Captain We Have An Enchilada

Moab. There's a reason it's famous for riding. It has a ton of great trails. And the conditions are pretty unique as well, with I think Fruita being the only place I've ridden even close to the same dirt conditions. But the thing I found, the "famous" trails aren't the fun ones! Yes I rode SlickRock. THE trail that Moab is known for. And I am not going to say anymore than it was a waste of 10 miles of riding. I'm glad I rode it because it is famous and I can say that I have, but I wouldn't ride it again. But all of the local favorites were freaking incredible. Amasa Back, Pot Hole Arch, Captain Ahab, and the Whole Enchilada. Some of the best riding I have ever done. Big thanks to Wendy over at the Chile Pepper shop on Main Street. They really helped me out over there and all the recommendations they gave me were spot on.

The Amasa Back trail system was awesome. Amasa Back out to Pot Hole, then link in Captain Ahab on the way back. Fantastic riding. Most of Amasa Back is actually a Jeep trail, so there is a chance you will get to watch some awesome trucks do some crawling. I watched a fleet of 5 Jeeps and 2 Polaris RZRs tackle a pretty serious downhill rock garden. Then they got to watch me climb it! It isn't a very fast trail, with a lot of these parts being pretty technical climbs, but it is still really fun. Pot Hole is an out and back add on to Amasa Back. It was fun, but I am not a big out and back fan, so there isn't much for me to say about that... But the Captain Ahab loop , that has a lot to be talked about. Not only was the scenery incredible, but the riding was even better. It has a decent climb starting off from the main trail, but then has just over 1000 feet of descending with an average grade of 12%. There were lots of both slow, technical drops, and high speed sections. A few of the spots were slow roll ins just out of a sharp turn. Usually around 5-8 feet vertical and so steep I was on the back tire! Other spots were 5 feet drops that you hit wide open. It was a sweet trail to say the least. I definitely recommend it!

But you know what is even better than climbing for miles to have a good descent? Getting shuttled to the top of a 25 mile descent. And not some half decent, go out on your cheap hardtail descent. I'm talking 25 miles of fast, technical, keep you on your toes descending. This my friends, is the Whole Enchilada. Hazard County, UPS, LPS, and Porcupine Rim. Yes there were a few spots you had to pedal or do a quick uphill climb. But these were microscopic bumps in the big scheme of things. This has been hands down one of my favorite trails. Ever. The scenery is absolutely magnificent. You get everything from big mountains to desert, then end alongside the Colorado River deep in a canyon. And this trail has almost every style of riding you can imagine. Some spots were 30mph double track with water bars you could hit and literally float for 20 feet, no more than a foot or so off the ground, just to hit the ground again and throw yourself into a hard, banked turn. Others were seat dropped, trials style turns where failure to stay upright was not an option! 5 to 6 foot high speed drops, to 10 foot vertical roll ins that left a black mark on your pants (from sitting on the tire, not crapping yourself. Although I am pretty sure one guy did!). I have never ridden a trail with such a diverse style of riding. You have to be a very well rounded rider to handle this trail and not walk. And make sure to take lots of water, and at least one tube and a patch kit! Even the self proclaimed great riders were flatting regularly on this trail (although I have to say some of their line choices were not good ones). Its pretty easy to say, I really really liked this trail! If you are serious about exploring the country and riding awesome trails, this HAS to be one of your stops.

If you see the line through this picture (hard to do), then you are awesome.

But for now, I have to say goodbye to Moab. Time to pack up yet again, and hit the road for a nice 16hr drive to Ashland, Oregon. Time to go learn me a thing or two! Updates when I'm there!