The Mobius Trip

[DR. Rock]

Along the railroad tracks



some nasty liquid crossing... not sure I'd call it water







Eventually,





get to the road



that we want to take.

It's there... of course, on the other side of the railroad tracks.



I've see others struggle here... I think these are active rails. But some people have seemed to find an easy way across... an underpass or something.

I ride around for a little while, can't find anything, and finally just get the bikes across,



using sheer will, brute force, lots of sweat and energy, and a few choice cuss words.



One down. The road we want goes straight off to the horizon, visible below:



Thought I might have gotten one of them stuck , but didn't. These guys did, though.



We cut through this guys back yard, sort of... Not sure if this is the way to get through this part, but it worked.

[DR. Rock]

may be impassable due to storms." M'Kay.



"Salina 100miles" on I-70. Of course, we'll be doing significantly more than that.



What's just out of the photo is the other sign that says "No Services 100 miles"



1:20pm, we've made 78mi. so far.

[DR. Rock]

And I do mean loosely.



It crosses the interstate a few times, but otherwise, you're far enough away that you can't see it, can't hear it, and in fact, if you broke down and had to hike the few miles (as the crow flies) to get to the highway, it could very well take hours and hours, or be impossible since you'd have to traverse impassable canyons that lie in between.

[DR. Rock]

you're north of I-70. Following hardpack mining roads. Then you jump on I-70 for a couple miles, entering via a proper on-ramp,



I'm posting the following photos to give other TAT'ers some clue where to pull off I-70. Past this sign, "Salina 92miles"



Past this sign,



Cross the San Rafael River (sign).



Past the "Reef View Area Next Right" sign...



but NOT to that actual exit.

[If you get to the actual off-ramp for the view area, you've gone too far. -- then you'll have to drive 91 miles to Salina, 100 miles back to Green River, and 9 miles to get back here. Just kidding.]

But seriously, you're looking for a dirt road off to the right. It's at mile marker 147. It looks like a service road. You have to open a wire gate. It's pretty obvious, but not marked in any way.

Literally 3 minutes later, you're in a different world.

[DR. Rock]

"The Reef"



From this webpage about the geology of the area:

"The steep eastern slope of the uplifted area is exposed on the east flank of the San Rafael Swell, and is called the San Rafael Reef. This upsloping Navajo Sandstone forms an impressive shark-tooth line of steep sandstone. In some places, this sandstone can be accessed from a mountain bike, for example at Black Dragon Wash."

And that's where we were headed next.



You can see the top of the slot canyon in the photo above. We found the turn-off,





And headed in.

[DR. Rock]

From the "Precautions" on this and other webpages.

"2) Never camp or park your vehicle in a wash or stream bed and avoid hiking in narrow canyons when rain is a possibility. A dry wash can flash flood in a matter of minutes even if you don't see a cloud in the sky."

This is what was going through LDF's head as she entered into the canyon.



How do I know this? Malcolm Smith couldn't have kept up with her in there.



I mean, I'm stopping to take some photos...





I think to myself, "maybe we should cut our engines,



take off our helmets,



pull out our earplugs,



and spend a few minutes soaking up the sights and sounds of this amazing place..."



but before I can implement that plan, she's back on the throttle, standing on the pegs. And with that we're cleared of the treacherous slot... whew, that was close. A flash flood could have smashed through there at any time.



I'll have to go back someday when the weather is a little clearer and more stable.

[kelamity]

I'm surprised she was wearing earplugs. You need to LISTEN for the flood too. And, as I'm sure you were reminded, there might be a storm 100's of miles away. LDF is a great character.

This report is awesome!

[DR. Rock]

a canyon wash of the San Rafael Swell



is in many ways



like conquering a mountain pass in Colorado.



except instead of going up and over,



you go down and through.



And where the exhaustion of clearing a high Colorado pass comes mostly from exertion at altitude,



the canyons get you with their heat, sun exposure,



and deep sand traps.

