if not now, when: Spring Foon 2017

ok, now that i am back in the work groove here in ohio and it is corn planting time, this past foon trip is just a memory. but .... WOW ... what a trip it was. good friends, good rides, good food and drinks, and new trails.. which is always the goal. so here goes my trip report for SPRING FOON 2017....

day1.... the truck is completely packed and ready to roll. the alarm goes off early before sunrise and it is time to hit the road. my buddy Nick, from Paulding, OH, is coming along on this trip... so i motor the 57 miles up to his house to load him up and then head west. now Nick is a foon newbie, and has had limited mountain bike riding time, so this could quite frankly be called a trip of a lifetime for him. he is waiting when i arrive, his stuff piled out by the drive. we start by loading his Cannondale Lefty fork bike. a big problem right off the bat, as Nick has obtained the incorrect fork mount adapter for hauling the bike in the truck. but after a quick reassessment, a plan B packing scheme is initiated.... and all his gear gets loaded and we hit the road by 9:30am. day1's drive is just long and boring, with the only objective to get as many miles in as possible. OKC is our objective, with the Motel6 on I-40 exit 146 being the proposed sleep point. if it were me traveling alone, i would just pull off and sleep in the back seat for the nite, but Nick is worried that his throat would be slit so i cave to his request and find a locked door to sleep behind.

day2.... ok, we emerged at sunrise from the M6 with no slit throats to make more westward progress towards the foon party that has already started without us. we make great progress all day, making the landmark of mile marker 18 in texas on I-40, where the Midwest flatlands drop off to canyons and mountains. always a big moment for me which immediately require the usual rituals including blasting Led Zep's Rock and Roll loudly...

Been a long time since I rock and rolled,
It's been a long time since I did the Stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
It's been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Yes it has.

We are officially out west and it feels like home now. driving conditions are good, and we breeze thru Albuquerque before rush hour and end up in Gallup NM around sunset to catch a little dinner. Nick is in charge of finding the best Mexican restaurant in Gallup to provide nutrients, and after a driveby on the #1 pick (which was in a totally sketchy neighborhood), we opt for the #2 pick, Don Diego's.

the food was good, excellent chile peppers, and i sure would stop here again. we resumed the westward heading and made tracks for Winslow AZ and the M6 there in town for another nite of not getting Nick's throat slit. the weather was looking a little iffy up toward Flagstaff now as there was a nice spring storm coming up from baja all day.... and it was making it's way to us. some rain blew thru foon wash today and murf got this pic of some FOON Rainbows...

of course, the foon party had ramped up a couple of more notches today with more arrivals... so yes, we were missing the festivities another nite, but no worries. we would arrive tomorrow to join the crew.

day3.... another sunrise departure with no throat slitting. Winslow AZ is at 4000' elevation, so we had a little rain overnite... but as we drove up to Flag which tops out at 7200' the ground became white as we headed past town. in all, about 5 inches of fresh snow up here, but the roads were cleaned up nicely by the ADOT snowplows and as we headed south down the 17 towards Phoenix, the ground became green again... and i mean GREEN !!! the desert was digging all the rains from the winter and it sure was good to see everything so healthy again. Phoenix was the usual glue-mo, but we rolled into the REI parking lot by 9:30a and waited for the store to open at 10a. i picked up a couple of bike water bottles with a gift card from sister Julie (thanks!) and then we did the resupply run for gas, food, ice, and .... Hornitos! walmart won the low price award for $12.97 per bottle, maybe the cheapest price i ever paid! afterwards, a quick stop for lunch and a salad and fries at McD's, then the final leg west on the 10 to foon. it felt good to turn off on the dirt and head south on the river road the last 15 miles to Foon Wash. whatever weather system that blew thru yesterday was gone now and it was warm and all sunny once more. drove up the wash to the big tree and everyone was there to greet us! so good to be back!!!! we had some illusions of unpacking quickly and getting a Marker ride in before sunset, but that idea was scuttled in favor of relaxing and joining in with the camp's evening activities.

day4.... ok, it is always good to wake up at foon. no doubt about that. also, great to not have to drive any more after the 2082.8 miles to get to the big tree. a slow morning start and a little sleeping in was in order. we had a great gathering this trip which would max out at 18 attendees a couple of different times, making this the best turnout in many many years.

the bikes called to us and it was decided to do the Marker Supreme ride today. a short-ish ride of 9.6 miles that includes a stop at the Marker, then Ed's Run, the D2D, cross the wash (VERY deep sand this trip - unridable), up the 4 Steps, and Chair Lift, to Ginthie's Rd, and back down Ginthie's Pass, cross the wash again (more deep sand), and back to camp. i was able to wrangle up 5 riders for this lap, Nick, Craigus, Jimbo, Big Tony, and myself. everyone had fun, especially those downhills sections of the D2D and Ginthie's Pass. a good shakedown ride and a chance to check out the trail conditions. i will say that the desert was so green and even the Ocotillos that i had given up for dead years ago, had come back to life and were crowned with their red blooms. pretty awesome.... relaxed back at camp the rest of the day, food and drinks were in order and then some exceptional star gazing since we had no moon. the Space Station did a fly by, Orion's Horse Head Nebula too, and Jupiter rising in the eastern sky.

day5.... BIG ride today on the agenda, THE TANKS. not a real difficult ride, but just a long one at 27.4 miles round trip. alot of 2 track, some good graded road, and a little single track on each end. of course, not the early morning start i had envisioned, just that the logistics of getting 8 riders all prepped and on the trail... well that takes some time. and it would be warm today, pushing into the 80s with probable headwinds on the way back. 6 bike riders with Craigus, Nick, Jimbo, Big Tony, Gortis, and me... and motos by Murf, Bruce, and TomC. out to the Marker first and some traditional rock throwing into the barrel. here is a Craigus pic of our crew...

but we had to keep moving. Gortis opted out and headed back to camp, but the rest pushed on into the neutral zone. of course, the bikes moved way slower than the motos (expected), and by the time us bikes got close to the 2 mile singletrack up to The Tanks, Bruce and TomC decided to head back to foon. TomC had to go back to OC today as his foon time was over. so it was Murf and 5 of us bikes onward up the trail. the heat was starting to build and the constant uphill progress was sapping energy. also that last 1/2 mile of trail to the lower tank is pretty rough and rocky. all that adds up to everyone ready to do some relaxing. but not so fast! before anyone could sit down, i kept them all motivated and we did the 1/2 mile hike uphill to the upper tanks. the cave was our objective and man was it's cool and shady stone welcome when we got there. Big Tony had suffered the most, and he promptly went down for an extended rest period. we hung out for awhile and the stoves came out for a little lunch prep. ramen noodles!

