In the last week of September 2016, twenty something Ibis riders of all shapes and sizes flocked to Moab to participate in the first-ever Ibis Migration. High in the La Sal mountains, a group of thoroughly stoked folks made their nests among the densely-packed, soaring aspens, xanthous in their fall foliage (go ahead, look it up).
Sit down, hold on and get ready for a visual feast. We brought Bill Freeman along to document the trip. Enjoy his photos of the spectacular La Sals.
The chilly mornings found us savoring expert-level cappuccinos pulled by Espresso Bob on his freshly converted-to-propane vintage Astoria. He even had it hard plumbed it into his sprinter. Bob went so far as to provide us with a special high altitude roast, made especially for pulling shots at 9,200′ campsite.
Post-ride campfires have a way of livening the mood, especially when there’s Single Track Spirits whiskey (distilled by Ibisian Tom Pettinger) and 40 Buck Chuck magnums to be had. It was quite a party – we’ll just say there was hula hooping and a piñata. Whatever else happened in the mountains will stay in the mountains.
On the final day the Ibis riders got a full serving of the Whole Enchilada. An 8000-foot descent from snow white to pine green to slickrock red put a permanent smile on everyone’s mug. It doesn’t get much better than that.
