home : galleries : Moab Adventure, 2005

Moab Adventure 2005
or how I learned to stop worrying and love the puke.

Do you know that feeling? The one that says it is time to turn around and go home? Alison and I got that feeling about one mile from our home, when Merle puked, for the first time. Merle is our dog. When we adopted him from the pound, they called him an australian shepherd mix, but I prefer mutt. Merle is our mutt dog. He gets car sick, and he puked less than one mile from our home.

You see, we were headed to Moab, Utah. It was Spring break for Alison and I, and we were going on a mountain biking adventure. An adventure where we would face our fears, be one with nature, and encounter lots of puke. But back to the beginning.

Merle puked less than a mile from home. We stopped and cleaned it up, thinking at the time, I'm glad that's over. The way trips with Merle normally work is that he pukes once and then is done being car sick. Little did we know what we were getting into. About thirty miles down the road, Merle puked again. This time though, he missed our neat sheet. The neat sheet is a water impermeable sheet that we lay down before letting Merle into the car. It works wonders when he pukes on it. But this time he missed the neat sheat, and hit the upholstery. [shudder]

We stopped a second time at a gas station. We needed paper towels and water this time. Finally cleaned up that mess. Back on the road, Merle only puked twice more on our way to Moab. Yuck.

Well, we arrived at Moab after a long drive. Normally it takes 5.5 hours to get to Moab. I think it took us seven, but what a feeling. We had arrived. The outdoors at last.

The first thing we noticed about our campsite was that the outdoor camodes had no ceilings. There is something about "communing with nature" while enjoying the stars that just gets you back to your ancestral roots; ancestral meaning homo erectus, of course.

We quickly set up camp and began to prepare supper. Being good multi-taskers, Alison and I assumed that we could do other stuff while our water heated up on the soda can stove I had created. Perhaps we were too ambitious.

Since we did not know how Merle, the mutt dog, would react to being in the great outdoors without a leash, we had him tied up to a tree with a 50 foot rope. In this way, he could follow Alison around the camp. We thought it was smart at the time. Freedom for him to wander. Freedom for us to do necessary tasks. Little did we know.

The first task we set upon was hanging up the no longer neat sheet on a tree to dry out. "Why would a water impermeable sheet need to dry out?" you may ask. Thanks for asking. Actually, after the third incident of vomit, we folded the no longer neat sheet over on itself so Merle had a place to ride that was not covered in bile. We discovered after the fourth vomiting experience that the sheet is evidently not impermeable on both sides. So it was "wet."

Therefore, we set to the task of hanging it on the tree. All the while, our water was heating up on our homemade stove in a nice independent manner. At least until Merle tipped it over. In his enthusiasm to get to Alison who was hanging up the no longer neat sheet on a nearby tree, the rope we had tied him to had hit and flipped the stove. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, except the stove fuel is denatured alcohol, which has a tendency to burn even while it's splashing across the grass.

"Oh Fudge!" cried out Alison. Except, she did not really name any type of chocolate treat. Suddenly, with a zeal that any fire fighter would be proud of, she ran over to the flaming ball of a stove. WHAM! Her foot came down on top of the stove.

It seems prudent at this point to mention the construction aspects of the stove. The stove was essentially the bottom inch of two soda cans pushed together. The alcohol exited from small holes punched in the top of the cans with a small nail. Since the stove was made from soda cans, it's fragility was pretty high. In other words, placing a large amount of weight on the soda can would distort the shape. Slamming one's foot onto the stove would nearly destroy it, spilling the alcohol contents all over the ground.

WHAM! Foot contacts stove. Alcohol, burning alcohol, spills over the grass.

I should also mention that I had only made one stove for the trip. In my excitment to go camping, I had not considered the inevitability that our stove would be crushed.

Alison was in a frenzy. The grass was burning, our stove was destroyed. Luckily, I was able to put out the fire with a single glass of water. With a little fiddling, I was able to piece the two halfs of the stove back together. However, it never worked the same after that.

We were able to make our dinner and finally go to bed though. Merle, the mutt dog, happily helped himself into the tent and laid promptly on our feet.

Perhaps now is an adequate time to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Alison and Merle enjoying the camping experience. This is before the "big burn."
IMG_4479

Our cooking setup. The stove is underneath the pot, where it should be.
IMG_4482

We stayed at campsite number 3.
IMG_4486

The next day, we took Merle, the mutt, on a ride on the Gemini Bridges Trail. We didn't tell Merle at the time, but the ride was going to be 16 miles. It was an out and back experience.

Alison riding, with Merle valiantly riding beside her.
IMG_4489

At the end of the trail, we came to the actual bridges. Although you cannot tell, there is a 150 foot drop beneath the bridges.
IMG_4490

Alison and Merle overlooking the canyons.
IMG_4493

What they're overlooking.
IMG_4498

Me risking my life for a photo. Just kidding.
IMG_4503d

Whereas Alison and I rode up this hill, these vehicles tore up the hill. Evidently Gemini Bridges is a popular route for four-wheelers. We were sure that if we followed some of the drivers, we may very well have seen the Darwin effect in action.
IMG_4504

The trails were very well marked.
IMG_4506bw

A girl and her dog.
IMG_4510

Alison, after a long day of riding, and a shower. We cheated and took showers at one of the hostels in Moab. Pretty nice.
IMG_4513

Alison setting up the stove for cooking. This is after Alison and the stove had a talk about their conflict. They both decided they wouldn't torment each other anymore.
IMG_4517

Merle's sleeping location.
IMG_4519

After we got back to the campsite, Merle curled up and slept while we prepared dinner.
IMG_4524

More of the adventure...