On-going Gathering discussions!

Perfect riding weather - Mid 70's to mid 80's this time of year.

High dry desert - LOW humidity!

Riding altitude will be around 4,000ft.

Rough, rocky terrain.

Population of less than 5,000.

At least SIX full-on bike shops.

Family Friendly with MANY non-biker tourist attractions.  Bring your families!

	Canyonlands National Park
	Arches National Park
	Rafting, climbing, hiking and even a Water Park.
	Moab Tourism Information Site

The name Moab is a Biblical name for a land just short of the Promised Land. The Moabites were historically regarded as the perpetual enemy of the Israelites, "God's Chosen People." Physically, the region was a green, verdant valley in the middle of a serious desert; an emerald in the sand, so to speak. Because of those similarities, Mormon settlers dubbed the town Moab in the 1800's.

One hour East of Moab and 30-40 minutes West of Grand Junction.

This is Moab's lesser known little brother - a jewel on the Western Slope of the Rockies.  Not quite as many trails, yet they posses the same quality single track, challenging terrain and beautiful vistas.

The most popular trails in Fruita are located close to I-25.  The amazing thing is that from the highway you would NEVER know what lies just over the rise that runs along the south side of the highway.  When you climb over the hill and drop in to the trail system - you're in a different world and could be 100's of miles from civilization.

Near Perfect riding weather - Mid 60's to mid 70's this time of year.

High dry desert - LOW humidity!

Riding altitude will be around 5,500ft.

Rough, rocky terrain.

Population of less than 7,000.

A few non-biker tourist attractions:

	Colorado National Monument Park
	Home of Mike the Headless Chicken (Hilarious True Story)
	Dinosaur Museum

Your Helmet

	Yes, really, we insist...
	If you insist on riding with your skull unprotected from the concrete like sandstone, you'll be riding by yourself.
	FYI - If you ride without a helmet did you know you are an "Organ Donor"?

Your family

	There are plenty of touristy things to do in Moab and Fruita (see descriptions above) to keep them occupied while you're out hitting the trails.
	There will be other BOMB families there to hang out with and see the sights with.

Any and all spare parts you may have laying around.  I've seen all manner of breakage and component failure out in Moab.  The terrain is ROUGH!  Pinch flats are the most common problem - so bring plenty of tubes.

Sun Screen

Praise and Worship - if you play an instrument and can lead a few songs...a bit of praise and worship around the campfire would be awesome.

Lots of Bottled Water (the 2.5Gal Jugs or bigger), enough for about a gallon/person/day - the Moab water is potable, but it does not taste very good.  You'll be hydrating before, during AND after riding - essentially all day long.

Lube suited to dusty, dry conditions.

Some bike cleaning supplies (rags, degreasers, etc.)

Comfortable and warm evening clothes.  It tends to cool off considerably in the evenings.

Body armor if you have it...elbow pads, knee pads, etc.

Lip Balm

Signal Flares (just kidding!)

Camera!

Tune or have your bike tuned 1 to 2 weeks beforehand.  Ride it and make sure everything is running smoothly.

If the altitude is higher than you are used to - beware of altitude sickness (seriously).  Bring some Tylenol/Asprin in case of a high altitude headache.

Drink a LOT of water (shoot for a gallon a day).  The low humidity, combined with the high altitude - will dehydrate you before you know it.  Your urine should run a light straw color, if it is much darker you run the risk of quickly dehydrating.

Do NOT make any big changes to your setup in the last few weeks.  I've seen MISERY on long rides/extended tours when someone decided to "try out" a new set of pedals, new seat, new stem, even gloves and shorts!  You want to ride what you are very familiar with.  One poor fellow ordered a new bike and had it shipped to Moab.  He muttered many a fowl word on the trail as he became familiar with his new rig...and worked to slowly dial it in over the days on trail.

Ride the widest tires you can.  The larger tire contact patch helps your traction on the rocks, floats you over the sandy spots and the higher air volume will help you avoid pinch flats.  Go for 2.1's or bigger - I ride 2.5's.  Skinnies might be efficient for climbing smooth trails and dirt roads - but that is far from what Moab is all about.

Creamy Vaseline - or your own preferred salve to ease and prevent saddle soreness and chapped/chaffed rear ends.

Contact Lenses:  Gas Permeable Hard lenses are usually fine unless it gets really windy.  Soft contacts do tend to dry out a bit quicker in this environment - bring re-wetting drops along on the trail.

Bike Shop - Slickrock Cycles - Great service, good prices and friendly faces.

Shuttle Service - Coyote Shuttle - Jesse runs a tight ship, on-time and group pricing is fantastic.

Beer - Moab Brewery - Always in house fresh brewed adult malt beverage goodness, food is great too.

Hotel - Westwood Guesthouse - Central location.  "Suites" with 70's kitsch.  Mini kitchens, breakfast provided (you cook it!).  Great prices if you max head count in the rooms.

Camping - Canyonlands Camping and RV Park - Central location.  Clean and inexpensive facilities.

Pizza - Zak's - All you can eat gourmet and old standards cooked in wood fired ovens.