So we arrived just before dark at the dispersed (i.e. free) camping at Bookcliffs. I didn’t take any pictures until this morning, and I still can’t believe it.
This place is empty.
I mean, empty. I couldn’t believe it! Moab was packed. It took us 30 minutes just to get inside Arches NP yesterday. And yet we’ve got the Bookcliffs all to ourselves. If you haven’t ridden Fruita, then get your butt out here. Fruita has some of the best trails around. You can get started at Over The Edge Sports. Aside from being a super-cool bike shop, they also sell lots of maps of all the great riding areas in and around Fruita.
Bookcliffs (also known as the 18 Road Trailhead) is a series of loops. Some are directional (the main uphill trail is called Prime Cut) and the whole place is super fun. Here’s a link to the BLM site that outlines some of the trail distances. And here’s a map.
So after breakfast (I fired up Vera all by myself, yay!) we started up Prime Cut and my original plan was to ride down the Kessel Run. It’s such a fun trail! But Michael convinced me to try something new: Joe’s Ridge. It’s a smooth, swoopy downhill with steep dropoffs on either side. Scary fun! Michael went back for a second loop, but I was done. The dogs were pretty happy to keep running around our (empty) campsite.
Then it was on to Glenwood Springs. And the Hot Springs. Oh man, do I love the Glenwood Hot Springs. Their showers are nice and there are two pools to choose from: warm and hot. After getting cleaned up, we spent some time in the hot pool before reluctantly heading back out.
What a fabulous trip! Next post I’ll start going over our gear – what worked, what didn’t, and what we plan on changing.