14 people, two 4 wheel drive trucks and a lot of fun. This is the ultimate mountain biking trip if you like fantastic scenery, great company and fine food.
The Bonneville Bicycle Touring Club puts on some great rides. I had been on the Southern Parks Ride twice and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Due to some last minute cancellations I was fortunate enough to also go on the White Rim Trip. What good fortune because it was fabulous.
Picture riding your mountain bike in the Grand Canyon and you have a sense of the White Rim Trail. The variety of rock strata, geologic features and beautiful river overlooks makes the scenery similar to the Grand Canyon. After all, one of the rivers that is responsible for the beauty of Canyonlands is the headwaters of the Colorado River. (Which river that is, I will leave open to debate.) Now add sunny days, star filled nights, fantastic company and great food and you have a partial image of the trip. In real life, it was even better!
We rode the trail counter-clockwise. I think this direction was best because the descent along Horsethief wasn't too scary and the climb out (for me at least) was gentle. (I opted to exit along the Potash Road. A *good* decision for me!) We met a few other trips heading the opposite direction and only once joined up with a trip going the same direction as us. So traffic was an absolute minimum for such a popular place. Good thing as the road is quite narrow in spots.
Our first day was a learning day for me. I have ridden mountain bikes for a few years but I am used to dirt fire roads. The silty sand of Canyonlands quickly taught me that I needed some new skills to survive out here. The first deep pocket I ran into nearly had me over the handlebars! It reminded me of the "bull dust" in Australia - thick, heavy, energy sapping dust that betrays how deep it really is. I quickly learned to keep my weight back, way back.
I was riding a Specialized FSR Stumpjumper that John Schwed had rented for me. It fit perfectly and the full suspension was a treat on the rocky sections. (Thanks, John!) Even with the front suspension set to the softest settings, after 4 days of riding my forearms felt like someone had hit me with a hammer. (I guess I'd better do some weight work before my next multiday ride.) The rest of me felt relatively fine.
We backtracked from the parking area near the Visitor's Center and rode along the paved road until we reached our turn-off. It was a good chance to talk to the other riders (I didn't know anyone on the trip in the beginning) and warm up. The scenery was lovely and it was hard to pay attention to the road. The sag vehicles were extremely good about keeping track of the riders. The first few days I was at the back of the pack - my normal location - and Sherwin kept an eye on me. (My rented bike came sans pump and I didn't bring a repair kit. Incentive to stay with at least *one* other rider.) We rode across the plateau for several miles. Then we came to the place where the earth drops away - Horsethief switchbacks. OK, it didn't quite drop off but it was a long way down in a short distance. I saw a group of cyclists walking their bikes up the trail. Hmmm. I could also see the Green River off in the distance. (Next year's destination for my river trip.) After refilling my water bottle and grabbing a snack, Bob and I headed down. Brake, keep your weight back, brake some more, brake even more, BRAKE! Wow, this is steep. I nearly miss a turn due to the soft sand and decide to be even more conservative. Riding my brakes most of the way down I see that the road straightens out. I open it up a bit and WHAM, I hit a patch of soft sand. My trail wiggles like a snake crossing the road. I don't crash but I certainly don't look like I knew what I was doing either. :) Slow down, it's only the first day. At the junction Bob and I ride over to the Mineral Bottom take-out on the Green. I have already decided that next year I will float the Green and I am scoping out the take-outs, etc. It's a very pretty place. Back to the junction for lunch with Leslie, Dave and John at the truck.
I am hungry. We make sandwiches and gorge on cookies. I like this aspect of bicycle tours - you can eat tons (and I often do). John decided that we are all responsible for making our own sandwiches - that way we can't complain if we don't like them. Fair enough! My sandwich is superb. Since I don't wear a watch I have no idea what time it is. As long as the sag vehicle is behind me, I figure I'm fine. After a long break, eating and talking to other riders, we start off again. I ride with Dave into camp. It's about 11 miles of dirt road. We follow the river along its meandering course. Cottonwoods are turning gold and orange. My brain is having trouble with this concept. I have lived in Southern California most of my life. Fall colors are something that I see on postcards - not in real life. This combined with the fact that the weather has been close to 100 at home causes me to be totally confused as to what month it is. The weather reminds me of December at home, but the weather at home had me thinking it was August. Oh well. At least I knew what year it was.
