Such a contrast to growing up in the rockies. Growing up in Alberta, close to Banff always left me with this entitlement
that “our mountains are the best”. Only till recently (The past 10 years) did the desert change my views on where i grew up. Baja and Moab are incredible. The desert landscapes leave you in awe around every corner. And its not freezing fucking cold!
The roads leaving Calgary were were treacherous. Four days of snowing left me rolling in 4WD almost the whole way down to Moab. Sleeping in the camper was cold as fuck. I kept warm cuddling nalah and throwing a hotwater bottle at my feet but Nalah is a hog of a dog. She gets grumpy and pushes you out of your spot whenever your caught slipping. Definitely grateful for that god damn hot water bottle, it saved my ass.
First stop was Moab. I parked about 20 miles from town in a BLM spot close to Arches. It was free with Moto trails close and the back door into Arches National Park. A ton of buses and homemade rigs lined the road. Its always cool to see what people use to get out and see nature with. The backdoor into arches was a 2 track road that followed the outter rim allowing to see some amazing arches and badland landscapes. This route was a tribute for Linda. We did this in the 4runner a couple years back and it was nice to see it again.
Second day I spent riding single track at the sovereign trail system. It’s crazy how different a mile is in Moab. Its rugged and full of badland gulches and ancient drainage systems that change by the minute. The moto trails were rough, smooth slick rock mixed with some technical step ups. Pretty defined trail system with arrows painted on the rocks to keep you on track. Something our local Tillamook trails could work on. Had a blast riding these trails didn’t see a single person all day. After Moab I drove through Canyon lands, Bryce Canyon and Zion. So rugged, so beautiful. Really cool seeing these places full of snow and in the winter. Definitely some must sees.
The Next stop, paying back the twins.
I crashed at my Buddy Al’s place in Flagstaff AZ. Holy shit what a good fucking time. So rad spending time in a place with a local tour guide like Al. Uncle Al spent a month at my place in Portland 5+ years ago and I had some repaying todo. Flagstaff was a treat. It had me rethinking how awesome AZ is and had me looking forward to the next trip back.
The last spot I crashed was my Buddy Eric and Cordelia’s compound in Landers California. So proud of these two. They made 20 Acres of harsh desert into a little oasis. The area is crazy. It’s full of aliens, space rocks, trailer park hot springs, mini ramps, sound baths in a golfball and a fake middle east military town replicated for US soldiers to travel too. Sounds fucked up? It is… and it was rad.
