ADVENTUREMOTO
"LIFE SHOULD BE AN ADVENTURE"
MOAB UTAH OCTOBER 2006 DAY 2
DAY TWO OF OUR SECOND MOAB ADVENTURE BEGAN WITH CLEARING SKIES. SURELY A GOOD SIGN THAT THINGS WOULD ONLY GET BETTER...RIGHT? AFTER BREAKFAST AT THE LOCAL DENNY'S, WE SET OFF TO COMPLETE THE SLICKROCK TRAIL, WHERE WE HAD BEEN RAINED OUT THE DAY BEFORE.
MIKE IS A VERY EXPERIENCED RIDER, BUT NO AMOUNT OF TALENT COULD MAKE THE STOCK KLR TIRES STICK TO THE WET GRANITE OF SLICKROCK. I WAS JUST GLAD THAT HE WENT FIRST, AS THE KNOBBIES ON MY DRZ WERE ALSO SUBJECT TO SLIPPING.
MIKE AND I AGREE THAT THE KLR IS A GREAT DUALSPORT BIKE, BUT TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT, A SET OF FULL KNOBBY TIRES WAS IN ORDER.
THE SLICKROCK TRAIL IS A GREAT RIDE. LOTS OF VERY TECHNICAL CLIMBING AND DOWNHILLS. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE BICYCLIST'S LOVE THE PLACE. WE COMPLETED THE LOOP AND THEN SET OFF TO RIDE THE "FINS AND THINGS" AREA A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD.
SEVERAL MORE SLOW SPEED TIP OVERS WERE THE ORDER OF THE DAY FOR THE BIG KLR. THE STOCK TIRES WOULD PACK WITH THE WET SAND AND PROVIDE NO TRACTION AT ALL. MIKE HANDLED IT ALL PRETTY WELL, BUT I KNOW IT WAS FRUSTRATING AS WE HAD TO PASS ON SOME OF THE AREAS WE WANTED TO RIDE. OH, WELL, THERE WOULD BE OTHER TIMES!
CLOSE BY WAS THE "HELL'S REVENGE" TRAIL AREA. SIMILAR TO SLICKROCK ONLY WITH A LOT HIGHER HILLS AND RIDGES TO CHALLENGE THE RIDER. I HAD TO TAKE ON ONE OF THE HIGHER RIDGEBACKS JUST TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE.
I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS SURPRISED AS TO HOW ROUGH AND RUTTED THE RIDGE WAS. I EXPECTED THAT THE SURFACE WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE A LOT SMOOTHER FROM ALL THE BIG 4-WHELL DRIVE VEHICLES THAT HAD TRAVELED ACROSS IT OVER THE YEARS. IT WAS MUCH WORSE THAN IT LOOKS, AND WAY HIGHER! THAT'S MIKE AT THE BOTTOM, WAITING FOR ME TO BUST MY ASS, OR GO OFF THE EDGE. WE ADVENTURE RIDERS HAVE A STRICT RULE ABOUT FIRST AID. WHEN SOMEONE GOES DOWN, YOU TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH FIRST, THEN CHECK FOR VITAL SIGNS!
MIKE AND I FIGURED THAT SINCE THE EAST SIDE OF MOAB HAD BEEN HIT SO HARD BY THE HEAVY RAINS, THAT THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE DESERT WOULD HAVE TO BE EASIER TO RIDE. AND OF COURSE, WE WERE WRONG!
THIS IS PART OF POTASH ROAD, WHICH IS NORMALLY A NICE SMOOTH TRAIL. A GROUP OF OFFROAD BICYCLIST'S HAD MADE IT TO THIS POINT, BUT HAD TURNED BACK, WARNING US THAT THE ROAD AHEAD WAS IMPASSABLE.
AND, AS USUAL, WE TOOK A FEW MORE PICTURES OF THE MUCKY MESS, GOT ON OUR BIKES AND CONTINUED FORWARD. WASHED OUT ROADS SOUNDED FUN TO US!
WASHED OUT ROAD? WHAT ROAD! THIS STRETCH OF TRAIL WAS ABOUT 15" DEEP BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE OTHER END. I THOUGHT RAIN IN THE DESERT JUST SOAKED INTO THE SAND?
OK, THIS IS A WASHED OUT ROAD! NOT THAT IT SLOWED MIKE DOWN ANY. IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD RIDE AFTER ALL!
THE DAY BEFORE, I HAD FOUND A BRIGHT BLUE PLASTIC EASTER EGG IN THE MUD NEAR LION'S BACK. TODAY I PUT SOMETHNG INSIDE IT AND HID IT IN THE ROCKS. MIKE IT POINTING AT THE SPOT WHERE THE EGG IS HIDDEN. IF YOU'RE EVER NEAR THELMA AND LOUISE POINT, LOOK FOR THIS SPOT AND TRY AND FIND THE PLASTIC EGG. YOU CAN KEEP WHAT'S INSIDE.
I'M LEARNING THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU GO OUT TO MOAB, YOU NEVER RUN OUT OF PLACES TO RIDE. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD BEEN DOWN THIS TRAIL BEFORE, THE RECENT FLOODS HAD TOTALLY CHANGE THE ROAD AND MADE IT EVEN MORE CHALLENGING.
THE PAST FEW DAYS HAD NOT BEEN KIND TO MIKE AND HIS KLR. THE RAIN AND SLICK SAND HAD TAKEN SOME OF THE FUN OUT OF THE RIDE, BUT TOMORROW HAD TO BE BETTER...RIGHT? (nod your head)
ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE COPYRIGHTED BY RON PETITT AND MUST NOT BE USED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS CONSENT
