Rim Walk on the Flying Monkey

Another gorge-ous day in Virgin, Utah. Sun was full throttle and the breeze as light as our spirits. Chris and Suzanne had yet to do the Monkey Walk, so we took a picnic lunch of smoked turkey drumsticks and headed up to do a little dance around the edge of the ledge that separates life from death. I rode my bike, of course, and met them across from the super secret Government Compound for Research and Development of Weapons of Mass Destruction. My opinion, you understand. Why else would there be 8 foot fences with barbed wire, "Danger Keep Out" signs every 25 feet, locked gates, and funny noises emanating from within? 

Here is a link for those who don't know the story of Flying Monkey Mesa. Otherwise, it's a favorite bike ride for masochists like me :).   

If you want a very scenic loop ride (or drive), keep riding/driving as there is a backroad loop of 34 miles that circles high over Hurricane and Smith Mesas and comes out on the Kolob Terrace Road, which brings you right back to Virgin. I miss my riding buddy, Maikel, a fellow masochist who loves grinding up Monkey's steep proboscis and doing the whole loop. But on this day, it was sneakers instead of bikes.

A nice little natural bridge on the precipice. I couldn't get any volunteers to walk across  it for a photo op.

Chris walking the edge. Note Flying Monkey road in the background.

Suzanne doesn't want to scare her mother, so that's her excuse to stay back from the edge.

Now Suzanne wants to scare her mother (close your eyes, Mom)

A wash empties into the abyss… I would love to see it during a flash flood.

Oh gee… weren't we just standing on those undercut rocks???

Rock hounds studying pretty little jewels and colorful petrified wood.

We found a nice red rock boulder with a front row seat view of Zion. It had a flat top and seating for four, so we used it as our picnic table. Let the scarfing of drumsticks begin!!!

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Mark