Moab Fall '07 Day 1

The elder statesman finally made his pilgrimage from Tahoe back to the promised land of Moab. Hollywood and I decided to make a trip out to Moab to visit BillyG and Marty, and get in some over due riding. I also asked the Stallion if he wanted to make a trip to Moab, since he had never been there, he couldn't pass up the opportunity.

On the way out to Moab, we had to make a BillyG honorary stop at the Grill 'n Chill Diary Queen. We pulled into Moab late Thursday night, we checked into the hotel and called it a day.

The next morning we met Bill at the RV park and got packed up to ride a "new-to-us" trail. Along for the ride was an ol' Canuck that Bill met last year in Moab--wildman Darch.

We finally reached the trail head around 10:00 and headed out for the Baby Steps ride. I think Baby Steps is a great introductory ride to Moab. It has all the elements of Moab, slickrock, steps, dirt, sand, etc. and everyone was having a great time riding a new trail. The rider who seemed to be having the best time was the rookie Stallion.






We finished the Baby Steps ride, BillyG and Darch headed back to the RV-park, the 3 comrades headed out to Peace Tree to get some wraps. Then it was off to Amasa. To be safe, we packed lights and jackets in our packs. We rode to the very top of Amasa, took some pics and then headed back. On the way down we took another "new-to-us" trail and detoured onto Jackson's. This was a new thrill in Moab, definitely on the upper-end of technical. There were some gutsy moves made on the way down and at the end of the trail we had to climb out and head back to the car.





The ride ended with perfect timing--no light left as we packed up the bikes on the car. Day one, 25 miles and two new trails, not a bad day.

I think The Stallion was sold that he would be coming back, and we hadn't hit the 2 classics yet :-)...

Darch Mania

Every once in a while you meet someone on the trail that defines passion. Darch is a crazy Canuck that came to Moab a couple of years ago, and is now making the journey south a couple times a year. Darch has the enthusiasm of a teenager, and is always looking for a ride, no matter where the trail. I had a chance to ride with him on my first day in Moab. I hope that when I'm Darch's age that I'm just as enthusiastic, and ready to ride, eh...



What I really like about Darch is that he does what he wants. He rides with his full-face helmet on his handlebars, and on his head. When the trail gets "Gnarly, eh" the brain bucket goes on. When the trail goes "easy climb, eh" the helmet hits the handlebars.



When we were riding with that Darch that first day, the funniest thing he said was, "I'm glad your President has turned the Dollar into a third world currency, it makes it a lot cheaper for me to come to Moab." The next day I'm went to San Diego, and there's a report in USA Today that Merchants in Cuba are asking Americans if they can buy goods with either the Canadian Dollar, or the Euro. I guess Darch knows what he was talking about.





After the Moab leg of the trip, we headed to Fruita, and low-and-behold, DARCH! "These are some really nice trails, eh."



Ride on Darch! I hope I can ride with you again in the spring, or next fall.

Hallin' Ranch

In the past, I rode this trail a couple times a month. It's been about two years since I made a trip down South to ride Hall. The Stallion has never ridden in or around Lyons. Last Sunday, I finally made the trip back to Hall Ranch with the Stallion, and Hollywood.



The ride felt like a new trail that was hauntingly familiar. Hall is one of the most popular trails on the front range, and can be pretty busy on the weekends. Thankfully, by leaving later in the day, we missed a lot of the traffic.



There are a few technical challenges on Hall that are very doable, which makes this a fun trail to ride. It also provides a great opportunity to challenge one's self with a 'dab-free' ride.



We ended up riding every trail, along with doing the Nelson loop clockwise and counter-clockwise.



When all was said and done, we rode 14.4 mile and did approximately 2000 feet of climbing. At the end of the ride we ran into Mr. Redstone Cyclery. Dave is a great guy, his blog is on the right. If you have a Tuesday night open, ride with Dave.

Here's another short video of the rock garden.



The pics...

Spring Canyon Park

Last week Spring Canyon Park was opened in Fort Collins. It has a huge playground area for kids. There is a lot of equipment to play on. It also has a mountain/bmx bike skills park. I went there with the kids and checked out the skills park an took a few pictures.



This could definitely be a good place to stop by on the way home after a ride. It should be fun to try and ride some bridges, ramps, and trees.



To reach the park, drive west on Horsetooth Road until you can't drive anymore...