Moab – The Ramblings of MTBBill

Poison Spider and The Portal

One more video knocked off the remaster to-do list. The Portal Trail in Moab will most likely reset your scale for exposure and how the risk vs reward variables are computed in your head. The steeper than it looks moniker certainly applies here. I did some software stabilization but it still in the old-school shaky cam category. Here are some more thoughts on this trail as well as some pictures from that day. You can find stuff from the entire 2008 road trip here.

The second song used this video, Mad Life, by Dishwalla had some special meaning for me from that day. This video was shot in May of 2008 and back in the March, I had an OTB crash on the Goat Camp Trail that left me with about 40 stitches in my lip and mouth that really did a number on my mental game for riding technical trails. During the first three days of this trip I was starting to get the mojo back and the during the descent of the Portal trail the “I’m Back” switch was flipped on as that song started playing in my head. These lyrics in particular.

See the pain and beauty all around
See it try so hard to take me down
Hold me up into the sun and watch me burn and watch me heal
“The Mad Life” Dishwalla

Amasaback Moab 08

The migration of videos to YouTube continues. This installment is from Amasaback Mesa in Moab Utah from a 2008 Roadtrip. This was Day Two of trip and we had started the day on Little Creek Mesa near Hurricane Utah. The Hurricane/St George Area is such a good halfway spot between San Diego and Fruita, Moab or the North Rim of the Grand Canyon if you are itching to get in some riding on what would otherwise be a long travel day.

Day Two of a killer eight-day Roadtrip

This video is of the main route up onto the mesa and back down. I’m looking forward to getting back up on that Mesa and playing around. As I understand it there are now a couple of different routes you can take coming back down with the most aggressive being Captain Ahab. I like the idea of base camping out of Moab for a much longer amount of time than before and really getting to know the place. Plans, I got Plans!

Long Overdue Fisher Mesa Video

Okay so this video took just a wee bit longer to get out that I expected. Truth is I got a little burnt out on editing video so I just set the footage aside. I rode Fisher Mesa in May on Day 5 of my Utah Colorado 08 Road trip. Fisher Mesa is a really cool out-and-back XC ride that falls into the “eat your desert first” category as the mesa descends from the trailhead all the way to the turn around point which can be up to 12 miles at the point. It is well worth the return effort. Fisher Mesa is a good chunk of distance from Moab. To give you a rough idea of where it is at, If you have ridden Porcupine Rim, the valley to the east is Castle Valley with it’s signature Castle Rock and the Priest and Nuns. The mesa across the valley to the east is Adobe Mesa. To the east of Adobe Mesa is Mary Jane Canyon and beyond that is Adobe Mesa. The Adobe Mesa Rim trails is on the east side of the mesa and it over killer views of the Fisher Towers, Top of the World and Fisher Valley. Like most of my photographic and video experience in this area of the country, it is tough to capture the beauty of the place.

Right Click here to download the 87MB video that run 6 minutes and 35 seconds.

Poison Spider – Portal Video Online

Portal

Last night I finished up and published the Poison Spider Mesa – Portal Video. I ended up including some walking footage in the video. Considering how dangerous some of those exposed sections are I felt the walking bits needed to be represented along with the riding bits. Every veteran of the Portal trail with whom I have talked has all mentioned walking the exposed parts and how frightening that trail can be. The riding only version of the video just seemed to be missing something and the walking bits was it.

So anywho, right click here to download the 9 minute and 35 second video that will set your hard drive back 130MB.

The Portal Trail in Retrospect

I am in the process of putting together my video of the Poison Spider Mesa and The Portal Trail. For those of you who read my review you should have noticed the unusual amount of attention I paid to how dangerous this trail is in the exposed sections. Standing on the edge there knowing that three mountain bikers have fallen to their deaths is quite an experience. I thought we were quite cautious in what we rode and what we walked on that infamous and precarious trail. While reviewing the footage I had a couple of OMFG moments when I saw a couple of spots that we did ride. While these couple of sections were flat and tame with some ground buffer between us and the edge I’m pretty sure I would not ride them again. Too much of the hebegebes put in my head now. For me there has only been a few trails that have gotten into my head like the Portal Trail. If you have ever had one of those dreams where you are falling forever, this could be that place. I’m not sure how this thought process with effect the final video, I’ll just have to see where it takes me.

Bill O'Neil on the Portal �

Wandering through Utah

Life is good! My buddy Bill and I have been running amuck through Utah. Yesterday we finished up our sixth ride in five days. We spent a day near St. George doing some mesa riding before heading over to Moab. We hit up a few of the marquee trails as well as some of the not-so marquee trails. Big Country – Awesome rides. Last night we pulled up chocks and rolled into Grand Junction, Colorado to hang with some friends for a couple of days and hit up a few trails here.

Here a few sample pictures from the trip so far.

Utah
Little Creek Mesa