KAYAK HOOKUP

Searching Craigslist today, I came across a sit-on-top kayak for sale. I was planning on picking up a kayak before my trip, but the prices of them were a lot more than I anticipated. After all, a brand new one was running a typical $345, and then you had to buy a paddle, which would set you back another $60-$120! A lot more than I planned to spend. Then I figured I'd just rent one when I got out to Lake Powell for $30-$45 a day. Well, I'd be spending an easy $100 for a two day rental, and I would like to have one to maybe screw around in Colorado also...
So I saw this Pelican Burst DLX for $200. Paddle included...the photos looked good. I drove a good 2 hours to go check it out, and I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, this thing was used ONE TIME, and was in mint condition. Needless to say, I snatched it up and I am quite happy with the deal I got. Now I have something to explore Lake Powell with. Sweeeeeeet!!

BED TENT TEST

Hey all! I tested the Nissan Frontier bed tent setup I will be using on my trip. It's a little time consuming, but the tent is sturdy and will keep me off the ground if the campsite is less than desirable. It is custom fit for the bed of my truck, and has a shade awning and a rain fly if the weather turns to shit. All in all, this trial run took me about 20 minutes to set up. Now that I know where the stakes and straps go, I should be able to set it up much easier in the future.

EPIC RIDE 09- PAGE AZ TO SEDONA AZ

Sedona was more of an afterthought for this trip. Initially, I planned on skipping Sedona and just slumming around Monument Valley and Four Corners before heading home, but I saw that there are a lot of great riding spots in and around Sedona. I figured if I was coming all the way out here, I might as well take in all I could-who knows when I'd be able to return, ya know?
I plan on visiting Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock Park, and getting my fill of some final MTB'ing before the journey home.
Stay tuned, I will be posting a lot more as my trip starts. Pictures, videos, and all kind of on-the-road blogging.

EPIC RIDE 09- Red Canyon to Page, AZ and Lake Powell!

Ahhh, the R&R portion of my journey. I came to the small town of Page, Arizona back in 2007 for a family vacation, and actually fell in love with it. It wasn't so much the town, but the lake that caused this love affair. I was on a houseboat for that week, exploring slot canyons and swimming in the crisp waters of Lake Powell-enjoying the dead silence that engulfed each star-filled-sky night, and it was then that I realized I would be back here soon.
While I am in Page, I plan on checking out real estate and some of the surrounding areas- I plan on moving here the day after I retire...which is in about 13 years. I am going to make a side trip to Monument Valley, and also plan on seeing Antelope Canyon. I have two full days here and two half days. If time allows, I may try to rent a kayak and explore some of the shoreline near my campsite. There isn't any MTB'ing in the immediate area, so the bike will be safely stored whilst I explore the area. I figure between Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon, I should be pretty occupied. There is plenty of time for a return visit- and I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of kayaking when I relocate.
I'm taking this time to recuperate and rest up before I head off to Sedona, AZ., where I will no doubt be destroying my legs and cardiovascular system yet again!

EPIC RIDE '09- MOAB TO RED CANYON

This day's drive will take me out of Moab, through the town of Escalante, and then to the area of Bryce/ Red Canyon. I am planning on traveling scenic byway 12 as opposed to the interstate, for more of a scenic drive. This drive should take me about 5 hours total, maybe a bit more, but should be well worth it.
The next day, I am going to be riding "Thunder Mountain" in Red Canyon. I only recently heard of this spot through a friend of mine, who told me that it was one of the best rides he took while on his own epic trip a year or so ago. After doing some of my own research, I figured this ride was well worth a little side trip.
The Red Canyon area is in the same area as Bryce Canyon, which is quite a geological marvel in and of itself. Some of the pictures I have seen of Red Canyon make this ride look like a martian planet ride...red, spires and columns of sandstone, and red dirt.
I plan on tackling this ride the next day, since I want to rest up and check out some of the sights around here and Bryce as well.
I plan on riding this trail two times- once for pure scenery, and the second for a real banzai run. I plan on using the Go Pro Helmet cam for the second run, so hopefully you'll see some cool stuff posted on the 'ol YouTube account. I will be departing this area sometime in the early afternoon en route to Lake Powell and Page, AZ...stay tuned!

EPIC RIDE 09...FRUITA TO MOAB

I plan on getting up sorta early to take in some last rides around Fruita this day. I also want to hit some of the local bike shops to gather some memorabilia from this part of my ride, which I plan on doing in each location.
WESTERN RIM TRAIL:
This trail has arguably the best scenery and rim riding in the area. The trail is still used by motorcycles, but not that much (and not nearly as much as RV#2). Not very technical, but it has it's spot. This trail eventually hooks up with the Kokopelli Trail that returns one bench above and returns to RV #2 below the flat area.