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by kelamity

I'm surprised she was wearing earplugs. You need to LISTEN for the flood too. And, as I'm sure you were reminded, there might be a storm 100's of miles away. LDF is a great character.

This report is awesome!

Tell me about it. . I was "reminded" pretty much non-stop whenever we were in a canyon or wash. She is a great character, and the best riding partner ever.

I read your and matt's Nova Scotia ride report... very nice. We were there Sept. '07. I'd love to compare notes. How come we haven't seen you guys at any NYC ADV events? The Ear, for instance? Keep your eyes peeled for our winter party the weekend of the IMS at Javits.

[DR. Rock]

or maybe not. But for most of our travels, LDF is in the lead and doing all of the navigating.



back there she missed a turn, and started a fairly long hill climb up a narrow trail. It happens.

It's not easy scanning the terrain, differentiating the correct track from the wrong wash, cross checking on the small GPS screen which is barely visible in the overhead sun, all while standing on the pegs while the bike is being thrown around underneath you from the buried rocks which are invisible in the deep sand.

On top of that, sand is (was ) her nemesis. I tried to offer all the usual pointers, "just lean back, twist the throttle, and close your eyes!" But for some reason, I was just annoying her.

Climbing that hill to chase her down, my bike started overheating. Part of the problem was that my radiator fan had been removed to fit the Acerbis gas tank. I had replaced the thermostat valve with the dummy spacer like the "E" Drz, but that still meant that I had to keep it moving like a typical "E"nduro rider would, not "S"low like LDF was riding.

Our solution was that I would navigate and lead, and she would follow.



So I would race ahead, turn off my engine, listen for her, pray that she hadn't fallen, take her photo as she caught up, start my engine, race ahead, and so on.



At one point we looked across the canyon, and saw the I-70 viewing / rest area. If we could have jumped over there and taken the highway, we might have.



It felt like we weren't making any progress. It's a totally different vibe when you are crawling through the canyons than when you are soaring along a mountain ridge.



the difficulty of the terrain started to ease up,



our pace improved, the airflow past my radiator also, the mid-day sun slacked, a small breeze was detected, and we switched back the lead / navigation responsibilites. Order had been restored, at least temporarily to our caravan of two.





We had made it through our first canyon wash. It doesn't give the same sense of accomplishment as making it to the top of a pass. There's no real distinct point where you can say, here... it's over, we're out. It's too gradual.

[DR. Rock]

"Jackass!" Ha ha ha! . The sun was getting to me.





We passed this sign:



Not just any old sinkhole... THE sinkhole



Making tracks now.





We crossed over to the south side of I-70.



opened the lid to this box, and when we found it devoid of the advertised "travel maps" left the lid open in utter defiance of all authority and instruction.



It was a small protest, yes, but you have to take a stand.

This also pissed me off... I'd ridden my bike all the way from New York 'effin' City, who are they to tell me I can't ride cross country?



the nerve.

[DR. Rock]

any sign we passed, just in case I'd have to recall the info to navigate.



Same for any posted maps... I figured I could bring the photo up on the camera, zoom in, and see what it had said. Call me paranoid.





I wonder if this water hole could be made potable with our filter?



didn't want to have to try.



Into the North Salt Wash, and Eagle Canyon, but first a stop at Swasey cabin.

[SteverinoB]

Thanks for the jetting info Doc. As my bike is stock it looks like at least 3X3 and minimal jetting should work at altitude.

Cheers...Steve

[DR. Rock]

up ahead on the left:





A famous TAT waypoint. We took the requisite photos:

LDF looking tuckered, and Adventure Bunny playing on the roof.



"Get down from there... you'll fall down and hurt yourself!"

We checked the log book, and saw that DockingPilot leading the NJ boys had signed in 4 days ahead of us.



(and he still hasn't yet posted their ride report )

[Louge]

We didn't see any flash floods either but caught a glimpse of a 25lb cat bolting out of the domed cutout over your shoulder.
That dOOd was in the next time zone 2 milliseconds later.

What critters have you'll seen along the way?