More Moab

We tried to squeeze in the big Moab ride this weekend. We set out with two goals. 1. Not to end up like Chad and end up sleeping on the trail; and 2. Not get lost. It is easy to see how the two are somewhat dependent on the other.
Because we were staying in town, but still needed a food drop we decided to drive to the Bar M trail head and leave a car there. Chris enjoys listening to the radio while getting his stuff together. We did this for maybe ten minutes and then the car died or the battery did. So we tried pop starting it. No dice. So we got it jumped and then we were off. We went directly to Sovereign out and back. We got a bite at the car and then took off up Gemini Bridges Road, Gold Bar, and Golden Spike. In an effort to meet our second objective, Chris suggested we follow the blue dot trail as it was much better (more recently marked) than Golden Spike. Golden Spike was really faded. We seemed to be able to follow blue dot on and off and it seemed to save us some time.

On part of Golden Spike we saw this spectacle. The picture is not really clear but there was a jeep with about four kids standing on the bumper. Granted they were giggling and having a good time. But as Chris stated he seemed to roll his Bronco when he was least expecting it. I don't have kids so I guess I cannot comment on the parenting, but I can voice my opinion on this being not safe.

Potential negligent homicide

Towards the end of Golden Spike, something strange was going on with my cranks. They felt like they were slipping or something. And every once in a while, my pedal stroke felt weird. We stopped and looked at it. It looked fine. We stared going again but I could still feel as though something was off. That is when I noticed it. My crank arms were not aligned. It would move between two different positions depending on whether I was pedaling or standing on my pedals.

Is this normal?

So I limped through Poison Spider, Potash Road, and the old highway back to the car--which did not start at first. We had to push start it. We spent the evening getting the battery checked and a potential fix.

The aluminum insert spun in the carbon

The morning was spent looking for a cheap replacement crank arm. We checked Moab Cyclery, Poison Spider, Rim Cyclery, and Chile Pepper who finally had something we could use. Chris was getting frustrated; he thought it was going to be easy to find something. Thankfully, we were able to throw something on so we could ride today.

A heavy non-drive side temporary crank arm

So we were able to ride Amasa Back and Pot Hole Arch. It was pretty busy with both mountain bikers and jeeps. I got my trashed kicked on the trail. More on that later; maybe the crank arm incident was a sign.

Atop Amasa Back

My favorite view in Moab

Porcupine Rim in November

We rode Porcupine Rim yesterday. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving. I opted to bring the big wheels down. The shock on my FS seems to be leaking air. The Superfly is super fly though so I am not complaining. Chris was pretty excited to get started.

We rode this trail about a month ago with Dan, Keith, and Adam. There were some icy sections with remnants of snow. This time there was not just icy frozen sections but real snow sections.


Of course we are no strangers to riding in snow, so we took it in stride. What was nice is once we got out of the shadows it was really warm again. It did make some of the climbs more difficult and not worth spending much time on them.


Overall the trail was in great condition. We were not trying to blast through it but we were making decent until we ran into some BASE jumpers landing on the bike path on the way back. It was a pretty fun distraction. It is so cool to hear the chute open up. That is my favorite part. One guy did a flip off the cliff.

A view from the Porcupine single track

At the Movies

Chris and I work for the same company. And while this is the only company I have worked for in "corporate America", I think it is a great company that values it's employees. As part of its employee appreciation, it sent us all to the movies. They rented out a bunch of showing of two different films of which we got to choose--New Moon or Planet 51. Chris and I decided to go to our own movie though and ironically it included Area 51.
We picked the 2:22 pm showing, so we rolled out of work around 2 pm. We went to our favorite "theater" Timp Park. It was empty except for Racer who was just leaving. He watched a film on mushing. From there we watched one of our favorite films. It is one that we have seen several times. In fact this one we saw this exact same movie on Wednesday last week. I chose a different "seat" though so my experience was a bit different, better. This "seat" was not as plush but equally comfortable and a bit more enjoyable.
The thing about this movie is you actually feel like you are in it. Almost like a ride at Universal Studios. The movie is an outdoor film, some might call it a documentary. We watched the hero and heroine climb steep sections of trail, traverse side hills, descend fast flowy sections. The theater was temperature controlled, but it got warm some times and cool others. It ended almost cold. My toes were feeling it. There were snowy sections and the heroine had trouble climbing some in the snow. She could not complain about her experience though; she seemed very grateful for the opportunity to just be outside.
More people showed up during the movie, but we were so into it we didn't even notice until we were leaving. There was even that couple that makes out through the whole movie. Luckily, we did not have to witness it this time.
I can't wait to watch the sequels.

Snow Hurts

We tried to sneak out between storms. It started to look really nice, but we waited too long. We hit Bonneville Extreme South (ES) up by Slate Canyon. The sun was out; things looked good. About 30 minutes into the ride though it got dark. The wind picked up and started throwing little ice crystals at my face. I can handle snow, but this stuff just stung like crazy around my eyes. We were heading back from Springville and the wind was mean. It was not so much that it impeded forward progress, but it made it difficult to see and breathe. It ended up being another short ride. I am going to keep trying though. I know if I persist I will get a good ride in.

Chris not enjoying himself so much

Snow accumulation on my bike

Snow falling on single track

It got cold

I think winter is starting to settle in. I guess I cannot complain too loudly; it is mid-November. I still hate to see it happen. Today, I tried to squeeze in a ride. I was semi-successful. I got a ride in, but it was a quickie. My toes got cold. I was good climbing, but maybe that is because the ride started out heading up. The trail was wet but not really muddy. I had a tentative plan, but then deviated from it. I was not going to go to the altar, but I just kept climbing and ended up there.

Just below the altar

A bit of snow

I then turned down Frank's. I chose my single speed this morning in anticipation of mud. Gears would have been safe, but I was not sure how much moisture the trails got or how much they would potentially dry out. The one speed was not a bad choice, but rigid really bothered my thumb. It is still giving me grief.

Top of Franks

I took it nice and easy down Franks and Dragon's Back. Not just because of my thumb issues, but it was wet which can equal slick. And while Chris was not there to tell me to take it easy, I still heard him say it in my head. I was only out for an hour, but it was better than nothing. I got back to the car before I even needed to turn my light on. I am a pansy, I know.

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.

November Nights

We did a night ride last night and it was perfect. Granted my light set up was less than ideal, but now I know. Chris and I had planned to do night rides as the weather has been warmer. So just like before the end of daylight savings (why does that have to end?) we headed to the mouth of the canyon post-work. We suited up with lights and headed out. We had just under an hour of daylight before we needed to leverage our "artificial light". The weather was great. Yeah, there were cold spots but delightful warm spots too. This reminded me of swimming in a lake or other body of water only I did not have to push out the thought that is was probably urine making it warm.
We also met up with Josh, Jay, Gretta, and Dan. It is always fun to meet up with others on the trail. I wish we were doing the same thing tonight but I have to be a grown up and take care of some responsibilities like Young Womens. Although it may be for the best as my hand/thumb/wrist is incredibly achy...still.