Moab, Utah… ever been?

[Dozer FBG 325]

Tomorrow I’m picking up my sweet new 2024 F-150, and the wife and I are planning a road trip!

We’ll be on the road for about three weeks, so plenty of time to do/see things. We’ll be departing from the K.C. Area.

I usually prefer to head west to see the sights this beautiful nation has to offer, but I left the destination up to her. Surprisingly, the wife wants to go to Moab, Utah.

I say, Awesome!!!

Back in the 90’s I lived on the western slope of the Rockies, and I made the venture to Moab a couple of times…

I had a Jeep Wrangler back then and it was a blast! This trip I’ll be renting either a Jeep or one of those RZR off road vehicles.

I remember next to nothing about the town and the trails. So, my question is; Has anyone ever been to that part of the country? Anyone familiar with the trails? Surrounding area?

Some possibilities include:

-Arches National Park

-Canyon Lands National Park

-Bryce Canyon 

I also kind of randomly found on the innerwebs some filming locations for the 70’s muscle car movie “Vanishing Point”, that I plan on checking out on the way to Moab.

Not sure where we’ll go after Moab, but we’ll still have a week/10 days or so to keep the road trip going…

[Bier Meister 1,686]

I lived in Breckenridge for about 10 years.  Moab was a favorite summer destination for many of my friends, but i never made it out there.  Heard good things.

Enjoy the trip.

 

I have something new (to me arriving today). we'll be empty nest in august.  many short road trips headed our way

[Dozer FBG 325]

RZR on the Utah Slick Rock! Man this looks fun!

[Dozer FBG 325]

27 minutes ago, Bier Meister said:

I lived in Breckenridge for about 10 years.  Moab was a favorite summer destination for many of my friends, but i never made it out there.  Heard good things.

Enjoy the trip.

 

I have something new (to me arriving today). we'll be empty nest in august.  many short road trips headed our way

I love Summit County, especially in the summer. I spent a couple summer months in Frisco remodeling a cabin back in the day. Some great fly fishing spots!

[IGotWorms 4,057]

If you’re into backpacking go to Zion and do the west rim and/or Zion narrows. The narrows, especially, is very cool but very hard! Have to get permits

[Dozer FBG 325]

Thinking about this for a one day rental…

Engine  116 hp 4-stroke, DOHC, 8-valve parallel-twin, liquid cooled

My problem is, I ain’t no spring chicken. My back gets sore if I pass over a speed bump too fast. But damn! This looks like a blast!!!

[TimHauck 2,724]

Went there with my family when I was in high school about 20 years ago, so the memory is a little fuzzy. 

I believe we did Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, and saw the Four Corners.

Arches was cool.   But there was a hike I regretted not doing because it was a bit long but it was to get a better view of one they said might fall down (no clue if it has by now).

I wasn’t super impressed by Canyonlands IIRC.  I felt like you had to drive over an hour to get to different spots within the park.  We didn’t have a jeep though so I’m sure that would make it more fun.

Mesa Verde was cool also.   I think Four Corners was pretty much just a sign.

One of the best views was at a state park I believe.  Doing a quick google, I’m thinking it was Dead Horse Point State Park.

[Dozer FBG 325]

3 minutes ago, TimHauck said:

Went there with my family when I was in high school about 20 years ago, so the memory is a little fuzzy. 

I believe we did Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, and saw the Four Corners.

Arches was cool.   But there was a hike I regretted not doing because it was a bit long but it was to get a better view of one they said might fall down (no clue if it has by now).

I wasn’t super impressed by Canyonlands IIRC.  I felt like you had to drive over an hour to get to different spots within the park.  We didn’t have a jeep though so I’m sure that would make it more fun.

Mesa Verde was cool also.   I think Four Corners was pretty much just a sign.

One of the best views was at a state park I believe.  Doing a quick google, I’m thinking it was Dead Horse Point State Park.

Wow! Thanks man!

Dead Horse Point State Park

[wiffleball 4,789]

Yes, summer break. Ontoon boot. (Where's the P? In the water!) absolutely blech beer, Schaeffer but the stack of cases, (cans) was 8 ft tall.

 

And we ran out.

