Moab Crash Fest  A hard day for a few riders in the wonderful Moab, Utah area.  October, 2007.

It's almost a religious experience to be there.

This report was originated on KLR650.net, and is imported here with minor editing for structure (due to the import process) and with some additional text added.  Typos, etc., have largely been left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases.  Martin is the report originator.

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Well, I had a fun, hard day of riding on Saturday. I met some riders from ADVRider for one of the FF's birthday get-together for camping and riding. I got into camp late on Friday, but not too late to meet the campers and enjoy the campfire.  I missed most of the scenery driving in, though, since it was dark.

Saturday, five of us set out for hard riding, and that's what we did. Of course, I made it harder by being typically stupid and clumsy. I crashed more than everyone else combined. I'm glad I took the already-battered DRZ400E rather than the already-battered blue KLR. Oh, well... We set our for Hurrah Pass and there was scenery along the way.

It got a little more interesting after that, and we saw fewer bicyclists and hikers.












We weren't chickens, so we turned left.




The first real rough spots were in this canyon.




I started up, but gunned the throttle at a bad time and ended up doing a full backflip with the bike almost landing back on me. Damage was limited to the headlight, and injury was limited to my ego, so all was well. We rallied upward.  I think I was the only person taking pictures, so no pics of my moto-gymnastics.





















It got easier for a bit, and even fast for a while. Jim really airs out that big 950 whenever possible. We stopped and refueled ourselves and the bikes as necessary. The gal at the station was a hoot, and I think the heat has parboiled her brain. Just a guess.




After some grueling and torturous slab riding, we split up and the big KTMs wussed out for camp via civilized roads. The three "smaller bikes" decided they had earned more dirt after ending a long stretch of pavement. Tom led us into Kane Creek. I had no idea what to expect. What I found was alternately horrible and wonderful. The horrible was manageable, so the wonderful wins.

The trail went along the creek bed much of the time on loose rocks, along many shelfs and ridges, and up and down very challenging steep steps. There were lots of sand patches--usually around the many water crossings, but sometimes in unexpected areas. I hate sand.  Riding on the rock was easy and fun.










One of the rock climbs was tough enough that James and I needed to power-walk the bike with assistance over the tall steps. Much rubber was converted into smoke.









The rest of the run back to camp was rutty and sandy with few real rough spots, but I was tired and made a few mistakes with choosing my line and managing my speed. I was too slow in the sand at times, and too fast on the twisty parts. Oooof.

We got back to camp before the anticipated storm front blew through, with strong emphasis on "blew." Very angry, gusting winds lasted until well after dark. I took a nap in the truck while others found their own favorite shelter. Will's Li'l Loafer trailer was the place to be. I think there was a hot tub in there...

After the winds calmed down, the fire got lit and more lies were told. Maybe a few truths, too.

I had a blast, and I thank Tom, Jim, James, and Will for their company. Thanks to Tom, too, for having a birthday for us to gather around. It was nice to meet Jen, Josh, and Kelly, too. Even the kids and dogs were fun!

Sunday found me sore and ready for home, so no more riding. Others seemed ready for home, too.

(Took me eight hours to get home due to the snow and icing on Vail Pass and everywhere east of there. It was worth it.)

More info:

For Kane Creek, start at "Hole in the Rock" on highway 191 south of Moab. The trail/creek start is only a hundred yards or so north of the "Hole in the Rock" tourist trap, on the west side of the road. Looks like a pull-over area, but the trail goes out from there (through a gate, as I recall). There's some camp sites you go past, but just keep aiming for the creek bed, 'cause that's the trail. I think it was 17 miles from the start to where we were camped.

We originally got to our campground by taking Kane Creek (Road?) south from the middle of Moab, right next to the McDonalds. That's a great ride itself. If you keep going and bearing to the left, you'll ride Kane Creek (in the opposite direction we did it) and eventually come out at the "Hole in the Rock" area.  I that think doing if FROM "Hole in the Rock" is wiser, since one of the big drop-offs we did would be nearly impossible going back up the other way.

I would NOT advise doing it solo. In fact, I wouldn't do it without a group of at least three riders. Don't be afraid to get off the bike and walk it down some of the steep drops and power-walk it up the ledges.