ADVENTURE ONCE MORE!

After fourteen months of pandemic, the Rippers were itching to get out there again. I had been fantasizing about this trip for years, and we finally pulled the trigger on a 3-day hut-to-hut bicycle ride from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT, earlier this month. I mentioned this ride in my post last month, Adventure Time Again?.

Well, the ride was everything I hoped for, only harder! We covered 170 miles over the three days, and climbed over 9,300 feet of elevation. Two of the eight riders who started with us dropped out after Day 1. I almost wished I had joined them (not really).

Day 2, which on paper, should have been the easiest of the 3 days of riding (fewest miles, least amount of climbing), was by far the hardest for me, as we faced 30 mph headwinds the entire ride. After 50 miles of fighting the wind, dealing with rough gravel and big climbs, and as we approached the Bedrock General Store, where in the 1991 classic, Thelma and Louise, Louise called the FBI and said “we’re not in the middle of nowhere, but we can see it from here“, all I could think of was an ice cold Coke. Two of us arrived after the other four, who were all sitting on benches on the porch in front of the store, but alas, it was closed (not sure it’s ever open any more). It was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Or at least it seemed so at the time!

But let’s not dwell on the negative. It was an amazing trip. Stunning landscape, (almost) perfect weather, lots of history and a great group of friends with which to share it all.

While I knew all but one of the 6 who finished the ride, most of the people only knew one or two of the others. That can be a risk, especially in the close quarters that were the huts where we spent the two nights. But incredibly, everyone got along famously. I am confident in saying that this group will be friends for a long time, and will embark on many other adventures. For me, that was the best part of the trip. Sure, it was an epic accomplishment for all of us, and the memories will last a long time. But the friendships that were born and nurtured topped all the rest.

I can’t wait for the next one!

Things to know, if you are interested in this trip:

The ride is part of the San Juan Hut System, specifically, the Gravel Grinder Tour of the Canyons. The name is a bit misleading, as the first day is virtually all paved roads, and days 2 and 3 are less than half gravel. All told, the ride consists of approximately 30% dirt, and 70% lightly trafficked paved roads.

The huts are stocked with all the food and drink you will need, plus first aid supplies, and some repair tools for the bikes. As such, you will only need to carry your clothes, enough food and drink for each day’s ride, and first aid and repair equipment for emergencies. No cooking or camping equipment (other than a sleeping bag), or multiple day’s food or drink are needed. It really makes for a light bikepacking trip.

But keep in mind that this is not “glamping”. The huts are very basic. There are bunks for eight, four top, four bottom. The food is plentiful but basic. Some fresh fruits and vegetables, some bacon, some cheese, but virtually everything else is canned, or boxed. Lots of pasta, rice, beans, tinned meats and seasonings. And snacks!

Gravel bikes are the tools of choice. Notwithstanding that the roads are primarily paved, the dirt sections can be quite rough, and you would not want road tires for that task. Tubeless tires are also highly recommended. I rode 47 mm wide tires, but I could have gotten away with less. I would not ride anything narrower than 36 mm. Keep in mind that this advice is specific to this ride. San Juan Huts also offers mountain bike routes for which a gravel bike would be woefully inadequate.

You must arrange a shuttle either at the start or end of the ride. We chose to shuttle from Moab to Grand Junction the day before the ride began, and we stayed in a hotel in Grand Junction, had a good dinner there, and a fine night’s sleep (not to mention a final shower!). When you book your trip with San Juan Huts, they will provide you with resources for shuttle and lodging options, among other things. But I can’t recommend Porcupine Shuttle Co. enough. Bryan, the owner and, fortuitously, our driver, is terrific.

The huts are designed to sleep 8. But frankly, I was glad we were only 6 after the first night. And even better, one of the 6 decided to sleep outside, as he was concerned about snoring (with good reason, as it turns out). Given the Covid situation, I booked both huts in their entirety, not wanting to be in a relatively small space with people I didn’t know. That entitled us to a discount ($1,500 for both nights), which means that with 8 people, it’s only $187.50 per person. But even with only 4 (so that no one needs to sleep in a top bunk), it’s only $375 per person. All 8 (to start) of us were fully vaccinated, so we all felt safe, even in such a small space.

If you are a beer drinker, opt for the beer option. For an extra $30 per person, you get 3 beers per person per night, but frankly, no one is counting. On the other hand, after those rides, we couldn’t stay up late enough to drink more!

But maybe the best tip I can offer is an app I found not too long before the ride. It’s called Epic Ride Weather, available for both Apple and Android. It provides personalized weather forecasts based upon your specific route, your location and your anticipated speed. It costs less than $10 per year, but it is money well spent. The app pulls data from Dark Sky, an Apple owned weather app, and it was spot on. I checked the forecasts, using our specifics, every day the week before we left, and the day we shuttled from Moab to Grand Junction, and I was able to pare down the clothes I carried based upon the expected weather. I brought no rain gear, no warm weather clothes, and I was just fine.

Oh, and bring chamois butter! ‘Nuf said.

Keep moving, stay safe, have fun.

special thanks to Breke, Neil and Tony for their photo contributions