Since early December it’s felt more like Gunnison, CO than Moab, UT. It’s been such a cold & snowy winter in fact in the Moab valley that folks are really going to get after it as soon as the sun comes out in full force. I think it will be hard to keep us here in the office when spring fever really hits. Good thing I got that new smartphone.

One of the more exciting things that all this snow will bring is an awesome Spring wildflower display. If you can’t wait until it happens in the Moab area, check out our Tucson based Sonoran Desert Tours in mid March. http://www.westernspirit.com/tripinfo.cfm?id=1198805643203 Super fun singletrack on the Arizona trail with blooming cacti everywhere! What’s not to like about that? The 1st two leave on 3/15 & then again on 3/22. The last one 3/29-4/2 is a family itinerary so grab the kids and come on down.

“A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL

MOUNTAINS”

Well……

It seems positive to say the least. Rode A Rockstacker to Jackson’s loop yesterday and didn’t see a single

person! Even on a Saturday. granted the high was like 35F or so.. but the trail was dry, the skies we’re … kinda blue and the skiing pretty much everywhere STILL sucks.

That should(hopefully) change soon, but all those signs point to the depths of off season.
Western Spirit has sold it’s entire rental fleet, the guides are all off at the ski areas and those left are thinking of Holiday X-mas parties or soon to be deep dayz @ ALTA.
Well it’s time to stick another log on the fire & refresh my cocktail, so until next time keep those wool knickers close by and the skis waxed.
And since it was Der Kaiser’s b-day a few days back… Have a braut or three for the Holidays

It’s going to meet in Durango, CO and explore the best of Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park over the course of a week.

I could go on and on about all the amazing discoveries we had, but you can read the details on our website right here;

http://www.westernspirit.com/tripinfo.cfm?id=1256329684915

A used bike is one of the best investments you can make. They’re watched over by our trained guides all season and babied compared to all other rentals out there. All that and at a fraction of what you would pay at retail.

After the season is over our ace mechanic goes through each and every bike with a fine toothed brush, bringing them all up to snuff before boxing them up and shipping them to your doorstep. If you’re not 100% completely psyched (which you will be) all you have to do is send it back to us within a week for a full refund.

These are the same bikes that consistently rank #1 in not only virtually all of the cycling publications, but in such non-biased periodicals as Popular Mechanics and Consumer Reports.

They’re priced to sell, so they’re going to go fast this year. Call us for more details and to reserve yours today. Or if you’re in Moab this fall, stop by to pick yours up in person and save $50!

http://www.westernspirit.com/used-specialized-mountain-bikes.html

To answer those CB folks with more detail, I guess I would say that you need to be flexible. Flexible as in getting up @ 6am to ride before work, or to not ride at all if it’s in the triple digits. Swimming is a lovely option for a little exercise (and refreshment) during the heat of the day. Triathalete, I’ll never be, but I’ve been known to ride 10 miles out to Ken’s Lake on the road bike, swim for 20 minutes and ride back in to work during a lunch break. If the 9-5 thing wasn’t part of the equation the logical fun hog would go up to the La Sals to ride the beautiful singletrack 5,000′ above town. Burro Pass to Shuman’s, Moonlight Meadows, The Trans La Sal Trail  - just a few of the classics you can attempt if you’ve got the better part of the day. The temps are at least 20 degrees cooler and the mountain streams, aspen trees and wildflowers make it worth the drive. If it were not for the LaSals it would be pretty hard to make it through the summer months here in town.

After all that fun is over, one of the best parts of Moab in summertime is the outside cocktail hours and late night dinners. When it’s still in the 70’s at 9pm you can relax on the porch in short sleeves mix up an icy cold G & T and enjoy the comfortable evening temps - while your CB friends are bundled up in their down sweaters. Checkmate.

So while I’m looking forward to the cooler temps of September, I’m in no rush to lose those delicious heirloom tomatoes, fresh organic peaches and warm summer nights that only the dog days of summer can deliver.