**Ryan will be writing about the race for this blog entry!
The race went well. We started out on the words “GO!” We raced down the road in a tight group, drafting off one another. The race separated a little bit once we reached the right hand turn into the canyon. From here it separated more as we climbed to the rim of the plateau. This was followed by a slight uphill to the first downhill descent.

We flew down the descent flying over rocks and loose dirt and arrived at the check point amongst several other teams. We hurriedly switched into our running gear and adorned ourselves with climbing harnesses. We ran over to the 275 foot repel from the rim of the canyon to the canyon floor. We nervously stepped off one at a time – zipping down the rope – with spectacular red rock cliffs all around and a gleaming blue sky surrounded us. Once we had all gathered at the base of the cliff, we started our trudge back to the top. After several hundred feet of elevation gain and even more miles under our soles, we arrived back at our faithful steeds (our bikes).

We quickly changed back into riding shoes and gear and took off down the trail. We went down a small valley which opened up to the side of a cliff. This opened up over the main cliff walls and there was a small road that skirted left along the cliffs to the rocky floor below. From here we quickly hopped on a paved bike path and raced down to the Colorado River. *NOTE: The cross tires seemed to be the supreme choice for this race – flying through the uphills and fats* We had a quick change and jumped into the kayaks to start on the slowest part of our journey – a 12 mile paddle down the river. We sat there repeating the motions of paddling left, right, left, right down the river that was flanked by giant faces of rock on all sides. After what felt like an eternity and some good conversation with teammates we could finally see the red arch. From a distance it seemed small and as we paddled closer it still seemed small and so far away! But we finally did make it and carried our boats up the ramp and walked through the finishing arch. It was a great personal victory to complete such a challenge.

post race munchies

After the race we grabbed some food and played a quick round of frisbee golf. The course in Moab was one of the best we had seen on our trip. The rest of the evening was pretty laid back. We had a nice soak in the hot tub followed by packing and some National Geographic on t.v. We woke up this morning, a little later than planned, and grabbed breakfast at a little cafe called Eklecticafe. We both had banana pecan pancakes and they were delicious! Then we hit the road but ran into some slow traffic along I-70 near Georgetown. Ryan would like to mention that he is pretty proud of his 4Runner for making it from Moab to Golden on one tank of gas (even with the extra drag of all our gear).

goodbye Moab!

Overall, we both agree that the trip was excellent and we learned a lot about Colorado and Moab. There are many more trips out West to be had after this adventure!

6:00 am rolled around very quickly as Ryan was up and getting ready for his race. We took off in the blistering cold to dump off kayak gear at one of the transition areas and sped through the canyons to the start area. It was a cool atmosphere to be in as people were showing up checking their gear and mentally preparing for the race.

gear dropoff

Ryan and his teammates seemed prepared, but questioned how many layers to wear to start the race. Once again the temperature was in the 30’s this morning so the race started off chilly. They took off of to the start line, which was under the big, red Adventure Xtreme arch, and off they went!

what to wear?

They begin on mountain bikes, then run, repel, followed by mountain biking again to the Colorado River to kayak. There are very few transition areas for me to actually see them during the race, so I am hanging out in Moab making a list of things to do because the reality of school is finally hitting me. (Very sad!)

The rest of yesterday was filled with packing, map reading and meeting new people. Ryan spent most of the afternoon packing up gear, and as I had mentioned, was in “race mode” – which totally cracked me up because he was so anxious and had a very “go go go get things done” mentality. We sped over to registration and Ryan introduced me to a ton of new people. It appeared to me that the Adventure Racing community is very friendly – people were very nice to one another and conversational. I personally loved meeting these people and hearing their stories and histories. Around 7pm or so we met up with Ryan’s teammates at Pasta Jay’s. It was great to finally meet up with new people for a night out. We had such great conversation and a yummy dinner.

Rocky Mountain Adventure Racing

Ryan had purchased a pair of cross tires to put on his mountain bike for the race. The reason for doing so is that much of the course is on a paved bike path and the other dirt roads did not seem too loose or sandy, therefore Ryan felt he could go faster with the new tires. We switched tires up, I learned for like the third time (and I still forget what I am doing!) how to do this and took it out for a test ride. Ryan felt pretty confident about this choice so I am interested to hear how they work for him. Let’s stay positive and predict that they made him much faster!

But I am off to the next transition point. Ryan’s mom recommended to arrive a bit early  so I am going to take her word for it. I know they have more experience in following these races than I do! Hope you all are having a great Saturday !

First off – where did the week go? I am having a hard time realizing that spring break is almost over… the thought of going back to scho- nope I am not even going to say it yet. But presently I am hanging out in a very laid-back relaxing coffee shop on the Main St. This morning we packed up our bikes and took a second attempt through Arches National Park.

The outside temperature still read 35 degrees when we took off up the road, but we pedaled through the cold. We road around an hour and a half or so – a nice easy ride on the hilly desert landscape. Minus the cold and the ride would have been perfect. (Or maybe I just need to toughen up!)

Welcoming Sign

The rest of the day is dedicated to getting prepared for Ryan’s adventure race tomorrow. He is officially in “race mode” – packing and reading maps. He was asked to race with some other people from the Front Range area and they should be arriving in Moab soon. I believe this evening we will meet up with his teammates at Pasta Jay’s and probably continue preparing for the race. Check back later tonight for more updates – I hope everyone has a great weekend!

We woke up to a beautiful morning here in Moab. Our campsite was a perfect pick with the sheer red rock cliffs all around and the Colorado river flowing by – it was a gorgeous sight. Ryan and I had plans for a busy day so we took off quickly from the site and headed to a climbing area by the name of Wall Street. Pretty clever name!

Wall Street

Today was my first time climbing so I was ecstatic to get out a try the real thing. The road was flanked with sheer faces of red rock and made me a little nervous. Luckily, Ryan had a good spot in mind and we parked the car and headed up to the anchor in the rock. Oh and we better not forget to mention the awesome indian hieroglyphs etched into the red rock walls! This area is so rich in history – I love it! Anyways, back to the climbing, we chose around a 50-60 foot face and anchored in. The first ascent I was shaking, unsure of myself and my ability to make it to the top! After that first climb I felt comfortable and decided this just might be a new hobby to add to my list. Ryan had a nice set of blisters on his hands once we were finished.

Indian Writings

After climbing, we gathered the gear and took off to fill our growling stomaches. I insisted we went to a local smoothie/sandwich joint (The Peace Tree) that I had eyed the few times we drove through the touristy Main Street. Mmm I was super satisfied with a carrot, celery, ginger and cinnamon juice blend. Ryan had a yummy strawberry smoothie as well. Recharged and ready to go back out we were thinking about road biking through Arches National Park but the weather had other plans in mind for us.

freak snow storm

The temperature drastically decreased so a nice drive through the park sounded better. My jaw dropped as we entered the park – the desert landscape was speckled with sudden jutting rock formations. If you get the chance I highly recommend visiting this park. Not too far into the park we could see a faint gray curtain of rain coming towards us. About ten minutes later we were in the middle of a freak snow storm! Going back into Moab sounded better than driving through the snow.

piles of gear

Instead of roughing it in the cold snow, we found a hotel and booked a room for three nights. Piles formed around the edges of the room and bikes were leaned up against the sink area. Check out the photos… you will understand what I mean! We followed up unpacking with a quick run out in the crisp air and found some din – din. We had dinner at Miguel’s – very tasty and fresh mexican restaurant. Tomorrow looks promising as the weather is suppose to warm up to 56!