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Smith's with friends
Ron in Boise and his friend Larry made the trip to southwest Utah last week to explore some of the country in this area. Ron called when they got in the area, and called every couple of days to let me know where they were and what they were up to. It sounded like they were having fun. I was stuck with work and other responsibilities so couldn't ride with them, but we made arrangements to ride together last Saturday. We rode up and over Smith's Mesa. It was sunny, but a cold north wind chilled us as we rode to the north end of the mesa. Once we turned east, then south it wasn't too bad. Much of Smith's is dry farmed. I spotted some old farm equipment and decided to get a picture.
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Here we're at the north end of the mesa looking at the fingers of Kolob. I love the red sandstone. You can see we're bundled up against the cold wind.
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Here's a little better picture.
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While riding around the eastern end of the mesa we did jump about 8 head of mule deer. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of them. Smith's is just to the west of Zion National Park and offers some good views of the formations. I've found a good way to avoid Monkey Butt is to stop and take a picture every now and then, so that's what I do normally. Not as many pictures this go around due to the blustery weather.
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Ron had seen the video of the 2010 Red Bull Rampage held on the south slopes of Smith's Mesa. He wanted to check it out, so when we got through with the loop over Smith's we looked for the site of the Rampage. I knew approximately where it was at, but had never taken the time to locate it exactly. We enjoyed riding the trails in the area until we located the site. We found a 2 track road that led to the base of the mesa, then an ATV trail built part way up the side. I'm sure they used the ATV trail to haul people, bikes, and equipment up the side of the mountain. We rode the ATV trail up until it got so steep and rocky we couldn't go any further. In this shot you can see the road and part of the ATV trail we rode.
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If you look closely you can see the downhill run that the Rampage riders rode down the ridge in the foreground. In the background is the road we rode up the side of Smith's earlier in the day.
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This is looking up the trail from where we stopped.
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Ron and Larry with the downhill bike run in the background.
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A couple of quail we saw on the way back to camp.
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It was a fun ride with some new friends. I'm glad I got to do it.
Here we're at the north end of the mesa looking at the fingers of Kolob. I love the red sandstone. You can see we're bundled up against the cold wind.
Here's a little better picture.
While riding around the eastern end of the mesa we did jump about 8 head of mule deer. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of them. Smith's is just to the west of Zion National Park and offers some good views of the formations. I've found a good way to avoid Monkey Butt is to stop and take a picture every now and then, so that's what I do normally. Not as many pictures this go around due to the blustery weather.
Ron had seen the video of the 2010 Red Bull Rampage held on the south slopes of Smith's Mesa. He wanted to check it out, so when we got through with the loop over Smith's we looked for the site of the Rampage. I knew approximately where it was at, but had never taken the time to locate it exactly. We enjoyed riding the trails in the area until we located the site. We found a 2 track road that led to the base of the mesa, then an ATV trail built part way up the side. I'm sure they used the ATV trail to haul people, bikes, and equipment up the side of the mountain. We rode the ATV trail up until it got so steep and rocky we couldn't go any further. In this shot you can see the road and part of the ATV trail we rode.
If you look closely you can see the downhill run that the Rampage riders rode down the ridge in the foreground. In the background is the road we rode up the side of Smith's earlier in the day.
This is looking up the trail from where we stopped.
Ron and Larry with the downhill bike run in the background.
A couple of quail we saw on the way back to camp.
It was a fun ride with some new friends. I'm glad I got to do it.
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