At this point we are still on BLM land. The road is good - level and not too sandy. When we reach the boundary of the National Park we are greeted by a speed limit sign! 15 mph. I am amused by the irony of putting a speed limit sign in the National Park while the BLM land ("Land of Many Uses") was basically unsigned. Preserving the wilderness??? (I'd like to see someone go much faster than 15 mph in a truck. And who gives out tickets out here anyway?) Speeding wasn't a problem that I noticed.
We stop often to take pictures and just enjoy the view. Then we hit some sandy areas that allow us to practice our technique. Downshift and keep your weight back. Peddle! I make it through most of the sand and only stop occasionally when I get caught in the heavier sand in the middle of the road. Sherwin is videotaping the scenery and asks us to repeat a particularly sandy section. Perhaps he wanted some actions shots of us weaving?? We pass a campsite and then enter a really sandy area. Walk the bike. I am concerned about wearing myself out early in the trip. I don't know what to expect for the remainder of the trip so I try and conserve my energy and stay in one piece.
When we reach camp, we are almost the last riders in and it's only 3 p.m.! A new record for me reaching camp so early. After replenishing our energy reserves a group of us pile into one of the sag vehicles to drive out to "Moses and Zeus", rock formations a few miles back. John and Joe ride their bicycles and nearly beat us there. It is dusty and bumpy in the back of the truck. Really dusty. But we have a good time eating pretzels and chips (and dust) and talking. A "bonding" experience.
Back at camp John starts dinner. Everyone else has their tent up but I am hoping to sleep under the stars inspite of the weather forecast that mentioned a "possibility of rain before dawn". The wind blows through the evening coating everything with a fine red powder. Dinner is served - chicken alfredo, green beans and salad. Tasty.
Beer and conversation before people start turning in for the night. I climb into my new sleeping bag (rated to 0 degrees) and watch the stars before falling a sleep.
During the night I awake and look at the sky. Where I had seen thousands of stars earlier, I now see clouds moving quickly. I look to the south and see dark clouds. By the light of the moon, I set up my tent and drag my gear inside. 5 minutes later it starts to rain. Not a downpour but more than I would have liked to been out in. I sleep soundly the rest of the night.
Morning brings clear skies and french toast for breakfast! It's cold because we are in the shadows but packing and eating soon warm us up. The sun still hasn't reached our little corner of the world before I depart from camp. No worries, there is a nice climb out of here to warm me up. The trail winds around along the edge of the strata and offers a great view of our route the day before. As I round the corner and the incredible vista unfolds before me I notice a pile of bicycles at a trailhead. I park and follow footprints to an Anasazi tower out on a point.
The tower has a great view of the river valley in 2 directions. The rock work is quite rough, it appears hastily put together, quite unlike much of the Anasazi work I have seen in the area. From the remnant neck you can see a small cabin out on the river plain. Rumor has it it was a "hideout" for Butch Cassidy. Looking at the location, there is no way it was a "hideout". It sits out in the open on the floodplain. I'd guess a farmer's cabin. But rumor is more romantic.
Back at the bicycles, I join up with Randy and Bruce. I ride with them the remainder of the day and learn a lot by watching how they tackle the road. I learn to hop the smaller rocks so that my front wheel takes some air. I also learn *not* to follow too closely as Bruce jumps a rock ledge that is beyond my current capabilities and I almost go over the handlebars. He apologizes after I stop saying that he heard me behind him but didn't have time to say anything until it was too late.
We stop every half mile or so as the road winds past canyons cut into the rock. The road passes at the headwalls of these side canyons and the view is amazing. Each one offers a slice of the geologic cake that lies below us. We go through our film at a rapid pace - the pictures will bring back memories for years to come. Sometimes we stand on the very edge and peer over, getting a bit woozy at the drop. It's a long way down.
I am almost out of water and we are hungry. We expectantly look back along the road for that telltale cloud of dust that signifies a vehicle. Hmm, nothing. We continue on until we reach Candlestick Camp (I don't know how it got its name) where we wait for Sherwin to arrive. The campsites are easily recognizable due to the brown plastic outhouses located within them. We use the facility which is clean and well ventilated. It's a nice change from many of the outhouses that occupy parkland.
Lunch consists of sandwiches, fruit, chips and salsa and a soft drink. And cookies. Lots of cookies. Yum. After filling the water bottles, dumping extra clothes, reapplying sunscreen, we are ready to hit the trail again. We have 10 miles to camp. It is a long 10 miles we discover, especially the last few which climb and we are tired. We take more pictures along the way and I practice my technique for getting over rocks and ledges. So far I haven't fallen.
