So It has been a while since I promised pictures - lots has been going on at the brewery. Anyway I wanted to get these up from our trip to Gooseberry Mesa and Moab - both of which provided some of the most fun/unique riding I've ever had.
On the way to the Great American Beer Festival, we decided we deserved to have a little fun. First off was a stop at Gooseberry Mesa just outside of Zion Nat'l Park. Neither Rebecca or I had ever ridden on Slick Rock before. We started off on the practice loop to get our toes wet; turns out slick rock is really not slick at all. Gaining confidence we headed on for a loop out the South Rim to the viewpoint (seen above) then back along the North Rim.
The first few minutes was pretty humbling on a section called bowls and ledges - everything was so different from what we were used to. Not only did it look like there was no way to climb up this stuff, but it really looked like it would hurt when (not if) you fell.
Part of the frustration was that we were on a trial marked as moderate, and we knew we wanted to head back on a trail that was considered difficult. Thoughts of mangled bikes and bodies mingled with amazment at how fun and pretty this place was. It wasn't until we actually hit the Yellow Trail (marked as difficult) that we began to get some confidence that we might actually make it. It turns out that confidence is everything on slickrock, since the rock can handle much more than you think it can.
Pretty soon we were comfortable that not only was slickrock much easier than the type of riding we were used to, it was a frickin' blast!
It was so much fun, that we decided to camp out that night and do the loop in the other direction with an addition through hidden canyon the next morning before heading out to GABF.Skip ahead and we were on our way home after a very eventful and fun few days in Denver. What better way to break up the long ride home that another stop, this time in Moab to meet up with some friends and ride there. Our first day was on Porcupine ridge - a bit more like the riding we were used to with bombing, ledgy downhills and some impossible moves (for us at least). I didn't have the camera with, but we had a great time riding with Corey, Lisa and Steve. The next day we were on our own and were pretty much required to ride the Slickrock Trail.
Having spent a few days on slickrock now, we were comfortable enough to enjoy the amazing scenery this ride has to offer. If you were going to build the perfect mountain bike park, you would be hard pressed to top this place; Amazing views, fun riding and some kick-your-butt hills made this ride unforgettable.
I have to say, I love my local trails, but I really can't wait to get back to these places for some more good times.
