Moab pics

Nothing like a snooze after some Skittles.

There were tons of free range cattle up in the higher country. This was a trail that ended up being the wrong way. I walked behind these guys for about 20 minutes before they finally got off the trail and let me by.

Some really nice singletrack.

Cool rock.

Moab Weekend

What a cool weekend with cool people in Moab! The desert was beautiful. I felt great while riding and sticking to my diet seemed to make a big difference. What also made a big difference was the fact that I had never been to Moab. Getting there late at night and starting at 5 in the morning didn't give me any visual references to associate with the map and this would be a problem later.

Fred really knows how to string together a tough day on the bike. There was tons of climbing. I couldn't believe how long it took (over 10 hours) to hit the 45 mile mark. I got lost numerous times and while it was frustrating, it wasn't anyones fault and there couldn't have been a more perfect day to be out on the bike. The temps were great and there was no rain. The first time I got lost I ended up taking a snooze and waiting for people that knew the area better.

Once I got back on track, I proceeded to get lost again about 2-3 hours later. It was unbelievable. Towards the end of the day I did begin to get concerned because I was making some really dumb mistakes and I kinda got down on myself. It was clear that I was not going to be able to make the entire loop that Fred laid out for us. While the trails I did see were gorgeous, I was really looking forward to riding Porcupine Rim and seeing all the rock formations. I finally made the call to head the 24 miles back to town on pavement and take a shower and get a Coke. When I finally made it, I found out that some of the others had gotten lost as well. We all sat around Paradox and talked about the day. It was so much fun to ride with the guys. A good group for sure.

Marshal and I headed back to Colorado Sunday morning and he asked if I wanted to hit up the Kokopelli Trail near Loma. I'd never ridden it before and it was some of the best singletrack I've been on in a while. Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

Back home

Just got back tonight. Thanks to Marshal for forwarding me the invite and a huge thanks to Fred for putting this thing together. I think I had 15 hours straight on the bike and not a lot of miles to show for it. A LOT of climbing. I'll post a report tomorrow and throw in some pics. Piece and hair grease.

Ready to see Moab

Well Diesel Marshal is gonna swing by here tomorrow in the pimp van and pick me up to head to Moab. I'm pretty psyched to see Moab. I've been pouring over the map and route. For those familiar with the area, we're leaving town and heading north and then hanging a left on Flatpass Road and taking that until Spanish Valley Road. From there we'll start climbing towards the La Sals via Trans La Sal Trail. After going over some pass, we'll take Burros Pass Trail and then hook up with Porcupine Rim and take that all the way back down to the highway and then the highway back to Moab. I will likely have the SPOT with me and tracking so my wife knows my whereabouts and you can check that out if you're bored. I feel really good about my food for the ride but I'm not spilling the beans yet about what's on the menu b/c if I hit the wall and have some problems then I don't want smarter people asking me what the heck I was thinking. Should be an exciting weekend. I'll take tons of pictures and share them when I get back. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Just north of Highway 50.

Highway 50 leading up to Monarch Pass.

Some stinky guy.

Mother Nature warning me to not try Monarch Crest tonight.

I love the flowers.

It's been a long day and I'm getting confused with what day was where but....

These were just north of Monarch Crest.

The last final push to the top of Monarch Crest hurts. It's not actually straight up like the pic shows. That would really suck. It's the digital camera playing tricks.

I've been here before. Monarch Crest.

Worth coming back to see again.

CTR Day 4

This was somewhere after Marshal Pass. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and it spooked me a bit. The elk were faster than the camera I think.

Incredible views.

Wide open meadows.

Day 4 I awoke to more rain. Things didn’t feel right at all. I could not get the bad dream out of my mind. I got a late start but finally made it to new trail. I saw some elk but still felt terrible, psychologically. I began to get off my nutrition schedule. There was little water on the map for the next 20 miles and so I was drinking just small sips every once in a while. Quickly I became dehydrated and things got worse. It was impossible to eat anything with a dry mouth. Then I entered Sargents Mesa. This section brings the toughest people to their knees. You can’t ride it. There’s just no line. It’s flat for the most part but the rocks are huge and never ending. It crippled me. Pushing my bike for hours on end was torture. When you push your bike, you naturally want to steer it through the rocks and that means you can’t really watch where you step. I kept stepping on loose boulders and losing my footing. If I watched where I was stepping, the front wheel would get caught up on a big rock and I’d stumble. I yelled numerous times out of frustration. At one point I stopped and cried but no tears came. I felt like a wuss for it so I quickly shut up before someone jumped out from behind the trees laughing at me. I talked to Heather. I looked at my SPOT and focused on the 911 button more times than I can count. I remember the way the button felt on my finger. If pressing that button would have ended it right then, I would have done it but I knew I would still have to wait for help. That angered me more. I remember saying, “I think I’m in trouble here.” I began to panic. There was nothing to do but keep pushing. I said those 2 words to myself over and over again. “Keep pushing.” “Keep pushing.”

I started talking to the cattle in the meadows. The weather moved in. The cows looked at me like I was an idiot. The lightning started. The Cochetopa Hills meant tons of pushing. The lightning put some extra pep in my step. I had no idea how much further I had to go but I was scared as hell. I began sprinting up the hills and riding as hard as I could on the downhills. I was making so much noise as I gasped for air but I kept going trying to outrun this storm.

I had already made the decision to pull the plug.

20 minutes later I popped out into a small clearing. I saw a massive tent but it wasn’t raised up all the way. I was pretty sure there were 2 bikes laying there. Then someone said, “There he is!” I honestly thought I was hallucinating. I rode by it before deciding to look inside. Sitting in chairs were Marshal and Alex. Next to them were coolers of pop, huge jugs of water, and boxes and boxes of snacks. The words “Trail Angel” were written on the tent. They invited me in and I told them that I was ready to quit. I asked where the closest town was. Marshal told me to drink a pop but there was only diet left. It was the best pop I’ve ever had. I think I had 3 of them. I have no clue how many packages of cookies I ate. I began to feel better and we joked a bit. Then we talked about moving on.

I decided that I’d ride with them until I could find a town and then I’d stop. I told them about my dream the night before and how it was messing with me. We started the next section and within miles, found 2 more coolers filled with pop. I laid there next to the creek and drank several more while Alex and Marshal rode on. With a good sugar buzz, I eventually caught them and we rode through the dark and light rain to Dome Lake where we decided to sleep. I laid in my bivy thinking about the nightmare I had the night before. I worried about Heather.