[dain11279 968]

6 hours ago, IGotWorms said:

If you’re into backpacking go to Zion and do the west rim and/or Zion narrows. The narrows, especially, is very cool but very hard! Have to get permits

I’m going to Zion in a couple weeks. Gonna be hot as balls but man am I amped. The trails and views there look incredible

[jerryskids 6,714]

I haven't been to Moab/Bryce Canyon, but it is near the top of my bucket list.  Coming from Phoenix, I envision a loop that includes the Painted Desert (remarkably I've never been there), over to visit Sandia (I'm a bit of a Manhattan Project wonk) with associated hiking nearby, then up to Durango where our neighbors/friends have a place and have extended an open invitation, then over to Moab.  Maybe hit the Grand Canyon on the way back as well (haven't been there in forever).

Wife and I want to do a rim to rim Canyon hike, perhaps next year to celebrate her 60th birthday.

I'm also a bit of a geology wonk so, lots of fun stuff to explore throughout.

Let us know where you go!  

 

[SUXBNME 1,482]

 

[IGotWorms 4,057]

55 minutes ago, dain11279 said:

I’m going to Zion in a couple weeks. Gonna be hot as balls but man am I amped. The trails and views there look incredible

Yeah it’s awesome

[Fumbleweed 543]

We did Utah in 2021. It’s awesome. I’ll post some thoughts in the AM. 

[Pimpadeaux 2,405]

I mountain biked the Slick Rock Trail. Biked all the way out there from town. I'd done two marathons that year, including Boston, so it was in the greatest shape of my life.

I'd run a bunch of marathons at that point and hiked up a bunch of Colorado 14'ers.

And that bike ride was the hardest thing I've ever done. That trail is insanely challenging and perilous. One wrong move, and you're off a cliff.

I came screaming down this rock hill and then realized much to my alarm there was a 6-foot jump onto sand at the bottom. I stuck the landing but wound up wiping out.

On another ock hill, I was going way too focking fast and wound up crashing, the bike going ass over tea kettle to the bottom. I was bloody all over.

Around the halfway mark, I encountered two bikers going the other way, and one had a flat tire. He must have run over a cactus or something, because he had a bunch of holes in the tube. The dumbass didn't have a spare and had run out of patches. It was summer and getting bigly hot. I only had a three or four patches left and he needed one more, so that cost him half his water. 

It was pretty much downhill back to Moab, and when I got there I just road down the middle of the street. I saw my dad standing in the middle of the street up ahead. He'd been in the Slick Rock Trail center in town and had seen a video that had terrified him, one that talked about how many people a year get killed on that trail.

We went to a restaurant, where I ate a double cheeseburger and a bucket of french fries, washing it down with a bunch of beers.

That was a great father-son moment right there. Poor guy had seen a video of what I was getting into and was worried sick, and felt like a survivor having completed it.

[seafoam1 2,917]

8 minutes ago, Pimpadeaux said:

I mountain biked the Slick Rock Trail. Biked all the way out there from town. I'd done two marathons that year, including Boston, so it was in the greatest shape of my life.

I'd run a bunch of marathons at that point and hiked up a bunch of Colorado 14'ers.

And that bike ride was the hardest thing I've ever done. That trail is insanely challenging and perilous. One wrong move, and you're off a cliff.

I came screaming down this rock hill and then realized much to my alarm there was a 6-foot jump onto sand at the bottom. I stuck the landing but wound up wiping out.

On another ock hill, I was going way too focking fast and wound up crashing, the bike going ass over tea kettle to the bottom. I was bloody all over.

Around the halfway mark, I encountered two bikers going the other way, and one had a flat tire. He must have run over a cactus or something, because he had a bunch of holes in the tube. The dumbass didn't have a spare and had run out of patches. It was summer and getting bigly hot. I only had a three or four patches left and he needed one more, so that cost him half his water. 

It was pretty much downhill back to Moab, and when I got there I just road down the middle of the street. I saw my dad standing in the middle of the street up ahead. He'd been in the Slick Rock Trail center in town and had seen a video that had terrified him, one that talked about how many people a year get killed on that trail.

We went to a restaurant, where I ate a double cheeseburger and a bucket of french fries, washing it down with a bunch of beers.

That was a great father-son moment right there. Poor guy had seen a video of what I was getting into and was worried sick, and felt like a survivor having completed it.

[Dozer FBG 325]

Phase 1 of the road trip preparation complete.