Nick and Craigus promptly decided to make haste and head back to Foon. but the rest of us were in no hurry, and Big Tony needed more recovery time. i heard Nick and Craigus had a hammer fest on the way back to camp, which is something that Nick specializes in on his road bike in Ohio. so we hung in the cool shade, got a Larabar and some water into Big Tony, and enjoyed the shady rock some more. now upon our arrival we discovered that there was water in the lower tanks, which is probably the first time in years since that has happened. the winter rains were good to us. we finally packed up and hiked back down to the bikes. i whipped out the water filter and began filling bottles. i think Big Tony might have had some doubts about the water as it was... well... a little green. but the filter works so well, and i pumped some and took a big gulp, declaring it "just fine". maybe that was the thing that was needed, as everyone started handing me bottles to top off. and we dumped some on Big Tony's head too! Murf, Big Tony and Jimbo took off and left me to bring up the rear. no problem, i sure don't mind riding alone, and maybe even prefer it. the singletrack back down to the road was great, so much easier to go down than up. i caught up to them and we headed west back to camp. Tony was riding fast at first, and i again brought up the rear. but as he slowed down, i hung back with him. trip leaders never leave a man behind, rule #1 !! we finally rode past Klingon Pass and the Marker and camp was only 3 miles away and the gradual downhill was certainly welcome. the last bits of singletrack were so sweet and upon arrival back to the big tree, Big Tony declared that was the longest ride he had EVER done before!! wow, i had no idea. everyone went into relaxation mode, and the chairs came out, food and drinks were had, and more star gazing.. oh and that Space Station paid us a visit too. it is always a good day when you go to The Tanks.....

day6.... so we were starting to shed foonmen today, Big Tony, Jimbo, Mathane, and Craigus... all going home. the weekend was almost over, but Nick and I were just warming up. some wind today, but still a ride was in order. it was decided to just do an "out and back" to The Marker. quick, easy, only 6.5 miles. Gortis was in for this one, along with Nick and I. and Murf on the moto. now i will say that all during the last few days the ground was teeming with BILLIONS of these green worms...

i mean, they were EVERYWHERE. and eating anything and everything in their path. turns out that they are compliments of all the winter rains too, and were the first stage of this BIG critter!....

http://www.desertusa.com/insects/sphinx-moths.html

now i will say that this was my 41st year at foon and i have NEVER seen a worm invasion like this one. harmless to us humanoids, but if you were a green plant... look out! so it goes without saying that these worms had no concept of bike tires riding singletrack, so many were taken out by our treads. i think each bike went home with it's share of green worm guts sprinkled about.... YIKES!

so this day ended like so many others.... chairs out, food and drinks consumed, and the Space Station again. awesome..

day7.... a longer ride today, and some new territory for Nick. just the two of us on this one, backwards UP Ginthie's Pass and east out Ginthie's Rd to The New Trail.... ok, i have written this before, but that is a pretty lame name for this trail, but somehow it just "stuck" over the years after i came back to camp one day many year's ago and proclaimed "I Found a New Trail!"... sheesh... Ginthie's Road was well traveled and even beat up a little by jeepers driving on it after soaker rains and cutting it all up in spots. of course, this also results in trail braiding which means even more damage in a fragile environment. Nick and I take a break at the top of the New Trail, then start down the 6+ mile run which has a pretty consistent slight downhill slope to it. unfortunately, the ATVs had finally found this trail and had given it a good beat down, ruining some of the decades old singletrack. really kinda depressing in a way, and the desert is so slow to recover, it may never be the same again. still some good sections where the ST trail diverts from the jeep track, and the awesome knife edge downhill at the end will never be touched by motos. we ride it all, including that final section which will make you pucker up a little. then the push out on the other side of the wash, which is actually a little brutal. an old faint wild horse trail, in an area that sees virtually no people. Nick loved it down there, and well.... so do i. once back up to the Snakebite Mesa, we rode through the Valley of Confusion back up to Ginthie's Rd and then back DOWN Ginthie's Pass to camp. 20 miles exactly and a great lap. the big tree called to us after that lap, and i think there was a sea hunt in there for Nick too. i retired to the big tree and Bruce made margaritas, and well one thing led to another and i think the result was the famed taco incident... and Parker's chair got destroyed.

BUT I AM OK!!!!!!!!

