Okay there are a thousand Moab ride reports on here, but I just went there riding for the first time, so I'm doing one too. A couple years back I was doing Chicks and Beer reports at my wife's softball tournament weekends where I'd ride and explore in Montana, and was chastised for not having enough pictures of actual Chicks and Beer. I shall now remedy that. Anyway, after some planning and guessing, we all get loaded up at the Lazy R Ranch Montana branch for the trip. We means Mrs Shady (Val) and I, and friends Adam (ADV RezRoamer) and Clarissa. Adam just built a 6x12 enclosed to make a handy-dandy camp trailer with hot water, sink and shower, and fold down bed etc. Val and I would tent it with my new cool little camp cots by Alps Mountaineering. We head down the road and get past Salt Lake City for the first evening's camp. We managed to keep ourselves entertained through the long journey. Mah Bitches Next day we are in Moab by noon, and checked into Ron's Pack Creek Campground. We got set up and immediately hit the first trail we could, something called Steelbender/Flat Pass. The scenery is just jaw-dropping everywhere you go, and this was no exception. We made it as far as we could until we hit the part that gave the trail it's name, and we weren't doing extreme rock crawling so we explored around and made it back to camp. Okay, back to camp for refreshments! It had been a long couple of days driving down and doing some riding so the liquid pain killers and camp chairs were a welcome break. Next morning we get up and prepare for some real riding. This will take some body fuel, so I start up the Coleman. BACON! Eggs, taters we foiled and put on the campfire coals night before, some peppers and other odds and ends. Now our ride would be the Sand Flats area, where the rock buggies crawl up the slickrock. We didn't go clear into those areas, which you have to do some trials riding into. But the road through the area was very cool. That road winds around and you come out up on top of the Castle Valley. We took the road that winds around to the bottom, through the valley, and along the Colorado back to Moab. What a great ride that was. Okay that was a pretty good morning ride, 3 1/2 hours or so. Time for a cool-down. After lunch, Adam and I were ready to go tackle some country, and the girls decided to just relax out at Ken's Lake. Montana chicks dig trucks. We rode out Kane Creek road towards Chicken Corner cutoff, the took the Kane Creek trail towards Hurrah Pass. It was fantastic, and at times difficult and tiring with the big 650's. Lots of sand to ride, and 61 water crossings. Just WOW Got pretty knarly back towards the back. Climbing out this thing was a challenge! Up ledges and over boulders on steep stuff, on a big bike with highway gearing. But we did it. The guys you see standing there had big rock buggy Jeeps down in the bottom. They had just filmed Adam clawing his way up and out of there on his KLR and were watching the replay. I bet we're on some 4x4 forum now, titled "Look at these Montana rednecks on big giant thumpers trying to be rock crawlers." Finally got up to the top, back to the highway, and to camp for a well-earned cold one! More to come...
Saturday was a pretty long day for a bunch of Montanans just coming out of hibernation and we were ready for some qualty campfire time to work past the saddle sores. So we grilled up some dinner, finished off this awesome pork roast that Adam smoked the day before we left, and just had the most relaxing evening. I'm pretty sure I was right about something here One thing I have to add: My oldest son, now a Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer in Denver, sent me the coolest Christmas present. It's a Bose bluetooth portable sound system. I just turn it on, sit there in my chair, and play whatever I have on my phone which I can command volume etc untethered to it. The sound is rich and wonderful. This thing was really nice to have around camp and added so much to the ambiance. Another note: You'll see tents behind our camp in some of the pictures. There was a large group from Houston with the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) organization. They take kids who are mostly from low income and underprivileged situations, and prepare them for college and keep them on the right track. This group was 6th graders, mostly all hispanic and black, and there were 61 kids and just a handful of chaperones. When we first saw them roll in on the buses we thought oh boy, this is going to be a screaming kid noise fest. Well, they were the nicest, quietest, most well behaved bunch of kids you'd ever see. We talked to several of them, and I complimented their counselors on what a great bunch they were. It was fun being next to them, although we were probably a bad influence. :) The next day we wanted to ride out to the Kane Creek/Chicken Corners road again so the girls could see it. Then we ended up riding from the intersection on the Chicken Corners road for some miles till we were over the top a ways. Gosh it was beautiful. And people say my bike hobby is dangerous! A word about the girls here. We just dragged them off into whatever we came across, and they handled their bikes like it was no big deal at all. The forded creeks, maneuvered deep sand, picked through rocky obstacles, and rode like champs. There were a handful of low-speed drops and get-offs, couple of bruises, but hardly a scratch on a bike nor damage to the body or soul. They were so fun to ride with, which makes these forays that much better. Petroglyphs at a spot on the way back Unfortunately, all good things must end, and so does our Moab trip of 2013. We packed up and began the long journey home. We bought some local Utah brew called Polygamy Porter. Kept ourselves entertained for all the hours in the truck Camped at the north end of Salt Lake For all who've been to Moab and explored the back country, I now understand when you say words or pictures just can't do it justice. Gotta be there to know. I will return to this other-worldly place of beauty and majesty as much as time allows, there is so much to explore and experience. What a fantastic trip, made so much better with good friends and the woman I love. Thanks for riding along! SR
Nice report so far. Very cool that the wives ride. I was up there a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the scenery. Love your home state as well. I have family in Bozeman that we go visit every couple of years.
Hi ya Steve!!! Looks like an outstanding ride!!! Great photos and narrative too. Really miss the old homestead.... and all you riders. Stay safe and ride like hell.. TC
gettin along as well as I can....Sure miss the high country ....but have found some great unique places here too. Am thinking about a trip to the Big Bend and our vacation will find us along the Atlantic Coast....Fla, Ga, SC, and NC. Glad you went to Moab as I think it is truely a fantastic place. You shoud try to make Zion NP when you can. PS... How's the new Strom doing for ya? All our best to everyone. TC & Mrs...
Always nice to see another moab report. Are they sisters? Lastly when did TC move to hurricane country? Thanks for taking time to post the RR.
Hi Bob, Moved to hurricane country three weeks before Isaac hit...Made it thru safely... How ya doin??? TC
ShadyRascal, nice RR. Moab is a great place and has some views that you are not able to describe, just have to see it. I want to get back to Moab on the 650 to do some more exploring. KaneCreek, man what a blast that trail is on the small bikes, and I bet on the DR it was a handful in spots.
They get that a lot. But they're not sisters, just friends. At softball they are always mistaken for one another, and came up with these names on their jerseys (kind of a play on injuries and other things too)
Love it, cain't wait for more ...... beautiful country ......... beautiful women ........ interesting beer ........ what more can you ask for
Yes it's surprising what you can do on the DR; I have highway gearing (16 tooth front) so I had to do some clutching in the hard spots. It was some work at times; I am ten weeks from a broken arm/dislocated shoulder (skiing ) so I have a pretty weak left side right now too. On the Kane Creek trail the only other bikes we saw were 250's with real suspension and guys with no luggage and just camelbacks on. They looked at us kinda funny. In fact, I think I'll edit to show this, in the spot where I'm climbing out you see three guys looking at something---they were extreme Jeepers with rock buggies down in the bottom, and they had just filmed Adam on his KLR clawing his way up out of there and were looking at the replay.
It was a great ride! Next time we are spending an entire week there. SOOO much country to explore. Ya'll stay tuned for Steve and I's epic ride report of Central Montana this summer
Not Steelbender! I hate that big rock next to the creek! Nice set of routes, man. That first big bottle was wine, though.