Picked up the 2024 F-150 a couple days ago. (Antimatter Blue, gorgeous!) This rig drives like a dream… 65mph feels like you’re doing about 25.

Considering driving up to Glacier National Park for the back end…

One thing I’ve found in researching the trip, now days, these national parks are so crowded that you need reservations to enter. I guess it’s a good sign that so many Americans are able to take these destination vacations… but I miss the old days when you just picked a spot and drove there…

Can’t wait to head west. Such a beautiful part of America!

[Bier Meister 1,686]

[LaChup 233]

Speaking of four corners....pack MREs for the roadtrip so you don't have to stop for meals. Once you get there, you will have produced a turd with four corners.

[Dozer FBG 325]

A little advice for anyone wanting to visit any of our wonderful national parks… plan ahead!

In some (most?), you not only need a pass, but you also need to reserve a time to enter.

I was hoping for solitude. I guess a whole lot of Americans were looking for solitude also!

Still psyched…

[Fnord 2,176]

Bummed I missed this thread til now. You'll love Moab. I was there about 15 years ago in my old Jeep Wrangler and we had an absolute blast trail riding and rock climbing. Also spent some time floating down the river, which was a nice peaceful break. I have a friend that lives there so we didn't mess with any of the parks, but I've heard nothing but great things about Arches and Zion.

I drove there from Flagstaff, AZ through Monument Valley, which is epic. Watch for dust storms though, they suck a high hard one.

What motor does your new F150 have? Does it have any sort of off road package? Not that I'm convinced it matters much, but my F150 FX4 handles off roading pretty well, despite the length.

 

[Dozer FBG 325]

Very cool.

I got the 3.5L V6. I test drove a 5.0 L back to back and I romped it pretty good on both rides. The 3.5 is plenty, and I can still pull a trailer pretty easy.

I also test drove the F-150 Lightning… holy chit! The power is instant. Unbelievable… but the 300-350 mi range doesn’t work for me.

As far as off road, I’m not afraid to do it on some 1’s or maybe a 2, but it’s pretty much the basic F-150 package.

We will rent a Jeep for one of the days. I took my Wrangler there in the 90’s when I lived on the western slope… In doing current trail research I came across the Fins And Things Trail, and I definitely did that one. Seems like that trail had a lot of options.

[Dozer FBG 325]

On 6/18/2024 at 9:17 AM, Fnord said:

 

What motor does your new F150 have? Does it have any sort of off road package? Not that I'm convinced it matters much, but my F150 FX4 handles off roading pretty well, despite the length.

 

Meant to quote you above…

[Dozer FBG 325]

Might do this:

Moab Dinner Cruise

 

[jerryskids 6,714]

1 hour ago, Dozer FBG said:

Might do this:

Moab Dinner Cruise

 

That looks pretty cool, I'll bookmark that for when we make our way up to Moab.   

[jerryskids 6,714]

Also, interesting that the 3.5 is powerful enough.  What's the torque, and what do you plan to do with it?

[Dozer FBG 325]

2 hours ago, jerryskids said:

Also, interesting that the 3.5 is powerful enough.  What's the torque, and what do you plan to do with it?

What’s the torque? lol!

Never heard that question!

I plan to drive it till the wheels fall off…

 

 

[Dozer FBG 325]

More prep…

Does anyone use the Waze app? It’s been around for a while but I’ve not tried it till now.

It’s a crowd sourced app where users report speed traps, accidents, unusually high traffic congestion, etc. Any tips and tricks?

One thing I found is that you can use your own voice for the navigation commands. You make about 50 short recordings like, “In 1 mile”, “at the roundabout”…

It’s hilarious, and my wife will endure it for thousands of miles!

There is also a pretty funny “70’s DJ” voice!

[seafoam1 2,917]

8 minutes ago, Dozer FBG said:

More prep…

Does anyone use the Waze app? It’s been around for a while but I’ve not tried it till now.

It’s a crowd sourced app where users report speed traps, accidents, unusually high traffic congestion, etc. Any tips and tricks?

One thing I found is that you can use your own voice for the navigation commands. You make about 50 short recordings like, “In 1 mile”, “at the roundabout”…

It’s hilarious, and my wife will endure it for thousands of miles!

There is also a pretty funny “70’s DJ” voice!

This is what I use.

 

[IGotWorms 4,057]

1 hour ago, Dozer FBG said:

More prep…

Does anyone use the Waze app? It’s been around for a while but I’ve not tried it till now.