As we reach the top of Murphy's hogback, I am pushing my bicycle. My legs are tired and the hill is steep. And I have two more days of riding to go. The view from the top is fantastic out across the rock layer that we had been riding on all day. What an absolutely beautiful place this is. Just to be here seems such a privilege. And to be in the company of such nice people makes it even more enjoyable. I am so happy.
Time to wash up a bit before the sun goes down. I wash my hair as the sun sets below the far ridges and the temperature starts to drop. It dries quickly due to the dry air but I was really pushing it. It will be cold again tonight. We sit around camp talking and eating chips and salsa and talk about our day. What a great ending to a great day.
John fixes another wonderful meal - pasta, salad and pork chops. The pork chops are cooked over a grill and have BBQ sauce. A nice addition to our meal. Then it's time for coffee and hot chocolate. I commit a "faux pas" and add chocolate to my coffee (I am a coffee purist) mostly for the extra calories as it is already quite cold. We watch shooting stars and spot satellites until we are too tired to stay up any longer. You can tell that the average age on this trip is more than 40 as we are in our tents by 9:30 again!
I freeze for the first hour in my new sleeping bag. I hate this bag. It is supposed to be rated to 0 degrees and I finally decide that they meant 0 degrees C. I am cold and can't seem to warm up even though I have all my fleece on and a vest wrapped around my head. During the night I dream that I am suffocating and I struggle for a few unnerving minutes to free my arms from inside my sleeping bag. It's amazing how much power the mind has.
The day dawns with a clear sky and no wind. It is a while before the sun reaches our camp and we gather in the small bit of sunlight to absorb whatever warmth we can from the rays. That and coffee help to get me warm. Breakfast is pancakes which John cooks (someone should hire this man) and we eat enthusiastically. Bagels and cold cereal are available if anyone wants more food.
Our first section of road is a steep downhill that I look at and consider walking down. Bruce rides down, followed by Randy. I finally decide that I can ride down it as Ted comes down the trail right behind me. Uh, oh. I hate having someone right behind me as I am afraid that I will stop suddenly or veer off course and they will run into me. I go faster than I would like to in order to keep out of Ted's way. The road certainly had my attention!!
It's a long section of climbs and descents as we work our way across the rock. Sherwin stops the truck ahead of us several times in order to take pictures of us riding by. It is a perfect day, warm and sunny. Our only sidetrip is the road out to White Crack where we leave the bicycles to walk out to the end of the world.
What a view. This is incredible. I know that I keep saying that, but it is the only way I can describe the vista. We can see 270+ degrees out over Canyonlands. The drop here is, well, it's a long drop. Bob is on his hands and knees peering over the edge. I don't blame him. We spend quite a long time enjoying the view and trying to identify landmarks. I shoot a lot of film. Finally I return to my bicycle, reluctant to leave such a spot.
Backtracking to the main road we continue our ride. The terrain is rocky and slightly downhill. We are flying along - faster than we have before except for the switchbacks. We cover several miles in record time and stop at a small ridge just short of Gooseberry Camp. We decide to wait here for the sag vehicle to eat lunch as Leslie is out hiking and we didn't want her to miss lunch. Sherwin arrives after a few minutes and like hungry wolves we attack the truck. The menu is well known by now - sandwiches, cookies, fruit and a soft drink for extra sugar. It's a relaxing way to have lunch just stop on the trail at a spot you like and wait for the truck. We talk, compare stories, take pictures, put on sunscreen and regroup for the next leg. I continue to ride with Randy and Bruce. I really enjoy riding with them as they are patient teachers helping me improve my riding skills. If I lag too far behind one of them will drop back to keep me company. It's nice to have this encouragement.
Somehow we are close to the front of the pack today. We have been riding harder than usual, feeling good and pushing ourselves. We reach camp before the sag vehicles and spend some time just enjoying the push of the day. Sherwin arrives and we dig in to the chips and salsa since Frank and Debbie were already in camp. Debbie and I share a passion for salsa!!
We have our tents set up and have eaten when John arrives in the other sag vehicle and tells us about a side trip we can take down to the Colorado River. At White Crack we left the Green and are now riding along the Colorado. Sherwin and I decide to ride down and see the river. We have to go soon as it is 8 miles round trip with some climbing. There won't be enough time to do the trip tomorrow.
