expensive mountain bikes, are great. In fact, one of my favourite things is a combination of experiences and things. It's when you have a really expensive piece of gear and you use it to its full capacity. That's a great feeling. For a brief time, this trip allowed me to live my ideal lifestyle: pushing yourself physically hard for several hours every day, then spending the rest of the day preparing for the next. Eat lots, nap, relax. Maybe a healthy G&T in there. High School guidance counselors and career coaches sometimes ask "what would you do if you won the lottery". That's what I would do. Not sure I could do it forever, but for a week at a time, it's a deeply satisfying way to live.

wes

#Travel #Biking