(you just had to be there......)

day8.... just another sh***ie day in paradise.... i eat a leftover taco for breakfast, and then we decide to do the "official" Marker ride (which we had not done yet). this 7.0 mile lap heads out to The Marker, then down Ed's Run, and the D2D and then up Lazarus' Ledge. then it is a quick downhill back to camp. first time for Nick on Lazarus' Ledge and we make pretty quick work of it all and get back to camp in plenty of time for sea hunts, and food and drinks. Now I've got to say that Cuzz's grandkids were really having fun with the rock art and building "worm palaces"... i mean, worms need a house too? right? here is just one of many rock art examples that were constructed by Asher and Taige...

so the chairs came out in the evening, the stars came out and the Space Station flew by to check on us. all good...........

day9.... ok, the last day for a ride here at Foon. just Nick and I again as almost everyone has departed the wash. up for today's ride is what i call the "Full Monte".... combining the Marker and the D2D with the New Trail lap. now all along i have told Nick that the ride from camp up to The Marker is a time trial, and anything under 30 minutes is acceptable. i can not really remember what the record time is, but somehow something around a sub-23 minute time sounds familiar. quite possible that Jimbo and I did that years ago... just not sure. well today, Nick and i were gonna hammer it. ok, well Nick was gonna hammer it, since i had been riding with full front packs the whole week to train for the White Rim lap. but still, it was a push for the best times for the trip, and by now Nick knew the way. so off we went and Nick was in the lead. Nick struggled a little again with the bit of gnarl to attain the mesa proper, but then he punched out and i never caught him again. he reached The Marker at the 25:30 mark, just as i started the last climb up. i clocked in at 27:30 which was a personal best for me on this trip. we did a short break there, and then rode the rest of the lap. so much fun... the fast D2D and that short rocky drop at the end, the climb up the 4 Steps, the grind out Ginthie's Rd, and then The New Trail and that sweet rad drop at the end (on which Nick had gone over the handlebars on 2 days earlier!). then the HAB push out and that smokin fast downhill on Ginthie's Pass. a great way to wrap up some good Foon riding. a total of 23.5 miles today which puts us at 94 miles for the trip so far.

a last sea hunt after the ride and that water had turned cooler! still worth the full dunk. YIKES!

the last evening at foon and i am pretty sure that this was the nite i made spaghetti for Bruce, Parker, Nick and I, which i had not made in a few years. this meal is always in honor of Vincent, because many years ago he taught me how to really cook pasta the right (Italian) way. only four of us left in the wash now. the stars come out and there are still a few shooters and Jupiter rising in the east. life sure is good...

day10.... ok, transition time and we pack up and get ready to head to wickenburg and the Parker Palace. we were not in a real big hurry to leave. i would say that is always the case after some time in the wash. time slows down and that is as it should be. we finally drive down to the river road and head south to catch the bridge over the river at Harvey's and then a breakfast in Blythe at the Courtesy Coffee Shop ...

this place has been there since forever, a 50s style coffee shop. we use to eat here back in the 70s when we first started coming out to foon, and this is the first place i had read about the legend of the Mesa Monster (ask Gortis to tell you about his encounter with it... REALLY!) after "brunch", Parker and Bruce headed out to Wickenburg, with Nick and I following a bit later. once at the Parker Palace, hot showers and laundry were in order for everyone after 8 days in the desert. dinner time rolled around and Anita's Cocina was the obvious choice. very good salsa and nobody left hungry. back to the Parker Palace and some rest before the transition to Moab tomorrow.

day11.... time to head north and begin the next segment. but Parker woke up feeling like crap, after apparent exposure to Cuzz's grandkids and some sort of crud that they had to pass along to anyone who got close enough. so Parker was out on the moab trip and Bruce had decided to head back to Texas, so Bruce was out too! i started to pop a few zincs, in fear the crud might come get me too... no time to get sick now! Utah is calling!. we headed out for breakfast before departing town, and that would be in the form of Spurs Cafe. the place was packed, but we got a table after waiting a few minutes and scarfed a breakfast. after eating, we said goodbye to Parker... Nick and I in the tundra and Bruce in his Suburban, and we caravaned up the 17 to Flag, where we headed north and Bruce turned eastbound to Texas. from Flag the weather got iffy, and we drove thru wind, rain, and even some very heavy hailstorms near Kayenta. at one point the hwy got icy fast, to the point of going into 4x4 to stay on the road. the weather calmed a bit thru Monument Valley and we pulled into the Olde Bridge Cafe at Mexican hat for some Navajo Burgers. there would be no camp cooking tonight! Joey waited on us and the food was pretty good. from there we drove north, past Mexican Hat Rock and then up to the Moki Dugway. but as we approached the first switchbacks of the Dugway, i could see the top of Cedar Mesa was in the clouds and the rain had begun again. the plan had been to camp up on Muley Point, but that was out now. once up on Cedar Mesa, it was snowing and everything was turning white. ok, time for a new plan. Nick said LET'S JUST DRIVE TO MOAB. ok, it is friday nite, rolling into moab in the dark, and i was sure open camping spots would be zero. not good. bad idea... so i said, SURE LET'S GO! so it snowed on us and got cold as we drove across Cedar Mesa to hwy95 at Bear's Ears. a right turn there and then up to a brief stop at the Salvation Knoll turnout, as i told Nick about the story of the Mormon Pioneers in the winter of 1879-80 (which he had never heard before). truly one of the most epic of pioneer stories ever!

http://utah.untraveledroad.com/SanJuan/773SSign.htm

heading onward to the east, we drove thru Comb Ridge on hwy 95 and by the time we were in Blanding, it was dark. snow was on the ground which we did not drive out of until we started to lose elevation past Monticello on the way to Moab. rolled into Moab late, about 10:30p. Nick said to check Sand Flats for campspots, but the sign just past Dave's Corner Market said FULL. of course! so i headed out to the Sovereign area off Willow Springs Rd. it was packed, not a space to be seen (in the dark!). ok, this was bad.... so i drove out to Dalton Wells Rd, another mile north up hwy 191 and found a place to park. i did a fast tent setup and crawled in for the nite, and Nick slept in the truck's front passenger seat. it rained for a while during the nite, the tent fly leaked some, but not fatal. not the best of nites, and actually could be called the worst of the trip. but we had arrived in Moab!

