I had found a quiet, dark neighborhood street to park my car on and sleep for the night. Little did I know that there was a high school two blocks away and was awaken by its band practicing outside at 7am. In some parts of NJ, gunshots would’ve surely followed. Since I was now up with no chance of going back to sleep I decided to explore Moab.
Moab is another tourist driven town. When driving down its Main Street you quickly realize that the five main businesses are either gas stations, hotels, adventure tours (mtn biking, climbing, rafting, jeep tours, etc.), souvenirs (t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers) and food and beverage, in no particular order. Trucks are big here; big tires, lift kits, skeletonized frames with extra gas containers strapped to the side. These big boy toys are almost more common than a regular truck in town. Off-roading is a popular thing to do here in Moab.
What Moab is really known for though, is its mountain biking. It’s a mountain biking destination known throughout the world. It would be a sin if I didn't do some riding before I left. After breakfast I saw some signs for the Slick Rock trail and followed a train of cars with mountain bikes strapped on top, on the back and even to the sides. The parking lot was almost full. There must have been some professional riders there because they had their own support trailers, complete with bike mechanics and portable bike shop. As I was getting ready I met three Moab locals, Tommy, Jen and Melinda. Tommy approached me after seeing my NJ license plates and asked if I had ever ridden Slickrock before. 
I told him that I just got into Moab last night and followed the first trail sign I saw. He told me that they had been training for the past two months to ride Slickrock. Apparently, on a difficulty scale of 1-5, Slickrock is rated at 5+. Had I known this before I was already straddling my bike, I may have searched for another trail. But I was already here, ready to ride and up for a challenge. I ended up riding with them for the entire day. I was, from that point on, referred to as “Jersey”.
Slickrock trail is only 12 miles long but it was like no other 12 miles I have ever ridden. First off, it’s all rock so you don’t want to crash too hard. It had everything you could ask for, bone rattling downhills, quad shredding uphills and everything in between. I watched plenty of advanced riders fly over their handlebars, followed by a quick glance-back to see how many people were watching and then a hand raise signaling no major injuries. Moab is a place where $5,000+ full suspension mountain bikes are the norm and I was riding an old school hard tail. Let’s just say that I got plenty of nods and respect for riding Slick Rock on what nowadays would be considered a kidney busting dinosaur.
The 12 miles took several hours to complete. We took breaks when we needed to, and we needed to take breaks. By the end of the ride we were all physically spent. Afterwards, they invited me to join them for “the best burger in town”. Moab is a small town so I was careful not to raise my expectations too high but after that ride, even a mediocre burger sounded great. 
We went to Milt’s Stop and Eat, a local joint packed with hungry mountain bikers. I ordered a mushroom and swiss buffalo burger, fries and a chocolate malt shake. I wouldn’t call it the best burger I’ve ever had, but surprisingly I would put it in the top five, or maybe I was just hungry? I had a great time both riding some fantastic trails and meeting some cool people that didn’t mind me tagging along for the day.
I left around 6pm and headed straight for Arches National Park and got there just as the sun was setting. I drove almost all of the way to the end of the park and was greeted by a sign that said “Campground Full, No Occupancy”. My karma must have been strong today because when I walked into the ranger’s office to ask if there were any other places to camp, an older lady came out and said she just had a cancellation a few minutes ago. I got the last spot in the park. I set up my tent in the dark and unzippered the top vent revealing a mesh screen to watch the stars. I was wiped out and ready for sleep at 8pm, but it was well worth it.
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