Back in October (2003); Kim (my partner) and I headed off to the south western USA for a trip with some touristy bits and some biking. We had arranged a 5 day biking trip with the American company ‘Western Spirit’ to the Canyonlands area of Utah, as a sort of holiday within a holiday. Here™s how we got on…
Ok let me confess straight off, I™m sitting in what is probably the mountain biker™s tourist trap to end all mountain biking tourist traps and when I™m not eating my Slickrock Café pizza I™m rubbernecking as every mountain biker in the world seems to in Moab tonight, driving by with various exotic and fancy full sussers strapped to their obligatory SUV. First night in Moab and Kim and I are finding the whole place a bit weird after the flesh pots of Vegas and a quick visit to Bryce Canyon (which seemed to be mostly populated by very fat Germans). In a country so obsessed with gas guzzling cars it seems strange to be in a town so bike-orientated.
First stop on the way back to the Apache Motel is at the supermarket for beer to last the trip; only in Moab could you find ‘Full Suspension Ale’ which I stupidly don™t buy, it would have been worth it for the novelty factor alone. Whilst peering into the ‘Dreamride’ bike shop to look at the shiny bike bits on the way back to the motel, we get chatting with a couple of Americans who recommend we steer well clear of the outfit. Good job we are off with the much better regarded ‘Western Spirit’ instead then.
We head over to the Western Spirit base early the next morning to meet our guides Dee and John, and the other paying punters who turn out to be a couple from the US (Rob and Tracy) and three Canadians – Todd, Lauren and Tom. Any apprehension on my part that we are going to be stuck with some mad freeriders who will humiliate me with their skill and fitness is quickly dispelled when I™m introduced and find out that 2/3rds of them are lawyers. We are issued with dry bags for all our gear (dry bags? We™re in a desert aren™t we?) and load up bikes on to the 4×4 support vehicle before heading north out of Moab, up to Green River and then off along Highway 24. After about an hour and a half (and one stop at a very weird filling station which seems to be populated by hunters in green camo we are in a bloody desert you idiots, what are you thinking?) we head offroad and are soon being bumped and thrown about as the 4×4 heads across the washboard dirt track. Leaving a big dust plume in our wake we head off into the Canyonlands National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, south towards Hans Flat ranger station. After about an hour crossing rolling scrub desert it occurs to me that we really are absolutely miles from anywhere; falling off in somewhere so remote might not be amongst the wisest of ideas.
Hans Flat is just a couple of buildings and hey the last chance for the next four and a half days to use a proper toilet! Dee and John our guides give us the obligatory safety talk about how far we are out in the wilderness. We also get the ‘Cryptobiotic Soil Talk’ which I™d only heard about in that crap John Woo film ‘Broken Arrow’ turns out if you step on it you destroy the fragile crust that has taken hundreds of years to develop, so stick to the trails folks. Dee also gives the lesson in riding in sand. Well it™s just got to be a strange type of dry mud really, right? Soon we™re riding and before I know it I™m into one of the first corners and hitting a deep patch of sand, the front washes, and after a quick detour out across the cryptobiotic soil (oops) I™m back on track. Maybe I should pay more attention.
After a couple of miles we get to the Flint trail overlook; wandering off through the scrub we come to a cliff edge with the Canyonlands spread out beneath us and Bagpipe Butte across the valley. It™s one of those types of views that you™ve probably seen in lots of pictures, but seeing it for real certainly brings out the scale of the place.
After our scenery stop there is a further ‘discussion’ concerning the benefits of riding conservatively given that we are about to head off down the Flint Trail originally cut/blasted out by miners way back when. The trail drops 1000ft in 2 miles onto the desert below in a series of tight switchbacks. The switchbacks with loose sand and 1 to 2ft rock drops are fine on a bike, but I certainly wouldn™t want to be driving down here; I™m sure John the guide is going to have fun in the support 4×4. The descent is over all too quickly and once we regroup we head for The Golden Stairs campsite where we™ll spend our first night.
Next morning we get woken up by the cry of ‘Java, Java, Java’ hey its America so why not enjoy the coffee. Western Spirit like to give their guests that little bit of luxury even out in a place as remote as the Canyonlands so blueberry pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast whilst watching the sun slowly rise above the desert? Well, yes thank you very much. Any chance of a second helping? Don™t mind if I do.
