After shuttling some of the group to the Porcupine Rim trail that they had shuttled us to yesterday, we tried the section of the Sovereign trail and Cedar Mt trail accessed from Dalton Well Rd.  After a ride out the road recommended for 4wd's to the outer parking area, there was just a short ride to the section of Sovereign trail we had ridden previously.  Instead of reriding that section, we took a left and followed singletrack up a draw to a large slickrock formation.  The trail quickly gets back to single track with a few short ATV tracks mixed in.  After a stiff climb you come to an option to continue on the Sovereign trail down Richard's Ridge or climb a bit more up the Cedar Mountain trail to Garden Mesa.  We chose the climb and had a great time all the way down through the sometimes sandy Ann's Arroyo and along/down the rock ridges.  It was a great way to end a weekend in Moab (partially because you are already on your way back to I-70 whether it is to SLC or off to Colorado.

To start off another great weekend in Moab we hit the classic Slickrock trail.  Even in April this trail can be hot.  Finding a trail in Moab that riders with a wide range of experience will enjoy can be hard.  The Silckrock trail is not a bad place to get the feel of riding on rock.  More experienced riders can do the longer loop and there are always features to play on if the group does not all ride at the same speed.

After finishing the Slickrock trail we checked the time and three of us decided to still try Porcupine Rim.  It was about 3:00 and there were very few people on the trail.  We only saw three other bikes on a Saturday in April!  I could have done a better job eating and hydrating during and after the morning ride because I was not felling it for this one.  Legs cramping and fully out of gas just a mile or so into the trail.  That being said, I never really got into the flow on this ride, but it was still the Porcupine Rim so I would do it again just maybe not without taking better care of my body.

See the new look on our latest uploaded trail in California: Paradise Royale near Arcata, CA. 

We are changing the way you see all that great trail info.  I think it is a cleaner look.  We also added preloaded driving directions from the regional city, larger photo slide show and a larger Google Map with the gps track overlaid on your choice of many map backgrounds including topographical, terrain, satellite, and open source maps. 

We are also using the power of Google Documents to allow you to easily search for the types of trails you like in the areas you like with many different parameters.  If you only want to see trails in Arizona, that is simple, but what if you want to see trails in Arizona without any road riding that have free camping nearby?  That would be cool.  Well, now you can!  Hope you enjoy.

Another first for us.  We should be getting face shots from the "Best Snow on Earth" this time of year, but the Wasatch mountain range just east of Salt Lake City has not had their typical year.  So, we head south.  We rode the Cove Wash area just outside of Santa Clara, UT and the Green Valley area just outside of Saint George, UT.  Both had a few different ride options. 

The Cove Wash area had more of a cross country mountain bike feel.  Nice tight single track that was well thought out and maintained.  None of the loops were long, but there were enough of them for a days ride.  You even get the onus of swinging back by the cars if you want to have a real lunch instead of an energy bar. 

The Green Valley area felt like an off-road area turned mountain bike.  The trails were wide, heavily used and had many options especially when heading down the Bearclaw Poppy side.  Some people shuttled the Bearclaw Poppy trail, but to us that seemed like more work and time than just riding back up.  The vertical was not that much and the trail was an easy grade and smooth.

After hearing all the stories of Thanksgiving trips Krista's sister has taken, we decided to try our own.  Both trails we hit on our bikes were empty.  We did not see anyone on the Guacamole Trail and only one other mountain biker on the Rockville Bench Trails. We enjoyed both trails and will go back again soon.  Either trail can be fit into a day that you have other plans.  Neither trail has much vertical to climb and both are relatively short.  The Rockville Bench area you could spend more time at if you did multiple loops to hit all the trails. 

After a day on the bikes, we spent the next day in Zion National Park.  Krista had never been and she was determined to hike to Angles Landing.  This is a steep winding paved path for the lower half, but then it quickly becomes a narrow scramble along a ridge with serious exposure on both sides the rest of the way.  They have chains bolted into the rock in most areas to assist you.  We got up early and were about the 4th and 5th people to make it to the top.  On our way down, we were surprised to see hundreds of people on their way up.  Many looked like they had no business on the trail we just hiked.  I assume most of the people got to the end of the paved path and then turned around, but I know some people do keep going even though there are serious risks. We were on our way out of the park between 1-2:00 PM.  After returning home to Salt Lake City, we find out that an older lady (50+) slipped and fell to her death at around 2:00 PM that same day.  The view is nice from up there, but in my opinion it is not worth the risk. I told Krista on the way down that I would not be doing it again. 

This past weekend Krista and I went to Gooseberry Mesa for the first time.  We had heard good things and the weather forecast was perfect.  There was plenty of dispersed camping near the trail heads.  There were plenty of trail options.  We started out for one that was not on the map, but Krista broke her rear hub.  After walking back to the car (about 3 miles).  We drove straight to Zion Cycles in Springdale, UT.  Much to our surprise, they fixed the bike and we were on our way back to the trails in less than 45 minutes!  They were surprised we knew of the unmapped trail, but then proceeded to describe it in more detail.  It was a good trail to take on a busy weekend.  We did not see one other person while on this trail and the parking lot was full all weekend.  Our favorite trail however, was the Hidden Canyon trail.  It was more of a connector, but had great flow and some really nice rock features.  We'll be back to that trail system, but probably try some of the other trails in the area first.  We love the desert in the Spring and Fall! 

Well we made our fifth annual trip to Moab, UT to the site of their 24 hour race.  This year was the fifteenth annual race.  We have made it to the last five in a row.  I am not really sure why we keep going back.  It costs too much, I would not ever pick the trail to go ride for fun and you never know what you are going to get for weather that time of year.  That being said, it is a good course to race.  I have run the support for my wife's teams.  I do this so I don't have to ride!  Don't get me wrong, I love to ride.  Just not race and not on this course.  This year we ended up with some of the best weather we have seen in five years.  There was no rain, very light winds, overnight lows were above freezing and highs were in the 70's.  Just about perfect! The worst part about this year was the fact that none of the team had any extra days to spend on the near by trails that I enjoy riding.  We all made the quick trip to stay up all weekend high on adrenaline and caffeine.  Then we all jumped in our cars (half asleep) and drove back to our homes.  It is really insane how much energy and money is spent to stay up all night riding bikes 5-20 hours drive from where we call home.