final desert days

With the sun not getting above the La Sals until well after 7:00 a.m., coupled with that cold front that moved through, we were not getting early starts on our days at the latter end of our stay in Moab.  This included Saturday, when we rolled into the visitors' center parking lot at Dead Horse Point State Park after 10 a.m.  It was sunny and in the high 40s, which is verging on my minimum required temperature for MTBing - my hands and feet just get too cold otherwise.  There were a fair number of cars, and a few riders out there, but the trails weren't crowded, despite the time of day.  It had warmed all the up into the 50s by the time we finished ... which was still cool enough to get chilled while beering in the parking lot.  Ride stats:  16.62 miles; 8.6 m.p.h. avg./17.6 max; 1:55 hours.

 Looking towards Behind the Rocks

 Later, we did vary our in-town routine slightly: we strolled through the Red Rock Arts Festival street fair, perusing the artworks, listening to the bands and getting tasty tacos and curry at the Moab Kitchen food truck (100% plant-based).  We then picked up a book at Back of Beyond (H is reading Cadillac Desert).  And only then did we go to Woody's, where we talked to a couple of kids who work at Snowbird and bid happy trails to Mark and Morgan (the Wyoming Trillium-dwellers) whom we'd also run into at the arts fest.

Sky and rocks

Sunday morning, clear and cold.  We wanted Milton to get some exercise in before we had to pile into the truck to go back to SLC, so we did the Moab Rim trail (trailhead on Kane Creek Boulevard).  We weren't the first people there but it wasn't crowded like it sometimes is.  On our way up - and man, does this trail go UP! - we watched for a while as a RZR attempted the Devil's Crack obstacle.  They didn't seem like experienced drivers and they were by themselves, leading me to assume that they were tourists in a rental vehicle.  After some agonizing cliff-edged minutes, they backed out and we saw them down on the paved street not long after.  There are easier jeep roads in Moab.  I hoped they'd try one of those.

Loved this jeep

Up on top, we kept going out along the jeep trail that skirts the Behind the Rocks wilderness study area.  We largely had it to ourselves, aside from a few trail runners and a group of four rock climbers who were following a map, looking for a specific pitch.  We hiked up to the high point, took in the 360-degrees views and then retraced our steps.

This was a true Frankenstein's truck

The trail was a lot busier on our way down.  We met hikers, dogs, three MTBers who were riding (!!) right up the steep slab, dirt bikers, jeepers. RZRs and a group of guys with very cool, very old vehicles.  Down in the parking lot, we talked for a while with a trail runner from Crested Butte, who had come to town for a wedding but also managed to fit a Whole Enchilada ride in too.  Hike stats:  4.99 miles; 1:55 moving time/2:27 total time; 1,460' of elevation.

And with that, our latest desert trip had come to an end.  We loaded the truck (so much laundry!), and drove back north.