A short ride through Arches National Park and Riding with Bob and Steve

 Monday, April 18

I wanted to confirm a hazy memory I had from a ride years ago, which led one to a side entrance into Arches N.P.  I had been part of a group of sidecar riders and so hadn't really been paying attention at the time.

A little map recce and today I was able to confirm that BLM 378 aka Willow Springs Road leads to and within Arches N.P.  The terrain is definitely something you should seriously consider a dual sport motorcycle or a 4x4 vehicle.  Lots of slick rock, loose sand, rocks and some steep washes as well.

Still, Yagi, my TW200 did it all with the usual élan.  I reached the main park road system near the Balanced Rock site.

Now before you say I didn't pay for the entrance fee by using this route, I've got an Interagency Pass so entrance into all national parks is free for me.  What using this route allowed me to do is bypass the congestion of the main entrance and the recently instituted requirement that you must have a reservation.

The way I figure it, if the NPS really wanted to lock things down, they'd have done so.  It would be very expensive of course.

The crowds weren't bad at all, probably a function of the reservation requirement.  I figure one little motorcycle, whose rider actively shuns crowds, wouldn't cause crowding issues.

I cruised about for a bit, but the sun wasn't right for a lot of the formations and I avoided the really popular sites.

One of the Courthouse Towers

A good angle the other Courthouse Tower

and the Three Gossips

The Three Gossips

I think this is the Double Arch area

That's it for Arches pics for today.  I cruised out of the park using the main entrance, the line of cars was perhaps 3/10ths of a mile long.

I went into town for gas and then headed on back to the campsite for some rest and small chores.  Bob W. from the neighborhood and Steve from Chicago (both UAL pilots) joined me in the evening for a few days of camping/riding.

Tuesday, April 19

Today I sort of guided both Bob and Steve as we all three rode our motorcycles first through the back portion of the Dalton Wells area to allow the guys "to get a feel" for the terrain.

This all went well so we progressed steadily during the day to more and more technical riding conditions.

One of the first stops for pictures was at the viewpoint where I showed them Tower Arch.  The plan is to go hiking to the arch later this week.

After checking out the views on the Copper Ridge Jeep Safari Route, we went back to the US191 highway near Klondike Bluffs camping area and made our way to Mill Canyon Road.

We made our way, slowly because I managed to pick the route with the most loose sand conditions, to the Monitor and Merrimac Buttes for pics and a break.

This pano is from the opposite side of the buttes

From the M&M, as the Monitor and Merrimac Buttes are known.  We ended up on the Seven Mile Rim road on the way to the Uranium Arch.  I didn't take them the most expeditious route but it turned out to be worth it as it produced a couple of sites with great views of the valley below:

I've been trying for the below view and spot for as long as I've been coming to the Moab area to ride.  It's atop the mesa that overlooks the junction of US191 and UT313.  Now, I know how to get there, and it's quite a workout in terms of lots of slickrock maneuvers, sand, more rocks and lots of dips and more slickrock.

The bikes at the viewpoint.

So, we were on the Seven Mile Rim Road mostly by mistake on my part as I mentioned, it was basically the long and roughest way to get to Uranium Arch!  Still, the guys did very well and didn't seem miffed at the challenges presented.

We got to the Uranium Arch eventually and cooled off from the tough riding conditions for a bit.

Bob, atop the Uranium Arch

Hanging out in the cool shade of the cavern

behind the arch

Once we were rested, it was time for me to this time find the right and least challenging route back towards Courthouse Rock.  Still some slickrock and sand to be negotiated but by this point, everyone was more confident of their riding in such conditions.

We all made it back to camp with no issues and just rested the rest of the day away as the winds picked up and howled outside the VRRV.  We're under another wind advisory until 9PM tonight.