PhxMoabEstesParkRedstoneTelluridePhx

Otherwise known as...Road Trip!

Headed north, kids, dog, camper, bikes. Lots of laughs and questions like "can we start the story yet?" You see, when we travel, we always have a ready supply of audio books. But, the question comes out of BK (before kids) history.  My wife and I were driving one Christmas to her home, which required about 13 hours of road trip time.  We were listening to a particularly interesting and engaging story, driving through Chicago. Sun was starting to set, and we were happily going along until we drove by a sign saying "Welcome to Michigan". THAT, was not on our route, and resulted in one of those looks, both turning to each other and saying "YOU missed the TURN!"  So, we always turn off the story through towns. But, that's another story.

Flagstaff comes,

and with it a stop at Macy's.  You see, it's required to stop at a coffee shop every chance we get.  My oldest is taking photos of me at coffee shops for a friend of hers.  So, coffee stops are required!

As we leave Flag, we start through one of my favorite areas, the Colorado Plateau. Along the road are fantastical places with names like Mexican Hat

Canyon de Chelly, Comb Ridge (and it's depiction in the movie Cars), Canyonlands NP, Vermillion Cliffs, Grand Staircase/Escalante NP, Capital Reef NP, Arches NP, and geology to match. Truly interesting areas, just wanting to be explored.  The road travels the desert Southwest through some amazing scenery.

We set out on our trip north, stopping a camping near Moab, UT.  Just far enough outside town to allow a stop at Wicked Brew for coffee.  Required, remember?

Our road, of course, travels not the quickest route, but the most interesting. Interstates are for folks who aren't paying attention to life. The side roads reek of INefficiency, making one drive slower, see more. That where life is lived.

Along the Colorado River for instance.

Or, stopping at the old Dewey Bridge.

Or driving through Cisco, UT and, being more like Jimmy.

Indeed.  Of course at Cisco, that means our jaunt intersects I-70, and whisked away we are. I guess progress happens, in spite of my attempts at thwarting it.  We end up outside Estes Park, at our destination. In the dark. And the rain.

Day 3, Red Moab

Moab. Glorious. Red. Moab. 

Day 3, and we started with a supreme breakfast. Zucchini frittata, 15 eggs worth of of frittata and aged Gouda and sliced zucchinis, fresh from a backyard garden. Again, Kings I say.

The word shuttle has a negative connotation to many, however for the purpose of this post, we shall call it a “point to point” ride. Our trip started at Chile Pepper Bikeshop and their awesome guidance. Wendy, one of the shop employees, emphatically recommended the Koko down shuttle. We were wavering a bit, trying to decide between the Sovereign trails and the shuttle. Her recommendation put us over the top.

Whole enchilada, or in this case Koko down due to the fact that Burro Pass is under snow. This ride consisted of Kokopelli, Upper and Lower Porcupine Singletrack (UPS & LPS), the Porcupine Rim trail ending on Hwy 128 at the Colorado River. Take the 4 miles back to town and you end up with 27-ish miles of riding pleasure. ...

So, Wendy made the call, and reserved us a spot on the shuttle. Time to lube the chains and pack the gear, since once we leave, it’s on the trail for the duration.

The view from the top:

Yep, that’s the trail and right beside it is imminent doom. Eric said it best, “I don’t want to be any closer than 3 mistakes from that edge”

We had one minor/major mechanical. Kev lost the front brake at some point. Turns out it was just a loose screw, heh, heh. Nothing six hands can’t fix.

Excellent ride, and once again make the trip back to the shop and give thanks for the recommendation. Good crew there at Chili Pepper.

That night’s dining experience pulled out the stops. The plan was jerk chicken, and I guess, was slightly jerk chicken with an Indian influence. So, maybe a curry pan fried chicken with chiles and black beans is a more appropriate description. We had some shishito peppers, some Thai dragons and jalapenos to fry and they lived up to their reputation. A little smoky peach salsa and mango chutney to place an additional dimension into the flavors. Did I mention kings?

Overall, a trip with good friends, good food, good riding, well maybe kingly riding. After a meal like that, converse a bit, laugh a bit, then sleep the sleep of the just.

