Postcard from: Moab...

- Hot and Dry. Just how I love it. This is the desert. The average temp was over 40c (100F).

- Riding here had to be completed as early as possible. We would start riding before sunrise. On one ride I felt like a vampire. I seemed to have one eye on the trail and the other was watching the horizon with fear that the sun would soon break through.

- Fantastic hamburger from the Eclectic Cafe

- The Lizard Ale from the Moab Brewery was my pick of the beers.

- The cliffs along Potash Rd were being used by climbers and abseilers. I looked on with both envy and lust.

- Arches Nation Park is a wonder.

- Don't ride one handed. If you need to adjust some part of your equipment stop and do it.

- Slick Rock was an amazing landscape. It comprised of deep valleys and ancient petrified sand dunes. Follow the white lines painted on these or you could find yourself riding straight off into a canyon, with many broken bones.

To finish I must quote from our guide book on the riding in this area. It was a slight cause for concern: (The grading system is 1 to 10)
"Techno Factor: 11. Big descents, big rocks, BIG danger. Fear factor: 11. Off the map unless you are blind or brain damaged. Okey, have you figured it out yet? This trail is simply not safe to ride in its entirety. Many parts of it probably shouldn't give you more than a compound fracture. A couple of pieces, however, have killed in the past - read the signs. If you find yourself on this trail without pondering mortality you are probably the type who wants to ride it all. My heartfelt condolences got out to your relatives - I'm serious."

This did have us re-considering our day's riding. We did however ride the "Kinda scary 2-track downhill, heinous in some spots on singletrack (with Death on the Right!)" with the added advice "Don't be afraid to walk them"... which we did occasionally.

Yes, that is a sheer cliff I'm standing on. Moab was my fave part of my holiday.