The White Rim - Part 3

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch) 05/23/2014 at 14:15 • Filed to: TWBV, cruisin, truck yeah

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This is part 3 of a 3 part series on my adventures biking/driving the White Rim trail in Canyonlands NP near Moab, ut.

Day 3

Last day…damn. Tomorrow we head back to jobs and kids and lawns and such. Oh well, time to make the best of it. Today's mileage will be a less intense 23 but includes hardscrabble hill named for an intense game of scrabble that cost three miners their lives in 1953, a butte as tall and as steep as murphy hogback but with more switchbacks.

Pictures, again, don't do this hill justice. Since this was my last day, everyone had had significant seat time in the trucks and spurred on the mocking of my fellow travelers for skipping out on yesterday's big climb I decided to let someone else drive this one and ride.

Whew…what a hill. At the top we all voted that skipping lunch in favor of a big fat burger in green river so we pressed on. From here on out we get closer and closer to the green river.

Wait, weren't you following the Colorado? Boy aren't you astute, yes from white crack you can actually see the confluence of the green and Colorado rivers, so at the start of the trip you follow the Colorado, then you see where they mix, then you follow the green; see what I mean about big?

As we get closer to the river it gets cooler and sandier, and frankly it because a lot less interesting of a ride as it simply levels out. That being said if you have never been to the southwest, this ride alone would probably blow your mind all over the 1000 foot cliffs we are riding beneath.

At the end of this road is another road, one with a squiggly line sign attached, because it goes from the river bottom to the canyon top in another feat of mine engineering as it is literally carved into the Cliffside; Its exactly as awesome as it sounds to drive.

Yeah we drove it, we were tired and hungry and even though the "proper" thing to do would have been to ride it, we decided it was nothing more than a drudge, so we left it alone and got on the road.

Once you get to the top it's a relatively short 20 miles to the highway and once there, stopping to grab a soda and air up the trucks tires, we bombed into Green River for a great burger with a Nissan Xterra Owners club and an Land rover owners club…the tension was palpable…before heading back home.

Conclusions

What to say, I loved it and you would have to be made of stone of some type of stone substitute to not love an experience like this; its expansive and freeing and it's something we all need. In just 3 days we experienced the joy and freedom of being independent from everything that wasn't our trucks and our bikes in a place that suggests to the mind that the world is big, open, and full of possibilities and beauty.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is the video I put together.

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This is The World By Vehicle or , in summary , my rambling stories about seeing neat things by car

Blind Willy > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 15:36

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Now that's some wheelin'!
I'm just going to an offroad park to wheel on Sunday, but I'm going to imagine I'm out in the middle of nowhere.
Great story!

HammerheadFistpunch > Blind Willy 05/23/2014 at 15:37

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Thanks, I loved it. I can't wait to do it again. Im headed out to escalante national monument in a few weeks and my friend and owner of the Tacoma in the story is taking his boy on a 3-4 day trek soon too. Good times.

Blind Willy > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 15:44

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I'm working on getting out to Big Bend National Park this fall. Just did some more mods on my FJ and I still have a few more to go. That and work on my camping gear. If I take the grandson then the pop-up camper might be the way to go. Otherwise it'll be a tent & Sleeping bag. Enjoy Escalante!

Busslayer > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 16:25

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I love Canyonlands, but I really love GSENM. Canyonlands is a busy, bustling place compared to GSENM. Some of the trails in the area have been closed so it wouldn't be a bad idea to check in with the rangers to see if your planned route is viable. Capitol Reef butts up to GSENM and is worth exploring as well, as is the entire San Rafael Swell area.

I wish I lived closer. I'm jealous.

HammerheadFistpunch > Busslayer 05/23/2014 at 16:26

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WE wont be straying too far off hole in the rock road since it will be a scout outing, but I love Cap reef and Escalante, We did part of coyote gulch last time we were there and had a great time.

Tim > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 16:33

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Great write up. Love the White Rim Trail. Nice cruiser too. It's looks like my trucks 2 year younger brother.

HammerheadFistpunch > Tim 05/23/2014 at 16:35

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two year older? (95?) what bumpers do you have on there?

Tim > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 16:41

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Busslayer > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 16:43

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The Wolverine Petrified Forest is something scouts would love. I know my kids thought it was awesome. It is probably a bit out of the way from hole-in-the-wall though. It is in GSENM but is south off the Burr Trail Road to the east of the Escalante River.

Tim > HammerheadFistpunch 05/23/2014 at 16:44

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(Hmm. either it takes a sec to show or my reply just cancelled out with I thought I hit publish. So, writing it again)

I bought the 4x4labs rear kit and welded it up. Tire on one side and can holder on the other. I leave the can holder off unless needed.

Front is a very early pre-production SLEE Shortbus bumper, but the current ones are very similar.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 05/28/2014 at 22:58

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Thanks again for sharing all this. I've got my back roads & track machine; after seeing your pictures, I really need to get myself an offroadadventuremobile.

BiffMagnetude > Blind Willy 06/13/2014 at 12:44

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No real wheelin on White Rim. It is amazingly beautiful but I have seen it done in a minivan full of Oklahoman's. It's a beautiful trip though.

BiffMagnetude > HammerheadFistpunch 06/13/2014 at 12:48

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Great pics. I love that trip. Too bad you hurried out of there. Swimming the Green before you get on your bike for the final grind out of the canyon is a great ritual.