Moab: Day 3

Dave says: On day 3 in Moab, we did all the legendary stuff and it proved to be a legendary day. We spent the day in the Sand Flats recreation area up above the town where the slickrock is everywhere. First, we tackled the Slickrock Trail on our mountain bikes. Hardly anyone was on the trail and it only took Alisha a few miles to realize that slickrock has better traction than asphalt and riding many of the obstacles is a lot like taking a road bike up a 40% grade. The thing about slickrock is that you will run out of power before you run out of grip. I managed to make it through all the obstacles on the trail including the infamous "Cogs to Spare" that I tipped over and bounced down during my first visit to Moab (while my friends Alex and Clay took a picture of me laying in a heap).

Adventure #2 was the atv trail Fins N Things which is a short but sweet trail along some of the huge slickrock fins that undulate up and down. A doubletrack of black tire wear marked the route (note: the darker the black, the worse the obstacle) along with white painted dinosaurs on the slickrock. The south section of the trail is apparently "not recommended" for atvs due to a couple of large drops (see one pictured below). The rock is near-vertical but the roll out is so good that I just hit the gas rather than the brake and cruised right down it without feeling tippy.

 

 

The final adventure of the day was the trail Hell's Revenge (also apparently not recommended for atvs according to my guidebook, but online is ranked as the best atv trail in all of Moab). This trail was absolutely unbelievable. Top atv trail I have ever ridden hands down! Sometimes you are about to pee your pants with excitement, other times with nervousness (and sometimes these moments are only seconds apart). This trail pushed my limits to the maximum climbing and descending massive slickrock fins that were far steeper than anything I had ever driven. As you approach these obstacles, some are incredibly scary to look at. Yet, when you're on them the atv just sticks to the rock and soon you have cleared the obstacle and are laughing a bit to yourself that you made it. No close calls today though, I stop to look at the tough stuff and plan the route carefully. I can't wait to come back and do this one again (preferably with someone who has never done it before and will be scared out of their mind).