Monday 19 April 2010

Road Trippin...



"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate." ~ Robert Brault

I can't seem to get Willie Nelson's song 'On the Road Again' out of my mind. Perhaps because that's all I've been doing!

I made the big move back to my home province, British Columbia, the first week of April. As much as I am glad to be home, it was harder than expected to leave my wee town. Or more to the point, leave the wonderful friends I have there.

Thankfully, I had two caring friends, Garney and Shelley, who helped me by driving a Uhaul packed with all of my possessions, while I drove my car out. How do you thank someone for doing that??? Not only did they help with the drive, but also with my emotional well being. I give many thanks!!

I was home barely a week when I was 'On the Road Again'. This time I was off on a wee adventure to Moab, Utah. I have wanted to go to Moab since about 1993-ish, when I first learned of it. It was then that I was quite into mountain biking (MTB) and got all the magazines. As soon as I saw Moab I fell in love and wanted to go. It only took me 17 years to finally get there.

My friend, Stephan, who I climbed with in Calgary told me that he and a group of friends go every year. Then he extended the invitation to join them. Hmmm....let's think about this...I am about to make a HUGE change in my life with my move, I'm emotionally a mess, I haven't had any contract work for a month...but it's Moab and a dream come true...COUNT ME IN!

So off I went on my wee journey. The rest of the group were either flying in from Montreal or driving from Calgary. This left me driving on my own from Vancouver. Good thing I'm an only kid who knows how to keep herself amused for a 20 hour drive!


I did the drive out in two days. It was uneventful, thankfully. Finally, on Saturday afternoon I arrived in Moab. One word: breathtaking.



Driving through town was like being in a small town in the Okanagan during a triathlon event. There were mountain bikes everywhere, as well as dirt bikes and 4x4's. I was in a mountain biking mecca!

As I was checking in I met the couple who would be my cabin mates for the first 5 nights - Noni and Reid. Then we found the others, two of whom were my friends from home, Stephan and Dave. Also with us would be Kim, Trina, Shauna, Mike and Richard. The rest of the group, Cedric, Karl-Eric and Stephan 2 were arriving the next day.

As soon as I met the gang I knew I was in the right place! Everyone was super friendly and enthusiastic about being there. Most had been there before, so they would be our guides for the week.

The first night was spent just getting to know one another as well as getting some groceries and setting up camp. "Camp" were some cabins, or chalets as we jokingly called them, located in a campsite off the main strip. It was surprisingly quiet even if it was off the main highway!


The night seemed to fly by and everyone was pretty pooped from our drives. So after a yummy meal of Mexican food we all bid each other adieu and headed off for a slumber before the next day.

Day two was to be a bit more of an adventure than I bargained for. A tale that I shall tell next time...

Peace out my lovely friends!

5 comments:

  1. Sometimes you've just gotta go with the opportunity hey! Sounds like a great trip and look forward to instalment 2!

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  2. "This left me driving on my own from Vancouver. Good thing I'm an only kid who knows how to keep herself amused for a 20 hour drive!"

    I"m amazed that you can stay awake, and self-amused for a 20 hour drive, but you can't stay awake as a passenger for more than about 20 minutes. Did I ever tell you that you have a very cute snore?

    Glad to hear from you, and that you had fun in Moab. Of course you did.

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  3. Awesome trip, can't wait for the other blog entries. I thought of you yesterday riding through Cochrane. For a minute I actually wondered what you would be up to, jeez I space out on the bike.

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  4. I can't believe you stayed awake for that long and IN A VEHICLE too!!! It usually takes you one nanosecond to fall asleep in a vehicle. Hahahahaha!!

    Looking forward to reading more about your adventures!! :) :)

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  5. Oh nuts, I'm on the edge of my seat! Til next time, I'll have to wait to hear about the rest of the trip. Your pictures were beautiful. And, I was shocked to read that 1993 was 17 years ago. I mean, really???? It seems like 2 years - tops.

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