Long Weekend in the SE

Chris and I decided to take some time off to compensate for the time spent at convention. We actually found some friends to join us. Chris, Dan, and I left Thursday morning for Moab. Dan had never really experienced Moab. He had done Klondike Bluffs, but that is about it. Travesty! We went into town for water. Due to construction, we parked just north of the bridge and jumped on our bikes and headed towards Sovereign Trail. We veered off the direct route so Dan could experience Bar B, Rockin A, and Circle O. Then on to the joy that is Sovereign. The trail was in great condition. I was a bit nervous because I was on the kids bike--my HiFi XC. Sovereign was a blast and we are pretty sure Dan liked it. We camped at Sand Flats and had brats warmed over the fire.
In the morning we met up with Keith and Adam in town. The five of us rode back up Sand Flats road to Porcupine Rim. There was snow in some of the shady areas which made some of the rocky climbs more challenging. Chris ate it on one move. He fell and hit his ribs on some ledges. They have been a bit sore since. Coming down Porcupine was a blast. I love that trail and the squishy front and back was luxurious. We rode down and back to town. We ate at the city park, reminisced for a bit, and then hit the classic Slick Rock, just so Dan could say he rode it. We finished just as it was getting dark.
Friday night Jesse, Brady, Tim, and Jen came down to ride Saturday. In the Amasa Back parking lot the next day, we met up with the Washburn clan and company. We had a group of about 14. We went to the normal lookout and then beyond. We returned and did the Pothole Arch Trail, but this time we actually made it to Pothole Arch. On the way back, Jesse, Brady, Chris, and Dan took Jackson's Trail back to the road. I was not willing to give up some of my favorite downhill. The review was Jackson is a bit intimidating and maybe not worth it. That was my interpretation of what they said anyway. Then we went back out to Sovereign yet again. It was even more delightful the second time. We did the quickie version parking at the trail head.
On our final day, we (Dan, Chris, and I) headed out of Utah to our Eastern neighbor, Colorado. We did some riding in the Kokopelli area outside of Fruita. We headed out on Mary's Loop, dropped into Horse Thief, then hit Wranglers, and Steve's Trail. We then made the same mistake we made last time. We got lured into Moore's Fun by the name. By the end of the trail, I thought of several mnemonics to assist me in remembering that I don't care for this trail. Such as
1. It would be Moore Fun to not be walking my bike.
2. I can think of many Moore Fun trails.
3. Or simply, this is not Moore Fun.
Hopefully one of these will stick. We made it through the weekend with just some minor instances. I could not stay up right on Moore Fun. My front wheel was swallowed up by a hole on the second run of Sovereign. Chris went down once or twice--so luckily he could not tell me to be more careful. I think Dan had the cleanest weekend of riding. He was relatively dust free.
We think Dan had a good time doing Moab the Holley way. I never brought my camera because, I needed that pocket for a water bottle. Hopefully, others will share some photos. We had a good group of riders and it is always fun to ride with new people and get to know them.