Moab vanlife advice?

[Canada1]

Today’s single tracks and bikes are better. The views are still amazing. There are more people meaning you have to find places more remote to camp, but it is still pretty great. I used to camp at the bottom of the rim and ride up for sun rose looking out at Fischer. If you did that today you’d get hit by a yeti going 35 down. Things are different, but still good.

[skaredshtles]

1st trip was in the mid-90's. Camped right at the bottom of Porc Rim on the river. Saw the sign the next morning at the bottom and remarked to my roommate, "That's supposed to be a really good trail."

So we rode up it, me on a full rigid bike. With a bottle of water each.

Ran out.

Rode *down* the jeep road to the cattle trough after running out of water and getting a bit desperate. Concluded that Porc Rim sucked, and rode Sand Flats into town, a bit dehydrated and exhausted.

[babybear]

^ haha
Yea I think my first ride was Moab rim (no lift)
Such a brutal uphill


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[Name Redacted]

1st trip was in the mid-90's. Camped right at the bottom of Porc Rim on the river. Saw the sign the next morning at the bottom and remarked to my roommate, "That's supposed to be a really good trail."

So we rode up it, me on a full rigid bike. With a bottle of water each.

Ran out.

Rode *down* the jeep road to the cattle trough after running out of water and getting a bit desperate. Concluded that Porc Rim sucked, and rode Sand Flats into town, a bit dehydrated and exhausted.

[Roxtar]

1st trip was in the mid-90's. Camped right at the bottom of Porc Rim on the river. Saw the sign the next morning at the bottom and remarked to my roommate, "That's supposed to be a really good trail."

So we rode up it, me on a full rigid bike. With a bottle of water each.

Ran out.

Rode *down* the jeep road to the cattle trough after running out of water and getting a bit desperate. Concluded that Porc Rim sucked, and rode Sand Flats into town, a bit dehydrated and exhausted.

So you went up Porcupine Rim and down Sand Flats Road.
That's just too much funny.
I think I would have given up the sport

[SchralphMacchio]

Mags, need some beta. How many ICU beds within 100 miles of Moab? Asking for a friend ...

[rideit]

So you went up Porcupine Rim and down Sand Flats Road.
That's just too much funny.
I think I would have given up the sport

SS marches to his own beat.

[Boissal]

Mags, need some beta. How many ICU beds within 100 miles of Moab? Asking for a friend ...

Not currently filled with COVID patients? Somewhere in the vicinity of none.

[skaredshtles]

So you went up Porcupine Rim and down Sand Flats Road.
That's just too much funny.

In our defense, we were quite dehydrated and riding that jeep road 1000 feet back up to the rim to descend back to the river probably would have been the death of us.

We were young and dumb. And by the time we got to the water trough, really hungry.

I think I would have given up the sport

I'm pretty stubborn.

[joetron]

My first time in Moab in 94 we camped in the dark on the river at the bottom of Porc, then ate mushrooms when we woke up and hiked up the trail across the street. At the end of Jackass Wash we went straight up all the ledges to the bottom of the big cliff (Lionsgate formation, maybe?) and commenced meltdown.
Not long after, riders started appearing on the trail. We had no idea it was Porc Rim. We heckled and laughed from above for hours, hiding behind boulders.
The next day we rode Porc and in tire epic fashion ran out of tubes and patches and had to stuff a tire with leaves and a t-shirt. When we got to Jackass it all came full circle.


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[SchralphMacchio]

Not currently filled with COVID patients? Somewhere in the vicinity of none.

Exactly my point for WG and any other mags thinking about going there. I got sick last week (not C19, tested negative) and my daughter got sick yesterday (test pending) after being pretty dang diligent to not go anywhere indoors except for buying food/supplies, mask 100% of time indoors or at busy parks outdoors, only socializing outdoors and usually not with more than 1 household at a time, etc.

You can go somewhere like Moab and be self supported and careful but with thousands of other people showing up (from Salt Lake and other high incidence parts of Utah) ... it’s not a perfect system and leaks will happen is all I’m saying ...

And then there is what happens if you fall off a sandstone ledge and get messed up requiring advanced medical care.

Carry on.

[snowaddict91]

Exactly my point for WG and any other mags thinking about going there. I got sick last week (not C19, tested negative) and my daughter got sick yesterday (test pending) after being pretty dang diligent to not go anywhere indoors except for buying food/supplies, mask 100% of time indoors or at busy parks outdoors, only socializing outdoors and usually not with more than 1 household at a time, etc.

