Desert Survivor: More Fun in Moab 2017: Biking and Canyonlands

After we finished the Moab Adventure 5K Race and had plenty of post-race refreshments, we went back to the hotel and swam. It was so nice to relax by the pool! Then it was time to eat and then we wanted a mild adventure. Brooke suggested the paved bike trail next to the Colorado River, and that was perfect. It was windy, but otherwise it was gorgeous.

We had the trail nearly to ourselves, and the shifting clouds made the scenery even more dramatic.

The trail is relatively short, about 2.5 miles of pavement, but that worked out fine.

On the way back we crossed over the bridge just for the fun of it. The Colorado River is impressive!

Along the way we saw a sight we weren't expecting--a slackliner. It was especially hard for the slackliner to stay upright due to the gusts of wind.

After that bike ride, we still had some daylight but not too much energy, so we decided to go for a drive up to Canyonlands National Park. The kids had never been there.

Across from the visitor center we found a beautiful viewpoint. The kids were happy to hang out with Brooke!

We stopped at an overlook and saw these fun-looking switchbacks.

We decided we had enough energy for the 1/4-mile long trail to Mesa Arch. This raven got there the easy way.

It was cool looking through the arch at the rugged scenery beyond.

A quick family photo.

Brooke and Desert Girl.

Desert Girl was into doing tree pose up on top of some rocks in the last rays of sunlight.

Then we went to the end of the road and saw the White Rim Trail, a 100-mile long trail that can be done by jeep or biking or hiking. It looks like it would be a lot of fun. Brooke had biked it in the spring and warned that camping permits can be hard to get.

That was plenty of activity for one day, so we went to bed. The next morning we got up ready for another adventure--mountain biking! We headed north of Moab to the Moab Brands Mountain Bike Area, where there are an array of trails.

While my husband biked with the kids, Brooke led me on a series of trails that she made look easy.

In places they challenged me. But Brooke reminded me that I had taken her caving even though she had claustrophobia and she had done it, so I should buck up and just bike. I appreciated the tough love.

After I got over some of my initial nervousness, I really enjoyed it. I built up more confidence. Until the last couple miles, when I was so tired!

We found my husband and the kids back in the parking lot and told them about the OK Corral, a super neat part at the end of the parking lot. You can ride where ever you want. This was incredibly fun.