day12.... so the rain had ended and the sun was coming out. everything was a little wet, so we did a little drying out, and then headed into Moab for supplies before going back to find a spot to camp and meet up with Hound and Pam later in the day... as they were on the way today from Salina KS. the resupply went well, along with something to eat at McD's. headed back out to the Willow Springs area to see if we could find a better spot in the daylite. it was still pretty packed out, and it turns out the reason was that all the Colorado students were in Moab for spring break this week. so glue-mo.... but while we were driving along the road, Nick spotted someone that appeared to be packing up, and sure enough they were and we snagged their spot as they were leaving. SCORE! so we set up camp and then start re-packing for the White Rim tour that starts tomorrow. a whole new configuration on the bikes that is very different from the week of Foon riding. and i will be riding the Rim with full packs. so plenty to do there. Hound called as he was getting close to Moab and wanted to know where we were. There were some missed calls after that, but Hound and Pam ended up at the M6 in Moab, so we met up in town and ate at Paradox Pizza, per Nick's suggestion. well, the pizza wasn't so good, and the place was packed. saturday nite in Moab and eating out. yeh right! plans were made and we were set to meet up at Island In The Sky tomorrow morning and begin the 5 day tour of the White Rim... went back to camp and got a good nite's sleep. 3 days now with no bike ride.... but that changes tomorrow!

day13.... Ok, time for the BIG RIDE! we pack up early and the tent is still damp from the morning dew. we load up and make tracks for the visitor center and the Shafer Overlook parking lot, our meeting point with Hound and Pam. but the big event on the way was to stop at the park entrance and buy my Natl Parks Senior Pass! a lifetime pass to ANY Natl Park for $10 !!!! freakin awesome and something i have been waiting to do since Parker got his pass 2 years ago. Excellent, and a high point for the trip! we pulled into the Shafer Overlook parking lot and this would be were my truck would be parked for the next 5 days while we rode the White Rim Trail. Hound arrived a short time later and Nick and I were already in bike assembly mode...

there was a constant stream of cars in and out of the lot with hoards of visitors taking in the views from above. all while we were preparing our traveling junk show for dropping down the switchbacks to the Rim way below.

once we were close to being ready to roll, Nick was explaining how all this was going to go down!

we did a final check on the bikes, locked the truck, and said goodbye to the pavement for the next 5 days. the drop down the Shafer switchbacks was great and you sure lose elevation quickly, as Nick would say it.. a little pucker factor in spots! once we were down to rim level, the 2 track jeep trail was good, with very little elevation gain or loss. it was about 20 miles to our 1st nite’s camp spot at Airport D camp and we pedaled along and enjoyed the views along the way. Hound was well ahead of us in his truck and arrived at the camp and was set up when we finally pedaled in later in the afternoon. Here is a link to a video that Hound shot of Nick and I riding in… it is a big 93MB Quicktime file… (prepare for long download times if you have very little bandwidth)

http://www2.wcoil.com/~aux/FOON2017/20170405_111407.mp4

Hound was hauling all of Nick's stuff, a complete sag, while i was only relying on Hound for water and my chair. we set up camp fairly quickly, and wanted to be prepared for a weather system that was rolling in later tonight.

the camp is in a very exposed area, no trees or windbreak of any kind, and right in front of the massive Airport Tower that is a popular climbing destination.

i opted to not cook up potatoes and onions for dinner, and just munched whatever i had in the packs. soon afterwards, the wind picked up some and it got colder. it's was at this point that i realized i forgot a couple of items... my woolie beanie hat, my AM radio, and my little camera. well, no way i was going back for them now! so the warmth of the bag was calling me and i did not resist it's call. what a day and a good beginning....

day14.... ok, it blew REALLY hard last nite, and i mean what seemed like hurricane strength. i had resorted for a while to leaning against the side of the tent while in the bag to keep the tent from collapsing. to the tent's credit it survived the broadside crosswinds nicely and not a single stake was pulled from the ground. Nick on the other hand had a complete tent failure, broken poles (which actually had been damaged at Foon in a wind one day). not sure how much sleep everyone got during the storm, but with the wind, everyone was kept awake for a few hours. so it was a rough nite, complete with red sand everywhere inside the tent, the eyes, and all other orifices... but the morning looked better although cloudy skies were to be the order for most of the day. we packed up and i cooked up a ramen noodle for breakfast and then we loaded up and headed out...

around the first corner was Washer Woman and Monster towers.... two other great climbing attractions for desert tower climbers.

the views were good at times during the day's ride. stopped by Gooseberry camp which had a couple of good puddles of water that could be filtered. i was making a point of checking out each individual campspot along our ride for future reference. with no real heat and the sun not giving us a beatdown today, the ride went smoothly and Nick and I even discovered we had some cell tower bars at one spot near Grandview Point so we got a couple of calls off, me... to Honey and to sister Julie as today was her birthday. we saw very little traffic on the trail and played leapfrog with a fully supported bike tour group of about 8 riders who had spent the nite down below us at the Airport C camp last nite. the views continued to amaze us as we rode along the rim..

we finally got to the turnout for the White Crack and while here a second sagged bike tour caught up with us. we chatted a bit, Nick with the riders and me with the tour guides. quite a diverse group from all over the country. the clients were paying $1000 a head for 3 nites/4 days... HOLY SMOKES. our 5 day trip was $30 for everyone plus Hound's gas. WHOA! ok, sure, they do not have to cook.... but that is part of the trip! everyone was a little amazed at my full setup of packs, with the big question being.. how much does the bike weigh? ok, guesses where made and the range was 65-80 lbs. i did get several questions too about the bike and components, so i went thru the short list.... and explained to them that i was a "retro rider" from the 80s. we said good bye to them as they headed upward to Murphy's and we headed out to our camp... another 1.4 miles and even a little sand slog up one hill. pretty deep and had to get off and push a little to the top. no problem. rolled out to the White Crack camp and it did not disappoint.. it was spectacular!!

