5MoH Weekend with Dubinky

:eek1

I bought one a couple years ago. Went too big imho. The wife likes it tho. Will be in my tent next week.

Have a Happy riding B-day! Toss in an extra layer of frosting and ride all the colored trails as well!

Congrats!!! Under 5 hours? you sir are indeed the man...

I hope no one knocked over any rocks in this ride... Goose or gander?

No, the rocks are solid on this trail. They did knock us over though, sometimes aggressively. I was going to fight them, but I decided to pound sand, which I probably fell over in as well.
Now stop trolling this thread, keep the what it's to the original thread for discussion please...

So here are my pictures and mini RR.

I was planning on going out early with the goal of doing a 500 mile day. I was going to ride the Canyonlands Loop several of us did this spring. I have been trying a 500+ mile day with this loop 2 times now and each one resulted in me walking out or needed the support crew (thanks Dad!!). The most recent was about a month prior when I did it by myself and the stator gave up on lockhart basin and ended with me hiking out 15 miles to the Hwy. Needless to say I think this ride is cursed:eek1 and this attempt would end about the same

Both Tomas and Farnham siad they wanted to give the 500 miler a go, so we got to the Swell a few days early and left well before sunrise.


The route led us across Muddy Creek and then on to Factoy Buttes. It was still dark when we reached Muddy Creek and we all made it across without incident despite the 6 foot ledge we had to get down to cross the creek. The problem was the road was washed out and I began blasting up the creek looking for the other side, enjoying the wet sand, with Farnham right on my tail

Well the wet sand turned into very nasty, smelly, sticky, loose your boots mud and me and Farnham ended up right in the middle of it





This was the worst mud I have ever been in. The suction was unreal if you did not keep moving it was almost impossible to just get your feet out. The bikes quickly sunk to the skid plates and mine would not run because the carb breathers were plugged solid. We tried to strong arm the bikes but we could not even get them to budge.....



Eventually we made a makeshift road of branches and found that once we got the bikes free if we kept them moving the three of us could roll them out. We did my bike first and then Farnhams and two hours later I was totally beat....but the bikes were free!!! The amount of effort it took to deal with that much mud was unbelievable.





Free at last....




Luckily Tomas did not follow us into the mud pit....




We continued on and did Poison Springs Rd and this water crossing when much better





This section was really amazing with a huge basin as we went over sunset pass into Canyonlands



Once in Canyonlands we were debating still trying the 500 mile ride but the park closures had us worried so we had pretty much made up our mid to head back. We ran into some other ADVers who told us the gas station at Hite was closed so it was a good thing we did not continue on or we would have been walking

We finished up going up the flint trail and back to the swell.


The following day we met up with Mark and Brian and did Behind the Reef Rd and down into Reds Cliffs. It turned into a great ride with some very cool stuff.



The ride has great views with some fun terrain as you go along the back side of the reef...





The cabin was really cool, many of the old auto parts and shoes were still in there....





The Reds Cliff area is well worth the trip with a great camping spot down by the river.....



We found this very cool mine that Mark had several pictures of on the first post. There was a huge network of mine shafts that all came out along the bluff and you could walk through all of them.





It was some great high speed washes back to the Waterfall trail and into camp.

The next day we did VJ's, Red and 5MOH.

On Saturday Tomas, Farnham and I did a few more of the Colored Trails and up to the Devils Race a Track. We keept a good pace so not many pictures...





We checked out the lone warrior pictograph...



and finished the day out with a loop around Temple Mt...



We were going to ride some of Sunday, but I was sooo beat and my bike was being a POS so I called it early and headed back to GJ

A great week of riding with a good group of guys and a big thanks to Tomas and Farnham for the help with the Muddy Creek incident

That literally sucks Sounds like you recovered and got in allot of great riding.

Most excellent trip and ride reports. Wish I could have been there. Thanks for sharing.

It was great 5 days of riding. I will like to try to ride the 500 miles loop next spring.
Thx everyone for great company and help when I needed it.

Hi Mark, Ive been researching the 5moh trail and found your report. Looks like an awesome day of riding...If your into that kinda of riding...I just happen to dig it.




btw... are you going up or down?




I first started planning this ride, using the northern trail head as the starting point. Then I saw your report and see that you came in from the south. Looks like a better approach with more riding. If you were trailering over from Moab in (April) for the day or would you recommend just doing the short loop from the north? Or would we have enough time to ride some of the other trails?

Start at the North (Lone Man end). After finishing 5MOH, ride VJ's trail to Temple Mtn, then hit Waterfall trail. If you have time, turn around and return the same way. If short on time/gas/daylight, blast back on the roads.

Thanks for the tip. It looks like the route for us. I finally found "VJ Trail" and "Old VJ Trail" on a map.

We may do 5MOH counter clockwise and then rest and refuel at the truck.
Then go south on Temple mtn rd. for a short piece and turn left and over to the Green trail then right on the VJ trail.
From end of VJ go to the south end of waterfall, ride north to the road, then the road back to the truck.

Probably going up...downs are easy, relatively speaking.

When you coming out for Moab Todd? I might be game for 5MoH one day...if there is enough interest as i see your coming to the Rendezvous It looks better all the time I might even come out the weekend before, hard to say though right now, but I will be out early anyways (Tuesday at the minimum).

Other option is to stash gas at the junction of Red and 5MOH. This way you get to ride Red/Cement hill after 5MOH. Riding in on Green just seems to take a longggggg time.

Ditto. I'm going to need some desert therapy by the time spring rolls around.

Hmmmm...I would be game for this again.

Not sure gas stash is necessary. TG and I parked at twin knolls, rode out n back on 5moh, then red, vj, waterfall, green or blue (can never remember which is which) back to red and twin knolls again on one tank. It was close though. I'd love to do that ride again except add in "the hard way" if i could find it. Actually I know where it starts just not sure where it ends

Me too!

It is only about 65 miles total with all of those trails including the secondary trail you mention. We parked at Twin Knolls, went out to Lone Man, VJ's over to Waterfall. We like to drop into waterfall mid point and ride back towards the North. Our group just did this whole loop on Halloween.

Sounds good, I will be in touch. There is no substitute for local knowledge. We would like to ride it a few days prior to RMAR. I will shoot you a pm.

Lets do it! I just hope i can keep my bike in one piece.