As soon as we had decided to go on this trip, we immediately started thinking about doing an overnight trip to Moab and Arches National Park in Utah. Given that we would be so close, we just had to do it. Earlier this week we spent some time checking the weather forecast and decided that we would do this side trip on the Wednesday and Thursday.
We set out this morning, retracing part of our route from the Telluride ride, going west along Highway 62. At the junction with Highway 145 we turned north (if you want to go to Telluride, you turn south). As soon as we did so we were in for a massive surprise. For the next 30-40 km, Highway 145 wound through mountains, canyons, and valleys. The road was a series of continuous sweeping turns (with some technical hairpins thrown in for good measure!) with superb road conditions. As if that wasn't enough, the road eventually reached a mountain pass where a large valley opened up below us. We immediately stopped and admired the scenery for the next 20 minutes or so. The dropoff from where we were down to the valley was easily 200 m or more.
The remainder of the ride to Utah continued to be fantastic. As we got closer to Utah and eventually crossed into it, the geology of the area visibly changed. The mountains took a seat back to canyons, mesas, and plains. Upon arriving in Moab, it was too early to check into our hotel, so we decided to hit some local roads.
If you have a look at the map below you'll see the smaller loop that we did. We started off following the Colorado river along Highway 128, eventually reaching Mountain Loop Rd, which we more or less followed all the way back to south of Moab. The road conditions along Highway 128 were great, along Mountain Loop Rd, less so. However, what was lacking in road conditions was made up by the views. It would seem that most of the Mountain Loop Rd section we rode is not particularly well travelled. We would often go 15-20 minutes without seeing another vehicle going in the other direction. The further we got, the less traffic we saw. In addition to the stunning views, we were privvy to some amusing sights. For example, at one point we came across several cows standing by the side of the road drinking water... from a muddy puddle. I have no clue what they were doing there as there didn't seem to be a farm anywhere nearby. After all, at that point we were at an elevation of 8000+ feet!
The sun and heat were quite intense. For the first time in all the years I've been riding, I found I was actually sweating while riding (as opposed to sweating in traffic, which is perfectly normal). The loop took a couple of hours to complete at which point we checked into our hotel and got some rest before getting some dinner.
Tomorrow is an early day as we're aiming to be at Arches National Park by 7:30am!
Today's route:
Utah state line along Hwy 90:
Rock formation at the Utah state line:
Colorado river along Hwy 128, just outside Moab:
View from Hwy 128 east of Moab:
View from Mountain Loop Rd:
