Gentlemen, it has been a great pleasure. (zbillster's farewell post)

[zbillster_imp]

And don’t ride on the road!

On the trails ... there are NO mail carriers!

[GoldOxide_imp]

Bill: Pleez be careful. There are trees, boulders, trenches, gullies, and maybe the worse: Squirrels who can never seem to make up their mind.

[zbillster_imp]

I'm sticking to baby trails. Like this one near me. Long straight wide repurposed railway road.

https://www.traillink.com/trail/chaparra...ail-photos

I'm also hoping to return to Moab, Utah. There's a wide, safe jeep trail that goes around some gorgeous scenery.

[pdedse]

I'm sticking to baby trails. Like this one near me. Long straight wide repurposed railway road.

https://www.traillink.com/trail/chaparra...ail-photos

I'm also hoping to return to Moab, Utah. There's a wide, safe jeep trail that goes around some gorgeous scenery.

In in younger days I think I wouldn't have hesitated to cross at the 6:45 point in the video...now--I probably look for another way around!

But gorgeous country!!

[GoldOxide_imp]

Great image captures for sure throughout the flick.

Love the desert. I would stop all the time to absorb the wonders, but 100 miles is much to do that comfortably.

If allowed, I'd consider something like the Monkey that wouldn't overwhelm the path (say vs. a dirt bike). Alternatively, a Zero.

[Frulk_imp]

If your planning to do the WHOLE trail then be aware the White Rim Trail now requires a permit because its so crowded. Moab is now officially a tourist destination and all the trappings that come with that are present. Stop and go traffic in town, crowding, competition for camp sites. Long lines to get into the national parks and so forth. Drive through town and Utah plates are the minority. I avoid the place now except for the shoulder seasons, and then it's only to have an outfitter come to retrieve me and my kayak/gear from the rivers.

[GoldOxide_imp]

*Bleck*. Too bad. Somebody " ... called it paradise". "... kiss it goodbye".

- - -

When are the shoulder seasons?

[zbillster_imp]

If your planning to do the WHOLE trail then be aware the White Rim Trail now requires a permit because its so crowded. Moab is now officially a tourist destination and all the trappings that come with that are present. Stop and go traffic in town, crowding, competition for camp sites. Long lines to get into the national parks and so forth. Drive through town and Utah plates are the minority. I avoid the place now except for the shoulder seasons, and then it's only to have an outfitter come to retrieve me and my kayak/gear from the rivers.

1. Not doing the WHOLE 100 miles on a bike. That guy was crazy.

2. I've been in October 2013 ... it wasn't that crowded ... I only do shoulder seasons ... but let me tell you THAT story ...

I was doing one last road trip in my Honda S2000 before selling it (owned in for 5 years and 50,000 fun miles) and thought, "Hey, let's go out to Utah ... hit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon ... Arches National Park, Zion National Park ..."

And then they had the federal government shutdown just as I left ... ALL the national parks were CLOSED!

So couldn't go to Grand Canyon, Arches, etc. ... you could drive THRU Zion but you weren't allowed to stop ... so my low crowd density in Moab may be an anomaly. The tourist businesses were suffering, the state parks (still open) were overflowing ... I felt really sorry for some German tourists who rented a Winnebago for their big USA adventure but couldn't get in anywhere. But the Utah driving roads made for some beautiful scenery.

But there was a series of easy trials just north of Moab that were outside Arches and open. Very empty. Also did a nearby Jeep trail. The MTB I rented in Moab is the same model I just bought, only I bought the carbon fiber version instead of aluminum.

So what's a boy to do in this situation?

Hmmm ... what's always open, 24 hours a day no matter what?

VEGAS!

Anyway, as I headed back home, each federal site reopened ... the day after I left.

Here's a Google Photo Album with highlights ... some of the Vegas highlights ... well, I can't show you those ...

[url=https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZZtzrKDWht1x2cGC6]The Last S2000 Road Trip

[GoldOxide_imp]

Bill: Some really nice snaps for sure.

(*sigh*) 2013 seems so long ago now.

What was this?



... taken from https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZZtzrKDWht1x2cGC6

[zbillster_imp]

Bill: Some really nice snaps for sure.

(*sigh*) 2013 seems so long ago now.

What was this?



... taken from https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZZtzrKDWht1x2cGC6

By the time I got home after the 5000-mile trip, the rear tires were worn down to the nub. Tires were a recurring, annoying expense in this car. Trying to make them last till I got home.

I was selling the car with the original 16" wheels (which still had tread) and selling these 17" separately, so didn't want to have to spend another $400 on rear tires.