The Whole Enchilada
For years a good friend of mine had been telling me of his adventures in Moab. I was intrigued but for whatever reason I never made the effort to go. He told me that The Whole Enchilada is a ride that would change my life. I thought that was likely a bit over-stated, but I respected his opinion.
One Thursday afternoon in late September, my friend told me that he and his family were going to Moab the next day. He said it was last minute notice, but encouragingly said I should join. I’m generally not that spontaneous, and I wondered if this invite would be worth the four hour car ride would be worth the time away from my family, as well as the effort, and money.
I talked to my wife about it and she said I should do it. So, with the hall pass in hand, I started prepping my bike and packing my gear. I was told of people getting stranded due to sliced tires on sharp rocks, broken bones, helicopter rides to the hospital, and other fun details.
When thinking of Moab, you generally think of majestic red rock landscapes. I was shocked to see that when our ride dropped us off, I was at 10,000ft, surrounded by pines, and I was shivering with the temp at 32 degrees. Despite the cool temps in September, I was stoked for the ride to begin.
This was my first ride on a new Orbea OIZ, and I was equipped with plenty of hydration, snacks, tools, a jacket, and even an extra tire just in case a sharp rock found its way through my tire.
This being my first “Whole Enchilada” I was naively thinking the drop-off was start of the 8,600ft descent, but it wasn’t. Little did I know that there was a climb to get to the actual peak; a climb that left many riders doing hike-a-bike to the top.
Moab, Utah is synonymous with epic mountain biking and outdoor adventure. Some of God’s finest creations are on display in this picturesque landscape; and I don’t say that casually. I’ve had the opportunity to travel across the globe to places like Phuket, Thailand, Gold Coast, Australia, Christchurch, New Zealand, England, Greece, Sweden, and Grand Cayman. Embarrassingly, despite living in Utah for the majority of my life I had never been to Moab.