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Ride Report: 2006 Moab in May
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[QUOTE="Tony Eeds, post: 1075181, member: 32023"] L+02 - Friday, May 12, 2006 Day two dawned clear and cool and breakfast was again at the Moab Diner. Roger settled in for the #4, which became his breakfast of choice for the balance of the week. Not to be outdone, we all pigged out on the great food. Bummed, I retrieved a message on my phone from Kathy that she had opted to head back home. Four days of riding and missing her kids had conspired to pull her back to California. Maybe next year! Lori indicated that she doubted that Jen and Will would make it as a job interview loomed (good luck Jen!) . . . double bummer. Comparing notes and bikes, we opted for the Gemini Bridges area for day two. Steve, Roger, Tim and I would ride our DS bikes out and Gene, Dave and Lori would trailer to the starting point as Dave and Lori’s bikes were not plated. This meant that Gene would get to enjoy his CR. Getting ready at the parking area along US191, we pondered the approach of a long line of 4x4 vehicles. Uhhhh . . . much of the first few miles had some massive drop offs and was barely over a car width wide. Saddling up we chased the dust of the convoy toward the starting point of the climb. Rounding the last corner before the climb started, I was thrilled to see the column stopped along the side of the road. Without questioning providence, I began to pass them . . . one, two, three, four . . . onward to twenty plus . . . I said it was a column. Just as I passed the last (first) vehicle, I discovered why they had stopped. There were vehicles coming down the trail. As there was room, we skittered by and were soon on our way toward Gooney Bird. A rock formation so named because of the resemblance, Gooney Bird overlooked a valley about half way up the cliff face. Back to the current challenge . . . although wide enough for a car, the route up the cliff face had clearly been carved out of the cliff as evidenced by the sheer drop offs. There are more than a few blind corners. Clinging to the rock face, the route is scattered with rocks exposed by countless vehicles that conspired to make the trip even more discerning. We were going too slow to allow our suspensions to work, so dodging them became de rigueur. Regrouping at Gooney Bird, we headed off toward Gemini Bridges and awaiting adventure. A detour onto Metal Masher led us to some beautiful overlooks into the Moab Valley. Banked on the west by 1500+ foot cliffs, Moab spread below us. Arches National Park reached eastward toward the far horizon. Metal Masher proved to be as ugly as its name and after getting schooled on three obstacles in a row, I opted to let Dave take my bike up one particularly difficult climb. Dave, with experience gained riding trials, crested the obstacle with ease . . . thanks again Dave! He did comment that my gearing was a tad low for the trail. Duh . . . Why didn’t I consider changing from desert (15/45) to stock (14/48) gearing before heading to Moab? At one point we found ourselves at the brink of a large drop off. Steve and Dave stopped beyond the brink . . . on a ledge barely large enough to hold one bike, let alone two. A side trail off of Metal Masher, this loop was named Widow Maker. Now we knew why. Getting Dave and Steve turned around, we were soon roaming around on top of the mesa lost like a bunch of . . . gooney birds . . . that’s it . . . gooney birds. My GPS track loops and loops about on itself. Wandering about finally cast us on a road we recognized, and we were soon on track, heading toward Gemini Bridges. Named for the fact that there are two arches together, Gemini Bridges is one of the most beautiful arches in all of Utah (in my opinion anyway). After visiting the arch, we (Steve, Roger, Tim and myself) parted company with Gene, Lori and Dave. We were heading back to Moab via Long Canyon and UT 279, aka Potash Road. The roads out from Gemini Bridges to UT 313 quickly turned into fire roads that were smooth as glass. Power sliding around corners, we soon approached 313. A left onto 313 and another left where the road to the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands started and we were soon looking for the road to Long Canyon. Named for the fact that it is “long,” Long Canyon descended from the plateau to the river below. I had promised the guys a memorable ride down the canyon and I was about to deliver on my promise! One of the features is “Tight Squeeze” which is a rock that has fallen across the road. Closing down the road opening too about large enough for a small SUV at the most, Tight Squeeze is the gatekeeper for Long Canyon. One of the neat things about Long Canyon is the decent between two walls that zigs and zags, continually downward, as you descend between two vertical walls. You can shut off your motor and coast, which we did. I had my motor off for almost 8 miles as we coasted back and forth across the face of the wall, chasing our shadows as we silently drifted toward the bottom of the canyon. Motorcycles are more often that not about speed and noise, but the road allowed us the freedom to silently witness the beauty. Only the mechanical whir of the chain and the staccato of the knobbies on the gravel road pierced the veil of silence as we drifted along. Coasting on a motorcycle can be deceptive and only the great brakes saved me on one occasion as I entered a corner way to fast while contemplating the beauty of the surroundings. Mmmmm, perhaps I should be paying more attention . . . Soon, Jug Handle Arch came