I Wish I Lived In Moab

Notes from Eric:

1. New blog format – the main frame is wider and the text is larger. I hope it’s easier to read.
2. Various links – I’ve added links to my workout logs and other blogs I read. You may be interested, you may not be.
3. Because we don’t update this blog with any regularity, I will continue to send out email notifications.
   

Humm….my last post was in July of 07...it’s now May of 08…it’s about time for another post. Far too much has happened to recap, so I’ll by recapping last week.

Last week I went to Moab with some friends for a much needed biking vacation. Originally I was planning to leave Denver on Wednesday and come back Saturday with some friends from our ward, but my plans changed Saturday night before the trip after I spoke with my friend Tim and learned that he wanted to go to Moab as well. I hung out with Tim Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday. I spend Wednesday by my self, rode with the guys from the ward Thursday and Friday, and drove home late Friday night…..it’s was a great trip.

On Monday Tim and I rode the Slick Rock trail. It was the first time for both of us, and we lucked out because there were only a few people on the trail. Usually this trail is packed with so many people that you can hardly move (so I’ve heard). The trail is almost completely on sandstone and is amazing to ride because unlike the name implies, the surface is extremely “grippy.” You can climb very steep hills because your tires never loose purchase.

On Tuesday we decided that we weren’t in the mood to bike. We were tired from Mondays ride, and I hadn’t slept well the night before (I slept outside, and the wind blew sand in every nook and cranny of my body). So, what are two not so young bucks to do in Moab if they don’t want to bike? They rent a jeep. I highly recommend this form of entertainment. Our jeep was brand new, came stocked with a cooler, and had satellite radio. The only set back was our jeep broke in the middle of a trail. We were crawling on some rock when we heard something fall off the jeep. We got out and took a look, but all we found was a washer. There wasn’t anything obviously wrong, so we kept on going (slowly). A few minutes later we discovered that the shock absorber came unbolted from the frame, and was threatening to punch its way through the fire wall of the jeep. Luckily we were able to get cell reception, so Tim called the rental company. They brought us another jeep, and we finished the trail.

Tim left Tuesday night, so I camped out and rode the slick rock trail again Wednesday morning. That afternoon I rode part of the Gemini Bridges trail. I had hotel reservations for Wednesday night so I checked in and took a long hot shower. My other friends were not going to get into Moab until late that night, so I ate some Chinese and went to sleep early.

On Thursday we rode the Sovereign trail, and on Friday we did a mix and match of the Gemini Bridges, Poison Spider Mesa, and Portal Trails. I had a small crash on the Sovereign trail and cracked my helmet. I was slowly making my way down a steep rocking section, when I hit some sand and endoed (went over my handle bars) I landed in sand, so I didn’t get hurt, but my head found a buried rock and it cracked my helmet…..ALWAYS wear a helmet. After eating dinner I drove home, and I was lucky not to have fallen asleep.

While I was in Moab, Hannah was in AZ seeing her sisters. You can see her sister Jenny’s blog for updates on that trip.

That’s all for now.

And now your moment of ZEN…..

This one needs some explanation. Hannah dropped her keys in the toilet, and they got stuck. She had to remove the toilet to get them. She did it in her night gown…..I love this girl! I offered to do this for her, but she wanted to do it her self. This picture is of her getting ready to clean off the tarp she used in the bathroom. If you don’t hear from me again, it’s because Hannah has killed me for posting this picture.