Roger and I wanted to spend Memorial Day weekend doing some road biking to get ready for the MS Bike Ride at the end of June. We originally planned to camp and bike in southeast Idaho for a change of scenery, but the weather was looking a little cool and wet for part of the holiday weekend. At the last minute we decided to head south and do some biking around Moab despite my fears of hordes of holiday travelers and completely full campgrounds.
Roger had camped at Horsethief Campground near
Dead Horse Point State Park a few months ago and thought it would be a great first option as we arrived in Moab on Friday evening. I was shocked that a few sites remained and we eventually settled on a spot to call home for the next three days.
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| Horsethief Campground |
We still had a few hours of daylight after setting up camp so we headed over to the
Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park for a short hike. We hiked for a couple of miles around Grandview Point enjoying the amazing scenery and evening light.
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| Grandview Point - Island in the Sky - Canyonlands |
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| Claretcup |
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| Grandview Point - Island in the Sky - Canyonlands |
After arriving back at camp that night, we were treated to a beautiful sunset and the rising full moon. I was pleasantly surprised at how mellow and quiet the camp area was despite being a holiday weekend.
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| Sunset at Horsethief Campground |
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| Full moon rise |
Our ride for Saturday took us from Newspaper Rock along Highway 211 through Indian Creek and into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Biking through Indian Creek was spectacular and the weather was great for riding. The round trip was about 60 miles.
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| Roger biking through Indian Creek |
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| Entering the Needles District of Canyonlands |
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| The Needles District of Canyonlands |
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| Indian Creek |
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| Indian Creek |
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| Indian Creek |
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| Indian Creek |
On Sunday we rode through Castle Valley and a portion of the La Sal Mountains, then up and back along the Colorado River on Highway 128. The view of Castle Valley from the La Sals was spectacular and although it was hot and windy along the Highway 128, the Colorado River and Fisher Towers made for some great scenery. This ride was also about 60 miles, but felt a lot more grueling with all of the climbing into the La Sals. It was still hot and sunny when we finished our ride, so we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music at the Moab Arts Festival before heading back to camp.
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| Castle Valley |
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| Riding through Castle Valley |
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| Roger riding into the La Sal Mountains |
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| Climbing into the La Sals |
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| View of Castle Valley from the La Sal Mountains |
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| Roger in Castle Valley |
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| La Sals, Fisher Towers, and Colorado River |
Before packing up camp on Monday morning, we did a quick 20 mile round trip ride to Dead Horse Point State Park. Before leaving Moab, we had a nice brunch at EklecticCafe on the beautiful outdoor patio. A perfect ending to a great Memorial Day weekend in the desert.
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| Entering Dead Horse Point State Park |
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| Roger at Dead Horse Point State Park |
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| The Colorado River below Dead Horse Point |
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| My sunrise spot |
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| My favorite food in Moab |
