Why Mountain Bike Road Trips Are Still Fun - Moab 2017

This has been a very hard winter for even hard core Oregonians.  It has rained almost double a normal year already, which means it has been a hard winter riding season.  The season has also been bad because of all the "targeted" logging that has happened in the last 12 months in the area.  Now that may not be fair assessment, but it seems strange that all the great "unofficial" trails that have been in the Mac for the last 20+ years have been logged, like No Secret, The Plunge and Chuft, Live and let Die for example. This includes the current logging of Tin Can, Brown Knows and South Side Slip. So it has made putting together rides very difficult. Other trails like Narnia, Word and As You Wish have been closed.

So the OMMBC went on a road trip, which we do every year about this time because we are tired of riding in the mud, wet and cold.  Every other year we pile in the Suburban, drive 16 hours and ride in the sun, warmth and rocks of Moab.  This was that year and this is why Road Trips are still fun.

Road trips are still fun if you are with a group of guys (or girls) that get along.  When you are in close quarters for that long, personalities have to mess.  You are sitting for long hours in a car, sleeping in hotels or bunks, buying groceries and riding.  Under those conditions quirks can get blown into issues that could damage relationships if not kept in check.  So choosing your trip mates needs to be considered. I'm lucky enough to have 15 to 20 guys that could fit into that category.  And this year six of the best went with me.

Road Trips are still fun because riding new or trails you ride only once a year is one of the best things about mountain biking.  Road trips put you on trails different from your regular home rides and many times in conditions you don't normally ride.  For example, in Oregon the trails are mostly under a forest canopy with more roots and logs than rocks.  Moab is the opposite, it is all about rocks, drops and slick rock. This change in conditions improves your riding which can make riding more fun when you get back.

Road Trips are still fun because you get to see new places, eat at new places, visit new bike shops and laugh a lot.  The beauty of a riding a mountain bike is that you have to be in the moment, which means you can't think about work or any other worries back home.  It is said that roadies are always training and mountain bikers are always smiling.  I think that is true, and Moab put a lot of  smiles on our faces.  From the quesadilla food truck to Milt's and from Poison Spider to Chili Pepper Moab is a fun place to be off the bike too.  You know it is a good trip when you forget what day it is.

 

So if you get a chance to go on a Road Trip do it (and take lots of pictures and video)!  It will give you a break from the routine, make you feel like a kid again and make you a better rider.  Now go ride!

Here is the URL to one of our videos from this trip.  Porcupine Rim Trail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K78pS95Fp2w