oct 10 best of white rim

It's only been two weeks since the bike ride on the White Rim Trail and already work, duties, winter, and the next trip are crowding in on the savoring of my time pedaling through the high desert and canyonlands. Before I forget everything, I thought I'd record some of my favorite bits.

Sleeping until a late sunrise every morning. Some mornings I didn't rise until I heard Brin call out "Hot Coffee"

The incredible scenery ... pictures will describe better than I can

The biking ... sometimes easy, sometimes technical, sometimes challenging, sometimes impossible. Staying true to the mountain biking motto,"If you aren't walking, you aren't mountain biking."

Somebody else cooked and washed the dishes!

The sense of accomplishment. A storm in September resulted in a landslide that wiped out the switchbacks out of the canyon at the very end of trail. Instead of changing or canceling our trip, we opted to be the first to try a hike-and-bike out of the canyon. Of course, that was fairly easy because the guides carried the bikes on the steepest climbs!

Sharing this wonderful experience with good friends.

You can see more photos and read more stories at
http://picasaweb.google.com/alaskadirtdivas
http://www.alaskadirtdivas.blogspot.com
http://akbikegirl.blogspot.com/search/label/White%20Rim

23 oct 10 white rim intro

After a night of wind gusts that ripped the tent stakes out of the ground and scattered fine red dust through my tent, the rain began at daybreak and I wondered what I had signed up for. After a record-setting rainy, cloudy summer in Alaska, had I really flown to Utah for a guided mountain bike trip in a fall monsoon? I knew we would have to leave the camp site that day and feared we'd pedal 20 miles in winds that would blow us off the White Rim into the Colorado River canyon below.

Soon the rain ended, though, and the guides Brin and Ben cooked a hot breakfast. After a mug of strong coffee and hot french toast, the day looked a little better. The hail storm that followed was brief, and the clouds started parting to blue sky. By noon we were back on the trail for our 2nd day on the White Rim in the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park.