Thursday, May 19, 2016

last day

The last day.  It's always sad on the last day of vacation, when real life comes crowding in to the edges of your consciousness.  You know it's coming but it's still a shock when it does.  We love Moab so much - which is a little strange, given that H really doesn't like excessive heat and boy, can it get hot in Moab - it's always difficult to say farewell to the desert's red rock.

But first, breakfast!  Despite the information we gathered both online and via the paper restaurant guide in our motel room, the Wake and Bake Cafe does NOT open at 7 a.m. on Sundays.  (It opens at 8 a.m.)  We were up and packed and ready to go so the thought of standing around for another hour didn't much appeal to us.  Instead, we found ourselves at the Jailhouse Cafe (101 Main Street).  We had skipped going there in prior years because the prices are a little higher than the Moab Diner, Wake and Bake, the Love Muffin and the Eklecticafe, but we were hungry and there wasn't a line to be seated.  The food was very good (a bacon and cheddar omelette for H and light, thin Swedish pancakes with lingonberry compote for me) and while yes, the prices are a little high, we were happy with our breakfast.  And there was a long, and growing, line to be seated when we left.

Bar M loop climb

The MOAB Brand trailhead was our next stop - and the stop for many other folks as well.  When we got there around 8:45 a.m., there were about 15-20 vehicles in the parking lot; when we left, there had to be 60-75 vehicles, more than we have ever seen.  Even so, we scarcely came upon other riders as we did two circuits of my favorite Rusty Spur/Bar M loop.  We did pass a tour group on the first Bar M climb, and then we LAPPED them on our next time around!  The weather conditions were perfect for riding: cool and sunny, with a tailwind for the backside of the Bar M loop, so H basically didn't have to pedal at all, eating up the miles on his big, 29" wheels.

Post-ride recovery beverages!

There were post-ride beers, of course, and then we headed for home, stopping in Green River for burgers at Ray's Tavern.  The weather completely switched over as we headed north and it rained for most of the drive back.  It seemed very green in the Salt Lake valley after our days in the desert.  It took us a little while to unload and unpack (and pile up the dirty laundry).  It'll take even longer to let go of the memories of another fantastic Moab sojourn.

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