Oh, what a day. I got off to a bad start, and it never really got much better. Forgot to put my computer away, forgot to put it in the truck, forgot my phone, the one video I tried to take did not work. AGH!

Today sucked.

No, nothing drastic happened. When I got back, everything was where it needed to be, so no harm done. On the ride, we went back to 18 Road, “gonna ride up Prime Cut, then do Chutes and Ladders, then come back, go do Kessel Run again”. Yeah! No. We DID go up Prime Cut, and it wasn’t too bad, though my legs were a lot more tired than I expected or hoped. We hit the top of the trail, looked at Chutes and Ladders, it is STEEP. We went up about 100 feet, to the first switchback … it gets STEEPER. I believe the comment was “Ah, screw it! Can’t do this today – Let’s go do Kessel Run and go home!”. So, we go back down, head for KR, I turn on my camera, so I can get my only video of this run – last time, my battery ran out before we hit KR. This time, I saved it! Didn’t turn it on until just now, its only job is to video KR!

Yeah. The problem with the Contour cameras, is that sometimes something happens, cosmic rays,  “the fog”, I don’t know, but you end up with an unplayable file. Has not happened in over a month, but it happened today. On my favorite trail. AGH! Sometimes I hate technology. Well, I’ll get it next year.

And I forgot my phone, so no photos either. AGH!

Alright, all done. Tomorrow, we head towards Kansas.

Back in GJ! Nice to be here – there’s some really good riding.Glad we saw the Colorado National Monument when we were here a month ago, because we could not see it now! You know why, and by now I think you know how I feel about it, so I’ll spare you.

Got Junior’s oil changed yesterday so he’s ready for the trip home, which will be here sooner rather than later … bummer.

BUT – today we rode! Went back to Fruita, to re-ride parts of 18 Road. Well, that was the plan. We DID go out there, and we DID ride, but none of the old stuff. everything we did today was new to us, and it was almost all great. We parked at the Southern Trailhead, then decided to take the road North to the Northern Trailhead where the trails we want to ride today start. We could have taken Prime Cut instead, and it IS a very nice trail, but we wanted to break our legs in slowly. Good idea, because my right knee was barkin’ at me most of the way. Luckily, it got its act together by the time I got to the trailhead, so the ride was off to a good start. I was tempted to take Kessel Run back down, as last time it was the most fun we’d had out here, but we really needed to try something new, so instead, we took Frontside, which goes West and runs into Western Zip. The only concern for me was that Frontside is a black diamond trail. Ah, what the hell! Started out climbing, climbing, climbing … I was starting to wonder about the choice we made, but soon it leveled out, then went down and snaky. Love those snaky trails, it’s like a slalom! Then, of course, more climbs. And then we found out why it was a black diamond – down, down, DOWN it went, super steep, for about a quarter of a mile. Parts of it were barely hanging on the edge of the mountain, which had me puckering quite a bit, but I made it! Serious downhills, VERY fast, if you weren’t careful to brake early, but nothing really dangerous. Fun trail. Here are some shots from the top:

And this one:

Gives you a bigger view. Here’s a pano:

We rode towards the right, then straight down, then about a fourth of the way up those mountains you see straight ahead, and left, all the way off the left side of the photo, behind those hills on the left. Let me get some screen captures of the downhill parts from my video.

It sure looked a lot steeper than that while I was riding it!

This part REALLY made me scrunch!

And here you can see where and how the trail continues off to the left. Fun stuff!

Ok, here is the beginning of the REALLY steep part:

You can see the trail waaaay down there on the left. That’s maybe half a mile from where I am! Think about how steep it has to be … there were two really sharp switchbacks, here is the first:

Yes, that’s the trail above the shadow of my head, as it doubles back on itself, and that tree just left  and above my head, is about six feet tall! I’m probably twenty feet above the base of that tree. As I try to make that sharp left, this happens:

Yes, that’s my left hand just coming off the handlebar …

This shot is 0.4 seconds later – just 12 video frames! My left arm is straight out, trying to regain my balance, or catch myself, or …

0.4 seconds later – bike is on the ground. Shadow is of my GPS/Holster/Camera – that’s the big shadow in the center of my handlebars.

