The next morning we said goodbye to Margus and continued our journey east across the US. Our next overnight stop was Moab, where we had a day of mountain biking booked in. To get there though we had a long drive and lots we wanted to see... starting with a drive through Zion National Park.
 |
| In Zion National Park |
Zion was a complete contrast to Yosemite from a few days earlier, yet still incredibly impressive and spectacular. The vibrant colours were captivating and around every bend was something new and amazing to stop and look at. We hadn't expected Utah to be such a treasure and so unfortunately didn't give ourselves enough time to really absorb the region as much as we would have liked.
 |
| Just past Zion |
In taking a more scenic route from Zion to Moab, we took a road that first took us slightly south and over the Arizona border. Due to the limited time we had in the region we had skipped going to the Grand Canyon, however in researching the area we had discovered Horseshoe Bend, in Page, Arizona, would be a good alternate to visit. Located further up the Colorado River, the picturesque meander sits just outside of the Grand Canyon National Park and was well worth the drive and then short walk to see it. Al had fight his fear of heights to get as close to the edge as possible to get a good picture... meanwhile, I had heaps of fun seeing what my new wide-angle lens could capture at this stop!
 |
| Horseshoe Bend |
 |
| Al at the edge! |
From Horseshoe Bend, we headed back north and back into Utah. Monument Valley was filled with really interesting rock formations—some which we tried to just capture from a moving car, and others that we stopped to have a good look at. 'Mexican Hat' was particularly impressive, and proved a good place to stretch the legs, have a walk around, and break up the drive.
 |
| Mexican Hat, Utah |
We finally got to Moab, where we had a quick takeaway dinner before settling in for a good nights rest... we had a big day organised the following day, with a guide and rental bikes booked so we could explore one of the best mountain biking areas of the world!
 |
| Amazing colours as the sun set over Utah |
The trails at Moab were so different from what we're used to in Australia. Overall, instead of single-trail we're used to, we were riding across rocks marked with lines so we knew which way to go. Sections that we wondered how anyone could ride and in Australia we would be slipping on our guide (from
Rim Tours—we'd highly recommend them!) reassured us would be grippy... and to our amazement it was, and the bike didn't slip or slide at all!
 |
| Al and our guide Sam from Rim Tours |
It was a long but fun day in Moab... I enjoyed trying out a different bike (I rented a Juliana Furtado, made by Santa Cruz) and being challenged by different terrain. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and the hotel's heated pool was bliss!
 |
| My bike for the day—a Juliana Furtado |
More on the trip next time x
No comments:
Post a Comment