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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I have heard of motels that advertise "children welcome," or "pets welcome." I don't think I have ever heard, until recently, of a motel telling customers "bicycles welcome in your room."
The Red Stone Inn in Moab does just that. They encourage customers to take their bicycles into the rooms. In fact, they even have a special floor covering on which to park bikes. Is this a first? Are there other properties that provide a special carpet for bikes?
We all know that the Slick Rock country around Moab attracts cycling enthusiasts from all around the world. Some maintain that the greatest off-road bicycling terrain anywhere is in Moab. That is why so many cars in the area are sporting bike racks on the roofs or on their trunks.
The Red Stone Inn also provides a bike wash area. In addition there is an area to do necessary repairs and maintenance. They do everything they can to make sure the Slick Rock enthusiasts know that they are welcome.
The Inn has an interesting history. Monica Sparks, the manager, told me that years ago, there was a great deal of construction in Delta, Utah, while the Intermountain Power Project or IPP was being built. Boise Cascade provided temporary housing for the construction workers. When the project was finished, that housing was not necessary, so IPP sold the housing. Colin Fryer bought the units and transported them to Moab and placed them on a lot on Main Street where there had been an old A&W Root Beer stand. Colin told me it cost more to move the units from Delta to Moab than it did to buy the units.
The Red Stone Inn has been the temporary residence of many movie people who film their productions in Grand County. The lobby is decorated with many posters, like "City Slickers II" to signify which Hollywood people have stayed at the Inn.
A motel for bicycles? Yes, but only in Moab.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