into view and we found ourselves at the Colorado River. UT 279 and its smooth asphalt, tracing the west side of the river, lead us back into Moab. The Colorado River snaked between vertical walls, walls marked by eons of history, both natural and man-made. Debating dinner, our stomachs overruled our civility and we decided to eat before we headed for a shower. Wanting to branch out, debate ensued and everyone with Moab experience tossed out ideas. Pasta Jay’s won out and we soon found ourselves ensconced on the patio enjoying the laughter and camaraderie of friends. We were waiting for Lori and Dave, who had decided to shower. Wendy circled about, taking great care of us, keeping our drinks full as we waited. We ordered and as luck would have it, Wendy delivered our meals promptly. Where were Lori and Dave? We had promised to wait . . . well the food WAS here and it would get cool if we didn’t go ahead and eat. About the time we were hitting full on the ol’ food gauge, Dave and Lori arrived on that sexy sweet KTM 640. Talk about turning heads. You would think the bike was a nekkid woman, based upon the stares. We hung out with Dave and Lori as they ate and we were soon on the road back to the cabin. Dinner was at . . . Pasta Jay's Restaurant 4 South Main Street Moab, Utah 84532 435-259-2900 As dinner was early and we were still full of vinegar, we decided to tour Arches National Park as the sun descended into the Pacific. Feeding our money into the automated ATM style Park Ranger (press one for English), we climbed the wall to the plateau above Moab. Racing northward, we were determined to make it to the north end of the park before the sun hit the horizon. Slipping along toward the end of the park, we passed Wall Street, Balanced Rock and Fiery Furnace as we sailed toward the loop at the Devil’s Garden Trailhead. Marking the northermost point for cagers within the park, the loop would be our turn around point. We were used to formation flying, but this was really cool. We swooped about, clinging to the landscape on a thin asphalt ribbon leading us northward. The inhospitable landscape was taking on a deceptively peaceful appearance in the shadows of the setting sun. At the turn around we agreed to solo to the next meeting point, the parking area for the Windows. At the far east edge of the park, the viewpoint overlooked North Window and South Window (on the east) and Double Arch (to the west). The sun promised to cooperate as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I stopped a couple of times along the way to snap some photos in spots that I would never have been able to consider in a cage. This motorcycling stuff can be really liberating. On the way to the Windows Loop, I passed a highpoint in the road near the Parade of Elephants only to find the road crowded with amateur (I’m guessing by the plaid shorts, hush puppies and dark socks) photographers armed with enough gear to open a respectable photography store. They all stood in anticipation of the final breath of light on the Parade of Elephants and Balanced Rock for their photo ticket to glory. There were tripod holes (I’m sure) to help them attempt to duplicate photos Ansel Adams had taken almost a century ago. Silently wishing them luck (and thinking it time to purchase stock in Nikon and Canon before the Harley crowd sold completely out for camera gear), I drifted on towards the parking lot. We encountered a fellow at the parking lot that gave us a real boost. Easily in his mid to late 60's, he had a trials bike and a CRF 230 crammed in his beat up minivan with him. Talking with him we learned that he had been coming to Moab for years and lived in Canyon Texas. He also spoke of trials bikes and Slickrock, which sounded like complete and total fun. Breaking formation again, Balance Rock would be our next rendevous. Precariously poised, Balanced Rock has silently served as a way marker for travelers across the Utah deserts since . . . since long before there was a Utah, I betting. Passing the photographer covey, I marveled at the size of the glass these guys carried. Clearly a status symbol within the photographer pack, these folks were the top of the heap, shaman perhaps. They were about to unleash their pixel collectors on many an unsuspecting rock. Balance Rock came and went and we slipped through the cooling air back toward the entrance and Moab beyond. Rounding Wall Street, we were treated to the rise of an almost full moon right over Manns Peak. Beautiful beyond description, we marveled at the transformation of the valley below from sun to moon light. Softening the features, moonlight soon blended couloir and arete into one smooth shadow. Taking the breath from my lungs with it beauty, the moonrise enticed us to stop at one exposed corner on the switchbacks above the entrance overlooking the Moab Valley. Blessed with the fact that I had my D20 with me, I reeled in many images of the enticing beauty, experimenting with exposure, timing and f-stop, looking for that one beautiful shot that would capture the mood perfectly. All the while, I was inwardly laughing while thinking about those folks on the road bagging up their equipment while missing the shot of a lifetime, the Moon, Manns Peak and the Moab Valley lit up below. We closed the night out with a libation around the BBQ table at Cabin 7, basking in the glow of the moon and enveloped in the friendship of comrades with shared secrets of the beauty that can only be discovered on two wheels. [/QUOTE]
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Ride Report: 2006 Moab in May
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