Irresponsible Adventures on Bikes

That pretty much sums up the inner 13 year old that I have hidden. This time it came in the form of a road trip to Moab. Can 32 images actually tell a story? Can words mixed with 32 images convey the awesomeness of jerk chicken, grilled jalapenos and fried zucchini after a glorious ride? Naw, but it was a great weekend trip and the fun is remembered here.

Phoenix, Flagstaff, Bluff, Moab, Fruita, Moab, Phoenix. Those were the stops, in that order. Up onto the Colorado Plateau, geologic formations with names like Entrada and Navajo sandstones, Kayenta formation, Moab Tongue, San Rafael Swell and the Comb Ridge. Fantastical places, magical in my mind.

The crescendo of this trip occurs in Utah and Colorado. But that’s rushing things, first stop of the day was at Macy’s in Flagstaff. Coffee and pastries are a great way to start the trip. Fueled up, we travel on, and, as we had planned to lunch on the road, Bluff was about right for timing. A little roadside coffee house, and out comes our strawberries, hard salami, bread and cheese. Three different Gouda’s of three different ages and flavors. Simple. Piquant.  

At the edge of the parking lot, there was an old truck which piqued the interest of us all.

Lunch was completed and at Moab we arrived. A quick unload and off to Slickrock Trail for the first ride. The weather was exceedingly windy, but the trail, in a word was fantastic.

A little snow left on the La Sal Mountains, evidence of a full winter.

The real reason this area is so well explored:

Bitumen.

Amazing, start in Phoenix, drive all day and still ride. Enjoy some excellent burritos and prep for tomorrow.

On to Estes Park

With the red sandstone and warm temperatures of Moab in the rear view mirror, we headed north and then east. Sometimes I-70 just feels like it goes on without any reward, that is, until I remember it’s peach season! Ah, Palisade Peaches, we see the sign and immediately exit for the produce stand. All will enjoy these.



Peaches in hand, or rather on my wife’s lap, we continue east on I-70 and decide to stop at some no name place. Actually, it really is No Name rest area. Kinda strange what the shift key does, changes it from some generic item into a proper noun. Here, we eat some peaches and previously made sammies for our lunch.

The change from the warm sunny days of Moab, to the cool, misty, rainy east end of the Eisenhower Tunnel was rather abrupt. It was just like driving into a cloud. Exit at Georgetown to make a rest and wow, it was really cold in the shorts, sandals and t-shirt that was quite suitable for Moab.



Finally, we arrive at our destination, set up the camper, and commence a wonderful night’s sleep. At Estes, great fun ensued.

Tire swings,


Biking,


Slingshots,


Fishing,


A trail ride,






Sunshine,


And one World of Warcraft quest – ahahahaaaaa!

Moab, Here We Come!

Every journey begins with a picture. Or is it one step? Anyways, truck is loaded, camper is hitched, and smiles abound. At least smiles are there now, wait for a couple hours, once the sit muscles get tired, then check back with us.



The Rand McNally Road Atlas, classic America, the freedom of the open road, the sky covering our open road had a few clouds. Transfer from Arizona to Utah, drive through the awe that is Monument Valley, and poof, into Moab. It sure didn’t feel like poof “here we are”. Set up the camper, in the dark, and then sleep the sleep of the just.



Start the day off with pancakes and eggs, and drive through espresso, then on to Arches National Park. The Great Parks issue of National Geographic Adventure recently came out, and spoke of the treasure that is the National Park system. They spoke of a young America, and the lack of historical treasure that we had compared to Europe. Our treasure, or the treasure that we as a nation set to preserve was nature. One of those, Arches National Park, is the one we went to see.
It was time to expose the girls to some nature, and on this trip, it happens to include the geology of Entrada and Navajo Sandstone.
First on the list was a hike to Delicate Arch. One of the most photographed features in Arches.



Then, red white and blues, balancing rocks, eroded slots.







After a day of hiking, we ate some excellent Baja Mexican. Full tummies and active day led to sound sleep.
The next day was time to drive again, starting with espresso. It was the perfect shop, books and coffee. Books for Shawna, coffee for me, and a chocolate chip cookie to share.



Coffee in hand, camper hitched, and the road ahead. What a drive along the river.