Moab has long been used as a location for films, TV programs and
commercials: many of John Wayne’s movies were filmed there. You can see
some of Moab’s majestic vistas in Rio
Grande;The Comancheros; Cheyenne
Autumn; The Greatest Story Ever
Told; Once Upon a Time in the
West; Indiana Jones & the
Last Crusade; and Thelma & Louise. Moab was also used as a
backdrop for images in the Marlboro Man
campaign.
The
third annual Moab Canyonlands Endurance
Ride was hosted very capably last weekend by Sheri Griffith and her plucky
team of volunteers. A winter storm kept many of us away for the first day
of the three day ride, bringing the number of riders on the first day down from
the 135 who had pre-registered to less than 100.
As
Julia Lynn pointed out during our 19 hours in the saddle together over the two
days, endurance is like several sports all in one. Not everyone has the same
goal; some of the riders are out there to savor the miles and use every hour
allotted to complete the course. I was one such rider this weekend: the scenery
deserved all the attention it could get. I enjoyed being witness to some
stories from some of the high mileage riders at the back of the pack.
