Steve,
Had chance to catch up on DL recently and thought I would drop you a quick line of thanks and gratitude for providing such a positive contribution to our planet! Congratulations to you and Joy on the great news of pregnancy, my instincts tell me this will be one very lucky child!
In April I will be heading to Moab April 14th – 18th with my two sons for some mountain biking and hang time with the dad. Not sure if you are familiar with the area, if so, would you be open to offering some local knowledge? Not necessarily mountain biking, perhaps some off the bike activities in the area a guide book might not offer? Anything you might have to offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Brother!
Sammy
Most Noble Sammy!
well, from where i sit?
you three are gonna LOVE it!!!
i BOW to you for doing what it takes for a daddy to spend QUALITY, UNPLUGGED, NATURAL IMMERSION TIME with your son in what i feel is one of the last great power vortices on Ma Earth; MOAB!!!
before Moab became known as the mountain biking mecca that it is today, i was climbing traditional and mind numbingly scary rock climbing routes on those amazing desert spires that you will see as you cross through Monument Valley. we would recover in Moab, then just a town with a Laundromat and a few curio shops. NOT NO MO!!! with such great rides as Poison Spider Mesa (do NOT attempt alone!), Behind The Rocks (can you say, GONZO!!?!), Hells Revenge (can you say, FRIGGIN’ A DOUBLE GONZO!!!!!!!!!), and of course, the world’s most popular MTB route; The Slickrock Trail (Note; the PRACTICE LOOP does NOT mean; Beginner Loop!), Moab has stolen the show from the climbers and is pumped full of cars with bike racks carrying full suspension MTB’s from all parts of the country on any given day.
sadly, even the crazed mountain bike sangha is falling prey to the more power-hungry motorized off road, beer chugging type that are too lazy for the magnificence of the self-propelled sports. my beloved small town of Moab is now gone and quickly becoming “ATVille.” God Bless Turtle Island.
you, however, are going at the ideal time of year, my Noble Warrior of WF! you should see nearly 70 degree days and 40 degree nights; perfect! the desert flowers will be JUST starting to pop and you will miss the insanity of the tourist season.
be sure to get up early and head to the Arches Visitors Center located just northwest of town cross the river. 7:00 am and you get the hole shot for the first come, first serve camping permits. make base camp in Arches; that is an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL camping place with tons of great trails to walk and slick rock upon which to do Ai Imawa!
there is also a FREE CAMPING spot just at the narrows of the rock climbing canyon of Potash Road, just west of town.
there is FREE WATER at a hidden faucet in a rock overhang located on the Colorado River, next to the first turnout on the road and above the fantastic bike trail.
make sure you make the sunset hike into Delicate Arch with your sons (see above photo). irreplaceable chi for their young spirit.
soooo much more…
however, i’ll let your spirit take over from here…
may this have helped and your Father Warriorism is what WF is all about. thanks for being an amazing, conscious Parent.
from the high country and desert mesas,
your loving coach’
photos by myself unless otherwise noted:
1) Delicate Arch, Arches National Monument.
2) in my element, near my Honda Element; base camp; Arches. by Ananda.
3) one of several fantastic running/hiking trails in Devils Garden, Arches.
4) Ananda approaches yet another heart thumping slickrock headwall on the Practice Loop; Slickrock Trail.
These teachings are the "Rasas" or "sap" of Wholistic Fitness. You’ll find insights to ponder, student chi to keep your own chi topped off, and plenty of proven training techniques to test on your own body, mind, and spirit! Also, you’ll find my very popular Race Reports, and news of our Sangha’s (community’s) latest transpersonal fitness adventures!