Hound and I looking SE at The Loop on the Colorado River side and beyond over to The Needles and North and South Sixshooter peaks.

the grey skies got heavier and even pockets of rain showers. but we never got any at the camp. This is by far the premier spot to be at when doing a White Rim tour and is the reason for this trip. Hound had struggled over whether to out for this trip, but in the end he said... IF NOT NOW, WHEN? so true!! Hound rated this as one of his Top 5 views of all time and I would have to agree, nothing short of awesome. our minds were blown by this spot! now the wind was up a bit and it was getting cold. i put on all of my clothes i had with me, including the rain pants. Nick got a little cold, but being fully sagged by Hound he had brought along one of my moving blankets!

Hound’s truck made a good windbreak and we got the stoves going and i cooked up potatoes and onions along with other treats to make for a full stomach and got ready for a good nite's sleep, which was needed after last nite and that wind! another 20 mile day that seemed to go pretty easy with no real headwinds, no rain, and cool temps. now if i just had my woolie hat and my AM radio.....

day15.... well the skies cleared up overnite and the sun came up to take the chill off this frosty morning for a totally different kind of view ...

we were in no hurry to leave here early today, it was gonna be a short day up to Murphy's Hogback, less than 9 miles today. so we hung out and enjoyed the solitude of being the only people out here on the White Crack Point. cooked a little breakfast of ramen noodles and hiked out to the point again. i did discover the trailhead for the White Crack trail, which is unmarked and not documented on the NP maps. a nice trail that goes about 8 miles to an eventual overlook of the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers… which is the real "heart" and focal point of Canyonlands NP.

http://www.utahtrails.com/WhiteCrack.html

hiked back and packed up camp and then made another visit out to the point and just took in the way-off-the-chart views. one could stay here for days and not get bored. and with the recent rains, there was water everywhere in the pools out on the slickrock. as it turns out, on this trip i could have filtered water and not needed a sag at all. just a GREAT camp and certainly a bucket list spot! Hound put it this way to me.... I would put this in my top 5 list of all time views I have seen. Panorama Point, Canyonlands. Point Sublime, Grand Canyon. The Maze Overlook, Canyonlands. White Crack, Canyonlands. And the 5th one I have yet to see, but will.... I am pretty sure that 5th one he is talking about is Navajo Point up on the 50 Mile Bench. Of course I reminded him of another all time view which is Rim Lake on the Aquarius Plateau. At any rate.... this is just a fantastic place to camp and hang out.

we finally headed out and began the ride back to the main trail and then onward and upward to Murphy's Hogback. real good views while riding thru Murphy basin and then came the final gruel to the top. this final climb stunned Nick as he looked at it... WHOA! he tried to ride it and did pedal some. but we are all mere mortals and some pushing of the bike was required. me? i pushed the whole thing, no way to ride that with packs. I met Nick up at the top, and i think he uttered the word... GRIEVOUS.. along with PAIN and SUFFERING. his terms for a real hard haul on the bike. camp was only a very short distance down the trail, and i rode in checking out all 3 camp sites before anyone got up here for the nite...

I rolled into camp and the first thing that everyone agrees on is that BRUCE’S TRUCK WOULD HAVE NEVER DONE THAT CLIMB UP HERE! That north wind was still blowing some up here, but with the shelter of the rocks, Nick found nice spot to sleep under a ledge (after his tent failure)... which also made for a good cooking spot.

so potatoes and onions and all other sorts of edibles were consumed. We all checked out the views over on the west side of the Green River including the Maze, along with the tops of the Chocolate Bars (Drops… not!). Also, there were views of Panarama Point and Cleopatra’s Chair. the sunset was super nice, and i found a good spot in the rocks to pitch the tent and settle in for what would be a nice quiet nite for good sleeping.

day16.... so it got real cold during the nite and even had a little ice in the water bottles. Not completely frozen, but some chunks floating in there. Beautiful day, and we all slowly packed up camp and had breakfast before the doing the downhill into Soda Springs Basin.

A look north into Soda Springs Basin… Candlestick tower is on the looker’s left….

Hound and Pam left first in the truck while Nick and I got “psyched up” to do the downhill. I have always loved starting the day off with a downhill, and this one would not disappoint us. There was no doubt that the bikes would be going down faster than Hound's Tacoma would!

I ripped it all the way down, while Nick puckered up some and took more time. Smokin payoff after that bit of a grueling climb the day before. Actually most of today’s ride would be a general downhill slant, oh sure some ups, but at the end of the day, we would be on the Green River. we caught Hound at the Candlestick camp and checked the views there and let Nick get “unpuckered” after his freaky downhill ride…. yeh, he was a little freaked by it, and that made me chuckle. a newbie getting his first good taste of Canyonlands.

As we rode on we dropped closer and closer to the Green River level, stopping several times to take in the views and enjoy what was turning into the nicest day since Foon Wash.

Finally got down to river level at Potato Bottom and checked out the 3 different camps there… this one being what I thought was the nicest of them all, Camp A..

from there the trail starts to climb up to the top of Hardscrabble Ridge, switchbacks and some steepies, and during the heat of the day. but then it just gets downright GRIEVOUS again, and pushing the bike is in order. I mean, it is not a Klingon Death Ride unless there is some Hike-A-Bike (HAB). Nick fades heavily here and somehow I make the top before he gets there, at which time he promotes me to BikeMaster. Maybe the first time I ever smoke him on an uphill trail. As we crest the top, there are vehicles everywhere… ok, about 4 of them… and a sagged bike tour group of maybe 8 riders that must have just rode up from the other side. They looked pretty beat and I holler out “are we having fun!?!?”, to which they half heartedly say … um, yeh.. and then Nick and I take off to smoke the downhill to tonight’s camp at Hardscrabble B on the Green River. A great downhill, and much easier grade than what we had to climb up on the south side of the ridge. Again we all immediately agree that BRUCE’S TRUCK WOULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT!! We sit under the tree and eat snacks, and then some supper. Potatoes and onions again, of course… the last of those. It is much warmer and and a whole different feel being camped down at river level. Hound's first time on the Green too, and we all like it alot. Hound is concerned about our depleted drinking water stores, so we fill a small cooler with silty river water, to let it settle out overnite so it can be filtered in the morning..... a test i already had in mind to do. i set up my tent and Nick finds a big flat rock to put his air mattress on. he will watch the stars tonight. today's ride ends up a little over 24 miles, and it is the best ride of the 5 days of this lap around the White Rim.

day17.... crack of dawn and i am up early. a big day ahead and the climb out and back up to the truck. serious uphill on the agenda. we pack up and eat some breakfast (ok, more ramen noodles!) i decide to readjust that valve stem on my front tire, and in doing so i aggravate those stickers that were picked up during the week of foon riding, and now i have a flat.

so i shred the front wheel and patch the two holes, and pull the stickers from the tire casing. so we are slightly delayed, but I get it all back together in no time and Nick and I are ready to ride...

and off we go!

of course, Nick has been thinking about this climb out for days and he is ready to attack. me, nah... i will cruise it, not gonna blow up the knees at this point. we ride along the river for several miles and then we round the corner and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks come into view. these switchbacks were completely wash away in a MAJOR flash floor back in aug 2010....

but all is repaired and the grade now never really gets over 8-10%. still it is a climb, but not GRIEVOUS. Nick blasts ahead while i ride it more slowly. Hound and Pam catch up to me as I am climbing the grade, we say our goodbyes as they are heading on back to nashville... and they take this pic of me as i work thru the last few switchbacks near the top..

Nick beats me to the top by maybe 15 minutes, and is waiting for me. no rest here and we just keep right on riding because it is still a long way to the truck back at the Shafer parking lot. it is uphill for the next 12 miles or so until we reach the pavement and The Knoll, which is the high point on Island In The Sky. then it’s rolling pavement for the last 8 miles to the truck. we stop at the Natl Park Entrance again and show the ranger my permit and tell him we just rode out from Hardscrabble Bottom. he is very impressed and doesn't charge Nick his entrance fee (I am FREE now for life!). rolling back to the truck never was so good and the day's ride ends there with close to 33 miles and 2500 feet of vertical climbing. i am whipped, and whipped good. the total miles for the 5 day lap hit 107.69 with a total ride time over the 5 days of 19h 41m 17s. not bad doing a sub 20 hours of riding to make the lap. some people like to do the whole ride in ONE day, called WRIAD (google that), and those times are usually 10-12 hours for very strong riders. but we did it right... 4 nites and 5 days, giving us a chance to really enjoy it all... nice and slow. i would do this ride again in a heartbeat, no doubt about it.

so we pack up the bikes and all the gear into the truck, once again displaying our traveling junk show to the constant stream of tourists checking the viewpoint here. i quaff a cold corona since we amazingly still have ice in the cooler after the 5 days. both of us are very beat, it feels so good to just sit in the truck and push the gas pedal to move forward. we head back down to Willow Springs Rd and it is thursday, all the crowds are gone and there are plenty of campspots everywhere. we find a SUPER spot way back off the road with a great view of Arches Natl Park to the east and set up the tents and stake our claim. no way we are gonna cook, so we head down into moab, and find the McDs for burgers, salad, and whatever else we can power down. oh and plenty of fries too! We head back out to camp and turn in early for sleep. WOW. what a super great ride on the White Rim.....

day18.... NO RIDE TODAY. a town day... laundry, supplies, food, ice. and most importantly, rest.... we both need it. we both make clothes go around at the laundromat and go next door to check out the Gearheads store that has EVERYTHING you might need to do excursions of any kind..

http://www.moabgear.com/

this store is amazing, and we both spend some time there. i end up buying a map for the Manti-La Sal Forest and the Abejo Mtns (my next ride?) and talk to one of the guys about how to fix my MSR stove which failed 2 days ago at Hardscrabble camp. turns out i had the tools and instructions to clean the stove jets with me, and so i head over to the laundromat and do stove repairs while the clothes are drying. with clean clothes, i take Nick over to another Moab Must-Do... in the form of Milt's…..

http://www.miltsstopandeat.com/

the place is packed, and i mean ridiculously packed. jeep week is starting up and it is friday and everyone is hungry. we finally snake a couple of seats at the counter inside and watch the crew work like a burger making machine and pump out burgers and tots for everyone. now you have to get the tots and not fries. it is a thing at Milt's.. the tots. trust me....

ok, we are full and make one more stop on the main drag for me to buy some more Moab T-Shirts, and Nick wanders the main drag. back out to the camp for evening relaxation, some star gazing, and oh another visit from the Space Station too. tomorrow we ride again........

day19.... we decide that today's ride will be the back door over and into Arches National Park. the Warm Springs Rd, a 4x4 two track that is a "no-fee" entrance into the park. the wind is forecasted to blow again pretty hard out of the west, so i take the tent down and decide to start sleeping in the truck bed again. a good move that would last the rest of the trip. we ride past the Sovereign and Klonzo trailheads and i stop to see the Dinosaur Tracks (pretty cool). after that it is rock and sand for the next several miles into Arches. lotsa sand, but not as deep as Foon sand traps in the wash. the tailwind gets us there efficiently as it is mostly uphill and as we near the pavement in the park the hoard factor increases greatly. cars everywhere. we stop at the Balanced Rock...

