Leaving Moab

By the time I came fully awake the next morning, I was half way through packing my sleeping bag stuff-sack. My subconscious is an Element of the trail; I doubt she’ll ever come all the way back Inside.

Our Moonflower Canyon campsite was about .3 miles from where Snow White was parked. As such, the three days out there were a hands on lesson in how much humans consume and create waste.

There were also nightly trips to the car for forgotten items. Since the downpour, this involved a small creek crossing, which was interesting in the dark. We generally hung around the fire, and its smell was deep in all our clothes. With less than 2 trips per person, we had everything out in the parking lot and stuffed it into Snow White. Our priority was access to the bikes, as we planned to kiss the Slickrock one more time on our way out of town.

Breakfast at the Red Rock Bakery & Net Cafe and we hit the road. For about 10 minutes. Pulling off on a dirt road heavily advertising Chuck Wagon Dinner. Complete with rugged Jackalope Crossing sign where guests park.

We drove past silhouetted cowboys leaning against invisible posts, shaking non existent hands, and in one case, getting cozy with Suzie Silhouette.

We found the trail head map, chose a loose course to follow, and took off down the 4WD road, across flat, exposed land. These trails, whose name I can’t for the life of me recall, rode out to the edge of where 100-some-odd foot cliffs drop into a canyon burrow. Crypto took off to pursue some ManChallenge whilst we girls rode, ever so tenderly, down over rocks pocked like an underwater Waco.

I’m going to go ahead and admit it. After the trails and views the day before, I was not so terribly impressed, but it was a good chance for a goodbye. The Slickrock took it as an opportunity to beat the lesson a little deeper into my muscles and sinews (that’s a nice way of saying ‘butt & stuff’).

We loaded up one last time and headed home. For 4 1/2 hours we climbed back up across the naked land, through the pipe organ walls, up Glenwood canyon, and up into Autumn. Yellow had begun to tweak the trees. Green-yellow faded and hinted everywhere. Up over the CDT, and back into our territory.

Road weary and sun baked we got out at home and immediately threw on jackets. Bikes dismounted, trunk popped. Oh. Hello. Somehow all this hard matter dissipated and w each made for rest.

Over the next two days, two important things happened.

1) Two of our Three females discovered they had chosen a patch of Poison Ivy in which to whizz.

2) I discovered Sons of Anarchy. As good of a TV show as I’ve seen out there.