Grand Canyon - The Motor vs. Pedals dilema

Several weeks ago I got an email from the UTMA (Utah Trail Machines Association) which is the dirt bike club I belong to. The email said that they were taking a trip to the Grand Canyon. I read the email and came to the astounding realization that I had never been to the Grand Canyon. I promptly emailed my Dad and related my realization and asked him if he would like to go. We decided to put our names on the list of participants.

In the meantime while the weeks are going by and getting closer to the trip, I have really been getting involved with riding my bicycle. In fact, it is fairly safe to say that over this summer, I have become completely addicted to cycling (for those of you who are wondering, I still have hair on my legs). I have logged about 2000 miles this summer and have gotten pretty slim. The cycling thing started last year while we were living down in Orange County (because there wasn't really any dirt bike riding close by) but it has really taken off this summer for me.

So, as the trip gets nearer and nearer, for the first time and to my utter amazement, I am actually having reservations about going on the trip because it will mean that I will miss a couple of days of riding my bicycle. For those who know me well, this news really will be amazing because I have been a complete dirt bike fanatic for many years.

Anyway, the day of the trip arrives and my Dad and I get in my truck and head to St. George where we join some of the other riders. Next, we take drive on a dirt rode for sixty miles down into Arizona to the edge of the Grand Canyon. Have any of you ever driven on a dirt road for sixty miles? It is a very long way and the whole time I was thinking, man, I wish I was somewhere else riding my bicycle. What is wrong with me? I should not be having thoughts like that. I am a dirt bike rider.

We finally got to our destination which was a little farm house in the middle of nowhere (the ride leader had arranged with the owner for us to stay there). It was a decent place, especially considering how far away it was from everything. It had running water and power (when the generator was turned on). However, it did not have any AC. Yikes! Remember that we are now well into September but it is still well over 100 degrees.

We got to the farm house at about 2:00 pm and decided that we were going to go for a ride before dinner. We started getting our gear on and I probably lost a 1/2 liter of water through my pores before I ever even got on my bike. Have I mentioned that it was hot?

Although the afternoon ride was like riding in a sauna, I was pleased to finally get to see the grand canyon. Truthfully, it basically just looked like the rest of southern Utah (there isn't much of Southern Utah I have not seen), but at least I can officially say I have been to the Grand Canyon.

Our meals were at this amazing place called the Bar 10 Ranch. This place truly is in the middle of nowhere but it is completely self sufficient. They have grass, water, power (from big solar panels), an runway, and a helipad. The Bar 10 Ranch apparently gets lots of customers all summer long that typically fly in and stay and go rafting or take four-wheeler tours.

Well, the trip took an unexpected turn when we got to the Bar 10 ranch for dinner that first night and realized that my Dad had a hole in his radiator hose. I am embarrassed to admit that my first immediate thought was that maybe we could go home and ride our bicycles on Saturday with the velo club (the bicycle club we belong to). A year ago, my first thought would have been that it is going to be a long weekend for my Dad sitting in the sun without a bike while I ride. I have seriously been corrupted. Before I could say anything to my Dad about what I was thinking, all of the guys we were riding with (they are awesome guys) all jumped in to try to figure out a way to fix his bike. We thought we had something worked out and so we concluded that we would continue with the trip as planned. We ate dinner that night at the Bar 10 and then went back to the farm house for the evening. There was a fantastic sunset on the ride back to the farm house.

The next morning, we went to the Bar 10 for breakfast and then set off for more riding. Shortly after we left the Bar 10, the fix we made to my Dad's hose blew apart again. However, I did not know it at the time because I at the front of the group and did not find out until I stopped a few miles up the trail.

When I was informed that his hose had blown again, I was a little torn because I was actually enjoying that ride a lot more than I did the ride the day before. The ride we were currently on was much higher up the mountain which means it was much cooler and more into the trees. At the same time, I once again thought this was the opportunity to bag this dirt bike trip and go home to ride my bicycle.

I went back down the trail to find my Dad and after talking about it a little bit, we came to the same opinion that we had had enough of the heat and mechanical problems and that we were ready to bail so we could go home and get on the pedal bikes.

So we did. We bailed on everyone and drove home. Once again, we drove on sixty miles of dirt road. One the way back, one of the tires on my truck blew out so we got to fix that ... fun. All I could think about the whole way home is how excited I was that we were going home so that I could ride my bicycle. Once again, I don't know what is wrong with me.

We got home Friday evening in time to get things put away, take a shower, and then get in bed. The next morning, I was up at 6:00 am to meet the club at the Cracker Barrel in Springville. We rode 72 miles out to Mona and back. It was a great ride and I really enjoyed it.

It really is amazing that I am starting to prefer pedals over a motor. I never thought that would happen! I have been on a few other dirt bike rides this summer (Ouray, CO; Ferron to Manti, UT) but the vast majority of my time is spent on my bicycle. I guess I am just going to have a reach a happy balance. For now, however, the balance is on the side of the bicycle.