This is 0.4 seconds later, my shadow appears top of frame.

Last frame, 0.4 seconds later, that bush, top of frame, just to the right of the big rock, is in shadow. That’s the last of my shadow in frame until it’s all over.

Ass over elbows? Thankfully, no. I had lowered my seat, which saved my ass. I stopped mid-switchback, and lost my balance. Put down my left foot, hopped on it a few times, tried valiantly to regain my balance, started to fall left (where you saw my hand come off the left handlebar), when my arm was straight out, I decided to just let go of the bike, which is why the bike hit the ground so fast, and thankfully, I was able to step off left and forward, and within two steps had stopped myself and returned to the bike. Lucky? You bet your ass! Hopped back on and continued the ride, but checked my shorts anyway, just to be safe – still clean! Not sure how that happened!

We got to the end of this, much more gnarly terrain, but not so steep, almost all rideable, and it crosses Western Zip, which we took. If you take Frontside all the way out, it ends up at a road as the only way back to the trailhead (unless you backtrack), and you know how we feel about riding roads …

Anyway, Western Zip was a mile of nothing but slight downhill, weaving gently left and right, otherwise a straight line. 10 mph plus, just taking it easy, no need to pedal. Sweet! At its Southern end, it ends at a jeep road, and Zip Off takes off to the East, toward the trailhead. This is just mostly level ground, weaving through the scrub brush, lots of pedaling, but kind of fun. After two miles, it ends at Zippyty Do Da, which comes down from the North (it starts at Frontside, at about Frontside’s middle). To continue, we get on Zippity, which is a twisty half mile of fun back to the trailhead. One FUN afternoon! We were going to ride Prime Cut North and take Kessel Run back after a bit of a rest, but we got into a conversation with a couple of older California guys we met up on Frontside, so after that we were too hungry to keep riding. A pizza was calling my name!

I think we’ll come back here tomorrow.

No photos today, I got lazy. But we rode! We got up kind of late, but I did not mind, my body obviously wanted the rest. Didn’t wake up until just a couple of minutes before nine. Wow. Have not slept that late in a looong time. Anyway, coffee, bagel, then off to Bar M once more. Yes, Outerbike is still going on, but supposedly the trails are still open. We park by the pay station (no envelopes, so we could not pay today – if you want people’s money, provide them the materials to give it to you, I’m not just going to shove five bucks in a box without letting you know it’s from me).

Anyway, we ride North 40, a trail we have not ridden yet, and I’m hawking up a lung for the first half of the ride. Also, my right knee is bothering me. Damn! I keep going, though not very fast, and when we finish that trail, we decide to re-ride two we rode the other day, but this time in the opposite direction, which is good, because that’s the preferred direction today. We ride EZ North to South, then come back on Lazy, and they flow MUCH better in this direction. At the end of it, we decide to call it a day. Only about nine miles, but that makes 20 miles for today and yesterday. Not a bad number. Well, we have to get packed up, as we’re moving tomorrow. We’re giving up on the National parks, and headed back East, not on a Southern route as we’d planned, because all the parks are closed, so we’re going straight across towards Kansas. Tomorrow it’s Grand Junction, CO.

Ah, a good day today! We got to ride! It was a cold morning, so we didn’t rush out the door. Late morning we headed to Sand Flats Recreation Area, where the Slickrock Trail is. Here’s a shot of the trail, if you’ve never seen it:

If you look at the guy on the far right, coming up the hill, just to his right, and also a bit in front of him, you can see some white stripes, about a foot long by three inches wide – yeah, that’s the trail! They paint it right on the rock! We got about half a mile into it and had had enough. Not our cup of tea. Give me a dirt trail ANY day – I can ride concrete every day in any city in the world, and that’s what it felt like to ride slickrock. I’ll pass, and we did.

