Hidden Valley Trail, Moab. No ranch, no dressing

A few miles south of Moab, the Hidden Valley Trail is a quick hike to Moab rim which is a great spot to look down over the town and get oriented (or "orientated" as many say).
This trail connects to the heavily traveled Moab Rim Trail, a favorite vertical test for offroad Jeeps, mountain bikers and hikers. This part of the trail, however, is a single track open only to hikers and mountain bikers. It traverses a Wilderness Study Area as well, cautioning people to stay on the trail.






Not far up the trail, I spotted this lizard. Can you spot it? These little guys are quick, so I was surprised it waited long enough to be photographed. Does anyone know why lizards do funny little "push-ups" all the time?

A few hundred feet beyond the lizard spotting, these three guys flew past me, running down the trail. I eavesdropped on their conversation, "What did you think of that salmon last night?" "Great man!" "I think we outta get some more of that and do a little steak with it tonight." "Yeah, and some fresh greens and roasted peppers and..." out of earshot. Maybe they should open a restaurant.

In the photo below I wanted to show this view of the Slickrock trail area. This lies to the northeast of Hidden Valley Trail. The low, yellow-ish rocks are partially in shadow, and just above the valley floor. This famous destination hides above town, ready to demoralize even the most balls-y and skilled bikers and motorcycle riders. The first time I rode this trail, in 1989, I actually cried. Even though I'd ridden a mountain bike many miles and could clean some technical sections... this place was wicked challenging -- both mentally and physically. I never miss an opportunity to remind people the trail system was created in the 1970s by motorcycle riders, not bicyclists or hikers.

Here is a shot over my shoulder of the valley floor. Moab is to the north, my left.

At the top of the trail, it flattens out and eventually connects with the Moab Rim Trail, to the north. This is the end of the trail for me today. I headed back into town to collect my belongings from my friend's house (including my bicycle) and start the long drive back to northern Utah.

Why go to Moab to ride a road bike?

I never though I would arrive in Moab without my mountain bike, but for the fourth year in a row, here I am... with my road bike. This weekend is the annual Lance Armstrong Foundation Skinny Tire Festival, a fundraiser for cancer research and a chance to bicycle for a cause.

The thing is, there was a time when I sneered at road bikers because they opted for "easier" rides. And that's partly true. Now that I ride my road bike between 100 and 200 miles a week, I tend to not do headers over the bars in technical drop-offs. I don't have sore wrists at the end of a the day. I no longer have moments of panic while looking straight down a slickrock section where the track disappears over the rock edge like a sickening roller coaster drop.

I'd never dare admit that I prefer road biking most days now because, well, it's easier. But I miss the solitude and beauty that lays itself out during a mountain bike ride. Off-road feeds my need for quiet and renewal. Road biking feeds my need for serious calorie-burning and mindless sweating.
T
oday's ride was to the top of Dead Horse Point, a few miles north of Moab. Here are a few ride stats, according to my Garmin Edge 305 (not the newest, trickest unit, but it works):

Total miles: 62
Total elevation gain: 3,520 feet.
My average heart rate:143
Total ride time: 4 hrs 3 minutes
Total calories burned: 2723

The unexpected treasure today was looking at the La Sal mountain range to the East and the Henry Mountains to the west as I rode along the ridge to Dead Horse Point and realizing Torrey would be visible from here if it weren't for the mountains. So what? I don't know, but it may have something to do with Bob being in Torrey.

I don't know who the people in these photos are, but they didn't seem upset to be in my viewfinder. Therefore I don't have permission to post these photos, officially. So they are unofficial.