Branded

I am going to get very controversial, but I feel this needs to be said.  I do have loads of hesitation, but I would not be genuine if I did not tell it like it is.  This is my opinion and I have an opinion just like everyone has an opinion like they have _____.  Keep an open mind when proceeding, and allow me to explain myself.  Please commit your opinion, if you are bold enough to do so.

I am not a fan of Slick Rock.  Sorry if I just pissed on your Alamo, but I love flowy-buttery-bermed single track.  Slick Rock is the antithesis of my style of riding.  Before you get all ranty and ravey, and call your congressperson.  Hear me out.  The actual geography of SR is super cool, there is nothing else like it anywhere.  I give it high marks for being original.  The original.  We did not ride a whole lot of SR because of the sheer other-worldly-ness of the place.  To say that we were weirded out by the place is an understatement.  I have to be honest and say that the exposure really jacked with my senses.  I was scared, and rode scared.  I felt like I was going to fall off, down, go over the bars, every little rise I crested.

It has been several weeks, and I still cannot come up with a better excuse than just plain old FEAR.  I cannot bag on the place, because it is rad.  I just don't have the round circular objects that bounce to ride a place like that.  If I had a week to get used to it I might be able to rock it, but I don't feel that I would enjoy it as much as a loamy tree covered rail-able trail.  The one face saving grace (my face) is that I totally dug being able to just go off "trail" and carve up what ever you could without falling to your death.  It is a rolling sandstone paved skate park, with banks, drops, whoops, and plenty of places to get some surf inspired turns.  This is the part that I love about SR, the ability to choose your own line.  I will go back.  I have unfinished business.  Side note: The Wife hated it.

We made our way to the nearest Mexican food joint and filled the tank.  Bummer no imports, just domestic beers, which means Mexican Beers (which I love, but I want local), I'll have a water.  The Boss had a fish-bowl margarita, it was tasty.  We did a little souvenir shopping and then stopped in at Poison Spider Bikes.  This is one of the premier shops in the country.  $$$$$$$.  Super cool and totally small shop feel.  Guys were actually cool and not a-hole shop types.  I chatted with him for a while and then dropped the "where do you ride?" question.  Told him what I was looking for and like a good dealer who uses, he pointed us in the direction of the Moab Brands trails.  Sounds good.

We went back to Moab Brewing after Smiths to get The Julie some root beer.  Travis said that I had to have a Derailleur Amber, I had two.  I tip my cap to Travis' discerning taste in the brewed beverage department.  Good show mate.  Back to the hotel, clean up, pack up, early wake up, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

At the Moab Brands trail head I checked the map one more time to get my mental picture, and we were off.  It was freaking cold, the sun was still fighting for elevation to make it over the La Sals in the East.  Hands and feet were starting to protest, but the blood was pumping trying to do its job.  First up, the EZ trail.  Flowy single track with some rocks and a little elevation change, but no climbing.  Heaven.  We hooked with the Bar-M to get to the Rocking A, this was just a double with some elevation change.  We arrived at the Rocking A, which was Navajo Slick Rock.  Cool.  Not so Cool Navajo SR is just like the sandstone, except it is rough with pock marks that make it ride rough.  Not a fan.

1.5miles of rough SR and we were done.  Circle O was out of the question, it was more of the same.  Scratch that.  Back to the Bar-M, and we headed back to the end of the EZ and we hit up the Lazy.  The Lazy is the sister trail of the EZ.  Super fun twisty single track with some elevation gain, but no climbing.  Up and down and up and down again.  We rounded a corner and the trail dropped down into a shallow slope that was twisty and BERMED.  I railed!  I was off-the-hook-out-of-control.  This produced a permigrin.  I might have let out a "Wheeeeeee" once or five times.

At the end of the Lazy we were back to the start, and the North 40 trail head was begging for me to come explore.  I asked The Boss?  She said OK.  We headed out and it started off a little tech, but it has promise, I kept asking if we should continue?  Yes.  YES!  Next little up put us into an awesome contour carve into some twisty down hills.  Sweet.  I'm sure my legs were a little tired, but I felt nothing but the pull of the trail begging for me to keep turning over the pedals.  I no longer felt the bike, I had melted into the man-machine.  A oneness that happens, and is unexplainable unless you have been there for yourself.  Stoke.  I was starting to become this trail, a trail that I had never ridden.  I couldn't stop, couldn't slow, just had to go.  This was Christmas morning and I just opened a present that I didn't ask for, but it was one that I have always wanted.