I spent last week in southern Utah, mountain biking with five friends in the fat-tire Mecca. Yes...Moab. It was my first time riding in the area and I'm happy to say that all my expectations were met, if not surpassed. First of all, I had forgotten how utterly breathtaking the landscape is in southern Utah - the colors, the scale, the rock formations and the amazing textures of sand and sandstone. The overall effect is surreal, otherworldly and, perhaps, psychadelic. Then there was the riding. We rode five routes in five days. Three of the trails - Porcupine Rim (part of The Whole Enchilada ride), Slick Rock and the Amassa Back - were as good as any I have ever ridden. The stoke level in our group ranged from extreme to supernatural. Everyone found at least one memorable section or vista in every ride. The Whole Enchilada ride and the Amassa Back both offered plenty moderately technical dropoffs and climbs. And when I say plenty, I mean hundreds. The Amassa Back is a 10-mile out and back up a ledgy, rock-strewn jeep road. The end point offers an amazing birds-eye view of the Colorado River. On paper the riding may seem a bit a pedestrian, but it is far from it. After a challenging, technical climb, complete with knee-high slick-rock steps, we were treated a white knuckle, pick-your-line-and-hope for the best, fast and raucous downhill. The Whole Enchilada is a shuttle ride that combines two sections of single-track in the La Sal mountains with the spectacular Porcupine Rim Trail. The twenty-mile plus route descends more than five thousand feet from snow capped mountains to the dusty Colorado. This descent was truly an experience. I can't imagine there are many rides equal or better to this in the mountain-bike universe. Although the top section was a bit dicey due to high winds and cold air, we quickly descended to the UPS and LPS trails - tight tree-lined single tracks, with fun slick-rock chutes and makable rock drops. The LPS trail led to Porcupine Rim. The somewhat famous trail, at first, skirts the edge of a precipitous cliff then descends down a fast, rocky jeep trail. The latter section is an adrenaline junky's dream. It's fast, challenging and goes on and on and on. Everyone had a smile while riding this section (perhaps until they crashed). Porcupine Rim becomes a narrow single track and courses along the cliff side to the bank of the Colorado River. Just this single-track section alone would stand up to any trail in Orange County and yet it is only about 15% of the Whole Enchilada experience. Talk about scale. Finally, I should mention the Slick Rock Trail. I didn't have great expectations for this ride but was pleasantly surprised. The route follows a white line of paint that has been sketched across an enormous rock wilderness The trail rollercoasters up, around and between bulbous rock mounds. Fat tire enthusiasts are treated to some of the best gripping surface their tires will ever encounter. The downside is that is there is no excuse to walk. The rockscape gives riders a chance to test their leg strength and their will as steeper and steeper climbs are encountered. Each climb is rewarded with great views of the Colorado River basin and the La Sal Mountains. I've included a few photos taken with my small Point and Click camera. The photos don't do the landscape justice. You really have to experience this place for yourself.
(The 3rd photo is courtesy of Ron Leland. The 5th photo is courtesy of Carl Hyndman.)
