2.10.2015

Mountain Bike Mecca

If I wanted to spend my weekends turning a wrench, I would’ve bought a jeep. Nevertheless, my truck was incapacitated for two weeks due to worn out inner tie rods and steering rack mount bushings. So, with those replaced, new tires, and an alignment, she was finally drivable again. Almost handles like a sports car now! I headed to Moab for a mini-vacation and to get away from my roommates who have become even lazier since getting Direct TV.

My first stop was the Amasa Back Trail System. In the parking lot, I met some hipsters from Boulder who were just about to go ride their early 80’s, coaster-brake clunkers. I decided to tag along, since I wasn’t familiar with the trail. It was a casual ride as one of the guys was new to mountain biking. The other, I’ll admit, was a pretty good rider, even with his old tech.  As we were riding back at sunset, we got to watch the other part of their group base jump from a cliff called Tombstone. It was scary just watching. We talked biking and base jumping over some PBRs before departing. Quite an interesting way to start the trip!

The next morning, I rode more of the Amasa Back System, then headed to Porcupine Rim for an afternoon ride. These are some of the most technical trails I’ve ridden in a while; I probably crashed half a dozen times, even though I was riding cautiously.

For the third day, I went for something easier. Poison Spider is a jeep trail that ends with an awesome view of Moab. Most of it was fairly easy, though there were some highly technical rock sections and a good bit of deep sand. I really wanted to ride some more, but by this point I was sore, scraped up, bruised, and slightly sun burnt with it being near 70̊. Instead, I concluded the trip with a stop at the Moab Brewery for some fish tacos!

It was a great way to spend the weekend, especially with the lousy snow conditions in Telluride. Lucy had a great time too, even though it was a little warm for her winter coat. I’m looking forward to more trips there this spring, before it gets too hot!

No comments: