Day Six 3-30-06 The Epic

Today, Captain Darren decided he wanted his subordinates to partake in an "EPIC" 35 mile "mountain" bike ride. I put "mountain" in quotations because 16.2 miles of this "EPIC" ride was on the road. Darren would like to say in his defense that 7 miles of the road portion was on dirt, albeit all up hill!!! Needless to say Johnny and I were/are not very happy with Darren. They call them "mountain" bikes for a reason!! So, basically the ride started with an 11 mile climb up to the trailhead. If you didn't catch that it was an 11 MILE uphill road ride on mountain bikes, did I mention it was all uphill. Normally I wouldn't complain about this but it is March and we are from New England where riding outside during the winter months that precede March is not all that feasible. In other words we're too out of shape to start a ride with an 11 mile uphill climb to start our ride at a parking lot where everyone else parked to start our ride. So, basically we were bonking by the beginning of our trail section of the ride which made it very hard to enjoy the surrounding landscape. The descent was unbelievable but would have been more fun if we had some energy to descend with. The picture below is actually about the time Johnny and I were planning our mutiny, which didn't happen but should have. Exhausted and sunburnt we packed up and headed towards Vegas, hopefully we'll be able to ride. Did I mention I slept from 6pm to 7am after this ride, not exactly the fun filled night I would have liked to have had, thanks Darren!!!

Day Six 3-30-06

Your morning photos.


Last night we had dinner at Miguel's Baja Grill, excellent authentic Mexican food right on Main Street in Moab. The food was excellent, the Margaritas were superb and the atmosphere can't be beat. If you're ever in Moab definitely visit Miguel's for dinner, you won't be dissappointed.

Today the plan is an epic ride here in Moab with lots of photos and lots of riding.

Day Five 3-29-06

WIND! WIND! WIND! Stay tuned.

So we woke up this morning to 40 mph wind gusts and very ominous clouds, definitely did not look good for riding. After a big breakfast we headed into the town of Moab to meet up with Darren's buddy Clark at one of the local bike shop. Once we were in town the wind was much better and it looked good for a ride. The rest can only be described in pictures. For those Thule people we will get as many pictures as possible on the F: Drive soon. I also have to give a huge thanks to CANNONDALE, these bikes kick big a**!!! Cannondale - We are all on Prophets

Day Four 3-28-06

The picture is the scene we woke up to this morning. It was dark when we arrived at the rest stop so we had no idea what was around us. I'll post more as the day unfolds. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANE!!

We headed into Salt Lake City to meet up with one of Darren's buddies who works at Black Diamond. We had breakfast at "Eggs in the City" and were then treated to a tour of the Black Diamond facility and the life cycle of a carabiner. We then loaded up again and headed off to Moab. The drive from SLC to Moab was spectacular, mountain passes, grazing cattle, endless plains, truly amazing. We arrived in Moab about 4:30 MST and found the KOA campground to hook up the RV and finally cook a real dinner. No ride yet, we arrived a little too late and unfortunately the weather forcast is calling for rain tomorrow. We'll have to see in the morning how the weather looks. Like true pioneers we hunkered down for the night with a few beers and some delicious burritos courtesy of Chef John.

Day Three 3-27-06

This was definitely the longest leg of the journey. I give you my word I will never return to Nebraska, 450 miles of nothing but wind bites the big one. We started out about a 100 miles from the Nebraska and ended up 50 miles from Salt Lake City (Thank you Red Bull!). Gas mileage sucked today because of the wind, not fun hauling 48' of camper and trailer across the plains with sheer winds and semis flying past. We are very excited to finally be at a destination. Maybe we'll get to ride today, that's the plan at least. We'll finally have more time to blog and update everyone on what's happening since we'll have internet connection that's not through a cell phone card. Even though the wind sucked it was beautiful driving, a little rainy all day but it cleared up as we approached Wyoming. What a beautiful country we live in, it was a little dark as we approached the mountains but you could see them rising up all around you, very awe inspiring. Till tomorrow!

-Shawn

Day Two 3-26-06

Day two started at the rest stop in central PA where we spent the previous night. Captain Snyder felt quite ambitious this morning and made a scrumptous plate food of scrambled eggs for all. The rest of the day was quite uneventful, although Darren and I have mastered the moving driver exchange (don't try this at home), eventhough it's not necessary since we can only get about 300 miles to the tank. We've made it through PA, OH, IL, IN, and finally stopped for the night in Iowa about 100 miles from the Nebraska border. We drove about 17 hours and over 1000 miles today. Tomorrow is going to be another long day, things should get more exciting once we reach SLC and Moab and actually start riding.

-Shawn

Day One 3-25-06

The day started at my house where we congregated and headed off to Middletown, NJ to pick up the RV. So, far everything went off without a hitch, returned to Thule and picked up the trailer and headed to the grocery store. After cleaning out Stop n' Shop in Seymour, CT we headed on our way with Captain (self appointed) Darren Snyder at the wheel. After a few hours Darren and I made a switch at the wheel and we continued on running into snow in the Poconos. Finally found a rest area and parked for the night, ending our day with a few beverages. Till tomorrow!

-Shawn

Prep Day 3-24-06

Friday Darren and myself spent most of the day preparing the trailer for its journey; boxes, decals, & cago... it came out sweet!

-Shawn

This is a similar trailer to the one we will be hauling to CA. It has a 42" Plasma screen, DVD player, and full sound system with receiver. I think we can find some uses for it!

The beginning of the trip

Yesterday Darren and I went on a short trip to Cannondale in Bethel, CT to pick up a couple of demo bikes that they have graciously loaned to us for the duration of our trip. They've also hooked us up with a bunch of riding gear for our little excursion. If you don't know what we are planning read on...

Well the short version is myself, my friend/co-worker Darren, and our friend John are taking an RV cross-country hauling a very custom trailer to our final destination of Monterey, CA and the Sea Otter Classic. We plan on doing a little riding and climbing while we make our way across. So check back to see what we are up to.