Official Moab UTV Rally Comments Thread...

[smokem]

Originally Posted by oldtrucks

......and Bud.....you know there was no way I was going to let you fall of that little off chamber section

I know that!

[smokem]

BTW....instead of yellow for the E-Z runs, use white. That's the colors of our knuckles when we (inexperienced or new) drivers encounter difficult challenges along the trail..

[Pat W]

Let me preface this with saying I had a blast.

Dislikes: None really that can be attributed to the rally. As some of you there know, I had a problem with a vendor installed clutch kit that cost me two days of riding (and I have to now deal with it at home), but that could not have been foreseen.

Likes: The incredibly beautiful landscape and challenging riding. I think the tug-of-war was definitely a hit and I enjoyed the 500 foot radar run. But the one thing I enjoyed most was meeting some incredible people! It's always great when you can put a face with someone you've spent time with online. I look forward to riding with them again.

Changes: Probably the biggest for you would be more delegation of duties. I think someone manning the fort (in this case the schoolhouse) all day for people who have questions would be good. Having events, runs, etc. start on time would also be good IMHO. If you can't get out of bed in time to be there, then you are just SOL. GPS'd tracks are only as good as the source. I used the "official" Utah ATV Trail CD (8,000+ tracks) and Don and I found 2 in our 200+ miles of setting Geocaches that did not go through or link. One was at a cliff. If there is time for someone to pre-ride the exact trails, then I think that is an excellent idea. I also think having a big bulletin board somewhere with all events, times and any other pertinent information posted so people could access it any time of day would be good. Personally I enjoyed the dinner on the last night. Not only was it good food and entertaining, but it capped off the whole week.

I'll think of more by the time I get home.

And BillyBob... you are too close to the M&M's home turf to not ride with us now.

[BillyBob66]

That would be great Pat, we will have to hook up.How long before some picture will be posted?

[oldtrucks]

Originally Posted by BillyBob66

That would be great Pat, we will have to hook up.How long before some picture will be posted?

I'm trying Bill, can't get the site admin to open it up for me. I missed you and Teri, you would of had a great time

[BillyBob66]

We were trying to go but shutting down shop and packing it up took alot longer than i thought it would. Money and time was just to tight to do everything but next year we will be going for sure. LOL

[ravencr]

Keep the comments and suggestions coming guys...I really appreciate them, and I can promise all of you that all of them will be applied to our next one in the Black Hills, let alone Moab next year. I can't wait already!!

Chris

[ravencr]

Originally Posted by Pat W

Let me preface this with saying I had a blast.

I'm glad Pat!

Dislikes: None really that can be attributed to the rally. As some of you there know, I had a problem with a vendor installed clutch kit that cost me two days of riding (and I have to now deal with it at home), but that could not have been foreseen.

I'm sorry this happened Pat, and I'll speak to them to make sure that they've done everything they can to make it right.

Likes: The incredibly beautiful landscape and challenging riding. I think the tug-of-war was definitely a hit and I enjoyed the 500 foot radar run. But the one thing I enjoyed most was meeting some incredible people! It's always great when you can put a face with someone you've spent time with online. I look forward to riding with them again.

I agree 100%. I need to figure out a way to break the ties on the tug of war, but I agree that it seemed like a hit. I didn't get to attend the Radar Run, but I think folks felt like it was fun.

Changes: Probably the biggest for you would be more delegation of duties. I think someone manning the fort (in this case the schoolhouse) all day for people who have questions would be good.

Probably the biggest thing I enjoyed was running the front desk, getting to meet everyone face to face, find out where they drove from, learn about their families, and hear all the stories when they got back from the day's rides. I don't know if I enjoyed it more than the trail rides, but it would be hard for me to not man the desk to get to meet everyone. I'm not sure how to do it yet.

Having events, runs, etc. start on time would also be good IMHO. If you can't get out of bed in time to be there, then you are just SOL.

Yep, heard that a few times and definitely inconvenienced those that were on time.

GPS'd tracks are only as good as the source. I used the "official" Utah ATV Trail CD (8,000+ tracks) and Don and I found 2 in our 200+ miles of setting Geocaches that did not go through or link. One was at a cliff. If there is time for someone to pre-ride the exact trails, then I think that is an excellent idea.

That will definitely be the plan for next year, for sure.

I also think having a big bulletin board somewhere with all events, times and any other pertinent information posted so people could access it any time of day would be good.

Good idea Pat and definitely something we will do next year and at each Rally including the Black Hills one.

