My Memorable Moab Memorial Day Weekend

How about that for some alliteration?! Ha!

A small group of us went down to Moab for Memorial Day weekend and we had a great time!! The group was a little off kilter in numbers, but fun all the same - it was me, Lindsey, Rob, Lizzy, Jana, Heather, Nate and Jon. And we did the unthinkable: we took road bikes down to Moab - the mountain biking mecca of the nation! I know. I know. It was pure blasphemy with all that slick rock around.

We drove down there Friday night and totally got stuck in some awful traffic in the canyon, but! We had a blast because I brought some radios that I got a work! We were daring people in the other cars to do crazy things - like I did a cartwheel out on the side of the road!


The memorable moments-

The official competition between my JetBoil backpacking stove and Nate's (well, technically Jon's) nameless stove. Ever since I bought my JetBoil, Nate and I have been bantering over whose is better. Sadly, his stove boiled water long before mine did. BUT!!! I couldn't get my gas to turn on so I am going to demand a rematch! :o)

Riding our bikes in Arches National Park and have two "mother figures" (poor Lindsey and Lizzy) follow us in the cars so when we (actually me) got tired we could ride in the car to the top of the hill and then ride down.

Nate riding on my tail and making me nervous - because I was going so slow up the hills on my bike. I begged him to pass me but he refused. And then having the joy of Jon behind me - he gave me some space but he also refused to pass me. Hence his new nickname: Mr. C*. (The C does stand for a word, but I've promised not to reveal it . . . to too many people.) :o)

The Dutch Oven Lasagna that Lindsey made for dinner Saturday night! And the second bantering that Nate and I had: over whose method of starting charcoal is better. Stay tuned for the official competition results later this summer (hopefully).

Impersonating how Nate sits in his camp chair - see the video. Sorry if it is sideways - I don't know how to rotate it. I had no idea that Lindsey was taking a video - I thought she was just taking a picture!! So that is what makes the video so funny.


Lindsey and Rob's competition over who popped the better popcorn over the fire. Sadly, Rob won that one.

I DID WIN A COMPETITION WITH NATE THOUGH!! I won the smallest sleeping bag. Smoked him in fact. When we were cleaning up Sunday morning I packed up my sleeping bag and the conversation went as thus:
Nate: "Is that your sleeping bag?"
Me: "Yes."
Nate: "Really?"
Me: "Yup. Do I win?"
Nate: "Yes."
That was the whole competition. See? I smoked him in that one. :o)

Sunday morning breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, sausage and pancakes!!

Being called a "hussy" after flirting with the ranger at the entrance station to Dead Horse State Park. But I was dared to ask him how the horse died and I had to make conversation with him before asking him. I couldn't help that he used the most obvious pick up line on me from the get go: "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Squishing all 8 of us in Lindsey's XTerra on the dirt road that everyone convinced me to take my car down. We started out taking both cars on a dirt road we figured would be a shortcut to the trailhead for some hikes. We got a third of the way when Lindsey radioed to me and said to park my car and the 4 of us would walk down to them and then pile in her XTerra. Heh - yeah. My car would have had to learn how to fly to get over those rocks that were sticking out of the road. Whoa Nelly! So everyone except me, Lindsey (who was driving) and Jana stood on the running boards and bumper of her XTerra to drive down the canyon - so we didn't have to squish inside for the whole time.

Next banter with Rob but also with Nate - how arches are formed. This one actually had a wager of a dozen of Rob's famous cookies or two bags of Oreos if I lost. I said they were formed by wind and he said they were formed by water. I lost and have already paid up. Ugh.

Hike to Paul Bunyon's Potty and Corona Arch.

Next banter with Nate - how many petals an Aster has. We didn't get the answer to this one until after we got home and looked in a wildflower book. He said they only had five and I said they had more. To just look at the flower you would agree with me - that they have more than five. But technically, by description, Nate was right. Double ugh.

Driving back up the dirt road and getting stuck on those rocks!! We were there for a couple hours trying to get out! And then the pressure to get out really built when we had other cars stacked on either side of us wanting to get by. But we eventually made it over the rocks.

Racing home on the highway. Passing cars. Getting passed by their car, passing them plus 2 other cars. All in safety of course. :o)

Having a prank pulled on us that they were out of gas as soon as we arrived in Price. Then having our own retaliation prank flop on us!

Overall, the weekend was very fun. Very laid-back and leisurely. Little excitement with getting stuck on the rocks. Very annoying that the boys were right every time!! But all in good fun.