You can go somewhere like Moab and be self supported and careful but with thousands of other people showing up (from Salt Lake and other high incidence parts of Utah) ... it’s not a perfect system and leaks will happen is all I’m saying ...

And then there is what happens if you fall off a sandstone ledge and get messed up requiring advanced medical care.

Carry on.

And even if you get exposed/sick but don't need hospitalization, where are you going to quarantine? Are you prepared to stay in moab for 14 days or are you going to drive home, possibly exposing people along the way when you stop for fuel?

[Full Trucker]

My first time in Moab in 94 we camped in the dark on the river at the bottom of Porc, then ate mushrooms when we woke up and hiked up the trail across the street. At the end of Jackass Wash we went straight up all the ledges to the bottom of the big cliff (Lionsgate formation, maybe?) and commenced meltdown.
Not long after, riders started appearing on the trail. We had no idea it was Porc Rim. We heckled and laughed from above for hours, hiding behind boulders.
The next day we rode Porc and in tire epic fashion ran out of tubes and patches and had to stuff a tire with leaves and a t-shirt. When we got to Jackass it all came full circle.


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Awesome blog.

[joetron]

Awesome blog.

Like, hey man, everybody’s doin it.




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[skaredshtles]

Like, hey man, everybody’s doin it.

It would be amusing if we were camped at the bottom of Porc Rim at the same time...

[joetron]

It would be amusing if we were camped at the bottom of Porc Rim at the same time...

It was during the Moab Fat Tire Festival, which I think was Halloween....and now that I think about it, it may have been 1995.

[Full Trucker]

Man, I miss Moab.

This was the first year I've lived Out West™ that I didn't make at least one trip* out there. IDGAF how busy it's gotten, that place has some magic in it... and not just the mushrooms. Night riding Amasa Back in February, deep frying a turkey at camp on Thanksgiving, plowing through snow on Koko in late April, getting the last run on Burro Down before a winter storm shut it down in late October, riding Porc Rim on my birthday more years than not, taking a week over Christmas there just riding low elevation jeep roads, spending time trying to find and ride the "classic" old school routes, dirtbiking in January, waiting out the morning drizzle in a clammy hotel room in mid-Nov to get the "hero sand" conditions, doing a 3-day supported "luxury ride" of the White Rim, remembering the first time riding Portal after riding Gemini Bridges Road (pre-Mag7) and Blue Dot, taking my fiancée down WE for the first time ever, or just that first time riding Porc or Slickrock or Sovereign or-or-or...

























Y'all can hate if you want. I wanna go back. Just, you know... maybe not on a weekend.







*Maybe I should say "Haven't yet made at least one trip out there" because hey, it could go in November. Our schmancy van has a heater.

[Full Trucker]

Like, hey man, everybody’s doin it.

Don't I know it.

[scrublover]

First time was 1999, drove out from Oregon for a week there. Then 3-5 times a year for the five years we lived in Longmont. Now just twice in the last ten years from the east coast. Some of the new stuff connecting up things was pretty cool.

Miss that big open space riding.

[fastfred]

yup moab sucks just like every other place that was cool once before
plenty of other places to be found but it's always easier to go with the lemmings and whats known
I was there a couple weeks ago traffic sucked it was hot town sucked camping sucked trails all sucked don't waste your time

[simple]

Y'all are some salty old dogs.

[blackalps]

man people really like to whine. I went to Moab 3 times this year. very early season, shoulder season, and prime season. Moab's still awesome. It was slightly less awesome when it was peak season, but I just didn't spend as much time in town and spent more time out in canyons that aren't as well known.

I will agree, however, that SxS's can suck a fat dick. and I wouldn't go right now with the construction BS.

[Dantheman]

IDGAF how busy it's gotten, that place has some magic in it... and not just the mushrooms.

You're not wrong. Like Joe I used to at least manage a couple Ahab or MegaBaby laps per year when passing through during work travel. Not so much this year.

[simple]

Turbo SxS own you. Go rent one and see that whatever you are driving or riding now is a little bitch basket.

(They shouldn't be street legal)

[Thaleia]

I'm in Toronto and have been making the three day drive out to spend time in Grand Junction / Fruita and Moab once or twice a season for the last handful of years. (First world problems) but not going this year has really had me down this summer.

Inspired by skardshtles post. In my first trip out that way I drove right through and spent the night in Cortez, not knowing Phil's World was right there. Also went site seeing at Bryce Canyon, not aware of the riding at Thunder Mountain.