Summertime in Moab !

Gopher Flats
Moab, UT
Summer 2017

This has been a fantastic summer. Joe and I have enjoyed staying put for awhile.  Of course, we have great friends here to spend time with, have made lots of new friends,  and our new toy, better known as Wile E. Coyote, has been a blast !  Yes, it has been warm...um, make that toasty warm...but that has not deterred us from getting out early in the mornings and enjoying the trails. In fact, we added 222.6 miles of wheeling to Wile E's odometer.  

Here are some highlights from June, July and August...

Ber and Carole sharing maps and discussing options on Polar Mesa.

Ber and Charlotte at the over look on Polar Mesa.  Ber led Polar Mesa Trail and shared lots of stories about his dad who drove a mining truck on this very trail back in the early 1900s.  We love his stories and history!  Ber had just turned 93 years old the day before.

Following Ber on Onion Creek to Thompson Canyon then Polar Mesa.

Onion Creek is very colorful...and lots of fun.  We crossed the creek 29 times.

Awesome fun following Jeff on Cliffhanger.  Here we (Jeff, us, Glen and Dee) are parked at the overlook.

Jamie on Metal Masher...

Following Dee on Moab Rim is a treat ! Here we just climbed Devil's Crack on the cliff edge and are headed to the Z Turn.  This trail starts out with a bang...and scary fun ! 

We had Moab Rim all to ourselves except for a couple of hikers.  This was a bit scary...for real !  Our brakes gave away just as we descended Z Turn.  Thank goodness for this boulder and a huge "whew moment" this happened before we got to Devil's Crack.

Hell' Revenge remains one of my favorite trails.    

Thanks to Dee, we met a great group of Canadians led by Jay Malo.  We joined them on several trails during the week they were here.  

The first trail was Behind the Rocks...

The Rocks

Another day, we joined them on Pickle and Mashed Potatoes.  I love this short and narrow canyon with lot of ledges called Pickle...

Wile E wiggles his way around and up through a very narrow spot.  Locals say this is the spot that gave the Pickle its name. 

And lastly, we joined them on Rusty Nail.  Here Dee spots Jay up Riff Raff.

Driving down the switchback on Gemini Bridges Road after Rusty Nail.

Dover enjoying a cool morning on Willow Springs Road.  

Part of the trail in Arches NP is in a wash.  Sometimes, it looks like the plants are tip toeing.

Another day on Cliffhanger Dee took this picture just as we were descending the Cliffhanger Obstacle.  It shows how really close to the cliff edge it is.  Going down you can hug the wall, but going up on the way out, you hug the edge...yikes!

Our only sunset ride was on 7 Mile Rim.  This was a scheduled monthly ride for Red Rock 4 Wheelers and always a popular ride.  

The late day lighting was perfect.

The sunset only so-so.

We always park below the Merrimac Butte...

...facing the Monitor Butte.

Until next time...

 HAPPY TRAILS !   

No Left Turn

Gopher Flats
Moab, UT
May 24, 2017

Rusty Nail is a hardcore difficult trail.  The trail begins at a left hand turn off the end of Gold Bar Rim.  It heads south then circles east.  It ends where it connects to Golden Spike and exits the entire length of Gold Bar.  The actual trail is only 1.9 miles.  The entire length of the route is 7.8 miles.  There are three major obstacles on this short extreme trail...Riff Raff, The Wall, and for scary fun, No Left Turn.  We headed out with Dee and Warren to tackle the challenges of huge boulders, tall ledges, and narrow switchbacks with views of a canyon below.  It was another gorgeous day with  beautiful blue skies, plenty of sunshine and a cool breeze.

First up was Riff Raff.   Before starting her climb, Dee explained the correct line for tire placement and then we watched.  What you can't see in the picture is a deep hole to the left of the passenger tire.  It's a little tippy and slipping off into the hole might cause a flop.  


Up next is The Wall.  Straddling the crack between the two boulders at the bottom, turning driver and climbing the ledge were the directions.  Warren's climb is flawless. 

Last, we come face to face with No Left Turn.  Joe and I had no idea what to expect and it wasn't until we saw Dee's pictures that our mouths dropped.  The trail at this point is narrow.  Large boulders were on my side.  A bottomless, at least it seemed that way at the time, canyon was on Joe's side.  Its a good thing he keeps his eyes on Dee and the trail.  Dee spotted us down a huge...ummm, enormous...boulder with lots of other boulders all mixed in.  Very tippy!  I'll let Dee's photos tell the story.

Thanks Dee for a successful run on the most difficult trail we have done...so far !

















It was a great day wheeling with Warren and Dee.  Warren waits while Joe and I watch Dee's line on Riff Raff.  

Our last sight of Warren before he drops off No Left Turn.  See how close he is to the edge?

It's always a treat to follow Dee. 

















We could see Jeep Arch from our lunch stop...a zoomed in picture.

We watched the clouds on the horizon...  

...as they moved closer...  

If you look closely, you can see the Colorado River in the center of the photo.

...and then overhead.  So pretty !

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS !