How was the Moab weekend? Which trails did you ride?
David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA
Re: How was Moab?
>How was the Moab weekend? Which trails did you ride?
>
>David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA
>
Moab was great. The weather cooperated and the trails are totally unlike
anything we have in western Washington.
Conditions there are very dry and not very hospitable. It is not the place for
long epic muni rides. You can’t carry enough water to make it through a long
ride. The main trail is just too long to be done on a unicycle. We mostly rode
around the practice loop with some short excursions out on the main trail. The
practice loop is actually a worthy trail when done on a unicycle. Calling it a
practice loop makes it sound wimpy, but it is not. You can have a lot of fun on
that little loop. Our first day there we rode the practice loop and I sucked my
Camelbak almost dry. Ending the ride with an almost empty water bag quickly
makes you realize that longer rides would not be a good idea. Two or three short
rides durring the day are a better plan than one long ride. If you want to do a
long ride you’ll have to get someone on a bike to carry a lot of extra water for
the group.
There are other trails in the Moab area besides the practice loop and the main
trail at Slickrock. Next time I’m there it might be good to investigate if any
of the other trails would be good for muni.
One thing that I found to be fun was trying to ride a contour line along a hill.
You can do some pretty radical sidehill riding to the point where your pedal
hits the side of the slope. The terrain there lets you do some things that are
not possible when riding in the Pacific NW forests. Exploring the areas near and
around the trail is also fun.
Some things you should pack for the trip: A large capacity hydration system that
can hold 100oz. An extra water bladder so you can carry even more water for
longer rides Chap stick Sun screen lotion Talc or baby powder to relieve some of
the chafing when your skin gets dry Chamois butter
The weather can be chilly and windy or hot and dry. Be prepared for all kinds of
conditions. Slickrock would also be a great place to fly a kite if you end up
having a windy day.
Slickrock is a blast. I’m going to have to go back some time and ride it again.
But after three days there I was beginning to get eager to come back home to
ride my local trails where I don’t have to risk dying of dehydration just to
have a little fun.
For those unfamilar with what Moab is and why it has such unique riding here is
a web page with some info on the area http://www.moab-utah.com/
john_childs
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