It’s a crowd sourced app where users report speed traps, accidents, unusually high traffic congestion, etc. Any tips and tricks?

One thing I found is that you can use your own voice for the navigation commands. You make about 50 short recordings like, “In 1 mile”, “at the roundabout”…

It’s hilarious, and my wife will endure it for thousands of miles!

There is also a pretty funny “70’s DJ” voice!

Seems like Apple Maps has incorporated the useful features like traffic jams, accidents, speed traps etc

[Engorgeous George 2,276]

17 hours ago, Dozer FBG said:

Might do this:

Moab Dinner Cruise

 

Was just on the Colorado yesterday.  I ran it from Pumphouse to Stateline up out of Kremmling colorado.  It was flowing 3300 cfs so a nice ride.  Got off it right before torrential rain and hail came down.  You could see the river rise maybe two feet in a bout five minutes from the deluge.  Fortunately the hail was small so my truck made it through without looking like a golf ball.

[Fnord 2,176]

17 hours ago, jerryskids said:

Also, interesting that the 3.5 is powerful enough.  What's the torque, and what do you plan to do with it?

Those 3.5L Fords are turbos. Specs are approx. 500 lb-ft of torque, which is more than my 5.0 Coyote V8. No worries there. These engines are supposed to be pretty excellent. Once you get up over 100k miles, the turbo tends to get a bit laggy from what I've heard, and I wouldn't want to tow much with it regularly, but they're solid and have been the primary engine in F150s for 15 years or more. 

[Dozer FBG 325]

Welp, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. The wife will find out this week if her vacation days are approved and we’ll be able to firm up some plans.

 

I told my boss at the wood shop that I’d be taking a couple weeks off, and when I get back I’ll give him one more month and I was going back to doing my own thing again…

 

So, we took the F-150, who we’ve taken to calling “Old Blu”, on a test run up to KC. I need some hot weather gear for all this hiking I’m supposedly gonna do… So we hit The Duluth Trading Company and Bass Pro.

 

I picked up a couple pairs of those anti-swamp-ass underwear, and some Panther Martin lures in case I find a good time to catch a trout or two…

 

The 70’s DJ voice was a hit! But my own voice on the WAZE app needs some fine tuning…

 

Getting psyched!

[jerryskids 6,714]

4 minutes ago, Dozer FBG said:

Welp, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. The wife will find out this week if her vacation days are approved and we’ll be able to firm up some plans.

 

I told my boss at the wood shop that I’d be taking a couple weeks off, and when I get back I’ll give him one more month and I was going back to doing my own thing again…

 

So, we took the F-150, who we’ve taken to calling “Old Blu”, on a test run up to KC. I need some hot weather gear for all this hiking I’m supposedly gonna do… So we hit The Duluth Trading Company and Bass Pro.

 

I picked up a couple pairs of those anti-swamp-ass underwear, and some Panther Martin lures in case I find a good time to catch a trout or two…

 

The 70’s DJ voice was a hit! But my own voice on the WAZE app needs some fine tuning…

 

Getting psyched!

By the way, I looked up that particular color of blue you got, and agree it is quite sharp.   

[Dozer FBG 325]

Just now, jerryskids said:

By the way, I looked up that particular color of blue you got, and agree it is quite sharp.   

It’s gorgeous. black in the shade, blue in the direct light…

I was talking upthread about taking it on some trails… but there gonna have to be some easy “old man” trails!

[Fnord 2,176]

1 hour ago, Dozer FBG said:

Welp, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. The wife will find out this week if her vacation days are approved and we’ll be able to firm up some plans.

 

I told my boss at the wood shop that I’d be taking a couple weeks off, and when I get back I’ll give him one more month and I was going back to doing my own thing again…

 

So, we took the F-150, who we’ve taken to calling “Old Blu”, on a test run up to KC. I need some hot weather gear for all this hiking I’m supposedly gonna do… So we hit The Duluth Trading Company and Bass Pro.

 

I picked up a couple pairs of those anti-swamp-ass underwear, and some Panther Martin lures in case I find a good time to catch a trout or two…

 

The 70’s DJ voice was a hit! But my own voice on the WAZE app needs some fine tuning…

 

Getting psyched!

Good luck with the Duluth underwear. My personal experience was underwhelming. 

