White Rim in a Day

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”  – Sir Edmund Hillary

An epic adventure has equal parts pain, suffering, and elation. It is easy to classify an adventure of epic proportions.  If the pain, suffering, and elation of an epic adventure are not enough of a clear indicator, the constant thoughts and smiles of said adventure many days and weeks after the fact solidify the experience.  The White Rim Trial in Moab is one such ride that easily falls into this category. More than a week has gone by since we finished the ride, and I am still thinking about it.Continue reading

Moab Rodeotrip 1/2: Donkey Does Slickrock

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Sometimes as a cyclist there is a particular ride that calls your name relentlessly. For some it’s an almost mythic European climb like Le Alpe D’huez, for others it could be a right turn onto a dirt road that they’ve never had the chance to take. Over the last year one ride has been calling my name like a record stuck on repeat. That ride is Slickrock Trail in Moab, Utah. I had ridden it once a number of years back and the experience left me laughing at the hysteria and fun of the place. It was unlike any ride I had ever done. Slickrock Trail is almost completely without peer on planet Earth. The frozen dunes of sandstone take on forms that seem drawn by Dr. Seuss. The way it undulates up and down begs you to explore every nook and cranny. The traction of the rock surface is like velcro, and it would seem that there is no grade too steep to climb so long as your legs can spin the cranks. If you aren’t up to the challenge you can just as easily stall out and tumble back down the hill (or cliff) to whence you started.

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Rodeo Kokopelli

By Chris Joseph

Kokopelli Trail May 1-3 2014

  • 136 total miles (218 km) in 22 hours ride time, 50 hours Total time
  • Lessons learned:
  • Good people and water are very, very valuable
  • Bike shoes are not made for hiking
  • Garmin doesn’t always know the way
  • Cliff bars make a good adhesive for gluing teeth back in
  • Taking photos requires energy. Less energy = less photos
  • The comfort of sleeping on the ground increases exponentially depending on how tired you are
  • When very dehydrated and hallucinating rocks can sometimes look like boxes stacked neatly on the trail in front of you
  • The words “man up” can be humorous or humiliating depending on the point of origin
  • Chainring wounds look similar to shark bites, only with a little grease mixed into the blood

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