Hey everyone, I just wanted to clear up a few questions that have been asked in this thread about Moab & various other things.
There was an early question about the weather in Moab in mid May. Plan on anything from a late snowstorm to pushing 100, but typically it's regularly getting up to about 90 and is usually sunny.
Bumper laws, etc.? Utah recognises any other state registration. That means if you're street legal where you live you're street legal here, so if you have license plates on your vehicle you should be good to go. Local PD generally doesn't bother with 4x4's unless you're just being stupid & deserving to be hassled. Of course you never really know when a cop is going to decide that there is something worth stopping you for.
Factory skids? They'll do the job they're supposed to do, 99% of the time. but you may bend them beyond repair. A lot depends on the trails you choose to run & your driving style.
3.2 beer. Yes that's about all you can get here, but if you bothered to actually check that's about all you can get anywhere else too. Before getting smart & moving back to Moab, I lived in California for 1 year, Nevada for 6, & Colorado for 15, unless you go to specific liquor stores looking for other than 3.2 that's what you get in those states too.
I see you've decided to limit this to a maximum of 50 registered participants, This is a great decision & I'll give you a really big reason why you should keep it that way. If you had any more than that you would be required to obtain a permit from the BLM & carry a significant amount of insurance. A process that takes months to complete.
There was a question about Moab Rim requiring payment. This is incorrect. But the property where the chair lift was is now owned by the Nature Conservancy, so it is vitally important that you stay on the marked route. They don't want to close the trail & in fact would find it all but impossible to do so since it is a route claimed by the county, but we don't need to give anyone any reason to start making any issues there. All of the Moab Rim trail is following the border of a Wilderness Study Area anyway, so it's vitally important to stay on the marked route.
Finally, the Branding Iron. They had a fire last summer. As of today it is not rebuilt. Presently it is framed & it appears that the electrical is probably being done right now. But this project has not been being done very quickly, rumor has it that the owners didn't have much insurance and are having a hard time coming up with funding to rebuild. There is a better than even chance that it will not be open in mid May, so I recommend that you try to find another establishment to have a group dinner. In fact my recommendation would be to see about someplace like Lions Park, Rotary Park or Old City Park & having it catered by one of the local establishments. I can recommend a couple if you want.
I may try to hook up with some of you for a trail run that weekend, but I'll be driving my Bronco, my Explorer won't even be road worthy at that point in time. However, my birthday is that weekend, so I'm not guaranteeing that I'll be able to make it.
