Moab and the Arches

Deep into the desert
Arches National Park
Arches N.P.

Cafe in Moab

Bible, Apple, Knife....set

Iconic Vistas

Arches N.P.

Just behind my tent

Inside an Arch

Ernie Amadimajad

Arch D'Triumph?

Where the aliens like to abduct people

Amazing Sunrise

Through Utah to Moab

Tent'in It

After my flat tire, I left Orem for Moab about 3 in the afternoon. It was roughly a 175 mile drive and I knew that I'd be riding well into the night if I wanted to make it that day. I didn't care, I was tired of the waiting....I just wanted to set a target and meet it.

The mountains in Utah are massive...At times, the climb upwards on the scooter was slow and arduous maxing out at 40 mph. I began to silently call myself "the crossing guard" because I'd spot the vehicles in my mirrors coming up from behind me, watch the road ahead, see a clearing, then wave them on safely around me. I figured if I didn't give them the "safety-cross-wave", they were more likely to tail-gate me or speed around me in frustration and possilbly clip me. Riding down the mountain is another story. I can reach speeds of 70 mph...and it is a blast. However sometimes a fearful thought enters my head, "If I just turn the wheel a little bit, I'll crash into the pavement or fly off a cliff..." Then fear rushes in and I feel myself begining to back off of the throttle a bit, breaking on turns and shrinking back. I fight this thought/fear for a little while until I allow the excitment and joy of riding win over. If I were to allow the fear to take control, it could be disastorous...over-braking, riding too slow, indecision...all of these can kill you. Balancing your fear and adrenaline can be a tricky thing...but mastering these can help give you the ability to ride well and with confidence.

I arrived at The Arches National Park about 9:30 pm. It was pitch black out and there were no road lights inside the park. I found a map at the vistors center and it showed that the designated campsites were another 30 miles into the park at Devil's Point. By this time, I was exhausted and really didn't feel like riding anymore...especially into a park with more mountains, cliffs, and no lighted streets. But after a quick self-to-self pep talk, I decided to give it a whirl, and worse case scenario if I got too tired, I'd just pull of the side of the road and set up camp there...I just didn't want to deal with a ranger waking me at 6 am and berate me for not have a backcountry camping permit.

Keeping speeds of about 30 mph through the many twists and turns, I arrived at Devil's Point about an hour later. I could see the dark, shadowy figures of the many rock formations and arches as I rode through, yet it was difficult to make them out. I found a somewhat secluded patch of red sand with a large rock structure behind and set up my tent. Completely spent, I passed out rather quickly underneath a brilliant night sky filled with more clusters of stars than I have ever seen in my entire life.

I woke up early and decided to hike to a high spot to see the sun rise (it's amazing how quickly cold mornings will get you out of bed!) Once again, with my bible, an apple, and an 8 inch knife (for cutting the apple), I hiked about 100 yards over mounds of golden-red sand, desert vegitation, and smooth rock shapes that bulged upwards forming cones and pillars. Not far in the distance, I saw an arch of rock and quickly climbed into its center to watched the sun come up. Sunrises in the desert are magical...the glow and sparkle of the warm sands reflecting the sun's orange rays....the mirage of heat in the distance rising from the earth's crust...the peacful silence...it's like nothing else I've ever experienced.

I toured Arches for a few hours then drove down into Moab located just a few more miles south of the park. Moab is a cool, hip place for cool, hip adrenaline junkies. The majority of the locals seemed to be extreme sports athletes....mountain climbers, mountain bikers, base jumpers, distance runners....you don't belong here unless your sporting merrells, wearing under armour and drink your bitter coffee black. I ate breakfast at a quaint cafe and watched the locals and tourists through the cafe window circle my scooter, take pictures, and stare in disbelief....I love watching there reactions....especially when someone yells out, "holy crap! that dude's hard core...he drove that thing all the way from Jersey!"