Man oh man, what a great time out in the Utah desert this past week!! After missing last year since Covid-19 canceled Cruise Moab, it felt really, really good to be out in the desert with friends, even if Cruise Moab was a toned down version ( no Vendor night, Raffle/Dinner and only a 140 vehicles registered). We always head out early for a little “Pre-Cruise Moab wanderings”. This year we ended up down in Beef Basin ( a favorite of mine) before doing the Lockhart Basin trail back to Moab. I headed out early and was able to get one of my favorite campsites in the basin and have two nights of solitude. Perfect way to start the trip! Friends rolled in on Sunday afternoon. It was fun to show them some sports around Beef Basin for a few days before heading out to do Lockhart Basin back to Moab. Lockhart was a bit harder than I remember ( last time we ran it was in 2009), but still a fun trail. For Cruise Moab, I rode along this year to focus on taking pics, doing Seven Mile Rim on Thursday and Hells Revenge on Saturday. These are some of the pics I took throughout the week (took over 600 pics). Will be working on a full report soon.
Enjoy!
Beef Basin and the Henry Mountains in the distance. A great view to be welcomed back after a 12hr drive from Downtown Denver.
Sunrise Saturday morning and my first full day back into Beef Basin. Didn’t see another soul the entire day:).
Around camp.
Evening light.
Sunday morning, I took a hike up to a knoll above camp. Pretty sure these were the same pottery sherds dad and I spotted way back in 2008.
Mormon Tea.
Shawn C coming in hot.
Some good evening light.
Spent the day Monday exploring some of the sites around Beef Basin.
A great old cabin.
One of many dwellings. 10th-12th Century.
We tried to make a second attempt to the watering holes down in Gypsum Canyon, but it turned out to be a bit much for some of the group. So we spent some time soaking in the sun/water at this little oasis.
Paintbrushes blooming.
“T”.
A most relaxing evening at camp.
A fine sunset.
First time doing a night shot with the 5DMK4. Everyone was giving me a hard time about having to sit still for so long:).
Off Highway 211 for the Lockhart Basin trail head. A good spot to top off the tanks.
The first stretch of Lockhart (from Canyonlands) is a fairly easy drive.
A side road to check out the Colorado River. Lee from Georgia in his nicely built 200 series Land Cruiser.
Good views of the Colorado far below.
Tim Nakari in his recently built FJ60.
Working our way through the hard section of Lockhart.
Seven Mile Rim.
My buddy Jonathan from Grand Junction stopped by to say hi as we were airing down for the Seven Mile Rim trail just North of Moab.
Some good light on the cliffs.
Fun to think that I’ve been wheeling with Cheeseman (spotting) since my first Cruise Moab waaaaaay back in 2002. This was one of the few obstacles Cheeseman spotted the group on . Loved the Fj40 that Josh was driving.
Monitor and Merrimac Buttes.
A good spot for a group photo.
A 200 series Land Cruiser making its way up to the tippy section on Seven Mile.
Hells Revenge.
Jeremiah and baby Atlas were excited to start the run.
A fun but cool day for a ride in the back of an open to FJ40 Land Cruiser.
Typical scene for Hells Revenge.
Mike and his nicely built FJ60.
Paden riding with Randy up “Hells Gate”
Ken Romer with his 200 series LC.
One of the steeper fins on Hells Revenge.
Randy going up the Escalator.
Near the end of Hells Revenge trail (proper) and another Cruise Moab in the books! Already excited for CM 22!
Jeremiah’s freshly built “EMP-40”. A super clean, Japanese Military themed build.
End.
You have a good eye with a camera!
Appreciate the kind words Adam!
What a great time, group and rigs. Trails for the less to more experienced Drivers and Vehicles. Scenery around every corner with complimentary fauna. Weather and temperatures were wildly mixed, I believe we had all four seasons in 1 week, Rain, Wind and snow, Very warm days and some colder nights. Introduced to Indian flute music that echoed through the huge wall behind our camp as well as some most excellent Turkish coffee.
My mind is still overwhelmed of all the teaching and learning moments. Face with a big ol smile still and can’t wait until next time to explore the area even more. Mike F
That’s pretty much how I felt with my first Cruise Moab Mike! Such a great group of people complimented by amazing trails and country. I was hooked after my first CM way back in 2002! Glad you had such a great time!
Great stuff Perry! Looks like a really fun Cruise Moab and your photography is fantastic!
Brian
Thanks for the kind words Brian! It was a great event this year (even if toned down)!
Incredible pictures and what an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the kind words Gale!!