From the desk of Albert Falk...
The trip down was basically uneventful except for detours in North Dakota and east South Dakota due to water, and then snow in western S.D.
No snow in Utah though, a bit cool in the mornings, usually quite warm in the afternoons except for the one day we got rained out.
We spent 4.5 days in Canyonlands National Park, a remote backcountry area restricted to 4wd vehicles cyclists and hikers. It is located south of Green River Utah and more or less directly west of Moab. The Colorado River begins in this area west of Moab, so if you were to head south and a bit west you would end up in the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Our first camp was an area known as the Horseshoe Canyon. After setting camp we hiked down to the ‘Holy Ghost’ panel in the and area known as the Great Gallery, that contains ancient paintings on the canyon walls that are believed to have been done by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians sometime before 1300 A.D.
The next day we headed to the Canyonlands Park checking in at the Ranger station at Hans Flat. We rode the bikes from the station into the canyon and had the support vehicle take the tents and supplies to the camp site, a distance of about 20km a ride that was not too technical, but had its ups and downs and ended with a good downhill ride via switchbacks into the campsite at Golden Stairs. We followed this up with a 12 mile ride to the Maze overlook the next day and a 22 mile jaunt to the Teapot campsite
We moved to additional sites in the much the same fashion.
On the last day in the park we got rained out and since we had left some vehicles near the ranger station several of us got to bike back up to where they were through what at times reminded me of good old Altona gumbo. We made it out though, and after visiting the pizza bar, or was it pizza and bar, at Zaks, found a friendly Super 8 in Moab.
We set camp the next day and got in a good days ride on Slickrock trail. That night was tequila night, and though some of us were slightly worse for wear the next morning we set off to the Porcupine Rim trail. Unfortunately rain the previous night and some snow in the morning resulted in an aborted ride as our bikes plugged up with mud, much like our last day in the Maze. This resulted in a stop at the carwash and then of course the brewery for lunch (liquid and solid).
At this point I headed south to check out the Grand Canyon and the rest of the group headed north for Salt Lake City and home.
I could drone on and on, I am still trying to recover some pictures from my phone as I ran over my camera with my bike, but it appears I need to go to work.
I can perhaps fill in some additional details at the clubhouse after our Thursday nite ride, but this week at least I’ll be at work.
It was a great time, and no broken or bent bones this time.
Albert
