ADVENTUREMOTO "LIFE SHOULD BE AN ADVENTURE" MOAB UTAH   OCTOBER 2006    DAY 1

ME AND MY BUDDY MIKE HAD MADE OUR FIRST TRIP OUT TO MOAB UTAH IN MAY 2006.  THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WAS A TOTAL BLAST, AND WE KNEW EVEN BEFORE WE LEFT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A RETURN TRIP.  THERE WAS JUST TOO MUCH TO SEE AND DO, AND OUR 3 DAY STAY WAS WAY TOO SHORT.  SO, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME UP, WE LOADED UP OUR BIKES AND HEADED BACK OUT TO MOAB.

FOR THIS SECOND TRIP TO MOAB, I DECIDED TO TAKE MY DRZ 400 TO SEE HOW IT WOULD HANDLE THE TALC LIKE SAND OF MOAB.  MIKE STANDS UNDER A SIGN ON HIGHWAY 128, A SCENIC ROUTE INTO THE EAST SIDE OF MOAB.

THIS ROUTE PROVIDES TRAVELERS WITH A GREAT VIEW OF CASTLE VALLEY.  WE STOPPED ALL ALONG THIS ROUTE TAKING MANY PHOTOS  OF SOME GREAT VIEWS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THIS AREA.

HIGHWAY 128 FOLLOWS THE COLORADO RIVER INTO MOAB.  SEVERAL DAYS OF RECORD SETTING RAINS HAD TURNED THE NORMALLY CLEAR RIVER INTO A MUD SWOLLEN MESS.  THERE WERE MANY PLACES ALONG THE HIGHWAY THAT WERE COVERED WIITH RED MUD FROM THE HEAVY RAINS.

ONCE WE GOT CHECKED INTO THE MOTEL, WE UNLOADED THE BIKES AND HEADED DOWNTOWN TO EDDIE McSTIFF'S FOR A GREAT AFTERNOON MEAL.

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THE NEXT MORNING, WE SET OUT FOR SOME OFFROAD RIDING AND ALONG THE WAY CAME UPON THE INFAMOUS "LION'S BACK" ROCK FORMATION.  THIS ONCE POPULAR 4-WHEEL CLIMBING CHALLENGE HAS BEEN CLOSED DOWN AND FENCED OFF.  IT MUST BE AT LEAST 300 FT. TO THE TOP!

JUST DOWN THE ROAD WE SPOTTED THE "BABY LION'S BACK", AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW, MIKE IS HEADING UP WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE.

I WAITED FOR MIKE TO RETURN AND I TOOK MY TURN.  EVEN THOUGH WET, THE SANDSTONE SURFACE HAD INCREDIBLE GRIP GOING UP.  COMING DOWN WAS A DIFFERENT STORY AND NO MATTER HOW CAREFUL YOUR ARE, THE BACK END OF THE MOTORCYCLE WILL TRY TO CATCH UP WITH FRONT!

IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE HOW MUCH RAIN HAD BEEN DUMPED IN THE MOAB  AREA. THIS LARGE POOL OF RAINWATER WAS RIGHT AT THE BASE OF THE "BABY LION'S BACK" AND THE ONLY CHOICE WAS TO POWER THROUGH.  AND YES, IT WAS AS MUCH FUN AS IT LOOKS!

OUR GOAL THIS DAY WAS TO RIDE MOAB'S FAMOUS "SLICKROCK" TRAIL.  IT BEGAN LIFE BACK IN THE 60'S AS A MOTORCYLE TRAIL.  IN THE LAST 10 YEAR'S OR SO, IT HAS BECOME ON OF THE PREMIER MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS IN THE COUNTRY.

THE SLICKROCK TRAIL IS CLEARLY MARKED WITH WHITE PAINT THAT DIRECTS THE RIDERS SAFELY AROUND THE 14 MILE LOOP.  THE RECENT RAINS MADE THE RIDE EVEN MORE CHALLENGING WITH DEEP POOLS OF WATER ALONG THE WAY.

WHILE SLICKROCK IS KNOW FOR ITS MASSIVE SANDSTONE ROCK FORMATIONS, THEIR ARE LARGE AREAS OF TALC-LIKE SAND.  THE RECENT RAINS MADE THE SOIL VERY SLICK.  THE DUAL PURPOSE TIRES ON MIKE'S NEW KLR WERE NOT UP TO THE TASK  AND HE COULD NOT NEGOTIATE THE UPHILL TRANSITION FROM SAND TO ROCK.  WE REALIZED AFTERWARDS THAT THEIR WAS AN EASIER PATH 50 FEET TO THE RIGHT.

IT WAS A GOOD PLACE TO TAKE A BREAK AND CHECK OUT THE SCENERY.   SUDDENLY, IT STARTED TO RAIN, AND OF COURSE THIS WAS THE ONE TIME I HAD FORGOTTEN TO BRING MY RAINPROOF RIDING JACKET!

WE STARTED LOOKING FOR SOME PROTECTION FROM THE STORM WHILE THE FREQUENT LIGHTENING KEPT US WELL AWARE THAT WE WERE SOAKING WET, SITTING ON TOP OF A 300 POUND STEEL MOTORYCLE, CARRYING 6 GALLONS OF GAS.

WE TOOK COVER UNDER THIS LEDGE.  THE WATERFALL IS  NOT USUALLY HERE.  IT WAS CREATED BY THE SUDDEN DOWNPOUR.

WE WERE ALREADY SOAKED, BUT WITH ALL THE LIGHTENING, DECIDED TO WAIT OUT THE STORM.  FORTUNATELY THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE MID- 70'S AND IT WASN'T TOO BAD.

WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR THE RAIN TO SLOW, THIS GUY RODE UP TO TALK.  AS IT TURNS OUT, HE HAD JUST TRAILERED HIS BRAND NEW KLR IN ALL THE WAY FROM GEORGIA.  HE WAS WEARING A WATERPROOF CAMOUFLAGE HUNTING OUTFIT.  LOOKED ODD, BUT HEY, HE WAS  DRY!  ANOTHER GUY WALKED UP FROM THE SUV IN THE PHOTO AND TOLD US HE WAS A MOAB NATIVE.  HE SAID THAT MAOB HAD NOT HAD THIS MUCH RAIN IN OVER 25 YEARS.

IT POURED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, AND THE ROAD GOING INTO THE RV CAMPGOUND IN THIS PHOTO WAS  TOTALLY SUBMERGED.

I DUG THROUGH MY SADDLEBAGS AND FOUND MY WATERPROOF OVERPANTS, AND THIS BRIGHT...PINKISH-ORANGE PLASTIC PANCHO.  MY LEATHER JACKET WAS SOAKED AND I NEEDED SOMETHING TO KEEP THE WIND OFF ME WHILE RIDING BACK TO THE MOTEL.  MIKE SAID IT WAS QUITE THE SIGHT FOLLOWING ME WITH MY "WINGS" FLAPPING IN THE WIND.  I GUARANTEE YOU THAT THE OTHER MOTORISTS HAD NO PROBLEM SEEING ME COMING DOWN THE STREET!

ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT COPYRIGHT RON PETITT AND MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION

This page was last updated on: January 18, 2007