Day 5 - Classic Moab

Russell came up with a joke. What does someone from Moab say when they have a cold? Answer at the bottom of the post.

Our second day in Moab was great. I got Russell up early and we drove into Arches National Park. We decided to do the hike out to Delicate Arch, possibly the most famous of the Arches. It was a chilly morning, but the hike was uphill so we got warmed up quickly. The hike took around 20 minutes and was very much worth it. So much better than viewing the arch from the road. We took a ton of pictures, but here are a few. I sucked at getting Russell's jump shot pics... but he did a great job jumping so I'm posting some anyway. We timed the hike perfectly, because right before us were about 20 Japanese tourists, and on our way out we saw a bunch of people walking in. While we were there however, there were only 3 other people there, a photograher, and another couple. Very peaceful and a great way to spend the morning. On the way out we stopped and saw some Petroglyphs which was also pretty cool.


After we checked out of our hotel, we were off to possibly the most famous mountain bike trail in the world: Slickrock trail. There isn't really anything you can compare this trail to. It's just really cool. I've ridden a little bit of slickrock before in other places, but there is something about this trail, perhaps the sheer volume of slickrock and the smoothness of some sections, that makes it really outstanding. Some of the steepest slopes that Russell just trusted his tires to stick to, I was too chicken to ride up, but I did find myself climbing some steeper hills than I expected to be able to, and the swooping downhills couldn't be much more fun. I can't describe this trail very well other than to say it's unreal. It probably isn't the hardest or the most fun trail ever (although it is VERY fun), but it is unlike anything I will ever ride again. I have some video below to try to show you what it was like.




After Slickrock, we drove to Cortez, CO. This is a very pretty drive through ranch country, lots of beautiful mountain backdrops and golden hay fields. Our hotel in Cortez was nice and cozy, and we had a yummy dinner at the local brewery. Ready for Mesa Verde, day 6.

ARCH-ooo!