Golden Spike

Portal Rv Resort
Moab, UT
May 3, 2016

To complete Golden Spike has been on our bucket list for sometime.  And now we can finally check it off.  It is one of the longest (20.1 miles) 4X4 trails simply because to complete it you have to do half of Poison Spider, all of Gold Bar and part of Gemini Bridges. Golden Spike is only 6.7 miles by itself and full of non-stop challenges.  

Our group for the day chose to do it backwards which means we saved Poison Spider for last...the views coming out that way are spectacular.

The only folks we really knew in the group were Dee, David and Lois, and Dale and Rolande.  The others were all from the 4 Wheel FMCA club.  We followed a nice guy named Kevin sometimes and other times we followed Dee.  

David and Lois

Starting on Gold Bar meant that we had to go down the waterfall.

Kevin

Sometimes it's hard to keep 4 on the ground.





The obstacles on this trail have the "awesomest" names...Body Snatcher, Double Whammy, Golden Stairs, Golden Crack, Zuki Hill, Skyline Drive, and Launch Pad.   But as the pictures show, my focus was on the views!  

 My favorite picture of the day was looking back at Dee as she came down Wedgy on Poison Spider.  She was photographing us while driving !

 It was a long, exciting day.  Thanks to Dee's spotting we aced the Golden Crack for the first time. 

The puppies were glad to see us.

 Until next time, happy trails !

Fisher Towers Hike

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
May 2, 2016

It's been two years since we hiked Fisher Towers.  Why I don't know because it is one of the most scenic and beautiful hikes here...at least I think so.

It's a moderate hike with lots of ups and downs to get the heart pumping and leg muscles warmed up right from the get go, but the surroundings are so pretty, I hardly noticed how hard I was breathing! 



It's a well maintained in and out trail with a total of 4.6 miles.


  

The Cliff Rose were in full bloom and the lovely fragrance filled the air as we descended into the washes...yes, more than one...and climbed back out at the beginning of the hike.

I am not sure what this bush of yellow four petal blooms is, but it had a nice cinnamon smell.

 The trail has a western exposure. We were there about 8:45 am just as the sun was peaking over the towers.  Much of our morning was spent in the shade. 

We took our time enjoying all the little things along the way.







Does this rock remind you of a boxer covering his face? 

Joe and I both chuckled as we watched this bee.



He was a lot heavier than the flowers.  Every time he landed on a flower the stem would bounce way up and down taking him for a ride. 

There was no doubt which arrow we were following!  




Ancient Art is a complicated formation with several major summits. 




The corkscrew summit is great for a moderately experienced trad climber according to mountainproject.com.

We were in luck.  There were three climbers and all three made it to the top of the corkscrew.

After meandering around the largest tower known as The Titan, the trail ascends and ends up on a ridge with a panoramic view. 



It's a full 360* view that includes Fisher Towers,

Onion Creek,

 and Castle Valley.

It was an absolutely beautiful, happy day...

Until next time, happy trails !