Riding the Moab Double Whammy 202km Permanent

I got the chance to try out Richard Stum's Moab Double Whammy 202km Permanent.

The Permanent takes in the two national parks near Moab: Arches and Canyonlands.  Despite being close to each other, they are very different in their formation, what you see, and the way the roads take you through them.

You start with Arches, which is good for several reasons.  It traverses several valleys, so the climbing at lower (warmer) elevation is better when you're fresh and it's cool.  Also, the traffic is less earlier on.

Things get started right away in the scenery department, as you climb from the entrance to the Park Avenue overlook:

You pass various rock formations, such as Balanced Rock ...

... and arches, of course:

The Lasal Mountains form a backdrop:

Nice mountain blooms at this time of year:

The transit between Arches and Canyonlands starts with the path parallel to US-191.  This was actually one of my favorite stretches, as it is very scenic and cut off from the highway.

Next is the 20-mile climb up UT-313 to the plateau.

The prevailing SSW headwinds added effort but kept me cool.

A quiet, lightly-travelled highway with a big shoulder.

Atop the Colorado Plateau, it seems you could be somewhere in the grasslands of Wyoming, but just out of sight are the canyons ...

... which you look down on once you enter the park:

The Colorado River has cut very deeply into the plateau - there are many overlooks with vast expanses like this.

The Green De Rosa - resting here against a juniper-branch fence - had a good time on the Double Whammy.

So did I and I bet you will, too!

-jle

P.S. Richard has done an excellent job designing this route and creating materials for it. He tells you exactly where you can get water (only three spots along the route), which makes a difference even in the moderate 70's and 80's when I rode it. (There are no places to get food, but it is easier to carry 200k-worth of food.)


Richard Stum at Last Chance 2008 finish