I guess it's just not right to drive a Jeep to Moab without taking it on at least one off-road trail, right? Jim just put a high-performance GM engine into the Jeep, and we wanted to see how it would perform on some real terrain. So in between proper training days, we hopped in our ride for a chance to enjoy the slickrock without sweating. Sweating from nervousness doesn't count, either... I must admit I'm not a great passenger. I was a little white-knuckled until I realized that 37 inch tires make those the rocks seem really flat. I guess I'm still looking at these rocks from a mountain bike perspective, which makes them seem scarier. With the Jeep barely breaking a sweat, we crawled up and over some sections that I could not have walked up...they were too steep! Jim even let me drive...for about 200 meters, that was enough for me. Still, I enjoyed getting out and running alongside taking photos more than actually riding :) I think I prefer my own two feet to this motorized transport. Although the photos don't do this terrain justice...it's actually much crazier in real life!
The Fins n Things Trail is high above Moab and a great spot to get an intro to off-road riding. At least, as long as you are driving a vehicle that can handle big drop offs, steep climbs and lot of sand. Fins are the long fingers of sandstone sticking up above the sand, and sometimes they are just wide enough to drive up and over and down again...but don't go over the side!
Jeep Safari Week starts in a few days here in Moab, so I'm sure we'll get to see a lot more jeeps and other off-road vehicles on the trails. It is pretty fun to watch them all maneuver through the obstacles...some of them look impassible!
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