Personally I enjoyed the dinner on the last night. Not only was it good food and entertaining, but it capped off the whole week.

I'm glad Pat...I hope others felt the same.

I'll think of more by the time I get home.

And BillyBob... you are too close to the M&M's home turf to not ride with us now.

[kevlar]

Where do I start....

I guess I want to first say I had the time of my life. Moab is my new favorite place to ride. I think the event as a whole went off pretty darn good. Chris, Kyle, & Michelle should be congratulated on a job well done.

Day one
The easy route on day one (later dubbed the Donner Party ride) to the White Wash dunes was given to me, Jon (Crowdog), and Rob (Explorer). We discussed the trail rules, what to expect, and what to bring prior to leaving. I was given a map the night before the ride with little guidance. I made several wrong turns that were quickly rectified. I'm sure the group was getting uneasy everytime I pulled over to consult the map. We made it to the dunes in about 3 hours having gone about 40 miles. Our group of about 15 machines rode the dunes for an hour or so and we made it back to Archview with no mechanical or other issues. Total distance was about 75 miles and it took us around 7 hours.

One of the things we quickly realized was that the group size was too large. At 15 machines the distance between the leader and the sweeper is too great to have effective communication. I think group size should be kept to a max of 8 machines to better manage. Color coded flags also would've been a great idea. We had two in our group that thought they were on the moderate route. Another suggestion that definitely would've helped is providing a gps track that pre-runners could make or failing that, detailed gps coordinates at key trail intersections. The map provided to me had general gps grid coords that weren’t quite detailed enough.

Day two,

Jon, Rob and I led the moderate ride around 7 mile rim, parts of the M&M trail, and Miller & Tuscher Canyons. Our group had around 12 UTV's, more manageable than the previous day but still too big. This trail definitely was more interesting and more challenging. The ATV TV crew leap frogged us several times but seemed to not go far enough ahead for the next shoot. This caused a slow going pace. At about the half way point, half of our group failed to show at a rest stop. After waiting 15 minutes I decided to double back and see what was up. I was impressed with two of our group; Pete of “Got Sand” and a Cub Cadet driver whose name escapes me had followed the rules and stopped at intersections waiting for their follower to show. I kept going further back and found that half of our group had found an interesting obstacle and were hamming it up for the camera crew. I informed them that the other half was waiting on them and we had to keep moving. They decided to split from our group assuring me they knew the way.

This caused a dilemma in that I wasn’t sure of the rules here. I decided that I couldn’t force them to follow us so we pressed on.

We did about 16 miles in about the same time as the previous days ride. After getting back to camp I located the riders who split off and found they had made it back ok.

The suggestion I have here is that the filming crew needs to do there own ride. Especially since most of us weren’t riding with helmets anyway and were slowed down for nothing. I also again suggest a limit of 8 machines per group.

Day 3
Our little group that had formed the day before decided to head to the Gold Bar Rim and ride to the crack on Gold Spike. I did not lead this ride; instead we picked up Wally of Rhinoworld.net who had done the trail the day before. Wally was a welcome addition to our group of 8, the perfect size group. The Gold Bar Rim is what Moab is all about. I will always remember this trail as where I became personally aware of just what a UTV can do. Without Wally, I never would’ve made it to the “crack”, let alone back. That trail is insane.

My suggestion from day 3 is to have more experienced trail guides who have done the trails before. An experienced guide will push you to try things you didn’t think you could do.

A general suggestion is printing an event program complete with all the information that is necessary including; a schedule of events, trail ride descriptions with maps and start times, trail ride rules and etiquette, etc.

Well this post has gotten too long. I just want to add a personal note that I had a great time meeting and riding with Jon, Terry & Vicky, Pete & Randy, Aaron & family, Wally, and of course the Rogers.

See you next year.

[66cummins]

Leaving on time would be nice, I really wasn't expecting almost 100 vehicles and things did get a little confusing. If we hold it at archview again we are already coming up with a plan to be more organized. I am hoping to pick up some more locals to help with guiding trails. It was way too much ground to cover by one or two of us before the rally started and I apologize for not being able to do more of it. I wish Larry could have been there a couple of days earlier, he knows that country like the back of his hand. I tried to soak up as much as possible but only so much stuck.

I met alot of great people and saw some of the most awesome country! I can't wait for the next Moab Rally

I would like to see some more people step up and help, trust me guys, working with Chris really isn't all that bad

Keep up the ideas! It will help the next one be bigger and better