We head out, the rest of the gang prefers to stay in camp except for Joe and John who will catch us soon enough. The road down is steep at the top as it drops into the sidecanyon. I am used to this by now but this section is really sandy and really rocky. I stop at the bottom of the switchbacks as my arms are sore and Sherwin comes along, hits the sand with his front wheel and executes a perfect somersault off his bike into the middle of the trail! 8.6 - nice roll. He gets up dusty but unharmed and climbs back on his bicycle a little surprised by his sudden tumble.
We continue down the trail trying to keep the wheels out of the deepest sand and resort to walking in spots. It's as fast to walk as to ride and easier on the thighs. The trail follows the streambed and wanders back and forth across the deep canyon. It is beautiful down here but I start worrying about the ride out. If it is this hard to get to the river, how hard will it be to climb out???
Our last day. I don't think anyone really wants the trip to end. We get an early start since it is a long drive back to SLC. Breakfast is coffee, cereal and bagels. Sherwin is going to ride with us part of the day. We head out past the turnoff for the river. I am glad I had ridden it yesterday even though my legs are very tired today. It's a fast pace with a few climbs and few stops for pictures. We stop at the Colorado Overlook and see a vehicle on what I think is Potash Road. The river is stunning from the overlook. Back on the bikes, cranking out the miles. I can't quite keep up with the guys, so I slow a bit to survive the day. They have to wait for me at the turn-off anyway. :)
We reach Musselman Arch and someone yells at us to come over for a look. Whew! What a look it is. John is jumping around on the arch that appears to be about 2 feet wide and 30 feet long. He's crazy! He wants us to ride across the arch. It's wider than it looks from a distance and it's a long drop if you miss. I am glad I don't have clipless pedals! I ride across, never looking down. It was interesting since your mind is telling you not to try it and your body is saying that it's fairly easy. (You'd better hope your body wins this one!) Even more entertaining was watching the other riders reaction to John's request for them to ride across it. Bob thinks about it and then goes for it. Good for you, Bob!! Kay looks at it and states matter-of-factly "It's a long way down there." When asked to ride across, she responds "In a pig's eye!" David rides across but refuses John's request to pop a wheelie. (Bruce had done that earlier.) See Note at the end.
Back on the bicycles to the junction with Potash Road. At this point, Sherwin, Randy, Joe and I leave the main group and take the longer, though gentler, way out. It was 13 miles to the paved road.
I had been hoping that I could ride Potash Road because I had read about petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks along the way. They are there, it's just that they are closer to Moab than to Canyonlands. But it was a lovely trail without a lot of traffic. I enjoyed the ride and as a bonus we saw a herd of 8 mountain sheep. The road is wide and follows the rock layers east towards Moab. It is outside of the park for the majority of the route. A book I have states that the oil companies built this road in the 60's! That gives you some sense of how isolated this area had been until a few years ago. The road was extremely rocky in some places and my forearms screamed on most of the descents. By now they were incredibly sore and even gripping the handlebars was painful. (The pain went away within a day, amazingly enough.) I wanted the ride to be over or at least the rough portion of the ride. I was tired from our days of riding and bouncing over the dirt road. The saddle I was using was starting to feel uncomfortable. And I was very tired. Enough! Not yet, you still have 9 miles to go on the paved road. Enough. Nope, keep going. OK, a few more miles.
We descend down the strata and go through a valley to the Potash settling ponds. Potash is mined near here and the material is mixed with water and then evaporated to get the pure potash out. After talking about it for a while, we realize that none of us actually knows the chemical composition of potash. It must be a salt. Potassium? Oh well, something to look up when we return to the city. (Potash is potassium carbonate according to the dictionary.) The ponds remind me of salt works I had seen in Bonaire years ago.
We continue along the dirt road and wind around until we reach the packing plant for the potash (and salt according to the sign) and a paved road! There is a launching ramp for the Colorado River and there are some vehicles parked there. For our days along the rivers , the only boat we had seen was a jetboat heading towards the confluence this morning.
The truck! Our sag vehicle has arrived to fetch these weary riders. The others must all be clean and waiting for us in John's R.V. We pile the bikes onto the truck, hop inside and we are off. I'm happy to be finished riding but sad that the trip is over.
On our way to meet the others, we drive past the dinosaur tracks and the "Indian writing" (who wrote *that* sign??) We don't stop. I guess that just means that I shall have to return for another adventure. Such is life!
Note: According to information I read *after* the trip, it is illegal to ride a bicycle across the arch. I guess they need a sign there.