FRIDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2023

(Moab, UT)

Now, when I said that we were having a day off from hiking, I may have given you the mistaken impression that it would be a day off, with rest, relaxation, coffee shops… Er… not exactly!

First up, there was the now customary brewing of coffee in the bathroom, followed by breakfast in the hotel. After that, it was a short walk across the road, to the Poison Spider bike shop. When we got back from our hike yesterday, we called in and completed the paperwork on a couple of mountain bikes. The original thought had been to maybe hire e-bikes, partly just to try them out, and partly to ease the effort on the legs. However, they were twice the price, so…human power it is!

We were promptly introduced to our bikes a did a little test ride around the car park to check the saddle height range (I say ‘range’ because they are full suspension bikes with a seat dropper post). My bike was named Hobby, whilst Andrew’s was named Shetland. It sounded like we’d got a couple of horses! Once we were happy, we set off, crossing to the other side of the road and heading north on the paved Moab bike trail.

The trail reaches and crosses the Colorado on a separate bridge, then parallels the road up to Arches, where we nipped in to use the amenities.

Continuing onward, and upward, the path climbs steeply through the valley, eventually reaching the Moab Brands mountain bike area.

After having a snack bar, we chucked part of the Bar M loop, an old Jeep trail, now used for biking. Mostly suitable for beginners, this is a mix of single track, double track, and some rocky sections, one of which we had to walk over, as it was beyond our expertise.

It offered some excellent views over to the La Sals, Arches, and to some canyons.

We then returned back the way we came, although the downhill on the paved trail was significantly faster than the climb. We passed a parked police car, which has been there for days just inside the 30mph limit, presumably to make people slow down, but if you look closely, it has a bear at the wheel! After returning the bikes, we came back to the hotel, climbed onto the beds and…did nothing! That was definitely a tough day out. The sun was out, and the weather is warming up, both factors adding to the physical workout.

We eventually went for dinner at Gloria’s, which is fast becoming our new favourite place to eat, but decided to drive down there rather than walk! Town was busier tonight, being a Friday, but we were able to walk straight in and get a table there (Pasta Jay’s had a long wait line tonight). We have noticed (and had it confirmed by locals) that it generally is not as busy as usual for the time of year, which suits us just fine, but those making their income from tourism are less happy.

And that’s it for tonight. I have pre-booked a lie for tomorrow, and decided on a day spent looking at viewpoints with only gentle walks…

[cycle trail footage is here: https://vimeo.com/881085414]