Trip report: Moab/Frootah

Dateline 11.10.03
End of trip, LoDo Denver. Wynkoop Brewery.
Late afternoon sun setting red brick buildings ablaze with colour.
Burgers and a variety of pale ales.
It’s Two O’clock on a Monday afternoon. Someone has to keep this brewpub
in business…

“It was me and my sidekick,
He was drunk and I was sick”
~~Tom Petty

The Melancholy of Departure.

So about all that's left to do is to drop my best friend off at the
airport, he’s headed back to Austin. Between now and the next visit lies
the holidays…an Antarctic Field Season…Winter.

We had another good run; a surgical strike on the high deserts of
Western Colorado/Eastern Utah. 4 days, 70 miles of trail, 3 miles of
pavement. Countless beers. We left the Denver area at about 8 on a fine,
promising morning, and within a few hours found ourselves in a snowstorm
atop Vail Pass. Undeterred we forged on to the Fruita area. A few beers,
some Mexi-lunch and we were ready to ride. Destination: Mary’s Loop and
environs. Dave was shaking off a quite nasty cold, I had recovered from
same, but had been off the bike for a few weeks - so we hardly brought
our A-game to these lovely trails. Still and all we had a fine ride.
T’was a layover ride en route to Moab, and a darn fine way to break up
the drive. A coupla hours wasn’t nearly enough time to hit all the good
stuff, but we had a nice Horsethief/Mary’s/Handcuff loop.

http://www.anthonysloan.com/marys.html

Thence into Moab; Castle Valley by dark. Pulled in, found accommodations
and more beer.

Saturday broke fine and clear. Much better than the weather reports had
predicted. This was the something old/something new day. The morning’s
ride consisted of the legendary Slickrock Trail and in the afternoon we
hit the relatively new Soveriegn Trail. Slickrock was Slickrock.
Excellent fun, thigh bursting climbs, dazzling scenery. The fresh layer
of snow on the La Sals made for good backdrops. We even managed to make
new friends and then wheedle them into a Porcupine Rim shuttle for the
morrow.

http://www.anthonysloan.com/slickrock.html

The Sovereign Trail was recently constructed North of Moab, but I think
it will quickly gain fame commensurate to it’s more notorious brethren
(Amasa Back, Poison Spider, Porky’s, et ales) While perhaps not as
“epic” or “gonzo” feeling as Porky’s and the like, Sovereign is able to
sit at the same table because it smugly, quietly offers up singletrack.
Like the bespectacled geek at the poker table who primly lays down a
royal flush over everyone else's hand. These are not old jeep roads, but
true singletrack. And quite tasty, techy singletrack at that. We put in
at Willow Springs road, did a six mile out to a huge slickrock
playground, goofed there for a bit, and rode the same fun singletrack
backwards to the truck. We shut down the parking area with a few
celebratory brews and as an added bonus got a fine view of the lunar
eclipse. Moab, two rides, celestial phenomenae: Perfect day.

http://www.anthonysloan.com/sovereign.html

Sunday broke cold and threatening. We breakfasted quite nicely at the
Jailhouse Café and then, after a bit of basic bike maintenance and
upkeep at Poison Spider’s public works station, we hooked up with our
new friends for Porcupine Rim. Some say this ride is overrated, but I
quite like it. The package is hard to argue with.

http://www.anthonysloan.com/porcupinerim.html

The rain started just as we got the truck packed, so after strategically
placing a Bike Mojo decal on the Poison Spider Bike Shop environs, we
headed out of town, back over the cordillera of the Rockies, through a
few snowstorms and thence into Denver.

Monday we had a nice little serving of flowy, Colorado singletrack out
at Lair O’ the Bear. The day was glorious. Quoth the girl in the parking
lot: “Not too bad for November!” Considering the last few days, I must
agree, babe. Not too bad.

"Anthony Sloan" mused:
SNIP
Quoth the girl in the parking
lot: “Not too bad for November!” Considering the last few days, I must
agree, babe. Not too bad.

A most excellent tale...

cg

http://www.anthonysloan.com/marys.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/slickrock.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/sovereign.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/porcupinerim.html

Nice. I always heard Porc was a sandy road climb..did you ride it
"backwards"? I missed it on my last trip.

Sovereign looks nice. Has me thinking about another trip out that way.

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)
"It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars" - Garrison Keillor

"Anthony Sloan" wrote in message
...
Dateline 11.10.03
End of trip, LoDo Denver. Wynkoop Brewery.
Late afternoon sun setting red brick buildings ablaze with colour.
Burgers and a variety of pale ales.
It’s Two O’clock on a Monday afternoon. Someone has to keep this brewpub
in business…

snip

Nice pics as always, Anthony. Sounds like it was a fine time. Thanks for
sharing (and caring!).

Matt

Aw man, I can't believe I live in KY again!! Loved the Porky pics
(especially the one with the guy sitting in front of the bike, I loved that
ride!) and to make matters worse I had to look at the Rockville pics, damn
that was good riding and so close to where I used to live! I think I'll
quit my job and tell my wife I'll be back in like 6 months...actually I
guess I'll go take a walk through the neighborhood.
Drew

"Anthony Sloan" wrote a damn fine piece, and
I must therefore comment:

I'm sold. Gotta go do Sovereign trail. My only complaint with Moab was the
lack of singletrack (and the damn 3.2 beer -- big bro imposes a "real beer"
tax on all out of state visitors). Seems like the MTB Gods have heard the
plaintive cries of the masses. Beautiful pics. Thanks

Tom

Anthony Sloan wrote:

Dateline 11.10.03
End of trip, LoDo Denver. Wynkoop Brewery.
Late afternoon sun setting red brick buildings ablaze with colour.
Burgers and a variety of pale ales.
It’s Two O’clock on a Monday afternoon. Someone has to keep this brewpub
in business…

“It was me and my sidekick,
He was drunk and I was sick”
~~Tom Petty

The Melancholy of Departure.
Monday we had a nice little serving of flowy, Colorado singletrack out
at Lair O’ the Bear. The day was glorious. Quoth the girl in the parking
lot: “Not too bad for November!” Considering the last few days, I must
agree, babe. Not too bad.


Most Excellent.

Paladin

Anthony Sloan wrote in message ...
“It was me and my sidekick,
He was drunk and I was sick”
~~Tom Petty

Why did you have to ruin it by quoting tom pathetic?

JD

BB wrote:
http://www.anthonysloan.com/marys.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/slickrock.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/sovereign.html
http://www.anthonysloan.com/porcupinerim.html


Nice. I always heard Porc was a sandy road climb..did you ride it
"backwards"? I missed it on my last trip.

Sovereign looks nice. Has me thinking about another trip out that way.


The ride up Sand Flats road, while not as sandy as the name would
suggest, is a long, long uphill schlog. We set up a shuttle that started
at the "jeep road" which is a quite enjoyable, ledgy climb up to the top
o' the rim.

A

JD wrote:

Anthony Sloan wrote in message ...

“It was me and my sidekick,
He was drunk and I was sick”
~~Tom Petty


Why did you have to ruin it by quoting tom pathetic?

JD

If that's all it took to ruin it for you, your torch was going out anyway.

A