Day Five - Moab UT loop
Miles: 183
Elapsed Time: 7:34
Denny’s for breakfast was as one might expect, very middle of the road, but it served a purpose. Today we will stay generally in the Moab area and return to our cabin for one last night. Our first target of the day was to ride into Canyonlands ands the sights there. Stopping at the overlooks is good but riding in between the overlooks is equally good if not even better. So, into Canyonlands we rode through Island In The Sky and down to the Grand View Point Overlook.
Island in the Sky is aptly named as you ride along the top of a narrow mesa overlooking the canyons on either side. The ride getting there was full and twists and turns and we didn’t have to pass too many cars but I knew this would change as the day grew longer. We pulled into the parking lot and began walking around and taking many pictures and just enjoying the view. The pictures would have been better had we visited this at the end of the day as we had to fight the morning sun. Setting up for pictures is not something I have ever factored into the planning, but maybe I should start. Before we left the area we stopped over at another nearby overlook that faced west and the lighting was better but the view was not even close. We went back the way we came and turned to go over to Dead Horse Point State Park. This is another featured overlook and a can’t miss spot. Our first trip here was in 1995 and we never miss an opportunity to visit if we are in the area. After many pictures and a decent walk around the area we were back riding north on US191. It intersects with I-70 in Crescent Junction where we stopped for some needed water and headed east exiting on C128 to have a run along the Colorado River. The run on C128 starts out ok but really picks up as we began running along the river. After about three miles we can see where the Delores River dumps into the Colorado and grows in size and shortly after that we cross the Colorado and this where things really pick up. The road becomes more crooked and also more fun. The only negative is that the “tar snakes” increased and are very common in this area. They are not dangerous but they give one a very uneasy feeling in the corners. After 30 miles on C128 we stopped at a spot along the river and walked down to the water’s edge. It wasn’t the most scenic stop but it was a good place to get down to the river. We returned to the cabin and Steve and I had some work we needed to get done and the others wanted to see Arches National Park, so they went on their way to visit that while we got some much needed things done on-line. That night we rode to Moab Brewery taking it easy and bringing some of the Moab Beer with us back to the cabin.
