The La Sal Mountains

Dad told me months ago that he was reading all the ADVrider MOAB ride reports to learn about the area. He kept saying that there were some regular mountains, i.e., hills with trees, on the other side of MOAB, but nobody ever went there. Dad was determined to explore the area. Since everybody was still worn a little from the White Rim Trail, day 2 was the perfect time to head for the hills.

The gang went went south and then east to La Sal Mountain Pass Road. The road was a blast, the perfect road for bigger adventure bikes for the first 10 miles. This pic was taken at ~8,000' altitude.

Not long after we got to the 9,000' level, they had to cross a talus (AKA scree) field. Dad said that he knew that the rocks were up there, but that he expected them to be at a higher elevation. Crossing was a bitch for Dad and Don (Bob took the day off), but Dan just tractored his R80 up the hill.

We needed a really long break after that. Here is Don (on the right) grinning because he is happy to be alive.

After the rocks, they started running into snow.

They blasted through a bunch of the snow drifts until finally the whole road was covered with snow.

Dan parked his bike in a snow drift to kool the big boy down.

Dad was ready to turn around. Dad got so hot he had to sit in some snow to kool his butt.

We were near 10,000' and Dad and Don were out-of-breath and energy (Dan is from Idaho and lives in Woodland Park, CO - he thought this was great fun). They decided to head back to MOAB for lunch.

Dad was headed down the mountain when his bike decided to take a break.

The guys stopped at the bottom of the mountain at Pack Creek Ranch. While some of the guys talked to the manager of the ranch about staying there when we come back to MOAB, Dad just had to take a rest.

Next, Dad and the guys headed for the MOAB Diner.

The diner is a must do for ADVrider types. I was impressed with the quality and selection of the food as well as the super service. Don had a hamburger.

After lunch, the boys went back towards the La Sal Mountains on Sand Flats Road.

Dad said that Sand Flats Road runs by the Slick Rock Recreation Area and comes out on the LaSal Mountain Loop. They rode from there over to Geyser Pass Road. They went up Geyser Pass Road until they were again stopped by snow.

The guys turned around at 10,000' and coasted all the way back down. Dad was very proud to tell me he won the coasting race. I knew he would win since he is fatter then everybody else and gravity never takes a day off.
At the intersection of Geyser Pass Road and the La Sal Mountain Loop, the guys met Gene.

Gene was camping with his dog and looking for somebody to ride with on the Lockhart Basin Trail.

We quickly made a deal for a ride the next day.

On the way back from the mountains, the guys stopped at the world famous (maybe not) Faux Falls. The falls are south of MOAB and part of a project to improve the amount of water available in the wells around MOAB. Water is pumped through pipes to this spot where it runs down the mountain and into Ken's lake. We never got to meet Ken.

Dad said they were worn out after that, and went back to the motel for a nap.