Moab

In March of 2001, my friend Charles and I decided to go to Moab for a couple of days to do some hiking and mountain biking in the area. Charles had never been there yet, and wanted to see what "The mountain biking capital of the world" is all about. So we packed our toothbrushes and loaded up our mountain bikes and drove out to beautiful Utah. The day we left it was still snowing quite a bit, and most of the way we drove through a winter wonder land.
 

By the time we got to Moab, the snow had stopped falling, but there were still some low-hanging clouds. This view was quite dramatic, as the clouds were being blown over this ridge.
 
 

The next day, however, the weather had completely cleared up, and we were enjoying a nice and sunny day. We decided to do some hiking in Arches National Park first. Here are some pictures of some famous rock formations in that park. "Balanced Rock", which can topple any moment now (well, in geological time, that is), and "Delicate Arch", Utah's state symbol.
 
 

That afternoon we did a cool bike ride to the "Gemini Bridges" (sorry, no picture; left the camera in the motel room...). The next morning we hopped on our bikes again, and the weather was even sunnier and warmer that day! We decided to do the "Klondike Bluffs" trail, about 15 miles north of Moab. There must be a lot of copper in the ground here, since we passed several hills with some bizarre green stuff in them.
 
 

After biking uphill for about 7 miles, we finally reached the top of the bluffs with magnificent views. Right in front us was the "Salt Valley", part of Arches National Park, with the beautiful red rock formations in the background. Here's Charles taking a breather on top of the bluffs, looking out over the valley (note the blue sky!).
 
 

The next picture gives a 180-degree panoramic view of "Salt Valley" and part of Arches National Park from the top of the bluffs. Click the pic for a full-size (scrollable) view.
 
 

The trail we rode had a very nice stretch of slickrock in it (that's what Moab is famous for, after all). Here's a view of part of it, and some shots of Charles going down the slickrock. This stuff is awesome. So much traction!
 
 

That afternoon we returned to Arches National Park and did some more hiking. Here are a few shots of more arches and views we encountered on the way.
 
 

The next day we drove back home again. Sad to leave, but happy we had such a wonderful time. This was my fifth time in Moab, and I'm sure there will be several more visits. This place is amazing, and definitely does offer some of the best mountain biking on the planet!