Golden Spike
Is there anything more fun than Golden Spike? We were making decent time as we came off of Poison Spider Mesa and started the trail, and we were grinning from ear to ear just thinking about it.
It didn't take long to get to the Launch Pad, and we had a blast on it. We watched each other go up it, and no one had any issues even though it's really steep. We even stopped at Witch's Crotch and everyone went up it, but no one took the crazy, wheel-stand line through the crack. We were just finishing up when a line of buggies came up to it.
When we got to Skyline Drive, we figured they'd want to get around us so we took that and they kept going. We didn't stop at the top because it was really windy and chilly. A bunch of dirt bikes did the dome at the same time, passing us and driving all over the place. It was a little obnoxious that they couldn't wait for us.
We enjoyed the trail and we were surprised when we caught up with the buggies at the Washtub. A Hummer H1 broke a rear drive shaft on the hill and just couldn't get up without it. He decided to swap it out for a new one in the middle of the trail, so we had to get creative to get around him. That meant we had to skip that obstacle, unfortunately, but we did get to do Zuki Hill by going around more of their group stopped in the middle of the trail. It was definitely an interesting group.
After that, we'd see groups here and there but everyone was happy and playing nice. It was a scenic and fun time, and when we got to the first overlook we parked there and had lunch at the edge of the mesa cliff. You can't have a more scenic lunch.
We saw there were signs for a bike trail that cut along the edge of the mesa, and we were lucky to see a few bikes doing it. It seemed like a lot of work, and they were really talented. It was cool to watch. We saw some when we stopped at the second overlook for a brief view looking down at Arches National Park.
When you're excited for the Golden Crack it seems to take forever to get to it, but we finally came around the corner and headed down the big slab of slickrock to the obstacle. There were people and vehicles all over the place, but they had just finished so we were able to go right through it. We also had them as an audience, which was pretty fun.
Mike and Matt decided to do the Buggy Challenge, and they both did it with style. Matt finally crushed a tailpipe, and Mike scraped his bumper a bit. It was a bit of a traffic jam when a group of side-by-sides came up going in the other direction, but it all worked out.
Niko had been owning the trail and not having any issues until he got to the Golden Stairs. For some reason, that obstacle gave him some troubles, but he made it through with the rest of the group.
The Golden Coaster was fun, and we got a lot of good photos. When we got to Double Whammy, only Matt was up for it. He tried a lot of different lines but wasn't having any luck. Then, he tried another one again and crawled right up it. Awesome!
Everyone planned on going through Body Snatcher, but only Mike made it through. He drove right up it, and then Matt worked on it for a while, barely missing hitting his body on the rock next to the obstacle. He backed out, and everyone after Mike took the bypass.
We soon got to the end and it was time to do Gold Bar Rim. Golden Spike is such a good time!
Reports from Other Days: 10
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