So, early finish, we can go to Klondike! And we do! Klondike is interesting. Feels pretty new, and several of the trails we ride ARE new. They’re easy, not very technical to start, but it’s still fun. A lot of the first few miles is VERY sandy, and that’s a challenge all its own. On the way back, we get off the easy trails we’ve been on and return on Dino-Flow, an intermediate-easy trail, which is a BLAST to ride. What a way to end the day!

Yup, that’s what it looked like! I’ve got some close-ups, too. Here’s a few:

That’s where we came from. Then there’s this one:

That’s where we’re headed! And here’s a pano:

We came from the trail on the right, and are heading out to the area out front left. Eventually returning to the start. almost 12 miles, not quite – GPS said 11.34. Here’s a map of the trails:

We started at the bottom trailhead, then went up the lower left green trail (Jurassic), hit the left side of all those brown trails on the left, (Jasper West and Agate West), then came back via the other brown trail (Agate East), where we headed a bit North-East to catch Dino-Flow back toward the start. Great ride!

Not sure where we’ll ride tomorrow, but it’s our last day here – have to start heading back. Wish we could have seen the National Parks!

Ok, another freezing-ass cold day. And it rained again. Stayed in until almost noon, had lunch, then decided to go out and check out the trailheads on a few trails, which we plan to ride tomorrow. We’re also kind of hoping (HAH!) that our idiots in congress can get the government going, or at least the National Parks, so we can continue our vacation. Jackasses.

Anyway, we went out to see the Slickrock Trail, and it looks interesting, but of course, while out there, we saw some rain coming in:

And to add insult to injury, as we got close to the end of the road, it started to snow!

You can’t really tell from the photo, but take my word for it – it’s snowing!

We headed back down the road, out of that park, and headed out North of town, to some other trails that showed promise. As we drove out, looking back we saw this:

Yes, more rain!

Well, the trails looked good, out at Klondike Bluff, so we’re going to go back tomorrow to ride them, unless we decide to go to do the Slickrock Trail. I doubt we can do both the same day.

This is what the area around the Bluff looks like:

The good part was that on the drive back, the rain had stopped:

So, cold again tonight, but tomorrow is supposed to warm up – keep your fingers crossed!

BTW – Have a pano!

Ah, feeling so much better today! Today, we ride!

Got up fairly early, took a shower to clear out my nose, got dressed in my bike stuff, and we headed out to Bar M, a few miles North of town. We had scouted it out yesterday, and were looking forward to riding out there. We started on some easy trails, because I don’t want to push myself, and The Bear needed to get used to her new brakes. The first loop we did was fairly easy, comprised of two trails, EZ and Lazy, very nice, quite easy trails, so we went for a hard one, Deadman. Now, there was a challenge! We’ve been on harder trails, but it still had its moments. Good riding! And great scenery!

That’s a really wide pano of the area, here’s a closer one of another area:

Great scenery! Here’s another shot of another area:

We got most of the way through it, to a bailout point, and I decided to bail out. We’d ridden about six miles, and even though I felt fine, I decided not to push myself too much. I’d rather ride 6 today and 12 each of the next two days, than ride 12 today and get sick all over again, or weakened, and not be able to ride as much the next two days. Reluctantly, we cut it short, but only for today. Definitely want to go back tomorrow!

On the way back to town, we stopped by the bike shop to find out what was going on out at Bar M – a big tent had been set up, and there were vehicles from a lot of major bike manufacturers, and accessory companies. Turns out it’s a big “ride the latest bikes” shindig. For a mere $150, you get three days of riding all kinds of bikes, and free shuttle rides to a lot of local trails, and food, and beer … where do we sign up? Well, we don’t. Sold out. Rats! Would have been cool!

Ok, so we head back home, and get stopped by cops. Lots of cops! Ok, not us specifically, but everyone – there’s a motorcade coming through Moab, and we have to wait for it to pass:

What could it be?

Alright! The Utah Fallen Warriors Memorial.

Don’t know where they were headed, but off they went, and in a few minutes, so did we.

Got home, showered, relaxed a bit, and realized we were missing some dinner stuff, then also realized it’s Farmer’s Market day … so … off to the Market!