[Dozer FBG 325]

Road Trip Report:

I am happy to report that we all live in an amazing place! I feel very lucky to have the freedom to hop in my truck, drive in any direction, and find overwhelming beauty in our natural landscape. I love the great outdoors, and have always had an affinity for the American west.

Although our trip got cut short, which I’ll explain later, we got to see some old friends, listen to some great music, and witness some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Day 1-

Loaded up the F-150 ($3.01 gal.) and launched from Central MO heading west on I-70.

Made it to Hays, KS.

Who knew I needed reservations in Hays Freaking Kansas! The town was packed. After getting rejected at a couple places, we ended up staying at a Hilton. We found a nice Mexican restaurant in the “off highway” part of town.

The next morning I learned that gas stations (in Kansas?) limit your purchase at the pump to $100. High demand, I guess…

[Dozer FBG 325]

Days 2,3,4. 

 

Made it to Winter Park, Colorado where we met up with an old high school buddy and his wife for the Blues From The Top, a three day blues festival. 
 

Blues From The Top 

 

I gotta tell ya, getting up there we hit three lanes of standstill traffic about 15-20 miles out of Denver. It looks like they are completely rebuilding the entire Floyd Hill section of I-70 from Evergreen to Idaho Springs. This is a gigantic project and, like all of I-70 through the mountains, an engineering marvel. Warning: It took an hour to go eight miles!

Old friends, they shine like diamonds

Old friends, you can always call

Old friends Lord, you can't buy 'em

You know it's old friends after all

-Guy Clark

Hanging out with old friends is one of the best things I’ve got going in life these days. Laughing, a few drinks, reliving old stories… add to that, the mountains and the music, Blues From The Top was a good run!

I was most impressed by:

The Ally Venable band

This lady can play! She has the whole sexy guitar player thing going on, and will remind you of the great Samantha Fish.

Eric Gales

This whole band was awesome, and Gales himself was a great entertainer with just enough genuine interaction with the crowd that you knew he felt fortunate to be there. And he could really bring it on guitar! Dude was incredible! Reminded my of Gary Clark Jr. 

It was cool to see Big Head Todd and The Monsters.

Todd doesn’t get enough credit as a guitarist. A true virtuoso.

[Dozer FBG 325]

Days 5,6,7.

On towards Moab!

I hope everyone has an opportunity to drive I-70 through Colorado. For me, the Rocky Mountains are my wheelhouse. I LOVE driving this stretch of highway. Ole Blue handled it with the precision and power!

Highlights:

Eisenhower Tunnel (The highest point on the American interstate highway system)

Glenwood Canyon I-70, an engineering feat that took 12 years to complete.

Around mid-day we had lunch in Grand Junction, which is about 30 miles from Utah.

So, we cross in to Utah and my wife is starting to question this supposed “filming location” from the movie Vanishing Point. I mean, you can’t blame her… But I insisted, and we take the sketchy exit off of I-70. This was all pretty funny as we rumbled down a road that clearly didn’t have a lot of traffic. We found the spot, we took a few pictures, had a laugh in front of the dilapidated building that was the gas station in the“famous”scene, and moved on.

If you’re interested:

google maps street view

The original trailer for Vanishing Point

The famous final scene

 

We stayed on the backroads and soon found ourselves following the Colorado river into Moab. 

 

This stretch of road into Moab was amazing. In fact, amazing is a way to describe everything from this point forward. The natural beauty in the landscape was overwhelming. At first you want to take pictures, but there’s now way you can recreate what you’re seeing.

 

This link describes this stretch of road as Scenic Byway U-128 beginning in Moab traveling towards where we came in.

 

[Dozer FBG 325]

We pull into Moab around 3:00 p.m.

We stayed at a place called The Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Moab is an inviting town and has lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance.

Utah does have some weird drinking laws… like, if you order a drink to take to the pool, you must order a food item (bag of chips will suffice.) Or, if you order a nice bourbon and ask for a double, the bartender will yell out at the top of his lungs, “THERE ARE NO DOUBLES IN THE STATE OF UTAH”… Ok man, a single… followed by another single in fifteen minutes will be fine. Weirdo.

We had dinner one evening at the hotel. I had the fillet, medium rare, which was excellent. I also had a single Basil Hayden, neat. Followed in due course with another single Basil Hayden, neat.