and then ride over to the Garden of Eden. by now the wind is howling pretty good and the pavement and cars are just too much for us, so we call it quits and ride back to the solitude of the red sand and rock trail to camp. now the wind is a Stiffly McStifferson headwind and this sandblasts us as we grind on the pedals to ride downhill while squinting to minimize the sand in the bodily orifices. we get to the Klonzo upper trailhead and there is no way i will pass up riding some singletrack back down towards camp. Nick flies down past me and this trail turnoff to see the Dinosaur tracks below, which he missed the first time out. he gabs with some of the others there, and i wait a long time for him to come back up to me to ride the trails. we link up both Redhot and The Edge to have some fun downhills back to the lower parking area, then cross Courthouse Wash and ride back up the hill to our camp spot. a good day and it ends up being 18.8 miles. a fun day and all new trails for me again. i like that... ALOT.

day20.... up and ready to ride again... today we decide to go back and ride the Klonzo singletrack system. mostly intermediate trails, but some fun stuff and Nick needs to work on his singletrack skills. he is just a road rider and i have been telling him daily that he needs to RIDE MORE DIRT. so we gear up and head back over to the lower trailhead and do a lap around there linking up Borderline, Wahoo, CrossCanyon, Zoltar, and then down Redhot and The Edge (which we rode yesterday). so as we are bombing down Redhot, there are some ramps providing the opportunity to catch a little air... which i take advantage of.... a couple 2 or 3 times. WELL... um, the bike did not feel right after that and as I pedaled out at the bottom of The Edge, i felt a very familiar feeling while pedaling.... A BROKEN AXLE. now i have broken many axles on the Rockhopper before, and i guess i was due. hhhhmmmm. so we cut the ride short and i pedaled "easily" back to camp... where i went into wrench-mode and sure enough....

but no problem, i always carry a spare axle with me, and the tools to replace it. so i made quick work of that job. all good, but a short day due to the failure... only 10.5 miles. actually felt good to have a short day and we would hit it harder tomorrow before making tracks and relocating to our next camp. now i will say that riding the White Rim "fully loaded" probably helped crack the axle somewhat too, and after inspecting it closely it may have started to crack some time ago. just real fortunate that it did not break completely on the White Rim lap, as it would have been fatal to finishing the trip. i got real lucky on that one... FOR SURE!

day21.... ok, we decided to leave Moab today and head east over to Bittercreek camp near the Colorado border... but first we had unfinished business on Klonzo. so we rode a couple more laps around there and tied together some different trails to say we gave it a good once over. in addition to what we covered yesterday, we also added the Dunestone, Lower Cross Canyon, and Secret Passage, before dumping out on the jeep trail, then back to camp. a couple of good laps and it made for a respectable 15.2 mile day of mostly singletrack. once back to camp, we packed up quickly and hit City Market one more time to resupply for the last time to get us thru the next several days at Bittercreek. i wanted to go to Milts for tots one more time, but i forgot it was monday and we pulled in and they were closed. Nick wanted some good coffee, so while he wandered the streets of Moab searching for his cup of joe, i hit the bike stores looking for another spare axle. Chile Peppers turns out to be the best bike shop in Moab and was the only place that had one in stock. with our missions completed, we said goodbye to town and drove hwy 128 up river towards the Dewey Bridge and over to one of my favorite BLM camps (ever!) Bittercreek. right on the Kokopelli trail and up on a cliff overlooking the valley below. and the world's loneliest pit toilet (bring your own paper)..

we arrived and there was nobody there ... which is usually the case for me when i come here. camp got set up quickly, no real cooking tonight, just snacks, and i broke out the Radio Moscow for the first time of the trip and we checked into Havana to see what the commies were saying about us. Nick liked the shortwave alot. It sure was a good day with a good ride along with a transition to a new camp. and we have the spot to ourselves which makes it all even better... NICE.

day22.... it felt so good to wake up here at Bittercreek. no people, very private and that great view looking out from the edge to the SE and the Colorado river below. today's ride would be all singletrack and the whole lap of the Westwater Rim trail... or the Yellow Trail as it is called on this end here at camp. the bikes are ready and we head out for some real singletrack fun. a tougher trail with plenty of technical, and moderate "chunk" to navigate over and around. i have no problem with that, but Nick is really out of his element now. we stop several times to take in views as we work southward across the rim. as we get closer to the saddle the chunk gets more gnarly and now Nick is really frustrated and ok, maybe a little complaining too! we negotiate the Overlook loop and finally drop into the saddle where there are several options for different routes... left toward the Western Rim, hard right to the Kokopelli Trail, or even veering off right for the Arch Loop. we stay the course on the Westwater Rim ST and climb back up to the rim and ride more chunk. I keep telling Nick "just a little bit further".. ha! but it takes another 3 miles, and now he is ready to quit. the overlook here is great of the bottom ranch and the Colorado river below..

after a rest break, we head back the way we came and Nick begs for diversion to the Kokopelli jeep 2 track for a less chunky ride back to camp. i cave to his request (sheesh..) and take a secret shortcut just north of the saddle to get us to the Kokopelli trail proper. it is still uphill but with little chunk, Nick calms down and goes back to his hammer mode on road rides. of course, i divert him back to the last section of ST that gets us back up to camp. a couple of stiff uphills that takes all your energy to make and some cool ledgy steps that are fun to try and make too. great to be back at the camp, chairs come out, and i fire up the stove and make the second spaghetti dinner of the trip, while Nick gets a campfire going. some Radio Havana too as it is tuesday nite and they do a segment on Ham Radio which i always like. the pasta is excellent and we scarf heavily to carbo up for a big ride tomorrow. today's ride rings up another 15.0 miles and we are getting closer to that 300 mile goal for the trip....

day23.... we got some company here at camp overnite, and i was sleeping so good i never heard them come in. a young couple from the Front Range, just out for one day to ride and camp. Nick chats them up and tells them about our plans for the big ride today. a nice lap down the Yellow Trail to the saddle (like yesterday), then hang a left and ride over to do the Western Rim trail, then back on the Kokopelli 2 track to camp. of course, the last section includes a GRIEVOUS uphill, that is always a HAB for me. we head out on the ride and Nick is doing better on the chunk today. less complaining and it seems to go a little faster. the downhill from the saddle is really steep in a couple of spots and i choose to walk, Nick too. then the 2 track climb to the top of the Western Rim. we get to the top and take a break.