I'm then departing after this ride to drive to Moab, which is no more than 2 hours away from here. I want to stop off at a local bike shop to pick up some trail maps, since I don't want to shortchange myself AT ALL in this awesome spot. The sheer amount of riding areas here is staggering. I had a hard time choosing from some of them, but after careful deliberation, I found several that I absolutely MUST DO.

GEMINI BRIDGES TRAIL:
This is a good warmup trail, since I have already ridden a bit this morning in Fruita.
It's a pretty long trail, and I won't be having a shuttle, so I don't know how far I will be able to take this trail up before needing to turn back. This is one of the rides I want to talk to the locals about before undertaking, since I don't want to start riding and not get to any of the sweet scenery before having to turn around.

SLICKROCK:
Out of all the trails I have heard about, Slickrock has got to be the one most talked about. This
ride is world reknowned, and is a very tough yet interesting ride. I plan on taking this on the 2nd day I am in Moab, since I need some good rest before trying this one out. Should be brutal!



If I can muster it, if I am not too wasted, I want to check out PORCUPINE RIM.

I've heard a lot about this trail as well, so we shall see if I can handle it, especially after being brutalized on Slickrock the day prior. I also plan on hiking around Arches NP at some time during my stay, and taking some pictures at sundown of this awesome place. From here, it's off to Bryce Canyon/ Red Canyon, about a 5 hour drive from this location since I want to take Scenic Byway UT12 via Escalante to get there.

EPIC RIDE 2009-Continued....

This day promises to be a very scenic and cool drive, since I personally have never been into Colorado, ever. I have driven out to Lake Powell/ Las Vegas from Tampa (made that trip in 2007), so I am familiar with the route thus far. The route takes me through Durango, CO, which is rumored to have some kick ass bike trails, but my terminus is Fruita, Colorado. I have a nice campsite set up along a river, and hope to get in some serious rest before the next day, which begins my FIRST DAY OF OFFICIAL MTB'ing. Woo hoo!

MARY'S LOOP-HORSETHIEF BENCH
First ride of the trip. Mary's Loop is an intermediate trail. The network offers great fast singletrack, really technical sections and amazing views. A must ride in Fruita, according to Singletracks.com. Mary's offers awesome scenery and great singletrack. Horsethief gives you technical challenges.

CHUTES AND LADDERS:
Smooth singletrack with very little effort required. The trail gradually makes its way up to the bookcliffs. At the cliffs, you'll see why this trail is called chutes and ladders. A few nice drops and switchbacks and then the very sweet ride back down the hill. The scenery may be sparse but the jumps and twists in the trail make up for it. There are tons of trails here where you would least expect them and they are well worth the trip. I plan on hitting this one after my first ride, but if I am too dead to attempt it, I may hit it the next morning.

FINAL ITINERARY-EPIC RIDE 2009

After nearly a year of dreaming an planning, I'm counting down the days to EPIC RIDE 2009. Since I took up mountain biking nearly one year ago, I had a desire to take a trip out west to some of the most heralded mountain bike riding spots in the desert and mountain regions southwest. Many hours of planning, examining websites to determine the best riding locations, talking with friends who have made similar trips, and examining my funds, I have finally reached the end of the planning stage and am ready to implement the journey itself.

With 2.5 weeks of vacation blocked off in the beginning of May, I was ready to start making the necessary arrangements. I began by plotting out the most efficient driving itinerary, keeping my outbound and return segments as short as possible, but not making the driving days so long that I would be utterly exhausted at the end of the day. Furthermore, I still needed to arrive at my destinations at a reasonable time to permit setting up camp and getting proper nutrition. I kept the days to at most 12 hours of white line fever. Assuming I am on the road by 7am, this gives me plenty of daylight to set up camp when I arrive at my next destination, without having to use headlights or flashlights.

Day one constitutes driving from my home near Tampa, Florida to the area of Scott, LA. I made some pre-planned arrangements to stay at a KOA Kampground in this area. I chose KOA because of the availability of fresh water, nice showers, and other facilities that will make my commute enjoyable. Plus, I wanted to have a set place to hang my hat each night, instead of searching for a place to crash while on the road. There's nothing worse than being tired, sick of driving, hungry and smelly and having to search for a place with vacancy where you're going!



Day two is going to be quite a haul- from Scott, LA to Amarillo, Texas. Let's face it, driving through Texas SUCKS. Flat and boring in most areas up north. At least Dallas breaks it up a bit, and of course, Amarillo is home to the WORLD FAMOUS Big Texan Steakhouse!! Chances are I am going to gorge myself at this place on my return trip. Now, since there is an absence of decent campgrounds in Amarillo, I chose to stay in an ULTRA cheap Travelodge hotel. Most of the camping sites in Amarillo are too far off the beaten path and would add too much driving to an otherwise loooong day. The KOA in Amarillo was actually the same price as this hotel-so I opted for a good night's rest in a squeaky and maybe uncomfortable bed as opposed to being in a sleeping bag. Call me a wuss. Whatever. I'm heading to Colorado the next day!