Slim pickings, only about half a dozen stalls set up, but we got some salad stuff, and just as we were done picking out dinner … it starts to rain. It’s only sprinkling, but this is the desert! It’s not supposed to rain much, so we should be ok. We get back, start making the salad, it’s still sprinkling, and then a bit after six, it starts raining – a pretty good rain, especially for the desert! And it rains for five solid hours! It’s not eleven thirty, and it recently quit! The curse is still with us!

I swear, next year we’re selling our rain services around the country!

Tonight, I’m going to bed. I’ve had all the fun I can stand!

Oh, yeah, one more thing – I found one of my favorite things at the Farmer’s Market – Cheesecake!

Of course, the damned hippies out here had to make it gluten free, so how good could it possibly be? I decided to chance it, ’cause I really love cheesecake … oh. my. god! I wish I’d bought both of them! The texture of the crust is a bit funny, but the flavor! … Oh. My. God!! WHERE’S THAT CAKE LADY???

Another sick day. And I slept ALL day. Ok, almost all day. Got out of bed at 3 this afternoon. Feel a LOT better. I’ll be ready to ride tomorrow. We’ll go to Bar M.

But tonight, it’s into town for dinner. Walked around for a while first, bought some T-shirts, other gifts, looked at a lot of places … food is expensive in Moab! Finally went by a place I’d been to before, the last time I was here back in ’08:

Yeah, Eddie McStiff’s. Don’t order anything with a creamy white sauce, I guess!

I had the Fish & Chips, with fries and cole slaw. Sounded ok:

I took one bite and found the cole slaw! Seriously, at this point, I’ve only had one bite of fish. There’s more tartar sauce than there is cole slaw! Seriously! Oh, well. The fish was ok, and the slaw wasn’t that good.

Sick … yuck. Nasty cold has really taken hold, and I feel like crap, so there’s no way I’m riding today. Well, we may not be riding anyway. Late last night we took The Bear’s bike in to Rim Cyclery to get the front brake fixed. Before we left on the trip, she crashed at Rowlett Creek Preserve and bent the  lever on her front brake. And NOBODY has a replacement lever, unless you want to pay $150 for a carbon fiber lever. They do seem to have those in stock. No thanks. Anyway, she’s been trying to get it fixed ever since, asking at every bike shop along the way. When we were in Fruita, those guys straightened out the lever (I didn’t think that was a good idea, but …). A few days later, the little pivot inside the lever broke, and made the front brake near useless.

Good news! Rim Cyclery called Specialized and they said to warranty both brakes and send them back! So she gets new Shimano XT (to replace the stock Maguras) brakes for $100! Retail was $340, so she’s a happy camper! But I’m still too sick to ride.

I know! Let’s go to Arches National Park! I can walk even if I feel miserable. Yeah.

Why, thank you SO MUCH, Congresscritters! We need to fire every single person in the House AND the Senate, and start over, hopefully with better results. I hate to talk politics, but those folks are each only out to screw over the other party, regardless of what it does to the country. Can you guys PLEASE grow up and just do your damned JOBS? Which, by the way, is to REPRESENT your CONSTITUENTS, NOT necessarily your party. If the two are the same, great. If not, too bad for your party.

Anyway, on to better topics. So, we have bikes, but I’m still sick. I figure the smartest thing to do is to sleep, to try and get better faster. But first, a shower. That always helps me feel better. Do you wonder why they felt the need to post this in the shower? Mind you, it’s only a shower, nothing else:

It’s a tiny room with a shower stall, and outside of the stall is a bench and some hook, the mirror, and the door. Really? Someone felt the desire to smoke in here that they had to post a sign? REALLY? What the hell is it with smokers? What part of “Non-Smoking Building” do you not understand? Does EVERY ROOM have to have its own sign? Really?

Oh, and guys, while I’m on the subject of bathrooms – if you ever see one of these:

DON’T OPEN IT! I’m serious! You’ll wonder what it is, and if you read what’s on the lid:

It’s VERY misleading! “Rubbermaid” is the manufacturer, not a trade name to tell you what it is! It has NOTHING to do with … well, anything you want to be involved with. TRUST ME! DON’T LOOK!