we see more riders up here as this trail is the centerpiece trail in Rabbit Valley. of course, this is one of my fav trails in the area too, and a "must-do". so happy to drop in on it again. Other riders around too and i hook up with 4 of them and leave Nick in the dust. the pace is real fast and we all fly as the trail winds around the sandstone cliffs.

i finally stop and wait for Nick to catch up (and i do wait awhile), but soon enough he comes along.... and he is having fun too! we ride the rest of the trail around, up, and out of the Rim and follow it back over to the Kokopelli trail where we were earlier. now for the ride back to camp. there is some downhill to the Bittercreek crossing and then some serious climbing back up towards camp. we pass our fellow campers on the trail, and i don't even recognize them as i am focused on the climb. but they catch us and we all ride towards the brutally GRIEVOUS final climb up to the top of the ridge and the truck at camp. our younger friends jump out in front and set a healthy pace, Nick rolls behind them and is intent on riding all he can, while i say "no way" and get off and push the bike up the whole thing. it is the heat of the day, and my 3 water bottles are about empty. once at the top, i catch my breath and find Nick waiting for me. we do the short ride up to camp on the Yellow Trail and collapse in the chairs in the shade. that cold corona sure hits the spot after a solid 23.0 mile day. we fire up the stove, and cook up dinner while Radio Havana rants on Trump and the Venezuela unrest. Nick gets the campfire going and we settle in for the evening. i sure do love today's ride, something i have done before, but the Western Rim never disappoints me.

day24.... Our last day to ride. the couple from the Front Range are leaving and we say goodbye to them, encouraging them to not tell anyone about this campsite! a nice day is on tap and we decide to ride back over to the Arch Loop and find the Arch.. which is most likely not an arch, but a "bridge". it is real small, but still a nice feature…. (picture of what we did NOT find!)….

so back down the Yellow Trail we go for the 3rd day in a row. Nick makes way more features and does not complain (much) about the chunk. i tell him he is chunk-master now! ha! well, maybe not quite yet.... we get down to the saddle and divert to the top of the Arch Loop track, stop at the high point and walk around looking for the Arch. nowhere to be found, and we hike around separately for about a hour. ok, now i am whipped because hiking/walking just wears me down. i can ride all day, pedaling i like. but this hiking takes it's toll. i find Nick and we wander back to the bikes. he is all turned around but i point him back to where the bikes are. we give up on the Arch and decide to just head back to camp. we both are pretty whipped after a 6th straight day of riding, and especially so after the big ride yesterday... the legs are tired. so back we go to the saddle, and find the secret cut over to the Kokopelli jeep track for the easier ride to camp. it feels good to finally get back to camp, and that caps off the last ride of the trip... 11.7 miles today. we eat everything we can, trying to empty the cooler. of course, more Radio Havana, more stars and a little wind, so no fire tonight. i put off preliminary packing until the morning, just not that into it. man what a trip has been but it sure feels good now to think about taking the bike shoes off and heading home.

day25.... i get up at the crack of dawn. we had another family drive in to the 2nd spot here overnite. i never heard them come in as i was whipped and most likely snoring loudly. a great morning again, with a little wind... expected at this exposed campsite. i set the stove up and cook those last 2 eggs which now makes the cooler as empty as it gets. the packing sequence starts and we load the bikes for the last time. Nick chats up the new arrivals while i work on getting things buttoned down for the long drive homeward. time to say goodbye to this place... a real fav spot of mine... but i will be back. COUNT ON THAT.

we bump down the road and encounter a bunch of motorhomers closer to the hwy. it is Easter Weekend and that explains the additional campers here. back to the pavement in the form of I-70 which will take us all the way back to Indiana. a quick stop in GJ to gas up, clean up, and Nick gets coffee to go. The drive is good as we wind along the Colorado river up into the mountains. a quick subway sand, and then over the continental divide and down into denver. ok, it is always a bit glued here, but we sneak thru well before rush hour on a "holiday weekend friday" (the worst possible scenario!) and escape eastward to the high plains and say goodbye to the mountains..... kinda a sad moment, but we sure had a great dose of canyons, red dirt, and plentiful rides. we sail east and finally make Salina KS and the M6 for one more nite of not getting Nick's throat slit. the first hot shower in two weeks was DEFINITELY in order and the towel turned red as i got the first layer of Canyonlands off of me.

day26.... up early and there is a little rain in the forecast for the drive home today. no big deal, but it does pour hard for a few moments as we break thru the thunderstorm line. the rest of the day is smooth sailing even with the winds. the states fly by... KS, MO, and St Louis and the Mississippi Riv. now into IL which now looks like all the farms in OH... we make Indy around supper time and decide to try out Chick-Fil-A for food. it is just ok, and may not entice me back again in the future... not far now up to Ft Wayne and then the back door into OH and Nick's house. it is late and i unload Nick and his stuff, and say goodbye until our next ride together on July 4th for the Van Wert Firecracker 100km ride that we both do every year. it takes another hour to get home, and i put on Hound's Led Zep road CD and jam to a few of my fav tunes including Ramble On....

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay
But now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way
For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it's headed my way
Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do

Ramble on
And now's the time, the time is now
To sing my song
I'm going around the world, I got to find my girl

the turn into the driveway never looked so good, and then a big hug from Honey. i made it back in one piece with no serious injuries... always the goal!! good to be home and to sleep in my own bed tonight. but my brain is still somewhere back in utah and the canyons. not that that is a bad thing..........................

Some Numbers.............

1 billion worms
4552.1 driven miles
295.89 bike miles
21 Foonmen (and women) seen
5 White Rim days
2 thorns make 1 flat
1 broken axle

countless memories............