Moab - Monday 10/5/2009

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On our final day, it was just Ron, Lori, Lacey, and Riley! We started the day by waiting for the shops in town to open and picked up a couple of things we had window shopped for the night before. Then we headed out to drive what's called the "3-D" trail. We've often thought this would a good all around trail for a group of mostly stock 4wd trucks with a few side obstacles to keep the ATVs and modified 4x4s entertained, along with some great features to keep the kids involved and interested. it ends up we were right on all accounts, this trail will have to become a must-do next time we get a group of you all to come along with us!

We started out with a short detour to "The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Quarry." Here, less than a stone's throw from the passenger car accessible parking lot, is a series of about a dozen "exhibits" of dinosaur bones. The bones have been only halfway excavated with the other half remaining embedded in the cliffside where they were found. It is designed to make you feel like you are a paleontologist walking along discovering the bones for the first time in their natural environment (except of course for the informational signs and the constructed walking path). Lacey absolutely loved it!!

Moving along the trail, we next worked our way over to the "Tusher Tunnel," a natural tunnel that is at least 6 feet tall throughout and is probably 100 yards long.

A little ways further, we stopped to repair a damaged trail sign, that was our service project for the weekend.

Later, we stopped at the entrance to an extreme rock crawling trail called "The Pickle." We drove as far as we could (about 1/4 mile) then hiked through the most extreme obstacles just to check them out, including the entrance obstacle called 50/50. Here they say that 50% of all the heavily modified vehicles that attempt it, make the climb successfully. The other 50% break an axleshaft or a driveline or some other vital drivetrain component and have to trailer their vehicle back to town for parts. We probably hiked 1/2 half of the 1 mile long trail.

Further along, as we were running out of alloted time, we drove a ways up another side trail called the "Mashed Potato." This trail, like the Pickle, starts and ends along the 3-D trail and is just an alternate route for modified 4x4s. We went as far as we could before our timer ran out. The Mashed Potato is Moab's newest designated trail, having been opened to full-sized 4x4s for less than a month at the time we drove it (it has always been open to motorcycles). It was a very difficult trail by our standards and we can't wait to give it another go when we have more time!

The best part about 3-D is that the scenery starts out very bland and boring. It gets progressively more scenic until you end up viewing one of the most beautiful canyons in the area from 3 different vantage points.

Then... a quick picnic in the gas station parking lot while daddy puts air in the tires and we're headed home! Chalk up another fun and exciting trip to Moab for the history books. Remember! The first weekend in October! Put it on your calendar for 2010! Seriously, go write it down right now!!!