A leisurely day™s ride sees us out through the Elaterite Basin and past Big Water Canyon, easy riding on some of the old uranium prospector roads heading for the Maze overlook. The Maze overlook is pretty spectacular, we gaze down on a series of narrow, labyrinthine canyons from our campsite; this is where Butch Cassidy and company used to avoid the long arm of the law and looking down from the rim it™s easy to see just how easy it would be to get lost in the place. That afternoon we hike down into the base of the Maze by an old Indian hunting trail which includes some interesting (in the climbing sense of the word) rock steps with hand holds carved out of the sandstone. Walking along the sandy base of The Maze canyons the heat really starts to build and you can™t help but think of all the western movies you ever saw, the reds and browns of the sandstone cliff walls arc on all sides up to the brilliant cloudless blue sky – I half expect John Wayne to ride around the corner shouting ‘Debbie’.. The rock art we™ve hiked down to see is ‘The Harvest Scene’ and considering its age it is pretty impressive. These pictographs were produced by the Archaic peoples who lived in the area between 7500 BC and 500AD.
The next day™s ride into Teapot rock involves retracing our tracks along the Elaterite Basin back up to Sunset Pass and The Golden Stairs where we camped on the first night. From there we cruise down to Waterhole Flat and then on to Teapot Rock; with more sand just at the end of the day, not what I need especially when the idea of a cold beer seems most appealing.
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The ride out and back to The Land of Standing Rocks is a day that™s been promised as one of good technical riding. Initial swoopy drops on the now obligatory 4×4 tracks turns into rocky ledged slickrock areas on the edges of dry washes, finally a chance to have a bit of fun. Rock ledges, drop offs; I™m wondering ‘shit how do you the get bloody truck along here?’ Now I see why Western Spirit™s trucks don™t last that long. Soon I™m following John the guide at ever increasing speed with progressively more ill advised line choices down slickrock drops, chutes and rock staircases; at which point I remember that we really are miles from anywhere – note to self do not try to follow the guide at their chosen speed when they are riding a 5′ travel full susser and you are on a hardtail. The Land of Standing Rocks gives an alternative view of The Maze and the area we hiked into the canyons to look at the rock art. Heading back to camp via the same route gives further chance for more fun on the slickrock.
Evening chats over great food and more beer with John and Dee get on to the inevitable topic of Lance Armstrong and the possibility of a 6th tour win. They take great delight in mimicking the commentary of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin going on about ‘road furniture’ I don™t get why it™s so funny to the Americans and I™m really glad they don™t have David Duffield or I would have to hang my head in shame. At this point John the guide has the great idea that the final day should be a ‘race’ between the various nationalities and maybe it™s the beer talking but it seems like a great idea.
The last day starts early; we™ve packed and are riding by about 7:30am. The sun is low and the shadows deep and broad, the light really is incredible. After John™s discussion last night about the various national teams in the trip the Canadians head off in a tight peloton (of 3…eh?) determined to win the day. Sweeping tracks lead us out of from the edge of the Maze area. No real climbs just desert and, well, more desert. Now maybe I™ve seen ‘The Searchers’ just one too many times, but cycling along I half expect to see a bunch of ˜Injuns™ trailing us along the top of one of the butte scarp slopes. Today™s ride is really just a scenic cruise to the edge of the Canyonlands national park by the top end of Lake Powell, every turn seems to bring yet another sweeping and majestic desert panorama and this being day five it™s got to the ‘oh yeah that™s quite nice, I suppose, really’ sort of all ‘landscaped out’ feeling. As the trail hits asphalt we™re met by the other Western Spirit folks to take us back to civilisation where more beers are drunk.
I have to say that if you are looking for a really technical riding trip then there are better options out there (which Western Spirit also run, just take a look at their Colorado Rockies trips), however the Maze trip takes you to places you are never going to get to yourself. It gives you the great outdoors (sorry that™s THE GREAT outdoors) but with that little bit of luxury; Western Spirit take care of all your gear and provide excellent food with the truck support so that you can just get out and enjoy the riding in this wonderful landscape. Watching the stars on nights so clear you can see the arc of the Milky Way that much better with a cold beer in your hand.
Al Scott
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